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Until Sunday, the 12 teams in playoff position at the All-Star break were the same 12 teams holding playoff spots with one week to play. No more. The Reds leapfrogged the sagging Mets, and the molten-hot Guardians can replace the Tigers as soon as Tuesday. You want chaos? This is your week, when baseball becomes a high-stakes, minute-by-minute sprint.

The third wild card is proving its intention: inject sizzle back into September. And don’t worry about a watered-down playoff field. The six No. 6 seeds in three years of the 12-team format have won between 84 and 89 games with an average of 86.9 wins. We again should see the last two teams qualify in that range.

How crazy is the tournament? In the three seasons with six playoff teams in each league, the No. 6 seeds (32–26) have won as many postseason games as the No. 1 seeds (32–22). Just get in, baby.

Wild card spots are not all that’s at stake this week. We’ve got playoff seedings, major awards and MLB records also up for grabs. Here’s your guide to what’s on the line in Chaos Week:

The collapse of the Mets

They no longer control their playoff fate now that the Reds, who hold the tiebreaker over the Mets, caught them for the third wild card.

Since Aug. 19 the Mets are 13–18, including 3–8 against the Marlins and Nationals. But this is not just a late fade. From 45–24 in their first 69 games to 35–52 in their next 87, the Mets have been a bad team longer than they’ve been a good team.

They have used more pitchers than any team in history, received the fourth fewest innings from starters, lost more games out of the bullpen than any playoff contender, walked far too many batters, not once rallied to win after trailing after eight innings and whiffed on trade deadline acquisitions Cedric Mullins and Ryan Helsley, who had been in one organization for a decade before they were dropped into the heat of a New York pennant race.

This week the Mets play three games at Wrigley Field against the Cubs (where they see pitchers Cade Horton, Matt Boyd and Shota Imanaga) and three games in Miami against the Marlins, while asking three kids in their rotation to save their season.

The Reds have three at home against Pittsburgh (including one start by Paul Skenes) and finish with three at Milwaukee against the Brewers. Cincinnati has the edge because of its starting pitching. It also has the tiebreaker advantage over Arizona, which still lurks in the wild card race.

The Tigers in freefall

Detroit takes a six-game losing streak into Cleveland for a huge series against the Guardians that starts Tuesday, then goes to Fenway to finish against the Red Sox, another team hanging on by its fingernails. The Tigers are in a 7–18 freefall in which their 11.5-game AL Central lead has shrunk to one.

The length of the season has exposed the flaws of the Tigers. They strike out too much, their bullpen has the worst strikeout rate in baseball and they are a 46–54 team when anybody other than Tarik Skubal or Casey Mize starts.

American League musical chairs

The Tigers (85–71), Red Sox (85–71), Guardians (84–72) and Astros (84–72) are separated by one game with six to play and three spots up for grabs. One spot will go to either Detroit or Cleveland as the AL Central winner (Cleveland wins the head-to-head tiebreaker with one more win). That leaves three teams for two wild card spots. Here is the skinny on the race:

Tigers: The good news is by finishing against Cleveland and Boston they don’t need help. Their fate is smack in front of them. But that schedule—finishing on the road against two contenders—is also the bad news, especially after Detroit hit .182 against the Guardians while getting swept in three games last week. The Tigers are in trouble, especially if they lose with Skubal on the mound Tuesday in Cleveland.

Red Sox: They are 3–10 against Toronto and Detroit, their opponents this week. They see veteran pitchers Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber in Toronto. Holding tiebreakers against Cleveland and Houston and with head-to-head games with Detroit, Boston still has a good chance of getting in.

Guardians: Manager Stephen Vogt went to a six-man rotation to survive 17 games in 17 days. It worked, not just to keep his starters fresh, but also because pitching coach Carl Willis had them throw two bullpen sessions in between starts to dial in mechanics and pitch shaping. Cleveland is 16–5 with a 2.32 ERA this month. Cleveland is the only one of these four bubble teams to finish all this week at home. If they take two of three from Detroit, the Guardians will be in first place (by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker) and control their fate entering a series against Texas.

