“If we’re going to play on these pitches, we have to have the patience to bat on them”

Danyal Rasool14-Oct-2025

Pakistan head coach Azhar Mahmood criticised his batters’ shot selection for throwing away a position of near-total dominance in the first Test. On the stroke of tea on day three, Pakistan found themselves in a near-impregnable scenario, leading by 259 runs on a rapidly deteriorating surface with six wickets still in hand. Within 45 minutes, those six wickets fell for just 17 runs, and South Africa had an unlikely – but not impossible – 277 to chase.”We put ourselves in this situation [where South Africa have a chance in the game],” Mahmood said at the press conference. “We were 150 for 4, and then lost 6 for 17. No one is to blame but our shot selection and decision-making.”It’s simple. If you lose 6 for 17, that’s not ideal. The pitch allowed the ball to break but the pitch didn’t get anyone out. Our shot selection was not good. This is something we need to improve. If we’re going to play on these pitches, we have to have the patience to bat on them.”Related

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Mahmood’s frustration was likely a compound result of Pakistan demonstrating their vulnerability to losing wickets in large clusters on more than one occasion. In the first innings, they lost three wickets without adding a run either side of tea on the first day as 199 for 2 turned to 199 for 5. A 163-run partnership was followed by another collapse as the last five fell for 16 runs.”Against England, we played on a used pitch, and then it spun a lot versus West Indies,” Mahmood said. “But on this pitch, if you bat well, it gets easier. Because the pitch is slow, it’s hard for a newcomer to get set. In the first innings, we had starts, but we couldn’t convert 50s to 100s. In the second innings, Abdullah [Shafique] and Babar [Azam] scored 40s, but we’d like to see them turn into big scores.Shan Masood and Noman Ali celebrate the early wicket of Aiden Markram•Getty Images

“It’s not easy, but we have to adapt different kinds of shots to improve our scoring options on these pitches. The middle and lower order tried, but the pressure got to them. At tea, we wanted to bat the whole session, but we did not. We made those mistakes and we will have a look at that in the future.”With Babar and Shafique falling after scoring 42 and 41, respectively, Shakeel was Pakistan’s best hope of batting South Africa out of the game. He appeared to be doing just that with a chanceless innings as tea loomed, having ticked up to 38. But on the stroke of the break, he launched Senuran Muthusamy towards square leg, failed to hit it cleanly, and holed out to Tristan Stubbs.That dismissal, in particular, appeared to rile Mahmood. “You understand in Test cricket when you’re vulnerable, and it’s often at the end of sessions,” he said. “Saud Shakeel played that expansive lofted shot just before tea. It was unnecessary to put that pressure on himself at that stage. After tea, [Mohammad] Rizwan got out immediately. We sent in Shaheen [Shah Afridi] to up the ante, but the other batters didn’t have to play the same high-risk shots. Even if we had added 25-30 runs when we sent Shaheen in, that would have been hugely advantageous to us.”The upshot was South Africa finished the day two wickets down, with Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorzi – their most prolific scorers in the first innings – seeing out the final hour for an unbeaten 33-run stand. Victory for the visitors is still distant, 226 runs away, but not quite out of reach.”We’re not going to bat again, so our focus is on winning this game now. The pitch is deteriorating and we are confident we’ll defend this.”

Sunderland returned to Premier League action after the international break with a whimper, instead of a bang.

Indeed, Regis Le Bris’ men lost 1-0 away at Fulham, which doesn’t seem like the demoralising result on first glance. But, on another day, Marco Silva’s hosts could have run away with the clash as resounding winners, having notched up a colossal 23 shots, to the Black Cats’ meagre five.

Le Bris will hope his side can return to winning ways in the top-flight when AFC Bournemouth come to Wearside next, before December kicks into gear, which sees huge contests such as the Tyne-Wear Derby arrive on the jam-packed calendar.

Before you know it, the January transfer window will also reopen to give Sunderland an apt opportunity to improve their ranks, ahead of a tough second part of the season, with some high-profile names already being linked to the Stadium of Light.

Transfer latest at Sunderland

Sunderland were very busy in the summer before jumping up to the big time in the Premier League, with a whopping £162m forked out on the likes of Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs.

