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SL’s last-wicket stand of 78 to chase down 304, or an 18-year-old’s heroics? Which Test was better? Vote now!

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The SA-SL 2019 Durban Test moves to the round of 16.The Perera miracle in Durban, 2019
Sri Lanka were enduring a tough time heading into this series. They were coming off a 2-0 pummeling in Australia, their captain had been sacked, and an inexperienced team, led by Dimuth Karunaratne, was put on the plane to South Africa. The perfect lead-up to a heroic comeback story?In what was a seesawing Test in Durban, Sri Lanka emerged victorious, chasing down 304 with one wicket to spare. They had lost their ninth wicket while still 78 runs off their target. Kusal Perera then scored 67 of them all by himself. Perera gave Sri Lanka an incredible finale on the fourth afternoon along with the No. 11 Vishwa Fernando, as they put on a record-breaking tenth-wicket stand to see their team home in a tense finish.At lunch on the day, Sri Lanka were 166 for 5, still 138 runs away from a win, after which Keshav Maharaj scythed through the Sri Lankan lower-middle order, leaving them at 226 for 9. That brought Fernando to the middle, and from the moment he got there, he was entirely focused on survival. He faced 22 balls before he got off the mark.It looked like victory was assured for South Africa, but as Fernando clung on at one end, Perera defended with unreal calm and even took several blows to his body on his way to the target. Batting for 309 minutes, he farmed the strike superbly, and picked his opportunities to attack and push the score forward. Along the way, he also made his career-best Test score of 153, sealing the famous win with a boundary.Debutant Cummins’ heroics in Johannesburg, 2011Trust Pat Cummins to do something heroic. But to do such a thing on his Test debut? As an 18-year-old?Australia had a lot to prove entering this Test. They had been bowled out for 47 in the first Test of the series in Cape Town, their lowest total in 109 years. They had lost that match before lunch on the third day.In seaming conditions at the Wanderers, Australia took a 30-run lead in reply to South Africa’s 266. Having been brought in as Ryan Harris’ replacement for the second Test in Johannesburg, Cummins came to Australia’s rescue in the second innings as he outbowled his more senior colleagues.He gave Australia a fighting chance of victory in a match that, 24 hours earlier, appeared to have slipped from their grasp after superb batting from Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers. Cummins was responsible for breaking the Amla-de Villiers stand, as he went on to bag six wickets to set up a target of 310 runs for his team.Openers Shane Watson and Phil Hughes failed to repeat their first-innings displays. They were both out to Vernon Philander as Australia were 19 for 2, but Ricky Ponting and Usman Khawaja brought down the home side’s advantage. Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn’s strikes, though, left Australia six down with another 95 runs to get.Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson then forged a partnership of 72 to erase the bulk of the deficit, but with his team eight down with 12 runs required, it was Cummins who kept his calm and scored two boundaries in the 15 balls he faced to seal the close win for Australia. It was the highest fourth-innings total at the Wanderers.

By learning to relax and trust his skills, he is giving himself the best chance to succeed

Greg Chappell11-Jun-2025Cricket coaching manuals are replete with diagrams of the perfect cover drive, blueprints for the ideal bowling action, and meticulous plans for fitness regimens. Hours upon hours are dedicated to honing the physical mechanics of the game – the footwork, the grip, the follow-through. This focus on the tangible, the repeatable, the physical, forms the bedrock of traditional cricketing wisdom. Yet, what if this singular emphasis, while necessary, inadvertently delays the realisation of a player’s true potential?What if, like in life itself, the secret to unlocking peak performance lies not just in the sweat and toil, but in aligning with a deeper rhythm, a universal energy that governs success and ease?The prevailing narrative in sport, and often in life, is one of relentless effort. Work harder, train longer, push through the pain.Steven Smith, for much of his illustrious career, seemed to embody this ethos. His legendary net sessions, his almost obsessive dedication to practice, spoke of a man who believed that mastery was solely forged in the fires of personal exertion.The mantra was clear: work hard and improvement must follow. And undeniably, it worked for him, yielding vast success built on a seemingly inexhaustible work ethic.But perhaps, even in those years of tireless physical application, there was an unseen force at play. Perhaps, without consciously articulating it, Smith was subconsciously attuned to a different frequency, connected to the universe in ways that transcended the physical grind. His admission of being awake at night during Test matches, mentally rehearsing his innings, wasn’t just strategising; it was a form of deep internal alignment. These sessions, almost exclusively mental, were his way of getting in tune with the universal energy, visualising not just the shots but the flow state, the ease, the rhythm.Related

