All posts by h716a5.icu

Played five Tests in 1970 and 1971, including a role in Ashes-winning tour

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2025Ken Shuttleworth, the former Lancashire and England fast bowler, has died at the age of 80.Shuttleworth, who played five Tests in 1970 and 1971, made his debut in the first Test of that winter’s Ashes-winning tour of Australia, claiming five second-innings wickets at Brisbane.A tall, strongly built, right-arm quick, Shuttleworth came in off a long run, bowling with a side-on action and genuine pace. Born in St Helens, he joined Lancashire in 1964, and provided a cutting edge to support the metronomic methods of Lancashire’s attack leader, Brian Statham.”I was bowling as quick as what you see the fast bowlers bowl now,” Shuttleworth told The St Helens Star in 2021. “Brian and Ken Higgs were still the two main bowlers with Peter Lever and myself taking turns as the third seamer.”Having dismissed Geoff Boycott for his maiden first-class wicket at Old Trafford, Shuttleworth went on to claim 484 wickets at 22.92 for Lancashire, followed by a further 99 for Leicestershire in the latter seasons of his career.His best figures came in 1968, when he claimed 7 for 41 against Essex at Leyton, en route to a season’s haul of 73 first-class wickets (65 of which came for his county). Two years later, he bettered that with 74 wickets at just over 21.But for a glut of injuries, Shuttleworth would likely have added significantly to his international appearances. He toured Pakistan with the Commonwealth Team in 1967-68 under the captaincy of Richie Benaud, then played for England versus Rest of the World at Lord’s in June 1970.On that winter’s Ashes tour, under the captaincy of Ray Illingworth, he featured in the first two drawn Tests, then – in his solitary ODI appearance – he claimed England’s first wicket in the format, in the maiden fixture at the MCG in January 1971.”I just took it as another game,” Shuttleworth said of his Test debut. “We got stick, which you expect when you’re out there, but we were the first team since Douglas Jardine’s in 1932 to win the Ashes in Australia.”As the one-day game took off in the 1970s, Shuttleworth’s short, sharp spells were a key source of Lancashire’s success, which included a hat-trick of Gillette Cup wins in 1970, ’71 and ’72 and two Sunday League titles in 1969 and 1970. His best figures of 5 for 13, including the wicket of Garry Sobers, came at Trent Bridge in 1972.After his move to Leicestershire in 1975, Shuttleworth concluded his career in league cricket in Staffordshire, and after a few years in business, returned to the game as a first-class umpire. In 2021, he was inducted into Lancashire’s Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife Barbara and daughters Sara and Hannah.

After being scratched from the Atlanta Braves' lineup on Tuesday due to a back issue, Ronald Acuna Jr. returned on Wednesday with a bang. Acuna led off the game with a rocket home run, a long ball that apparently landed in uncharted waters at Sutter Health Park, as neither ESPN nor Statcast could get a good reading on the distance the ball traveled. But that arguably wasn't even Acuna's most impressive homer of the contest.

That came later in the top of the fourth inning.

Facing Athletics right-hander Mitch Spence, Acuna took the first two offerings for strikes, then opted to swing at a slider that was well out of the strike zone, but one that Spence hung nonetheless. The Braves' superstar somehow reached out and crushed the ball the opposite way to right field at 106 mph for his second homer of the game.

How indeed. The pitch was 1.19 feet from the center of home plate, which is tied for the furthest outside pitch that Acuna has homered on in his career, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

Acuna certainly looks Home Run Derby-ready. The Braves' superstar will be swinging for the fences in the competition in front of the hometown fans at Truist Park on July 14 at 8 p.m. ET.

