Browsing: hope

The series marks the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who will be playing for the first time in the Indian jersey since the ICC Champions Trophy Final earlier this year. (AFP Photo) NEW DELHI: Ahead of the first ODI against India, Australia captain Mitchell Marsh expressed hope that Indiaâ€s legendary duo, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, donâ€t go overboard with their performances in the three-match series starting October 19. The series marks the return of Rohit and Virat, two of Indiaâ€s biggest stars, who will be playing for the first time in the Indian jersey since the ICC Champions Trophy Final earlier this year.Reflecting on his experiences facing Kohli and Rohit throughout his career, Marsh noted that the series presents a unique opportunity for Australian fans to witness the brilliance of the two legends.

Madness for Team India in Australia 1,75,000 tickets sold, craze for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

“I had the privilege of playing against them quite a lot through the journey. They are obviously legends of the game. Virat, especially in this white-ball format, is the greatest chaser ever. I think you can see why the ticket sales are so high and why a lot of people are coming to watch them. And if it is their last time on Australian soil, I hope they enjoy it and I hope people can witness, not too much great cricket from them, but witness two of the greats playing in Australia,†Marsh told the media.Since India last toured Australia for a bilateral series before the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit and Virat have been in sensational form.Rohit has played 23 ODIs in this period, scoring 1,137 runs at an average of 49.43 and a strike rate of 123.45, including two centuries and seven fifties. His highest score is 131. His remarkable 2023 World Cup campaign at home saw him amass 597 runs in 11 innings at an average of 54.27, with a century and three fifties, striking at over 125. In Indiaâ€s unbeaten ICC Champions Trophy run, he scored 180 runs in five innings, including a match-winning 76 in the final against New Zealand.Virat, meanwhile, has accumulated 1,154 runs in 22 matches since then, averaging 64.11. He has struck four centuries and nine fifties, with a highest score of 117 and a strike rate of 88.56, continuing to prove why he is one of the finest white-ball batsmen in the world.

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Harper answered questions in the corner of the visitor’s clubhouse last week at Dodger Stadium following the Phillies†stunning loss to the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, discussing his teamâ€s latest postseason failures before he turned his attention to 2026.

“I want to hold that trophy,†Harper said. “Thatâ€s the goal every single time you get into Spring Training. … I know, on a personal level, Iâ€m going to work my butt off this offseason again and get ready for next year and obviously, hopefully, take another swing at it and see what we can do.â€

But what version of Harper will the Phillies get? Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wondered on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park.

“Heâ€s still a quality player,†said Dombrowski. “Heâ€s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didnâ€t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good. If you look around the league, I think … Freddie Freeman: Heâ€s a really good player, right? He still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. Freddie is a tremendous player, and that, to me, is Bryce. Can he rise to the next level again? I donâ€t really know that answer. Heâ€s the one that will dictate that more than anything else.

“I donâ€t think heâ€s content with the year that he had. And again, it wasnâ€t a bad year. But when you think of Bryce Harper, you think of elite, right? You think of one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I donâ€t think it fit into that category. But again, a very good player. Iâ€ve seen guys at his age — again, heâ€s not old — that level off. Or Iâ€ve seen guys rise again.â€

It sounded like a challenge in many regards. Maybe it was.

Harper, who turned 33 on Thursday, batted .261 with 27 homers, 75 RBIs and an .844 OPS this year. It was his lowest OPS since 2016 (.814) and his lowest OPS+ (129) since 2019 (126).

But Harperâ€s .844 OPS still ranked 22nd out of 145 qualified players in baseball. His expected metrics were mostly better than 2024, when he batted .285 with 30 homers, 87 RBIs and an .898 OPS.

Harper saw pitches in the zone only 43 percent of time, the fewest out of 532 players (minimum 200 pitches).

The MLB average is 50.7 percent.

Itâ€s nothing new. Harper has the seventh-lowest zone rate (42.1 percent) out of 772 hitters to see at least 5,000 pitches in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Only Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Pablo Sandoval, Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton, David Ortiz and Ryan Howard have seen fewer.