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There has been a subtly shifting approach in Smith that is potentially revolutionary. It hints at a maturity that understands the limitations of purely physical effort as one ages, and the growing importance of the mental landscape.His conscious decision to relax more, to spend less time in the nets, to allow his mind to wander free is not a sign of diminished ambition but a recognition that preserving mental energy and finding a state of ease is paramount for sustained performance at the highest level. He feels he needs to be in the “best space you can be in the middle to bat for long periods” and hitting less in the nets before a series helps keep his mental side as focused as possible when he’s batting in a match. This isn’t laziness; it’s wisdom.This shift challenges the very foundations of traditional coaching. It suggests that while technical proficiency is non-negotiable up to a point, there comes a time in a cricketer’s journey when further physical repetition yields diminishing returns. At this juncture, the focus must pivot.The most significant gains are to be made not in adding more hours in the nets but in cultivating the inner game, in learning to work with the universe, not against it.I recall a telling moment late in Ricky Ponting’s career, during an optional training day before an Ashes Test. He hadn’t been in form and came to the ground seeking a breakthrough. The longer he batted, the more frustrated he became, his rhythm eluding him. He was trying hard to force it back. When I asked him what he was trying to achieve, he spoke of being “all out of sorts” and needing to “find some rhythm”. I suggested that his lack of flow stemmed more from his mental state than his physical, and that perhaps a round of golf, clearing his mind, might be more beneficial than continuing to mentally beat himself up in the nets. He politely disagreed, which spoke of the ingrained belief that more physical effort is always the answer.

When you approach the crease, or any challenge in life, with ease, with a sense of quiet joy, you are more likely to be in flow, working in harmony with that universal energy. This isn’t just the simpler way to live; it might also be the simplest way to bat

Yet it’s fascinating to remember that when Ricky was in the absolute prime of his career, he was known for not spending excessive time in the nets. He would often walk out once he felt he was hitting the ball as he liked, a quiet confidence in his preparation, a trust in his ability to find that rhythm when it mattered. He wasn’t trying to force it; he was allowing it to be.This brings us to a crucial, yet often overlooked, aspect of both batting and life: trust. Trust in your preparation, trust in your instincts, and trust in the unfolding of events. When you try too hard, you introduce tension, doubt and resistance.You are, in effect, swimming against the current of the universe. But when you approach the crease, or any challenge in life, with ease, with a sense of quiet joy, you are more likely to be in flow, working in harmony with that universal energy. It feels simpler, more natural, less of a struggle. This isn’t just the simpler way to live; it might also be the simplest way to bat.Smith’s recent revelations could serve as a powerful lesson. His conscious effort to manage his mental energy, to step back from the relentless physical grind, underscores the growing importance of the inner game as a player matures. It’s a message that should resonate with cricketers and coaches at all levels. While the physical fundamentals remain essential, true mastery, sustained success, and the ability to perform under pressure may ultimately hinge on the capacity to align with the universe, to find that state of flow, and to trust in the process.I sincerely wish Smith huge success in the upcoming challenges – the World Test Championship final, the tour of the West Indies, and the Ashes. His performance will, of course, be a result of his immense skill and preparation. But perhaps, just perhaps, the greatest legacy he leaves behind won’t be a particular technique or a batting record but the subtle yet profound message embedded in his current approach: that in the relentless pursuit of excellence, cultivating a mind that is fit, healthy, uncluttered, and attuned to the rhythm of the universe may be the most revolutionary stroke of all.