Teenager gives glimpse of potential to leave Derbyshire winless in thriller

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 24-Aug-2025Teenager Ben Mayes gave a glimpse into the future with a match-winning 62 not out as Hampshire kept Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition progression in their own hands.England Under-19 star Mayes, just 17, mesmerised with a catalogue of power, guile and switch hits for his second List A fifty.Mayes put on 111 in 72 balls with James Fuller (54 off 39) to take Hampshire to their fifth win in the competition, after fifties for Fletcha Middleton and Ben Brown.Derbyshire Falcons had been in control after posting 339 thanks to 98 for Caleb Jewell and 76 for Brooke Guest but they were eliminated from the One-Day Cup, and are still yet to win a List A match at Utilita Bowl in seven attempts.Hampshire now know a final fixture win over Gloucestershire will see them into the knockout stage for a fourth straight season.Mayes and Fuller had joined at 206 for five, with Derbyshire boasting a tight grip on the match.Ali Orr and competition top-scorer Nick Gubbins had leaned into the chase with relish, finding boundaries with glee to put on 55 in the first seven overs.But fell in quick succession to Aitchison. Gubbins ended a 257 run, across three innings, without being dismissed when he was bowled and two overs later Orr chopped on.Middleton and Brendon McMullen straightened things back out with a flowing 66-run stand, but McMullen tamely chipping back to Joe Hawkins, drew the Falcons back to favourites.Middleton and Brown both posted their first fifties in the One-Day Cup but neither kicked on but just as Hampshire’s hopes were fading, their wonderkid arrived at the crease.Having scored four off his first 11 balls, he got moving with a cut boundary before a ludicrous reverse paddle found his groove.Mayes scored a fifty on his debut against Glamorgan to stick his name in the limelight, and played off that with a masterclass of modern shot-making. His second half-century came in 39 balls.At the other end, Fuller used brute power to clear the ropes four times in his 38-ball fifty before he was caught and bowled by Hawkins and Felix Organ was bowled.Andrew Neal took out the jitters by middling through midwicket as the hosts took the four points with five balls to spare.Derbyshire were given the first go on a batting paradise, and despite Kyle Abbott’s miserly opening spell, found runs flowed easily throughout.Jewell was the sparkle in the innings as he lusciously and repeatedly drove through the covers during a 99-run stand with former Hampshire batter Harry Came.It was just the start of a series of bulky partnerships that underpinned the visitor’s hefty 339 – stands of 46, 44, 94 and 39 all delivered in quick time.Wickets came in decade intervals, and when they did it often required either magic, or batter error.In the former category, Came was sensationally caught at midwicket by Nick Gubbins and Matt Montgomery had his off-stump glanced by an Abbott pearler,Jewell looked on course for a second century in the competition as he strode through 400 runs in the One-Day Cup.But having been fluently batting at a strike-rate around 120, he slowed up with the milestone in sight, and on 98 he missed a paddle sweep and was bowled by Felix Organ.Brooke Guest and Martin Andersson regained the sweet-striking momentum, the latter with an excellent eighth List A fifty but for the eighth time he couldn’t convert.Any chance of Derbyshire flittering at the end of their innings was kyboshed by Amrit Singh Basra – with 90 runs coming off the last 10 overs. The SACA graduate who signed a two-year contract this week showed off his range of shots in a breathless 15-ball 34 – but it wasn’t to be enough.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca claimed that he was "very worried" before facing relegation-threatened Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday. The Blues registered a thumping 3-0 win over the manager-less side to climb up to second in the Premier League table. The result, meanwhile, leaves Wolves rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from the opening 11 games.

Back-to-back league wins for Chelsea

After beating Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the Blues registered a second consecutive victory as they thrashed relegation-threatened Wolves at Stamford Bridge. Maresca's side were the dominant right from the off and came close to breaking the deadlock on quite a few occasions in the first half. Captain Enzo Fernandez was the star as he ran the show from the middle of the park.

Chelsea finally broke the deadlock shortly after the break courtesy of Malo Gusto's strike, before Joao Pedro doubled the lead. Pedro Neto then scored a third goal to seal an important victory. The three points helped them to climb up to the second in the standings and they are now six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

Manchester United flop Alejandro Garnacho, who is now regularly featuring in Maresca's starting lineup, starred with a couple of assists as the Argentine is slowly regaining his long-lost form after gaining full faith of the head coach. 