Now, Harperâ€s chase rate (35.6 percent) was just a tick below his career-worst rate in 2022 (35.7 percent). It was 33.4 percent in each of the previous two seasons.

Perhaps he can make an adjustment there.

Regardless, Harper is headed to the Hall of Fame one day, whether he is “elite†again or just “very good†like Freeman. But Harper would love nothing more than to have “World Series champion†engraved on his bronze plaque.

He wants to finish his career with the Phillies, too. Next year will be the eighth of a 13-year, $330 million contract. Harperâ€s agent Scott Boras and the Phillies have discussed a contract extension in recent years. It was believed it would happen eventually. Who knows where that stands today?

“I think heâ€s highly motivated to have the best season of his career next year,†Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday. “Thatâ€s what the plan is going to be for him. He played in 132 games, and he hit 27 home runs. Itâ€s pretty good. You add on another 30 games or 25 games or whatever, the numbers look pretty good. Yeah, I mean, it was down a little bit, but over an .840 OPS or something like that, yeah, thatâ€s pretty good.â€

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The Yankees’ HOPE Week has been named a finalist for the 2025 Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence.

HOPE Week, the Yankees’ long-running initiative to celebrate inspiring individuals and organizations in their local community, is one of five finalists for this year’s Selig Award, which was created by Major League Baseball in 2010 to recognize the charitable and philanthropic efforts of MLB clubs.

Along with HOPE Week, the other 2025 finalists are the Dodgers’ Wildfire Relief and Recovery, the Red Sox’s Fenway Park Learning Lab, the D-backs’ Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball and Softball Tournament and the Royals’ Literacy League.

Fans can vote for the 2025 Selig Award winner online at MLB.com here:

Voting is open through Monday, Oct. 20.

The Yankees established HOPE Week — which stands for Helping Others Persevere and Excel — in 2009, when they moved into the new Yankee Stadium. This year marked the 16th edition of HOPE Week.

HOPE Week is celebrated over five consecutive days during baseball season, with the Yankees shining a spotlight on a different individual, family or organization every day. HOPE Week honorees get to share their inspirational stories with Yankees players and fans, and each day of HOPE Week ends with a visit to Yankee Stadium on the day of a game.

The 2025 HOPE Week honorees included Joan Hyland and her nonprofit “Love, Nana”; nonprofit organization Bottomless Closet; Ed and Sue Goldstein and their nonprofit The Valerie Fund; young Yankees fans Carmine and Vincent Gagliano and their family’s The Strength of Brothers Foundation; and Brian Worthington, founder of the New York Metro Black Pilots of America.

Over the 16 years of HOPE Week, the Yankees have had 78 unique honorees and donated more than $1 million to them and their charities.

Yankees players, coaches and front office employees all participate in the community outreach program — from Derek Jeter helping outfit low-income men who were re-entering the workforce with new suits, to CC Sabathia and Jorge Posada taking a double-decker New York tour bus with young Haitian refugees, to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton playing kickball with a middle school girl who was bullied.

For the last 12 years, the Yankees’ Minor League teams have also held their own HOPE Weeks, allowing the organization to reach more than 400 community causes in New York and around the country.

The Yankees even win on the field for their honorees during HOPE Week. The Bronx Bombers have a 44-28 record on HOPE Week since it began and have won 31 of their last 51 HOPE Week games.

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It wasnâ€t exactly a secret what the Brooklyn Nets†goal was for this season: They used all five of their first-round picks last June, then this summer they traded or let walk Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder and Dâ€Angelo Russell. Brooklyn is going to lean into Cam Thomas — playing for his next contract on the qualifying offer — and Michael Porter Jr. to drive their offense.

But if you had any doubts about the plan, here is what team owner Joe Tsai said while on the All-In podcast (hat tip RealGM).