Bizarre broadside from Australia’s stand-in captain puts England’s former spinner front and centre of the pre-series banter

Alan Gardner20-Nov-20250:39

Steve Smith’s strange ‘Mastermind’ jibe at Monty Panesar

Hands up who had ‘Steven Smith Hits Back at Monty Panesar’s Sandpaper Comments with BBC Mastermind Jibe’ on their Ashes 2025-26 phoney war bingo card?Because that, bizarrely enough, is the point we had reached when those in the UK woke up on Thursday morning, less than 24 hours out from the start of the first Test. Perhaps it was the logical endgame of an Ashes build-up that has seemed ever more febrile and fantastical as the weeks have ticked by. But it also prompted, on many levels, the question: why?Why had Smith, in responding to what was reportedly a planted question early in his press conference, chosen to specifically target Panesar amid all the pre-series chatter on both sides? Why did Smith decide to make a personal dig at a retired player about a TV appearance from almost seven years ago? And why, on the eve of one of the most anticipated Ashes in recent memory, was he rewatching Panesar’s infamous meltdown if, as he claimed, “it doesn’t really bother me”.Ironically, the Panesar comments that Smith claimed he hadn’t been bothered by received minimal coverage – certainly in contrast to his “off-topic” digression in the full glare of pre-game media duties, which caused “Monty Panesar” to become a trending topic on two sides of the globe.The issue had, in fact, seemed to spiral after being picked up by Brad Haddin and Alyssa Healy on the Willow Talk podcast earlier this week. Haddin, still keen as ever to get involved in a stoush, suggested Panesar should “Pull your f***ing head in” – which is about the level of wit for Ashes repartee. What’s remarkable is that the mud-flinging has not been confined to social media, but ended up with Australia’s stand-in captain using it for an open-mic spot on matchday-minus-one.For those still in the dark, Panesar – speaking to an online betting company – had urged England to “really get into” Smith about his role in the 2018 sandpaper incident at Cape Town and “make him feel guilty”. But it seems unlikely that Monty’s masterplan would have featured quite so high up in the strategising by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum ahead of this series (although perhaps it now should…)Monty Panesar and Steven Smith have reprised hostilities in unlikely circumstances•Getty ImagesPanesar also explicitly urged the UK media to take up the cudgels against Smith, following the example of some typically fruity coverage of England’s preparations by the local outlets. In another irony, Smith’s response has made it much easier for the English pack to now mount their high horses (something that rarely requires a second invitation).As for the Barmy Army, who are expected to make up a significant proportion of the crowd in Perth Stadium, they won’t need any prompting from Panesar to break into another chorus of “We saw you cry on the telly”.Smith added in his press conference that he was “pretty chilled” these days, and certainly delivered his pre-planned bit for the cameras with a broad grin in place. It was, nevertheless, a curious call that has added another layer of intrigue to the series – as well as an unexpected new chapter to Panesar’s colourful Ashes backstory.By coincidence, it is only a couple of weeks since Panesar popped up as a walk-on character in the story of Jake Weatherald’s maiden Test call-up. Weatherald – who described Panesar as “one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life” – played alongside the former England left-arm spinner during his time in the UK with Great Witchingham CC and took time to regale the Grade Cricketer podcast about what an “amazing experience” it was. Whether they were laughing with or at Monty is probably moot.Related