Therefore, it isn’t the wildest shout to suggest they could break the bank again if a tempting move comes their way in January, with recent reports from Spain suggesting that the Black Cats could boost their forward line with the acquisition of Real Madrid hotshot Gonzalo Garcia.

The biggest rumour of them all comes in the form of Matteo Guendouzi, the former Arsenal midfielder who worked under Le Bris at Lorient.

Keith Downie reported last week that the Mackems boss has not ruled out a move for the Frenchman as they potentially go about bringing another former ex-Gunner to the Stadium of Light.

He isn’t the only Lazio midfielder catching the eye, with concrete rumours emerging involving the Premier League newcomers being in the hunt for Lazio outcast Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

As per reports from Italy, Sunderland are named as one suitor taking a look at the ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder this January, with the centre of the park a clear priority position to improve.

Sunderland will hope, even if a move for Guendouzi isn’t forthcoming, that they can still clinch a deal for Dele-Bashiru to leave Serie A behind, as Le Bris potentially works his magic on another diamond in the rough, much like he did with Wilson Isidor.

How Dele-Bashiru can be Le Bris' next Isidor

Isidor hasn’t had the smoothest career up to this point, even if he is now four Premier League goals down in Sunderland red and white.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old attacker has had to bounce back from a lot of adversity already, so early into his playing days, with the Rennes-born striker never going on to score a senior goal for AS Monaco, before many loan moves to the likes of Lokomotiv Moscow came to fruition.

Thankfully, the nomadic marksman has now found a home that suits him in Wearside, after such a well-travelled career, with Dele-Bashiru’s career path looking very similar.

Like Isidor, the “special” midfielder as he’s been labelled in Nigeria, is well-travelled, having already played in countries such as Turkey and Italy, after failing to make the grade at Manchester City at youth level.

Much like Isidor, though, he has shone in the EFL previously – which is where the 6-foot-1 striker bagged 13 goals to seal Sunderland’s promotion out of the Championship – with seven goal contributions coming his way on the books of the Owls in League One, as a rising youngster in South Yorkshire.

The nine-time Nigeria international has also shone in spurts for Lazio, even if only four appearances have come his way this season, with five goals and three assists from 33 appearances perhaps standing him in good stead to acclimatise to the Premier League effortlessly, as Isidor has managed.

Away from possessing a similar eye for a goal and assist like his Rennes-born counterpart, Dele-Bashiru would also be a useful buy when you consider his versatility across his up-and-down career to date, with his Lazio teammate in Boulaye Dia even hailing him as a talent who “can do everything”, whether that be from a central role, down the flanks, or even as an unorthodox defender.

CM

99

14 + 9

AM

41

7 + 6

RW

7

1 + 0

LW

7

2 + 1

RM

2

0

DM

2

0

RB

2

0

Valued at around the £4.7m mark, which is the amount he officially joined Lazio for, this is a deal that would be really worth exploring, with Dele-Bashiru lining up across seven different positions during his bumpy career to date.

Isidor only cost around the £5m price range, as well, and in January, another Isidor-style deal could soon be wrapped up.

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ByTom Cunningham Nov 21, 2025

Coach Andrew McDonald said the captain has had a ‘positive week’ but conceded time was running short for Perth

Alex Malcolm10-Oct-20251:14

Mitchell Starc: Smith ‘has been a great sounding board’ for Cummins

A decision on Pat Cummins’ availability for the first Ashes Test is set to be made next Friday with Australia coach Andrew McDonald admitting his captain is running out of time to be fit for Perth but there remains confidence that Cummins will play some part in the series.Cummins had a scan earlier this week on the lumbar bone stress in his lower back and McDonald confirmed on Friday that the injury had improved.But Cummins is still yet to bowl with just six weeks to go before the first Test begins in Perth on November 21 which has led to doubts over his availability.Related

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McDonald said the latest scan had allowed Cummins and the medical staff to add some different elements to his training that has been restricted to lower leg strength work only over the past month. He added that a decision would be made late next week as to whether he can progress to bowling with an eye to playing in the first Test but admitted the timeline was getting very tight.”We still aren’t further advanced on whether he’ll play the first Test,” McDonald told reporters on Friday. “We are definitely running out of time around that. He’s added some variables into his training. I think by this time next week, we’ll be in a position where we’re better informed to make a judgment around what that first Test match looks like.”He’s had a positive week, and so we’ll just wait for that information to come in. Anyone that knows the nature of those injuries, you do add the variables in and it’s about how you recover from adding the variables into your training. It’s not as quick as everyone thinks it is. We look forward to a positive outcome next Friday and then making some decisions around what it looks like for the first Test match.”