Astros: This is the bubble team in the most trouble, if only because they lose the tiebreakers to the Tigers, Red Sox and Guardians and they don’t have Yordan Alvarez (ankle) in the lineup. The Astros are 12–16 in August and September without Alvarez. They need to go at least 4–2 on the road against the Athletics and Angels.

Before the second innings in Durban, the South Africa captain had 22 fifties but only two hundreds to his name

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Nov-2024Yes, it is a bowlers’ era, and sure, this is not the strongest South Africa batting order there has ever been, but eventually people are going to look across your stats, find the column under “Hundreds”, and check.Temba Bavuma is aware of this. Painfully aware.Before the second innings at Kingsmead, he had only two trips to triple figures, compared to 22 fifties. The rock to throw at him is that this is a poor conversion rate, even if many of those fifties came in difficult match situations. Both his team-mates and his opposition, for example, have praised his first-innings 70, for having taken South Africa from a truly modest total to a halfway-respectable 191, given the conditions.Related

Leap and joy: Stubbs and Bavuma's centuries add colour to festive Kingsmead

SA quicks leave SL on the brink after Stubbs, Bavuma tons

Still, that column on the stats page has eyes on it. And on Friday, at Kingsmead, he raised the count to three, hitting 113 against Sri Lanka. Will people wonder how he has been doing as captain and see that he averages 54.22? Will they wonder how many of his innings have come at No. 6 and lower (51 off 103 innings, by the way), and reason that these are not positions where centuries are harder to come by? Perhaps not many will. Hundreds are kind of a big deal.”Getting to a three-figure mark is always a lot more satisfying, personally,” Bavuma said, about making centuries vs important fifties. “When you bat in positions where the team is in trouble, and you get to a 50 to 60, I guess it’s good in terms of getting the team into a competitive position. But once you’re able to go over, you really get the team into a strong position.”Hundreds are a currency as a batter as well, I guess that increases that value. There’s obviously a lot of confidence that comes from scoring a hundred, and I think in terms of the batting line-up we’re getting to a stage where we’re starting to believe that in each innings, someone is able to go and get a hundred, so it’s good to add to that confidence.”

“Getting to the three-figure mark was quite nerve-racking. I went over to him and said, ‘Stubbo, please get me on strike. I can’t wait on this end'”

Bavuma’s approach to the hundred was fraught, however. Between getting to 80 and getting to triple figures, there was an edge that dropped short of the slips, a ball that jumped up and hit him on the glove, plays and misses, and an lbw shout and a review to the shot (it came off his glove) he got to triple figures off. Bavuma had, in fact, been asking for the strike.”I think I’m not too good when I get to the 80s and 90s. I’m going to try and get there [to a century] as soon as I can. They had the second new ball as well, and there was still something on offer for the bowlers. I was always looking to score.”Then, obviously, getting to the three-figure mark, it was quite nerve-racking. Against the spinner [Prabath Jayasuriya], I got one off the first ball, and then the next two balls Tristan Stubbs blocked. I went over to him and said, ‘Stubbo, please get me on strike. I can’t wait on this end.’ He was able to do that, so I was always going to play that shot.”The shot was a paddle sweep, and he just managed to get a glove to the ball before it hit him on the pads in front of the stumps.”It was a bit high risk, but the way the spinner was bowling, I was thinking of getting to that three-figure mark and then kind of starting again.”Sri Lanka reviewed that lbw, shout, but Bavuma had known he had got enough on it. He politely waited for the big screen to show the little spike as the ball brushed his glove.Then he celebrated his third hundred.

As the Chicago Cubs welcome a former All-Star pitcher, they will reportedly say goodbye to another one.