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This has often been the case, starting with Shane Warne’s infamous comment that Panesar hadn’t played 33 Tests, but the same Test 33 times. Panesar was an unlikely hero with the bat for England at Cardiff shortly after that, but was again reduced to a figure of fun on the 2013-14 tour, including when Cricket Australia apologised for causing offence with a tweet that pictured four men dressed as Teletubbies wearing turbans and the caption: “Will the real Monty Panesar please stand up?”Since the end of his playing career, Panesar has forged a number of different career paths – often with limited success. His blooper, which he put down to nerves, came during a period in which he tried to carve out a regular spot as a reality TV personality, while he has done more run-of-the-mill work as a cricket pundit for a number of organisations (including ESPNcricinfo). Last year, he made headlines after briefly promising to stand as candidate in the General Election for the Workers Party of Britain, before backtracking.He has also spoken about his struggles with mental health issues and, sadly, still seems to be casting around for a comfortable post-playing role. Whether Ashes bantermeister is the right fit remains to be seen – but Smith has fanned the flames, inadvertently or otherwise. Certainly Panesar’s zinger of a response, delivered on BBC radio a few hours later, then followed up in a Telegraph guest column, suggested he is rising to the occasion:”I’ve started, so I’ll finish,” Panesar wrote. “Those were the words I heard at the end of my Mastermind shocker six years ago. But if I’m guilty of anything, it is having bad general knowledge. And that is better than being a cheat.”We’ve both made mistakes. I made my mine on a quiz show. He made his on the cricket field.”And so the sideshow rumbles on, with Panesar also due to appear on Michael Clarke’s Beyond23 podcast later on Thursday. Wonder what they’ll talk about? Thankfully the cricket is about to begin, otherwise who knows what we’d wake up to tomorrow.

Eighteen Tests into his tenure, a world-class attack and a promising batting group haven’t yet translated into results, and questions may grow louder if India lose this series

Karthik Krishnaswamy19-Nov-20253:11

‘Gambhir should be doing much better with the players at his disposal’

We win as a team, we lose as a team.It’s a line Gautam Gambhir uses often in his press conferences, usually in reply to questions highlighting individual success or failure. It’s not about the individual. That’s another pet Gambhir line.It might be time, though, to talk about one individual in his group: Gambhir himself.India’s defeat to South Africa at Eden Gardens was their fourth home loss under Gambhir. He has presided over as many home losses, in just over a year, as his three immediate predecessors as head coach – Rahul Dravid, Ravi Shastri (over two stints, including one as team director) and Anil Kumble – did in a decade.Related

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India have won four home Tests under Gambhir – two against Bangladesh, two against West Indies. They presently have a 0-4 home record against New Zealand and South Africa. Overall, home and away, it’s 7-9.It isn’t pretty.There are mitigating factors at play. Gambhir took charge of a team in transition, and the retirements of R Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma happened under his watch. Each of the home defeats has come on tricky surfaces where small turns of fortune were often decisive and often went against India. Kolkata hinged on many such moments, including the toss – India also lost the toss in Pune and Mumbai against New Zealand – and an injury that restricted Shubman Gill, their captain and key middle-order batter, to facing just three balls in the match. That India lost by only 30 runs in these circumstances suggested they weren’t all that far from winning.But that, in effect, has been India’s issue right through the Gambhir era. This is not the team of MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher, which lost 4-0 in England and 4-0 in Australia and 2-1 at home to England. That was a team with a transitioning batting line-up and, more crucially, a wayward, inexperienced attack that was seldom able to keep any opposition under pressure for long periods.Gambhir’s team is not that team. The bowling group is world-class, full of experience, variety and wicket-taking skill. The batting is strong and deep and has shown little sign of missing Kohli or Rohit – though India would love to be able to bring one of them in if Gill misses the Guwahati Test, as they try and work out how to manage a surfeit of left-handed options. The tour of England this summer showed just how prolific India’s young batters can be when the conditions aren’t loaded against them.1:18

Is the pressure mounting on Gambhir, the red-ball coach?