“The biggest variable that we need to add in is bowling and if you looked at a reasonable time frame for Patty to get ready, we feel as though he can do a shortened preparation, unlike other bowlers that probably need a longer prep. But even if we were to shrink that prep down, we’d start to take on some risk around soft tissue [injuries], some skill readiness as well, making sure he’s prepared to do the job there.”Andrew McDonald on the balancing act with Pat Cummins

Even if Cummins was ruled out of the first Test, McDonald was reasonably confident he could play a part in the Ashes series.”I haven’t really delved into what it looks like without him for five Test matches because the information and the week that he’s had would suggest he’s going to play some part as it sits right now,” McDonald said.”Can that change with new information when we start to add some more variables into his training? Could that go backwards? There is a possibility of that. And for those who have had lumbar bone stress, they would understand that it’s a journey to add those variables in, how you pull up, recover, and that can ebb and flow a little bit across the rehab. So we’ll just see how it plays out. At this stage there’s no thinking that he will be ruled out for the whole series.”McDonald believes it is possible for Cummins to be ready for the first Test in Perth off a preparation of less than six weeks of bowling. But he said Cummins, the selectors and the medical staff would have to weigh up the risk and reward of rushing him back.”The biggest variable that we need to add in is bowling and if you looked at a reasonable time frame for Patty to get ready, we feel as though he can do a shortened preparation, unlike other bowlers that probably need a longer prep,” McDonald said.”But even if we were to shrink that prep down, we’d start to take on some risk around soft tissue [injuries], some skill readiness as well, making sure he’s prepared to do the job there and then is it advantageous for us to get him up and running in a series even if he’s a little bit underdone and grow throughout the series as well.”Pat Cummins has not bowled since the Caribbean tour in July•AFP/Getty ImagesIf Cummins were to be ruled out, McDonald was confident the team could cover his absence across all aspects of the game. Cummins’ bowling will be sorely missed but Scott Boland was already pushing for a first choice spot in the XI and has an incredible Test record in Australia where he averages 12.63.If another injury were to happen to one of Australia’s quicks then the likes of Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser and Sean Abbott will come into consideration.Doggett is set to be ruled out of a second straight Sheffield Shield game for South Australia with a minor hamstring issue but it is understood to be a conservative decision and that he will be fully fit for the third round that starts on October 28. Neser bowled well in Queensland’s first Shield match against Tasmania while Abbott is set to play his first four-day game of the season for New South Wales against Victoria next week after being left out of the ODI squad to face India. He has been named in the T20I squad which will rule him out of the third Shield round at least.Cummins’ calm leadership in what looms as a frenzied Ashes would also be missed if he were to be ruled out at any stage but McDonald believes Steven Smith, who is an outstanding tactician, would step in seamlessly if needed.”It’s highly likely that Steve would be that the person that we turn to,” McDonald said. “George Bailey would have to tick that one off. Steve’s incredibly experienced. He’s done a good job as recently as Sri Lanka, when Pat wasn’t on that tour. So that’s the person that we’ve turned to. I don’t see that changing.”Cummins batting contributions in recent years at No.8 have also been vital, particularly in pressure moments having won Australia two Test matches at Edgbaston and Christchurch in nail-biting run chases.McDonald was confident Mitchell Starc could step back up to No. 8 after a impressive performance in the World Test Championship final in June while he cited Boland and Nathan Lyon’s crucial tenth-wicket partnership against India at the MCG last summer as a sign of their ability. Josh Hazlewood has also had large 10th wicket stands in Test matches with Cameron Green and Starc over the last the last two years.

Ahead of the January transfer window, Rangers have reportedly opened talks to sign Galymzhan Kenzhebek from Kazakhstan side Yelimay.

Danny Rohl is reportedly keen to mark his own stamp at Ibrox and that could yet see a number of fresh faces arrive. Sporting director Kevin Thelwell already confirmed during the international break that Rangers will be busy in the winter window and there’s no doubt that he’s got plenty of making up to do after a disastrous summer.