The Cubs are designating pitcher Ryan Pressly for assignment, according to a Thursday evening report from Patrick Mooney of . Pressly, 36, is 2–3 this season with a 4.35 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings pitched.

A 13-year veteran who's spent time with three teams, Pressly remains best known for his seven years with the Houston Astros at the peak of their pandemic-era powers. Coming over from the Minnesota Twins in 2018, he successfully transitioned from a spectacular middle relief role into a rock-solid closer.

Pressly's roster spot will reportedly go to pitcher Taylor Rogers, a 2021 All-Star with the Twins who was moved for the second time in two days.

Chicago, suddenly in a white-knuckle National League Central race with the Milwaukee Brewers, trails its rival by one game.

كشف الجهاز الفني لمنتخب مصر الثاني بقيادة حلمي طولان، عن التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة الكويت في الجولة الافتتاحية للمجموعة الثالثة من بطولة كأس العرب، التي تنطلق مساء اليوم على استاد لوسيل.

ويشارك المنتخب المصري إلى جانب الكويت في المجموعة نفسها، والتي تضم أيضًا الإمارات والأردن، ضمن النسخة التي تحتضنها قطر في الفترة من 1 إلى 18 ديسمبر، وسط متابعة جماهيرية عربية كبيرة لمباريات الدور الأول.

ويأمل منتخب مصر في بداية قوية تحت قيادة المدرب حلمي طولان، الذي يسعى لتوجيه الفريق نحو الانطلاقة المثالية ومقارعة المنافسين على بطاقة التأهل إلى الدور الإقصائي منذ البداية.

من جهته، يدخل المنتخب الكويتي المباراة بعد تجاوز مرحلة الملحق، ويسعى لتقديم أداء مشرف أمام مصر وإظهار قدراته التنافسية، في مباراة تحظى باهتمام واسع من الجماهير العربية.

طالع أيضًا | بدلاء منتخب مصر أمام الكويت اليوم في كأس العرب.. الونش يُجاور أفشة تشكيل منتخب مصر الثاني أمام الكويت في كأس العرب

حراسة المرمى: محمد بسام

خط الدفاع: أكرم توفيق، رجب نبيل، ياسين مرعي، يحيى زكريا.

خط الوسط: محمد النني، عمرو السولية، غنام محمد.

خط الهجوم: مصطفى سعد “ميسي”، إسلام عيسى، محمد شريف.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

This is getting serious now. Liverpool’s abject run of form under Arne Slot’s management this season has been a massive concern, but one which all of a Reds persuasion have been steadfast in their belief that the blip will be overcome.

Mohamed Salah’s flaming comments at the weekend have threatened to split the Slot machine wide open, with terms such as civil war and crisis being bandied about like never before.

What sparked this latest drama in a season weighed further and further down by setbacks? Well, Liverpool blew a two-goal lead at Elland Road in the Premier League, and Salah did not get even a flash of the action.

Liverpool's implosion at Elland Road

Liverpool just can’t pull all the strings together at the moment, having blown their two-goal advantage over Leeds United to draw 3-3. Dominik Szoboszlai thought he’d salvaged a draw late, but the hosts struck deep into stoppage time to condemn the Reds to their latest in a long litany of disappointments.

The frustrating part is Liverpool were comfortable and well worth their lead until spineless, error-riddled habits crept in after the break.

It was Konate’s lunging challenge, clumsy, needless, which started the Leeds fightback, and this underlines the point that Liverpool keep putting themselves through the wringer, incapable of playing to their strengths and retaining balance and composure throughout 90 minutes.

Konate is only months away from the end of his Liverpool contract, and while FSG continue to keep a door open regarding the France star’s renewal, Spanish sources suggest they could be open to cashing in for £15m this summer.

It would possibly be unwise to sell Konate right now, given the dearth of depth across Slot’s backline. Salah, too, is a player FSG wish to keep, but there is another struggler who flattered to deceive at Leeds and should be sold first.