“I have to say weâ€re in a rebuilding year. We spent all of our pick (in the 2025 NBA Draft). We had five first-round draft picks this past summer …

“We have one [first-round] pick in 2026, and we hope to get a good pick. So, you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season. But we have a very young team.â€

This upcoming NBA Draft is considered a strong draft at the top with Darryn Peterson (Kansas), A.J. Dybantsa (BYU) and Cameron Boozer (Duke) all in the mix for the No. 1 pick, with some other real talent such as Nate Ament (Tennessee), Mikel Brown (Louisville) and Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor) worth keeping an eye on.

Brooklyn isnâ€t the only team starting this season with an eye toward the draft, the same idea is playing out in Utah and Washington, and you can be sure a few other teams with long-shot postseason hopes will be pivoting to the strategy early.

The Nets control their own pick this season, but in 2027 the Houston Rockets have swap rights. Starting in 2028, the Nets will have their own first-round picks and/or first-round picks or swaps coming in from the Knicks, 76ers and Nuggets.

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Well, that was something new. On a sleepy, listless night of football-style product, Wales still managed to produce something daring and avant garde in the opening 20 minutes of this 3-0 England friendly win.

It is often said football has reached some kind of end point, that there are no new frontiers. But here Craig Bellamyâ€s team produced an experiment in un-defending. We are going to deconstruct this thing. Like a postmodern 1990s bangers and mash served on a gastropub house-brick, with no bangers, no mash just a spritz of gravy-absence, we are going to take it apart, to serve up a plate of non-defence. And also, in the same spirit, charge you 50 quid for the pleasure of coming.

It took less than three minutes to reach this bold new frontier. England had a corner on the left. The ball veered to the back post past an arrangement of passive red shirts, was slipped back in without resistance and side-footed into the net by Morgan Rogers, eight Wales players present but also powerfully absent.

They did it again 10 minutes later. Ollie Watkins was given time on the goalline to control the ball, juggle it, speak to his agent, consider the futility of all self-contained competitive matrices, then smash it into the net. On 20 minutes it was 3-0 as Bukayo Saka was presented with a kind of ring of steel, a personal quarantine space, invited to come inside, the way he always comes inside, and spank the ball with a beautifully tender violence into the far top corner.

At which point the game, which had never actually started, was over. To the extent it would have been understandable if Thomas Tuchel had sent out a message to go a little easy. Win. But donâ€t win too much. Make it look like football.

Is it good for England to play this kind of game? Wales arenâ€t this bad generally, even if they were this bad here. They had some attacks. The Welsh fans made a lot of noise. By the end the one real England benefit, keeping up the warm feelings of Serbia away, had been achieved, no small thing given international football is essentially all about how everyone feels.

Ollie Watkins has all the time in the world to double Englandâ€s lead. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Otherwise it was hard not to think about how this all going to play out more widely. The only really notable noise leading into this game was Tuchelâ€s assertion that Englandâ€s supporters need to keep their expectations at a reasonable level, that this is not self-evidently a world-beating team, something that is obviously true, but which is still somehow controversial.

In doing so Tuchel raised an interesting question, perhaps the single most important issue given the effects down the years of delusionally overheated hopes, both in terms of performance and how that performance is then perceived.

It is a question that was barely addressed in this extended act of light cardio. Beating Wales has almost zero relation to the experience of meeting Spain or France or Portugal in a knockout game. But the fact Tuchelâ€s comments drew snippiness, a snort of disbelief, the assumption this must be some kind of mind game, negging the lads, is a big part of the problem.

This is the England tax, the weight of that osmium-inlaid shirt. Itâ€s the exceptionalism that gets you in the end (the greatest exceptionalism in the world, by the way). But it wasnâ€t hard to see what Tuchel is talking about even here.

England fielded a good, thrusting, high-class starting XI, but a team that also contained only one player, John Stones, who has won the Premier League or the Champions League. Some first-choice picks are missing. With Harry Kane absent the centre-forward, and indeed the only available candidate, was a 29-year-old with three goals his last 25 games. Watkins is an excellent, likable footballer. But on current form this doesnâ€t really stack up with that allegedly squandered hand of world-class talent, all bangers all the time, the golden children betrayed by the dark lord Southgate, who only got to finals.