India have competed on at least an even footing in pretty much every Test against strong opposition during Gambhir’s tenure, home and away. They have won Test matches with key players unavailable. They won in Perth with a team featuring two debutants, one batter with just one previous Test cap, and another with just three. They won at Edgbaston and The Oval without their talisman Jasprit Bumrah.And so many of their losses, like Kolkata, have left long trails of what-ifs.The frustrating thing for an India fan is that the what-ifs aren’t just moments that weren’t in anyone’s control. So many of them, instead, concern decisions of selection and strategy that the team management made after careful deliberation.Take the consistent selection of three allrounders in India’s XIs, which, in theory, gives them batting depth until No. 8 as well as six bowling options. It’s one thing to pick such a team in India, where Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are legitimate wicket-taking bowlers. To pick Jadeja, Washington and either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Shardul Thakur in Australia and England, at the cost of a fourth frontline wicket-taker, is an entirely different matter.It’s led India to lose control of Test matches from balanced or dominant positions, with the lack of wicket-taking depth haunting them at crucial stages at the MCG, the SCG, Headingley and Lord’s.India have lost four Tests at home under Gautam Gambhir•Getty ImagesIt’s also led to India overbowling their strike bowlers. A direct line can be drawn from India’s selections in Australia to the recurrence of Bumrah’s back issues at the end of that tour, and from there to his rationed appearances in England, which in turn, in concert with India’s stubborn insistence on playing three allrounders, led to Mohammed Siraj taking on a superhuman workload on that tour.The decision to enforce the follow-on against West Indies on a lifeless Delhi pitch last month also seemed consistent with this team management’s tendency to not worry about bowler workloads unless – as in the case of Bumrah in England – they’re forced to.The other strategy decision India have consistently made under Gambhir concerns their choice of home pitches. Every India head coach in recent times has turned to extreme pitches at some point or another when strong opponents have visited, but where defeats on such pitches often led his predecessors to rethink this approach, they have only made Gambhir double down.Now it’s usually a good thing to not let results sway your convictions. Gambhir’s obstinacy, in that sense, is commendable, and any statistician will tell you that four Test matches is too small a sample to prove or disprove his stated reason for wanting pitches with sharp, early turn – that they minimise toss advantage.

Eighteen Tests into his tenure, Gambhir has a record that does no justice to the players at his disposal. There is no indication that his position is under any threat, particularly given his fine white-ball record. Questions, however, might get asked if India lose this series against South Africa.

It can be said with a little more certainty, however, that extremely bowler-friendly pitches tend to narrow the skill gap between the stronger and weaker attack in those conditions. India were undoubtedly the attack with more quality, depth and experience of Indian conditions during their series against New Zealand last year. And while Simon Harmer was the best bowler on either side in Kolkata, India still had the better attack, collectively, for the conditions.Over a longer Test match, where seamers and spinners have to come back again and again and maintain their control and intensity over all those spells, which attack would you bet on? The one with Bumrah, Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Jadeja, Washington and Axar or the one with Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch, Harmer and Keshav Maharaj? If India’s main wicket threats on a typical first-innings Indian pitch – Bumrah, Kuldeep and Jadeja – are all out of the attack, they would still be able to call on bowlers who would keep a lid on the scoring and keep batters in a state of high vigilance. The same wouldn’t necessarily be true of South Africa, even if you could swap in Kagiso Rabada for Bosch.Why play on minefields then?The answer to this may well be the same as the answer to the allrounders-instead-of-frontline-bowlers question: a lack of belief, a constant underestimation of the talent India have at their disposal.As useful as their batting depth was in England, it probably did not make up for their lack of wicket-taking edge at crucial moments, and India’s top order showed, even in their first series without Kohli and Rohit, that they did not need that extra security. And while India’s spinners can be unplayable on square turners, they can be a consistent threat on normal pitches too.All this almost seems obvious from the outside, but all of us with that outside perspective have little, if anything, at stake. Gambhir is right in the thick of it, and every win and loss goes on his CV. Being in that position can sometimes lead you to question if the resources you have are good enough, and to reach for seeming failsafes that guarantee nothing and come with hidden costs.Eighteen Tests into his tenure, Gambhir has a record that does no justice to the players at his disposal. There is no indication that his position is under any threat, particularly given his fine white-ball record. Questions, however, might get asked if India lose this series and leave themselves with a treacherous route to the World Test Championship final. It might be in his best interests, then, to start showing a little more trust in the quality of his players, and worry a little less about unseen dangers.