FSG must get rid of Liverpool's "major issue"

Two things can be true: Salah has been well out of sorts this season, and he cannot convincingly tout the undroppable status he has carried through his glittering Liverpool career on his current form; Salah has every right to feel aggrieved, with players like Cody Gakpo reprising their starting berths in spite of dire performances.

It is Gakpo who is becoming a “major issue” for the Anfield side, and in more ways than one, as has been observed by analyst Raj Chohan.

Though the Dutchman has been a moderately efficient force on the left flank this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists in the Premier League, it’s clear that he is limited in his approach, and that the Reds could do with a more dynamic left winger to replace Luis Diaz, sold to Bayern Munich in August.

Gakpo, 26, has been at Liverpool for three years, scoring 46 goals and providing 21 assists across 149 appearances. He is versatile and has played his role throughout his time on Merseyside, but the Netherlands man has been exposed as lacking dimensions as Liverpool’s main man on the left wing.

There’s no doubt that Gakpo is a naturally prolific player, but if anything, this underscores the significance of the concerns surrounding his name: thee is a lack of expansiveness about his skillset, and he is averaging just 0.4 shots on target per Premier League match this season, ranking among the bottom 4% of league forwards for percentage of shots on target per 90, as per FBref.

Most G+A under Arne Slot (Liverpool)

Player

G + A

Total

Mohamed Salah

39 + 26

65

Cody Gakpo

23 + 11

34

Dominik Szoboszlai

12 + 14

26

Luis Diaz

17 + 8

25

Alexis Mac Allister

8 + 8

16

Data via Transfermarkt

Someone like Antoine Semenyo, perhaps, who is ostensibly gearing up for an exit from Bournemouth in January, with Liverpool right at the top of the shopping list.

Liverpool may need a central defender, but there is a reason Slot suggested during a presser last month that he and sporting director Richard Hughes are looking further up the pitch as a priority position to smooth out the many wrinkles in the tactical fabric.

Though it would be foolish to start thinking about selling Gakpo in January, and an upgrade on the left is desperately needed, and bringing someone like Semenyo in would solve a ‘major issue’ and help launch Slot’s squad back into the ascendancy.

Salah and Konate’s respective futures are in doubt, but it might be that getting rid of Gakpo is the move Hughes needs to make first.

Related Salah upgrade: Liverpool prepare British record bid to sign £131m magician

Mohamed Salah may leave Liverpool in January after an extraordinary outburst at Elland Road.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair 4 days ago

علق الإعلامي خالد الغندور، على هزيمة منتخب مصر الثاني أمام الأردن بثلاثية دون مقابل، والخروج المبكر من بطولة كأس العرب، مؤكدًا حجم الخلل الذي تعانيه المنظومة الكروية في مصر.

وقال الغندور في تصريحات عبر برنامج “الحريفة”، على إذاعة “أون سبورت إف إم”: “ماذا أقول؟ ماذا تريدون أن أقول بعد ما شاهدناه أمس في مباراة منتخب مصر أمام الأردن؟ للأسف، كانت نتيجة غير متوقعة، كارثية لكرة القدم المصرية 3-0 أمام المنتخب الأردني، الذي كان يلعب بالفريق الثاني، مع غياب حوالي خمس لاعبين أساسيين، بالإضافة إلى خمس لاعبين محترفين بالخارج”.

وتابع: “يقول البعض: نحن كنا نلعب بالفريق الثاني، لكن مهما كان، فهو منتخب مصر، الحقيقة أن المنتخب، سواء في الفريق الأول أو الثاني، كان يقدم نتائج أفضل سابقًا، المنتخب الجزائري، على سبيل المثال، حقق نتائج أفضل، وكذلك المنتخب التونسي، خرج لكنه على الأقل فاز بمباراة وتعادل بأخرى، بينما نحن جلبنا نقطتين فقط من تسع نقاط، ومع كل مباراة نتأخر ثم نتعادل، وأمس قدمنا نتيجة سيئة للغاية، إلى أي مدى ستصل الكرة المصرية؟”.