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The reality is England do have a shot. But trust the process manager. Tuchel knows what it takes. Heâ€s won the Champions League. He came through in that period where Germany was smelting a World Cup-winning generation. He knows what actual depth of elite talent is going to look like. What heâ€s saying is: you are not the frontrunners. Youâ€ve won once in 75 years, and never outside of Wembley privileges.

Even with a full squad Englandâ€s spine is probably going to be Jordan Pickford, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Kane, Saka. All very good players. But how many have won the big stuff (answer: none)? Jude Bellingham has that alpha-dog winning edge, notwithstanding the vague sense of a footballer cut from that golden generation big personality cloth. Bellingham, at least, is not an egotistical loser. He is an egotistical winner. Which seems a better thing to be.

England have rhythm now. Tuchelâ€s clarity, his lack of sentiment, remains arguably their best hope. They have it in them to reach a semi or a final. The treatment of Gareth Southgate for doing exactly this remains one of most telling things to have happened in England football recently. Southgate made England contenders, then was pilloried for making England contenders.

The lesson seems to be that success is arguably the worst thing that can happen as an England manager. Keep up that chat. Donâ€t give them hope, Thomas. Theyâ€ll never forgive you.

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The 2025-26 NBA season is here! Over the next few weeks, we’re examining the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and win projections for all 30 franchises — from the still-rebuilding teams to the true title contenders.

2024-25 finish

• Record: 36-46 (11th in the West, missed playoffs)

Offseason moves

• Additions: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Mark Williams, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Jordan Goodwin, Jared Butler, Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea, Isaiah Livers, CJ Huntley, general manager Brian Gregory and head coach Jordan Ott

• Subtractions: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee, Vasilije Micić, Cody Martin, Monte Morris, TyTy Washington Jr., Damion Lee, Bol Bol, Jalen Bridges, general manager James Jones and head coach Mike Budenholzer

Devin Booker signed a max extension with the Suns this summer. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

The Big Question: Can the Suns rebuild a respectable team on the fly?

OK, so … that didnâ€t work.

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Donâ€t believe me? … Wait, really? Seems kind of odd that youâ€d dispute this, considering the Suns finished 10 games under .500, missed the playoffs for the first time since the bubble, fired their head coach (again), traded away the future Hall of Famer theyâ€d estranged by surreptitiously trying to move him at the 2025 trade deadline, and used the stretch provision to eat nearly $100 million worth of the former All-Star that theyâ€d mortgaged what remained of their future to get.

OK, well, if you donâ€t believe me, just ask the guy who signed off on it all.

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

“After last season, we said, ‘That old stuff that we did? It didnâ€t work,’†Suns owner Matt Ishbia told reporters at Phoenixâ€s media day session.

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See? (One hopes that “trade for older stars†isnâ€t the only “old stuff†that the Suns plan to leave in the past.)

Out with the old, in with the new, in an offseason overhaul that has turned the Suns from the third-oldest roster in the NBA last season to whatâ€s projected to be a middle-of-the-pack group this season. The idea: Get younger, bigger, more athletic; develop more camaraderie and esprit de corps; form a new organizational ethos, developing an identity predicated on toughness, physicality and defense — a team, frankly, that sounds a lot like the one to whom they just traded Kevin Durant — while installing a more aggressive defense and demanding a more competitive, more enjoyable-to-watch brand of ball than what Phoenix mustered during what Devin Booker recently called the two toughest years of his career. (Hereâ€s where we remind you that the Suns didnâ€t win more than 24 games in his first four pro seasons.)

Good thing, then, that one of the key pieces coming back to the Valley in the KD deal was Dillon Brooks — a perennial habitual line-stepper and tone-setting, vibe-shifting perimeter stopper who played an integral role in Houstonâ€s transformation from one of the NBAâ€s most permissive defenses into one that finished seventh and fourth in defensive efficiency after his arrival.