The former Everton chief also revealed that there could yet be more additions behind the scenes in Glasgow, saying: “It’s an exciting time because we’re starting to look at the way we’re organised from a sporting perspective and say ‘well, what does great look like?’, where we are against that standard, and who can help us reach that standard.

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“We have been talking about making some new appointments and we have made some new appointments. I’m really pleased with the appointment of Jaymes Monte, in particular, a guy from Dundee, previously worked with Hudl, and probably our first ever appointment in that data space.

“He’s going to provide us with a lot of insight in relation to data, not only from a recruitment perspective but also from analysis of opposition, our own game, and then medical, sports science and coaching.”

Organisation behind the scenes would certainly help Rohl’s side on the pitch, but the German also needs fresh faces. On that front, names such as David Watson are already being mentioned.

The Kilmarnock midfielder is one of the best young talents in Scotland and Rangers have already reportedly opened talks to secure his signature as early as the January transfer window. His arrival could be the start of a winter window to watch from all involved at Ibrox, too.

Rangers open talks to sign Kenzhebek

According to reports in Kazakhstan, as relayed by Glasgow Times, Rangers have now opened talks to sign Kenzhebek from Yelimay in the January transfer window. The 22-year-old winger will be out of contract at the start of January, allowing the Gers to swoop in and potentially land a free deal.

Whilst Kenzhebek has only ever played twice outside of his home country, 12 goals and six assists in 36 league games this season suggests that he’s ready to break away courtesy of a move to Scotland.

Praised for his “quality” ball carrying ability by scout Kai Watson, the prospect of signing Kazakhstan should excite Rangers fans. Whilst he’s not the finished product, the potential is certainly there for all to see.

The fact that the Gers can beat Aberdeen and Celtic to his signature should also give them added incentive to get the deal over the line in January.

Rangers can forget about Souttar and Cornelius by unleashing "left-footed Van Dijk"

During one of the most pivotal moments of Game 3 of the World Series, the Dodgers turned to one of their most iconic and experienced players.

Clayton Kershaw, who has made 451 starts for L.A. in his esteemed career, entered Monday's game during the 12th inning in relief of Emmet Sheehan. Kershaw inherited an extremely delicate situation; two outs and the bases loaded in extra innings of the World Series.

It was a tense moment for everyone in the ballpark, and everyone watching at home. The 37-year-old, who is pitching in his last postseason before retirement, was called upon for one final, crucial out.

And he delivered. Kershaw induced a ground out to second base in order to escape the bases-loaded jam, keeping the score knotted at 5–5. His wife, Ellen, who was watching from the stands at Dodger Stadium, went through an emotional roller coaster, which ended in jubilation after the ground out.

That's what October baseball is all about. Ellen was holding on for dear life throughout the eight-pitch at-bat, and Clayton delivered in the biggest spot with an absolutely vital third out.

It was a short outing for Kershaw, but he did exactly what was asked of him out of the bullpen, easing the nerves of Dodgers fans and his wife alike.

أثار رمزي صالح، حارس مرمى الاهلي السابق، جدلًا واسعًا بعد تصريحاته حول مستقبل الفلسطيني حامد حمدان لاعب فريق بتروجيت، حيث تحدث عن رؤيته الفنية ونصيحته له بالانتقال إلى القلعة الحمراء وعدم الانضمام لـ الزمالك.

وقال رمزي صالح في تصريحات عبر قناة mbc masr 2″: “كنتُ مع حامد حمدان بالأمس، ونصحته بأن يغلق على نفسه دائرة التفكير قليلًا، وألا يسمح لأحد بالتأثير عليه، فاللاعب يحتاج دائمًا إلى الاستقرار، ولا يتوفر ذلك إلا في نادٍ يتمتع بالانضباط والجماهيرية والبطولات”.

وتابع: “وهذه الصفات موجودة في الأهلي والزمالك، غير أن غياب الاستقرار داخل الزمالك يمثل مشكلة حقيقية، ولا أقول ذلك لأنني منتمٍ للأهلي، بل لأنها حقيقة واضحة”.

وعن نصيحته لحامد حمدان، قال: “لا أحد يرفض عرضًا من الأهلي، ولكن القرار في النهاية يعود للاعب وحده”.