وأضاف: “بالطبع، هذه النتائج تعكس الخلافات المستمرة بين كابتن حلمي طولان وكابتن حسام حسن، وبين الاتحاد والأندية وعدم تأجيل مباريات بيراميدز، وما حدث بين الأندية والمنتخب، وكذلك وجود بعض الخلافات بين المدربين أنفسهم، مثل التصريحات على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي، كل هذا أدى إلى حالة من الفوضى في التنظيم والنظام”.

طالع أيضًا | شوبير يُفجر مفاجأة من العيار الثقيل بشأن موقف حلمي طولان من جهازه المعاون قبل كأس العرب

وأردف: “الجمهور المصري كان موجودًا في الملعب أمس، حوالي 30 ألف متفرج، وشاهد كل شيء، ومن المثير للانزعاج أن الأندية تلعب باسم مصر، وعندما يأتي المنتخب للعب، لا يجد الدعم الكافي، كل نادٍ يسعى لمصلحته الخاصة، وهذا ما يضر بالمنتخب ويظهر عشوائية في اتخاذ القرارات”.

وواصل: “هناك غياب واضح للتنسيق بين المنتخب الأول والثاني، مثلًا، اللاعب إمام عاشور لم يكن جاهزًا للمشاركة بالشكل المناسب، وبعض اللاعبين الآخرين مثل حسام عبد المجيد، محمود صابر، وغيرهم، لم يكونوا متواجدين رغم أنه كان بإمكانهم المشاركة، وهذا يعكس غياب النظام والاستراتيجية”.

وتابع: “المنتخب الثاني، هل هو موجود فقط للبطولة العربية؟ أم لتجهيز لاعبين للفريق الأول وكأس الأمم وكأس العالم؟ لا يوجد وضوح في الهدف أو الاستراتيجية، وهذا يظهر في طريقة الاختيار والتجهيز، حيث يُختار اللاعبون بشكل غير منظم، ما يؤدي إلى نتائج سيئة وأداء متراجع”.

واختتم: “حتى اللاعبون الذين كان من المفترض أن يكونوا جاهزين للمشاركة في عدة مباريات لم يحصلوا على فرص كافية، ما يعكس نقص التخطيط والتنظيم داخل المنظومة الكروية”.

Shohei Ohtani is plenty familiar with all of the animosity that comes with the rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Every time the two teams meet, it makes for a tense game and plenty of jeering from fans.

One heckler during Sunday's game at Petco Park was silenced by Ohtani the old fashioned way: with one swing of the bat. In the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 8–2 win, Ohtani parked a ball in the bleachers, hitting a solo shot out to center field. When he got back to the visitors dugout, he paused to shake the hand of a Padres fan who had been relentlessly heckling him throughout the game.

The fan looked totally shocked to see Ohtani coming up for a handshake, and he shrunk in his seat as Ohtani packed his bat while celebrating his solo homer.

Dave Roberts and some others in the dugout were loving their front-row seats to Ohtani's bit of sassy retaliation. The team was all tuned in and laughing as the Dodgers' designated hitter addressed the heckler head-on.

Sunday's win sees L.A. get back on level-pegging with the Padres for the NL West lead, with both teams now tied up at 74-57 on the year.

After a number of years of drought, the promise of renewal has arrived with four centurions on this tour of Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda30-Oct-2024If it feels like it’s taken a long time for South Africa’s batting line-up to find some solidity, that’s because it has. Since May 2018, of teams in the World Test Championship, only West Indies have a lower average runs-per-wicket figure, and South Africa’s batters have scored the fewest hundreds. Over the last two weeks, that seems to be changing.In the Chattogram Test, South Africa have posted their highest away total in 12 years, with three of their batters scoring their maiden Test centuries. Numbers aside, they also appear to have found an opening partner for Aiden Markram who can balance batting time and scoring runs, a No.3 who fits the role, a middle order that does not melt at the sight of spin, and a lower-order allrounder. This seeming overnight success has been about a year in the making.Related