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The 29-year-old was one of just three players in the NBA last season to rank in the 95th percentile or higher in average matchup difficulty, individual perimeter defense and defensive positional versatility, according to The BBall Indexâ€s metrics, alongside Jeremy Sochan and Dorian Finney-Smith. He did so while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts in 31.8 minutes per game across 75 starts — all career highs.

The hope: Veterans Brooks, Royce Oâ€Neale and EuroLeague standout Nigel Hayes-Davis take on top opposing options and wreak havoc in the gaps; young wings like second-year forward Ryan Dunn and rookie Rasheer Fleming follow suit, generating deflections, steals and blocks; Booker and Jalen Green just hold their own at the point of attack; an intriguing but unproven center room led by ex-Hornets Mark Williams and Nick Richards, backed by rising sophomore Oso Ighodaro and 7-foot-2 No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach, provides more rim protection than the Suns have seen in a minute.

[Get more Suns news: Phoenix team feed]

Get all that to work out, and maybe Phoenix has the positional size, quickness, athleticism and tenacity to climb out of the bottom 10 and back toward league-average defensive efficiency. Get that, and find a path toward more efficient offense in no-traditional-point-guard lineups helmed by the newly re-extended Booker and the inarguably explosive Green than they did when Booker, Durant and Beal failed to mesh, and maybe the Suns wonâ€t wander through the desert in their search for respectability for quite as long as most predict.

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Would that kind of change result in a dramatic shift in the win column? Maybe not right away. But this yearâ€s Suns arenâ€t going to be measured in wins and losses; theyâ€re going to be measured in success.

Donâ€t believe me? Tell â€em, Mat:

See? (Câ€mon, you know what he means.)

Best-case scenario

Booker turns the page on the failed experiments of the last two seasons and turns in the kind of full-tilt scoring and playmaking season that us “Point Book†heads have been clamoring for, vying for the league lead in scoring while putting up career-best assist numbers and vaulting back into the conversation for an All-NBA spot. Green finds shot-selection and rim-pressure religion, blossoming into an increasingly efficient and exciting second banana for a better-than-expected offense. Williams finally stays healthy, turning those flashes he showed in Charlotte into consistent two-way impact. The Suns grind their way to play-in contention; this time, that doesnâ€t feel like a disappointment.

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If everything falls apart

The vibe shift is short-lived. New coach Jordan Ott looks overmatched, the defense doesnâ€t come together, and Booker and Green mesh about as well as Book/KD/Beal did — which is to say, very badly. Add it all up, and the Suns, elevated levels of scrappiness aside, look like one of the worst teams in the West. And with their 2026 first-rounder leveraged to all hell, no tradable firsts through 2032 and $23 million worth of waived-and-stretched salary on their books for the next half-decade, they canâ€t even enjoy the fruits of the badness; the long walk through the desert is just starting.

2025-26 schedule

• Season opener: Oct. 22 vs. Sacramento

Even in a roundly disappointing season, the Suns had the point differential of a 34-win team with Booker on the court, according to Cleaning the Glass. If the star guard — who last season played more than 70 games for the first time since 2017 — stays healthy, Phoenix would seem to stand a good chance of flirting with a win total closer to the mid-to-high 30s.

More season previews

East: Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards

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West: Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz

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Loop. Drift. Dip. Turn. And Bowled. During the 1st IND vs WI Test, Kuldeep Yadav produced a peach of a delivery in just the second over of his comeback to the Indian Test side to remove West Indies†middle-order rock, Shai Hope.

The India vs West Indies Test series commences on Thursday, October 2, in Ahmedabad. Kuldeep, who was benched for the entire five-Test series in England and had missed last yearâ€s tour of Australia due to an injury, was picked in the XI ahead of Axar Patel, marking this his first appearance in Test cricket after almost a year.

While the surface in Ahmedabad was uncharacteristically greenish, with Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah sharing the first four West Indies scalps, Kuldeep weaved his magic straightaway. The fact he got so much turn and assistance from a pace-friendly surface reinforced the belief that he would have been effective on the dry, flatter surfaces in England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy earlier this year.