Victory by 89 runs sees Brave make it five from five, as Sophie Devine stars again

ECB Media18-Aug-2025Southern Brave 161 for 6 (Wolvaardt 36, Bouchier 34, Franklin 2-28) beat Oval Invincibles 72 (Villiers 3-17) by 89 runs Southern Brave produced a devastating all-round performance to inflict a record-breaking 89-run defeat on Oval Invincibles at Utilita Bowl to maintain their 100 per cent record and move top of the table.Set 162 for victory, the Invincibles could only muster 72, never recovering from a two-wicket burst by Sophie Devine (2 for 15) in her opening set, the Kiwi castling Meg Lanning with a peach before sending Lauren Winfield-Hill on her way three balls later.When Lauren Bell (2 for 11) struck with consecutive deliveries, utilising the short ball to great effect to induce edges from Alice Capsey and Paige Scholfield, the visitors slumped to 28 for 4 and they were eventually skittled in 83 balls, Mady Villiers picking up 3 for 17 with her off-breaks.Earlier, England duo Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on an opening stand of 59 after Brave were asked to bat, Bouchier the main aggressor in her innings of 34 from 23 before picking out Scholfield at deep mid-wicket to give Tash Farrant the breakthrough.ESPNcricinfo LtdWyatt-Hodge (26 from 24) was clean bowled by a Phoebe Franklin slower delivery but Laura Wolvaardt kept up the momentum, the South African cruising to a 19-ball 36 including a slog-swept six off Amanda-Jade Wellington but the Aussie leg-spinner had her revenge next ball when Lanning held on to a catch at extra-cover.Freya Kemp was involved in a mix-up which saw Devine run out for 19 but the England starlet made amends with a sparky cameo, smashing two sixes in her 11-ball 24 to post a target which was well beyond the Invincibles’ reach and set up a fifth straight victory for the 2023 champions.Meerkat Match Hero Sophie Devine, who picked up the award for a third game straight at Utilita Bowl, said: “I feel a bit embarrassed because today was a great team performance and there were so many people who should be standing here instead of me. Today was exceptional from this group and I’m really proud of everyone.”The great thing about this group is we’ve spoken at length about different plans and having the ability to be able to execute that is something I’ve found incredibly impressive. That should stand us in good stead come the important part of this tournament.”For us there’s a great focus on each and every game. We’ve got some tough games coming up but we’ll celebrate our success here today. It was a comprehensive win but we certainly know we’ve got a big job to finish off this competition strongly.”

Veteran reliever David Robertson is signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of

Robertson, who turned 40 earlier this year, conducted a workout for multiple teams on Saturday in Providence, R.I. The workout yielded a deal for the rest of the season with Philadelphia that will pay him $6.22 million (prorated from $16 million) according to Mark Feisand of MLB.com.

Robertson has not pitched this season, but spent 2024 with the Texas Rangers, where he posted a 3.00 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 27 walks. This will be Robertson's 17th MLB season and his third stint in Philadelphia.

Robertson is hoping to help stabilize a contending Phillies club that ranks 23rd in the major leagues in bullpen ERA.