• South Africa's batting close to finding the 'sweet spot' again

• 'Big, strong, strapping' Stubbs to be South Africa's new Test No. 3

• Sweeping success – Stubbs takes the cue from de Zorzi

• Rabada's strikes, Mulder's century pile on the pain for Bangladesh

• Stats – Three first-time Test centurions in South Africa's batting feast

“It probably started with Shukri [Conrad, South Africa’s Test coach] against India [in the 2023-24 home summer]. That was a tough series against a really good side, and there was a young team as well, and guys put their hands up in different situations. So, I think it’s just been building on that,” Tony de Zorzi, whose career-best 177 is South Africa’s highest individual score away from home since Graeme Smith’s 234 in Dubai in 2013, said after day two in Chattogram.”There’s a few young guys but a lot of them play around the world so guys are coming in with different types of experiences. It might not necessarily be in age, but they’re all pretty mature and clever about how they go about things. And even though we haven’t been playing for a while and we’re maybe not 30 or 40 years old, we have our own experiences which allow us to perform.”Tony de Zorzi’s 177 demonstrated his ability to weather an intense physical toll over a long period•AFP/Getty ImagesLet’s start with de Zorzi’s example. He made a promising start to his career for the then-second-tier Pretoria-based side Northerns in the 2016-17 season but then dropped off the radar once he graduated to their senior side, the Titans, and moved provinces to the Western Cape. There, he flourished with an average of 49.42 in the 2021-22 domestic four-day competition and 101.40 in the 2022-23 season to earn a Test call-up. By then he had also played four first-class games for South Africa A.Then he had to start all over again, but his experience through the domestic system meant his development at the highest level has come quicker. He scored a promising 85 in his second Test, an important half-century in his fifth, and now, in his eighth Test, a daddy hundred that showed what he can offer long-term.Technically, de Zorzi’s ability to adjust to conditions, especially the amount of spin being bowled, stood out. Mentally, his capacity to stay at the crease, even when battling cramps in his hand, forearm, side and legs on the first day, and for a total of seven hours and 12 minutes, was impressive. This can be developed with the practice of time in the middle and de Zorzi has some marathon domestic innings – including a triple-hundred two seasons ago – to draw on. “Once you get in, it becomes pretty much just [about] your decision-making and your ability to stay focused. It’s definitely mental but you also have to be physically fit enough to be able to do it and be able to concentrate for long periods of time; be able to switch on and switch off,” he said. “I’d say to do it for a long time, you’ve got to be 100% present as much as you can and focused.”Wiaan Mulder has had a similar experience in biding his time. He made his Test debut in February 2019, a year-and-a-half after getting his ODI cap. Batting at No. 7 behind the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, and bowling second change after Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier may have made it tough for Mulder to fully carve out a role for himself. He didn’t play another Test until that December and then only made sporadic appearances until being recalled for the West Indies tour this winter, as a levelled-up batter in particular.Tristan Stubbs has vindicated Shukri Conrad’s move to promote him to No. 3 after just one Test match•AFP/Getty ImagesIn 2022, Mulder played for Leicestershire, batted at No.6, and made 689 runs at 49.21, scoring two hundreds including a career-best 235 not out. Last summer, he was promoted to No.5 for his South African domestic team, the Lions, and in six matches scored two hundreds and two fifties to average 54.90. The results of the work he has put into his batting over the last two years all showed in his innings today, which was well-paced and purposeful, with plenty of powerful shots. The twin sixes he hit off Mahmudul Hasan to bring up South Africa’s 500 and push himself towards 70 were highlights. “This is the pinnacle for me,” he said afterwards. “That’s why I get up in the morning – to try and score a hundred in a Test match.”Tristan Stubbs, whose century was sandwiched between those of de Zorzi and Mulder, had the same feeling. He called his innings his “favourite hundred”. Before this he had one in ODIs and eight in domestic cricket, including one at first-class level, and he has repaid the faith Conrad showed in him. Conrad gave him a Test debut when he had only played 15 first-class games, and announced he would promote Stubbs to No.3 after one Test. Whatever Conrad saw has come to fruition and the results that are showing in the batting is as much a credit to Stubbs’ work as it is to his selection and the knowledge of the 66-Test-capped Ashwell Prince, who is the batting coach. It helps that Prince also has recent experience of coaching in Bangladesh.It may be premature to suggest South Africa’s batting blues are behind them but the numbers from this series are a move in the right direction. Their 575 in Chattogram is their highest away total since they scored 637 for 2 at The Oval in 2012, where they were on a journey to win the Test mace. The closest they have come to that trophy since then is now. South Africa are four wins away from the WTC final, and while there is still much cricket to be played between now and then, their fate is in their own hands.With de Zorzi, Stubbs and Mulder adding to Kyle Verreynne’s 114 from the first Test in Dhaka, South Africa have, for the first time since 2018, four different centurions in a series. The last time they had more than two hundreds in an away series was in Australia in 2016. Both the 2012 and 2016 teams were built on big stars and enjoyed strong success. South Africa will hope, as Mulder said, that the “stars are aligned,” for the same to happen again.