Chase had been batting well against the pacers, hitting three boundaries as he reached 26 runs at a healthy strike rate of around 70.

However, his attempt to crash Kuldeep through the off-side region proved fatal. Kuldeep, in his second over, sent down a loopy, big leg-break that pitched well outside the off-stump, inviting Hope for an expansive drive away from his body, to which the right-hander obliged.

Hope was clearly beaten by the drift and dip on Kuldeepâ€s delivery, which turned in sharply, beating Hopeâ€s inside edge and thudding into the off-stump. The batsman was left dumbfounded as he looked on at the stumps and the bowler with an expression of shock, while Kuldeep wheeled away, celebrating his first Test wicket after a year.

IND vs WI: [Watch] Kuldeep Yadav Bowls Shai Hope With A Beautiful Delivery

Meanwhile, all-rounder Justin Greaves is holding his end well against the Indian bowlers, with support from Khary Pierre. At the time of writing, the visitors are in a fragile spot at 139/6. Siraj has taken three wickets; Bumrah and Kuldeep, one each.

IND vs WI Playing XIs:

India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

West Indies: John Campbell, Shai Hope (wk), Khary Pierre, Alick Athanaze, Roston Chase (C), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Jayden Seales

Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.

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West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (AP) Ahmedabad: One step, rock back, bowl. One step, rock back, bowl. It was a routine that Jomel Warrican kept doing for about 35 minutes in the nets at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Tuesday as the West Indies prepared for the first of the two-match Test series vs India, starting Thursday. “It was basically to service my action so that I can get more body into it and help me get more revs on the ball,†he explained.The 33-year-old left-arm spinner knows he will have a massive role to play if the West Indies are to compete. But he will take heart from seeing the names of bowlers that succeeded in India last year: Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, both getting 10-wicket hauls in Pune and Mumbai respectively to bowl New Zealand to memorable wins.Left-arm finger spin, especially fastish left-arm finger spin, has historically troubled India even in home conditions. The red-soil pitch on display for the first Test could be his friend if he bowls accurately. Warrican could also have spin-twin Khary Pierre bowl with him if the first-class veteran, known to be metronomical and quick, gets to wear the legendary maroon cap, bearing the number 341 for the first time.Warrican can pass on to Pierre any information that he gathered from his sojourn to these shores in 2018. “Day Three and Four, the ball starts turning a lot. First innings runs are going to be vital,†he states.For those runs, coach Darren Sammy has put his wards through a six-day camp. The Windies arrived in Ahmedabad on Sept 24. “We had two allday sessions after coming here. Batters practised a lot of sweeps, defensive strokes, pulling off the back foot, and lofted strokes,†Warrican revealed.

Poll

Who do you think will play a key role for the West Indies in the upcoming Test series against India?

Warrican, 33, has played only 21 Tests in a 10-year career so far and has taken 73 wickets with two five-fors. Both came in Multan, in Jan vs Pakistan. A sensational spell of 7-32 did not result in victory for the West Indies. In the next Test, though, he took 4/43 and 5/27 and also scored 36 not out to bowl West Indies to a rare away win.If the red-soil pitch in Ahmedabad plays true to character like most redsoil pitches in India, expect additions to the tally of five-fors.

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Despite Thelin insisting it is still early in the season and they can quickly catch the sides above should they start winning, it appears that all the credit he gained from lifting the Scottish Cup at the end of last season has disappeared, although the fans also blame chairman Dave Cormack.

Paul: “I’m a big believer in that we’ve hit rock bottom.” Jimmy Thelin after defeat by Dundee United. Where now, Jimmy?

Stewart: Jimmy Thelin needs to go along with Dave Cormack.

Boris: If Thelin still is Aberdeen manager on Monday then it could be suggested that Cormack is clearly wanting us to compete in the Championship as five wins in 33 games is the form of a team dive bombing to relegation.

Kevin: The problem is not at manager level. Look at who Dave the ego has sacked and what they have achieved since.

Stuart: Better from Aberdeen, but still not good enough.

George: Thelin, it’s time to go and take Cormack with you. Managers have been sacked for less.