طالع أيضًا | رمزي صالح: زمن مصطفى شوبير قادم.. وجلوسه لـ محمد الشناوي مفيد

وأضاف: “أحزنني تصريح شقيقه حين قال إن حمدان لن يلعب إلا لنادي الزمالك، هذا كلام غير واقعي، ولا يجوز قوله، نحن نتحدث عن الاحتراف، وعلى اللاعب أن يبحث عن المكان الذي يطوره ويخدمه من جميع الجوانب: فنيًا وجماهيريًا وإعلاميًا وماديًا، وهناك لاعبون في الزمالك يعانون من مشكلات بسبب عدم استقرار النادي”.

وتابع: “حامد حمدان لاعب ذو قيمة فنية كبيرة، ولديه عروض من أندية في الخليج، وهذا يعزز فرصه، ولهذا كان من غير المناسب أن يطلق شقيقه مثل هذا التصريح؛ فهو بذلك يُغلق أمامه أبوابًا مهمة، وأظن أن حامد نفسه منزعج من كلام شقيقه، فالتعامل معه يجب أن يكون بعقلية اللاعب المحترف”.

وأردف: “وسام أبو علي يمتلك عقلية مختلفة؛ فقد عاش في أوروبا ويتعامل باحترافية بعيدًا عن العاطفة، ولم يتأثر بالبيئة العاطفية الموجودة في عالمنا العربي، لقد نظر للأمر من زاوية الفائدة؛ حصل على عرض جيد، وحقق استفادة له وللنادي الأهلي”.

واختتم: “وسام أبو علي لاعب مؤثر في أي فريق، لكن الأمر برمته كان مرحلة وانتهت، وهو يتحمل مسؤولية قراره”.

As the Dodgers put a sudden end to Game 6 of the World Series in Rogers Centre, beating the Jays 3–1 on Friday night, the first question on everyone's mind: Who is pitching tomorrow?

For Toronto, we've known for some time that Max Scherzer would be the starter. As Joel Sherman reported Friday night Shohei Ohtani will start. The Dodgers made the decision official Saturday afternoon.

There were at least two options to consider. Tyler Glasnow was due up in the rotation, but Ohtani was the leading option, especially after Friday night.

Glasnow came in for the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6. Ordinarily, that would tilt the scales of decision entirely to Ohtani, but he only threw three pitches.

For what it’s worth, Glasnow did tell reporters after the game that he’ll be available to pitch in Game 7.

Immediately after the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about his thoughts on Ohtani pitching in Game 7.

"Right now there's no wrong answer. [Ohtani is] certainly going to be a part of the pitching plan. With Shohei, it could be two innings, but it could be four innings. I'm not sure where we're going to slot him. We're going to have to talk to him first and see where he feels most comfortable."

Another consideration for Roberts and the Dodgers was that if Ohtani enters in relief and comes out of the game, Los Angeles will lose its designated hitter position. Using him as a starter is the only way to get the Dodgers DH flexibility while working him into the pitching plan.

Scherzer vs. Ohtani in Game 7. Get your popcorn ready.

MatériaMais Notícias

E o Fortaleza conseguiu, enfim, vencer uma decisão por pênaltis. Com 100% de aproveitamento, o Laion bateu o CRB e conquistou o tricampeonato da Copa do Nordeste. Agora, com três taças, a equipe empatou em títulos com o Ceará e ficou a um troféu de Bahia e Vitória, maiores campeões.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Agora é 3 a 3!

Com o título do Fortaleza, os dois rivais cearenses estão empatados em número de taças da Copa do Nordeste. O Fortaleza foi campeão em 2019, 2022 e 2024, enquanto o Vozão levou as taças em 2015, 2020 e 2023.

Clique e assista final da Copa do Nordeste na Star+

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
CRB X Fortaleza
Final – Copa do Nordeste
🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 9 de junho de 2024, às 16:30 (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Estádio Rei Pelé (AL);
📺 Onde assistir: SBT (Nordeste); ESPN e Star+.
🟨 Árbitro: Emerson Ricardo de Almeida (BA);
🚩 Assistentes: Alessandro Álvaro Rocha (BA) e Daniella Coutinho (BA);
🖥️ VAR: Pablo Ramon Gonçalves (RN).