They added 148 in the chase of 286, after fifties from Harper, Peake and Rogers propelled Victoria

AAP02-Dec-2025Victoria’s One-Day Cup campaign is on the brink after a seven-wicket defeat from Western Australia (WA) at Melbourne’s Junction Oval. Top of the ladder and firing in the Sheffield Shield, the Vics sit on the bottom in the battle for the Dean Jones Trophy with a 1-4 win-loss record.WA motored home in their chase, cantering to victory with 32 balls to spare. After WA captain Ashton Turner won the toss and elected to bowl, the hosts had steady contributions through their innings to push them to a total of 285.Wicketkeeper-batter Sam Harper (54), young gun Oliver Peake (54), and Tom Rogers (50) all passed fifty, but were unable to go on with the job as experienced seamer Joel Paris collected 4 for 62. Peake threatened to propel the Vics towards 300, but became young quick Albert Esterhuysen’s only victim of the day.Australia white-ball star Mitchell Marsh, who is an outside chance of featuring in this summer’s Ashes, struggled to get going in WA’s chase, and fell for 17 to Xavier Crone. But Marsh’s opening partner Joel Curtis picked up the slack, flaying 68 from 64 balls to send WA on their way towards the total.WA veterans Turner and Sam Whiteman steered the visitors home with a commanding unbeaten 148-run stand after coming together at 141 for 3. Turner blasted balls all over the quick outfield, finishing unbeaten on 71 from 61 deliveries. Whiteman (70 from 65 balls) got WA to the total by hitting a flawless cover drive to the fence.WA go into the BBL break with a 2-3 record, with the 50-over matches to resume in February. Victoria will seek to gain revenge on Thursday when their Shield match against WA begins at the MCG.

In a new interview, Todd Boehly has taken aim at the English media as the Chelsea co-owner fires back at criticism. The American businessman, along with Mark Walter, Hansjorg Wyss and Clearlake Capital, launched a successful bid to buy the Blues in March 2022. Roman Abramovich had put the club up for sale after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

AFPRollercoaster start to Boehly era

Former Chelsea owner Abramovich had been forced to sell the club in 2022 after he was sanctioned by then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Abramovich's close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin meant the 59-year-old's assets were frozen in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, a conflict that continues to rumble on.

This paved the way for Boehly to take the reins at Chelsea, having initially seen a $3bn offer to buy the club rejected in 2019. A consortium fronted by the American businessman would ultimately pay £4.25bn to seal the takeover, which was approved by the British government on May 25, 2022, and on May 30, the sale was completed, ending Abramovich's 19-year ownership of the club.

Boehly's time at Chelsea hasn't been plain sailing, with the American coming in for criticism for the way in which he has managed the club. Indeed, he opted to relieve fan favourite Thomas Tuchel shortly after taking charge, while the German's successors Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino also suffered the same fate.

Chelsea, though, are on an upward trajectory with Enzo Maresca in the dugout. The Italian guided the Blues back to the Champions League in his debut season in charge, and also won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup in his first 12 months in west London.

AdvertisementBoehly takes criticism on the chin

Boehly, who also has stakes in the LA Dodgers and the LA Lakers, is used to dealing with unhappy fans. Indeed, when asked by the Australian Financial Review how he deals with criticism, Boehly replied: "Sometimes my wife and my family take it differently than I take it. I just find it’s one more person that doesn’t know what they’re talking about."

Taking aim at the media, Boehly added: "The English papers remind me every day how smart they are and how stupid I am."

Boehly went on to express his excitement about the future of the club, saying: "You’re going to continue to watch our team evolve and grow. We’ve got them together for a long time. I’m pretty excited about what the future looks like."

Chelsea's first season since Boehly took ownership didn't go quite according to plan as the Blues finished 12th in the Premier League. However, there has been a marked improvement in the following seasons, with Chelsea finishing sixth in the 2023-24 campaign before securing a top-four finish under Maresca last season.

After 11 games this season, Chelsea find themselves in third place, six points behind league leaders Arsenal, following their 3-0 win over Wolves last time out.