AdvertisementGettyMaresca reveals pre-match concern

Speaking to reporters after the game, Blues boss Maresca made a surprise claim that he was afraid to face rock bottom Wolves. The Italian coach said: "I was very worried before this game. These are the worst games, they're tricky. Everyone is thinking it's going to be easy. I can understand first half people were not happy because we didn't score. Then, when Estevao came on the energy raised because people love that kind of player."

Maresca heaped further praise on youngster Estevao, who came on as a substitute in the second half. The coach added: "You can see his talent. We are trying to help him to adapt and give him the right minutes. "He arrived from Brazil, he needs time to adapt, but he's going to start games for us in the future. He arrived from a club where he was not training 100 percent so his physical condition was not good. Slowly, now he is better. He knows that to play with us he needs to be good on the ball and off the ball otherwise, he's not going to play. We are very happy with him."

Caretaker manager Collins praises Wolves'

After yet another loss in the league, Wolves caretaker manager James Collins said: "The boys are together and are working hard. There's not little cliques, they're very, very together. There's work to do, we've got to improve. There's a lot of games left. Our season is not going to be defined by Chelsea away."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPFernandez ruled out of action for Argentina

After starring in Chelsea's win and bagging the player-of-the-match award, Fernandez revealed that he has been struggling with an injury and won't be available for Argentina in their friendly matches during the international break. The Blues skipper said: "I will not be available with Argentina. I was just talking to the medical team because I had a problem with my knee in the last four months. I came with a bone edema that got worse in the last weeks and months because we played a lot of games. I think the most important thing is coming to the end of the season and I think it's good to make this decision together. Always respecting the doctors and everything."

Maresca will now hope that his captain recovers from his injury soon during the break and takes the field against Burnley on November 22.

Stats highlights from Newlands, where South Africa posted their fourth-highest total in Tests

Shubh Agarwal04-Jan-2025615 – South Africa amassed their fourth-highest total at Newlands, Cape Town in the second Test against Pakistan, also their fourth 600-plus total at this venue. They fell only five runs short of 620 for 7d when they punished the Pakistan bowlers in the New Year Test in 2003. Their other two top scores are 627 for 7 against England in 2016 and 651 against Australia in 2009.259 – Ryan Rickelton was the nucleus around whom the hosts made the most of the batting-friendly conditions. Scoring his second Test ton, Rickelton broke a number of records during his 259 off 343 balls. He became the first South African batter to score a double-hundred since Hashim Amla’s 201, also in Cape Town, in 2016. Among openers, he is the first South African since Graeme Smith who scored a match-winning 234 against Pakistan in Dubai in 2013. His 259 is also the second-highest individual score at this venue, only behind Stephen Fleming’s 262 in 2006.235 – Rickelton added 235 runs for the fourth wicket with Temba Bavuma, who contributed 106 to South Africa’s mammoth total. It is the highest fourth-wicket stand for South Africa against Pakistan, surpassing the previous record set by Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers – 179 in Abu Dhabi 2010. Overall, it is the fourth-highest partnership for South Africa against Pakistan.Related

Pakistan's paceship crashes in front of Table Mountain

Upgraded Verreynne becomes Conrad's beloved devil

Rickelton's marathon 259, Verreynne century thump hapless Pakistan

Invincible Rickelton gives his international cred a shot in the arm

Bavuma, Rickelton prove, in their own special ways, that they can and they will

3 – Kyle Verreynne was the third centurion of the innings, scoring 100 off 147 deliveries including five sixes. It has been a productive season for Verreynne. He had only one hundred in 18 Tests at the start of the season and now he has added three more to his tally in six Tests, with hundreds against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He has leveled Denis Lindsay (1966/67) and AB de Villiers (2012/13 and 2013/14) for the most Test hundreds by a South African wicketkeeper in a season.4 – Pakistan’s sorry bowling card had Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad, Aamer Jamal and Salman Agha going for more than 100 runs. Meanwhile, Mohammad Abbas finished with 3 for 94. This is the second time in three months that four or more Pakistan bowlers have conceded more than 100 runs in an innings. In the first Test against England in Multan, six Pakistan bowlers went for over a 100 runs as England eased to 823/7d.33.76 – Pakistan now average 33.76 with the ball in this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the worst among all teams. On the contrary, South Africa average the best at 23.23 runs per wicket. It is also a function of the kind of pitches these teams have played on – Pakistan mostly on flatter tracks at home and South Africa on spicy pitches. But adding to their woes, Pakistan also have a poor record in Cape Town. In the 21st century, they now average 43.3 in Cape Town, the poorest among all venues in South Africa.6 – On a positive note, Mohammad Rizwan took six catches in the innings, leveling Rashid Latif (against Zimbabwe in 1998) and Adnan Akmal (against New Zealand in 2011) for most catches for a Pakistani wicketkeeper in an innings. The record belongs to Wasim Bari with seven catches against New Zealand in 1979.