Scott: Aberdeen throwing that away, chance to win it, just shoot, then a horror goal to concede. I know its done, but that penalty – ref and VAR – I’m not sure they’ve got that right.

Martin: A team like Aberdeen to be rock bottom of the league, no goals, I think it’s time the manager has to go.

Davy: Goodbye, Jimmy. Thanks for the Scottish Cup memories. We need someone for the relegation battle we will obviously be in.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The last player on Bethpage Black early Friday evening was Rory McIlroy. After two TV interviews, he returned to the 18th green to repair the indentation made by his putter flip when his final birdie putt, at the end of a long and largely successful day, had somehow slid by the cup.

There hadn’t been many misses on this day, by McIlroy or any of his European teammates, and they headed into the night staked to a 5 1/2-to-2 ½ lead. That isn’t insignificant; it’s the first time that Europe has led at the end of Day 1 on American soil since 2004. Data Golf’s analytics team has given the Europeans more than a 70% chance to either win or retain the cup. But McIlroy’s 11-foot miss helped the U.S. salvage what had otherwise been a miserable day.

As McIlroy departed the green, the on-course deejay sensed an easy opportunity. The speakers blared Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.â€

“Look, it’s still a great day for Europe,†McIlroy said afterward. “We would have absolutely taken this last night, if you told us we’d be up 5 ½ to 2 ½. Obviously, in the moment right now, I’m disappointed I didn’t hole that for a full point. But the guys have done so well today.â€

That potential game-winner was about the only thing that didn’t go right for McIlroy and the Europeans at the start of this highly anticipated showdown. On Friday morning, alongside Tommy Fleetwood, McIlroy had romped to an easy 5-and-4 victory, a brutish show of force that signaled his bad intentions. He was even more demonstrative in the afternoon, in a fourballs match with close friend Shane Lowry and against nemesis Patrick Cantlay, barking after long-range birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 and even flipping off a rude fan on the 11th. In one torrid back-nine stretch, with Lowry struggling to keep pace, McIlroy flagged five approach shots inside 20 feet, continually putting heat on his opponents. He and Cantlay combined for 10 birdies.

On 18, they practically cleared the stage for him, a chance for McIlroy to back up the bravado of when he pounded the table in Rome and guaranteed a rare road victory. Cantlay dumped his wedge into the front bunker. Lowry left his birdie putt short. Burns, the best putter on Tour, couldn’t convert his, either. So here was McIlroy, with a singular shot to give the Europeans a 6-2 advantage – a lead, on foreign soil, that would have put them on pace, like in 2004, for a stunning shellacking.

Thousands of sun-drenched fans had been chirping at McIlroy all day. About his height, his personal life, his golfing failures. None of it was amusing. Some of it was downright rude, even cruel. As he settled over his final putt, a lone voice in the 18th grandstand rang out: “800 years of oppression, Rory! 800 years!†He pulled back the putter a split-second later, baton-twirled his putter after the miss, and shook hands with his opponents, his hat slightly askew.

The Americans trail by three points, and it could have been even worse. Scottie Scheffler became the first world No. 1 in more than two decades to lose his opening two matches. Big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau, expected to be a difference-maker at a soggy course with little rough, went 0-2. Foursomes specialists Collin Morikawa and Harris English didn’t see the 15th tee. Cameron Young was the only U.S. rookie to contribute.

“We’ve only played 28% of the points. This is the first quarter,†American captain Keegan Bradley said. “We’ve still got three quarters to go.â€

Even if it feels later in the game than that.

Jon Rahm remained perfect in foursomes and knocked off both DeChambeau and Scheffler in an eight-hour span, reminding everyone of his greatness. Matt Fitzpatrick finally settled into Ryder Cup play, earning his second career point in eight tries. Fleetwood, already 2-0 for the week, looked unburdened and sharp.

McIlroy knew he could have delivered the biggest point of all, with the other 23 players and the rest of the golf world watching, but his moment came and went. For now, it’s one of the few things the Americans can cling to.