Getty Images SportChelsea's established global fan base

The Chelsea supremo also mentioned that one of the focuses is to grow the club's global brand across the world. "We’re trying to grow a global fan base. If your fan base is continuing to grow all around the world, that should lead it to naturally believe that your revenue is going to continue to grow," Boehly said.

Chelsea already have a well-established global fan base, which rose considerably after Abramovich initially took charge in June 2003. During his time at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea won the Premier League five times, the Champions League twice and the Europa League twice as the Blues became a European force to be reckoned with.

And as of February 2024, Chelsea have an estimated 136.7 million social media followers across numerous platforms, including X, Facebook and Instagram.

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Funds from Chelsea sale still frozen

While Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea in 2022, full proceeds from the £2.5bn sale remain frozen in a UK bank account. Abramovich wanted the funds to benefit "all victims of war" while the UK's position is that the money can only be used for "humanitarian purposes".

"This government is working hard to ensure the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as quickly as possible," a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said on Monday.

"The proceeds are currently frozen in a UK bank account while a new independent foundation is established to manage and distribute the money.

"UK officials continue to hold discussions with Mr Abramovich's representatives, experts and international partners, and we will double down on our efforts to reach a resolution."

The UK government's position, which has not changed despite Labour's UK election win last year, is that the money can only be used for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine.

The India and RCB allrounder and self-professed rebel is the queen of comebacks

Hemant Brar16-Jun-2025When Sneh Rana dismissed Anushka Sanjeewani to seal India’s victory in the ODI tri-series final in Colombo last month, she raised her right arm, lowered her sleeve and revealed a tattoo. Inked in Devanagari, just below her wrist, it read – which translates to “rebel”.”If someone says something cannot be done, my automatic response is [to ask] why it cannot be done,” offspin-bowling allrounder Rana says. “It can be done. I rebel.”The tri-series was the latest in a long line of comebacks for her. Playing white-ball cricket after almost a year and a half, she took 15 wickets in five games and was the Player of the Series. Five of those wickets came against South Africa, a career best, for which she was named Player of the Match, becoming only the third Indian after Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma with a match award in all three formats.Related

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Soon after the series ended, Rana made another comeback. When India announced their squad for the England tour, she found a place in the T20I side after more than two years out of it. is not Rana’s only tattoo. The old adage tells us to treat our bodies like temples, but Rana treats hers like a journal, chronicling significant moments of her life on it in permanent ink. She made her India debut in 2014, but about two years later, she suffered a knee injury that kept her off the field for a year. People started to say her career was over. During that time she got a tattoo of an anchor on her left forearm with “I refuse to sink” written next to it.Read my arm: Rana is something of a tattoo aficionado”That one year was very difficult,” she says of the time she was out. “It was very important to stay calm and patient. In such times, people around you are equally important. I was fortunate to have my parents with me. They never let me feel down.”Rana stayed afloat and kept making waves in domestic cricket. It took her five years to stage a comeback, but she returned stronger. The bowling action was a bit more side-on; she put more body into it and gave the ball a proper rip.In her first game on return, her Test debut, in Bristol, she took four wickets in England’s only innings. When India followed on, she scored 80 not out from No. 8 and helped save the match. She impressed in the ODIs and T20Is as well. Ramesh Powar, India women’s coach then, called her “the find of the series”.It was an emotional roller coaster for Rana. A month before she was picked for the England tour, she lost her father, whom she was very close to. The date of his death is inked in Roman numerals on her left arm. “You know how a father-daughter relation is,” she says. “My dad always supported me, encouraged me, and protected me from all the negative things. He wanted me to play for India again. But when it happened, he was not there to witness it.

So finally after 5 long years the wait is over
PAPA this one’s for you
It’s an emotional moment for me and my Fam.I can’t describe my emotions.Just wanna thank each and everyone for your guidance and support throughout this journey.
Papa,wish u were here to live this moment pic.twitter.com/kjTQXikqPW

— Sneh Rana (@SnehRana15) May 30, 2021