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

CRB (Técnico: Daniel Paulista)
Matheus Albino, Hereda, Saimon, Fábio Alemão e Matheus Ribeiro; João Pedro, Falcão e Gegê; Facundo Labandeira, Léo Pereira e Anselmo Ramon.

Fortaleza (Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda)
João Ricardo, Brítez, Kuscevic e Titi; Yago Pikachu, Matheus Rossetto, Zé Welison, Moisés e Bruno Pacheco; Lucero e Pochettino.

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Tudo sobre

CearáCopa do NordesteFortaleza

Seamer Bray finished with four wickets after Dunkley’s 43 helped Sixers to 142

AAP15-Nov-2025Sydney Sixers rising star Caoimhe Bray needed to be told she’d taken a hat-trick as the 16-year-old added another WBBL highlight in a thumping derby defeat of Sydney Thunder.Bray took a wicket on the last ball of her second over and the first two of her next over in Sydney on Saturday, the third thanks to a fantastic diving catch at point from Erin Burns. The excitement of that wicket may have been to blame for Bray and her team-mates’ poor maths, who were all shocked to hear of the feat when the ground announcer informed them over the speakers.Bray is also the Junior Matildas goalkeeper and hit the winning runs as a 15-year-old in her WBBL debut last year. She took a classic catch earlier in this tournament and on Saturday finished with 4 for 15 from her four overs and Thunder were restricted to 118 for 8 chasing Sixers’ 142 for 9.”It’s pretty crazy. I didn’t realise; one of those weird ones that was at the end of the over,” Bray said. “I want to play sport professionally for as long as I can (but) oh yeah, it’ll definitely have to come [to a decision between football and cricket].”Women’s sport is getting more and more professional. If you want to go to the highest level, you can’t be doing that forever.”Maitlan Brown was also effective on a night that favoured the bowlers but Sixers will wait on scans for New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr, who injured her quad in the warm-up and was forced out of the game.Sixers had Sophia Dunkley (43 off 35) and Mady Villiers (24 not out) to thank for scraping together their total, while Alyssa Healy (26 off 15) threatened to explode.But Thunder’s star-studded batting order failed to fire in reply, with 18-year-old debutant Lucy Finn (49 not out off 34 balls) valiant in a losing cause after they had slipped to 49 for 7.Finn (1 for 27) also picked up Ashleigh Gardner’s wicket but Thunder joined Brisbane Heat at three defeats in three outings.

India won their first toss in 21 ODIs, their first since the 2023 World Cup semi-final

Shubh Agarwal06-Dec-2025KL Rahul chuckled before tossing the coin up in the air in the third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. When the coin landed in his favor, he gave a little fist bump before stating that India will bowl first.The chuckle and the fist bump captured India’s wretched luck with the toss. They had lost 20 tosses in a row in ODIs before this game – a statistical oddity with a mathematical probability of 1 in 1,048,576 instances.The last time India won the toss in ODIs was in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. It was 753 days ago (more than two years). Hardik Pandya was still with Gujarat Titans in the IPL at the time, Gautam Gambhir wasn’t anywhere near India’s coaching staff and India still hadn’t lost a Test series at home for over a decade. Now, eight Indian players have made their ODI debut since India last won a toss in this format.Netherlands held this unfortunate record previously. They lost 11 consecutive tosses in ODIs between March 2011 and August 2013. India were close to doubling it.Netherlands won only three ODIs during this phase, including an abandoned game and a tie. India, on the other hand, won 12 of the 20 ODIs during their dreaded streak (win percentage of 60%) alongside a tie. It includes winning the 2025 Champions Trophy undefeated despite the toss going against them every single time.India’s success rate with the toss was abysmal across formats. Since the 2023 World Cup final which started this streak, India had won the toss only 33 times in 96 completed matches.They lost 11 tosses in a row between November 2023 and January 2024. It included seven matches (two T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests) across their full tour of South Africa. Between January 31, 2025 and July 31, 2025, India went a few steps ahead, losing 15 tosses in a row, which included the England tour where they lost the toss in all five Tests.The previous record belonged to West Indies, when they lost 12 consecutive tosses across formats in 1999.In the two years prior to that (from Nov 15, 2021 until Nov 15, 2023, the semi-final against New Zealand), India won more than 50% of the tosses.