The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros were involved in a big MLB trade back in December that sent three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker to Chicago, while infielder Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and top infield prospect Cam Smith were dealt to Houston.

These players all faced each other this weekend while the Cubs are visiting Daikin Park. And, in some sort of fantastical way, the three batters dealt in the trade all hit home runs in the same game on Saturday night.

Smith shot off the first homer in the third inning, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead at the time. The Cubs responded in a major way in the fourth inning, as three players homered to add to the tally of seven total runs. The last Cub to homer in the fourth inning was Tucker, who has been on fire this season and specifically while visiting Houston. He was a triple short of the cycle on Saturday night.

Paredes finished off the prophecy, of sorts, in the eighth inning when he hit a 328-foot homer to give the Astros their third and final run of the night. Tucker had the upper hand in the matchup as the Cubs won 12-3.

What a full circle moment for all three players.

Bangladesh have never had someone like Nahid Rana before, and must do everything they can to make sure he stays the course

Mohammad Isam02-Sep-2024Nahid Rana runs in like the wind from the Pavilion End at the Rawalpindi Stadium. He releases the ball like a catapult, from high up – he is 6’2″ after all. The 140kph deliveries thud into Litton Das’ gloves behind the stumps.It’s still scorching hot in Rawalpindi. There are barely 100 people in the stands. Rana, like so many other fast bowlers from the subcontinent, is used to bowling in empty stadiums. Rawalpindi, home of perhaps the most famous “express” in cricket, is no different. On this dull Monday morning, it’s possibly worse.But as Rana bowls, a sense of expectation seems to spread through the Bangladesh fielders. They are enjoying this. Taskin Ahmed, standing at fine leg, sports a broad smile. The batters are being hurried ball after ball. By a Bangladeshi fast bowler. If one ball tests the outside edge, the next is at the throat. It is thrilling. It’s not like anyone who has ever bowled for Bangladesh. It’s like the end of a long wait. The stands should have had more people.