Manchester United got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory away from home against Crystal Palace. The Red Devils struggled in the first half and went into the break a goal down, but an energetic performance in the second 45 minutes, combined with two smart goals, ensured they got all three points.

Indeed, it was a penalty from Jean-Philippe Mateta which gave the Eagles a lead. Leny Yoro made a clumsy tackle in the penalty area, with the Palace striker eventually slotting home from 12 yards. He was asked to retake his initial kick after striking the ball against his standing foot.

United came out with far more energy in the second half, and it only took them nine minutes before they managed to equalise. Joshua Zirkzee scored his first Premier League goal in almost a year to pull things level.

United’s winner came from Mason Mount, who bagged his second goal of the season. It was a good effort, with Bruno Fernandes laying a free kick into his path and Mount slotting home through a disjointed Palace wall.

The Englishman’s strike was enough to win United the game. There were some standout performances, with Zirkzee someone who played particularly well.

How Zirkzee downed Crystal Palace

It has not been the easiest season for Netherlands international Zirkzee. Saturday lunchtime at Selhurst Park felt like a big moment, and, after a first half where he struggled to get into the game, he certainly took his chance.

The goal from the attacker was simply sensational. He also got on the end of a Fernandes freekick, bringing the ball down on his chest before smashing a volley across goal into the far corner. It was a sublime strike from a man who needed a goal.

However, it was not just the goal from Zirkzee which stood out. His second-half showing was described as “amazing” by Alice Talks Footy over on X, with the United number 11 constantly linking up play, showing off his exceptional technical ability with clever touches.

Indeed, his numbers at full-time show just how well he played. Zirkzee had 50 touches of the ball, completing 14 passes in the opposition half and creating one chance. He also won eight duels and made three ball recoveries.

It was a brilliant second-half showing from the United striker, who will now be hoping to kick on. As well as he played, one of his Red Devils teammates was arguably better.

Man Utd star outshines Zirkzee vs Palace

One of the real standouts for United against the Eagles was Luke Shaw. Making his 300th appearance for the Red Devils, Shaw continued his good form this season on the left of Amorim’s back three.

The United number 23 made some key defensive contributions, including a crunching tackle to stop Eddie Nketiah from getting a shot off in the first half. He also made three interceptions, ball recoveries and clearances in a strong performance.

Touches

78

Pass accuracy

87%

Duels won

3/6

Clearances

3

Interceptions

3

Ball recoveries

3

Blocks

1

Indeed, one person who rated Shaw’s efforts in South London was Goal journalist Calum Preston Kelly. He gave the Englishman a 7/10 for his afternoon’s work and praised him for the fact that he “defended strongly” against Oliver Glasner’s men.

Just last game, Gary Neville said Shaw is a “waste of time” in a United squad. Yet, after a statement showing at Selhurst Park, it is easy to see that the defender could be considered an undroppable member of the squad.

There is plenty of competition for places in that left centre-back role, too. Shaw was replaced with minutes remaining in the game by Lisandro Martinez, and his return could perhaps have signalled the end of the Englishman’s run in the starting lineup.

Yet, after a performance like that, it is hard to see Amorim dropping one of his most experienced players. Shaw was crucial in United keeping Palace at bay from open play, and looks undroppable ahead of a busy festive period.

Shades of Pogba: INEOS have signed star who can end Mainoo’s Man Utd stay

Manchester United have landed a star who could reach the next level under Ruben Amorim.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 29, 2025