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Rana touches 150kph on a few occasions. He had crossed 150 on his Test debut against Sri Lanka. He is not entirely an unknown for Pakistan – they have seen him a fair bit in the last two weeks. But – you might have heard this before – “pace is pace, yaar”.Related

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He strikes with his third ball. Shan Masood’s enterprise outside the off stump from earlier in the morning costs him – Rana’s extra pace rushes him into the stroke.Babar Azam had faced Rana just before Masood’s dismissal, but first ball of his next over, Babar’s forward press takes the outside edge. It’s a poor choice of shot. The edge goes to Shadman Islam at first slip.The same fielder, though, drops Mohammad Rizwan next ball. It would have been a golden duck for the in-form batter, a regulation chance. Rana has his hands on his head. There’s more reward waiting for him, though. First in the form of Saud Shakeel, who is caught behind for two in Rana’s next over.Pakistan’s captain. Their most celebrated batter. A batter averaging 61.55 before this Test. Bangladesh had plans for all three, and they all centred on Rana rattling them with pace. On the day, Rana sent them all back in his first three overs.He doesn’t celebrate much after any of the wickets. He walks to the fielders with a smile on his face, a very retro feel. It also feels a bit out of place – this is Rawalpindi, of all places.Pakistan are languishing, and Raza continues to bowl fast and testing lines against Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. He steams in at Rizwan, who pulls out at the last moment due to movement behind the sight screen. Rana rushes back with a bouncer next ball. It hits Rizwan on the side of the helmet. Taskin has a word or two from fine leg. Hasan Mahmud mimics Litton’s stance when he is keeping to Rana. The other slip fielders muffle a laughter. Litton throws a laugh at Mahmud. The Bangladeshis are loving it. At 86 for 6, lunch couldn’t have come quicker for the home side.

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Rana isn’t done yet. He returns for a short second spell after lunch, drawing Salman’s edge once. Najmul Hossain Shanto brings him back for a third spell as soon as Abrar Ahmed is on strike in the 42nd over. Rana removes the No. 10 quickly, but can’t get his fifth wicket. Mahmud, who has bowled superbly since the third evening, completes his five-for instead.Hasan has been Bangladesh’s best fast bowler across the two Tests. Shoriful Islam was disciplined in the first Test (before missing the second with an injury), and Taskin has been the leader of the attack in the second Test. But Rana is at the centre of the story. And not just for this performance. His pace has been significantly higher than anyone else’s.In general, the Bangladesh bowling attack has been better than Pakistan’s throughout the series. In this Test, Khurram Shahzad and Amir Hamza reduced Bangladesh to 26 for 6 in the first innings, but couldn’t complete the job. Like Mahmud and Rana did on the fourth day. They showed that they either have better skills or better execution. What Rana, playing just his third Test, did well was to marry his pace with great lines and lengths.Nahid Rana – head and shoulders above the rest•AFP/Getty ImagesAnd all of this from a fast bowler who first picked up the red ball just four years ago.Rana took up cricket seriously when his brother put him in a cricket academy in 2020, shortly after his college was done. He made his first-class debut in October 2021, following it up with a 32 wickets in the following season. Rana and Sumon Khan had both taken 30-plus wickets in the 2022-23 National Cricket League, a first for fast bowlers in the domestic first-class tournament in more than 11 years.

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Rana, 21, is a new phenomenon in Bangladesh cricket. An out-and-out fast bowler who can bowl fast consistently, for long periods. Rana’s BPL debut was erratic, but he showed off his pace in every appearance. Not since Taskin had a Bangladeshi fast bowler rocked up at the BPL with this type of pace.Pace bowling has never quite been Bangladesh’s . Going back in history, Daulat Uz Zaman represented East Pakistan in the Pakistan domestic first-class competitions in the 1960s and 1970s and was known to be fast. Jahangir Shah Badsha was a well-known pace bowler but by the time he made his ODI debut, he was in his mid-30s. Mashrafe Mortaza had good pace in the early part of his career but injuries took their toll. Shahadat Hossain took four of the first six five-wicket hauls in Tests for Bangladesh fast bowlers, but his career went off the rails soon. Rubel Hossain at times bowled quick, but he was better with the white ball. Rana, so far, has looked like the real deal.But there are reasons to be cautious too. Robiul Islam took 15 wickets in two Tests against Zimbabwe in 2013, but faded away quickly. Ebadot Hossain took a stunning six-wicket haul in that famous win in Mount Maunganui, and showed general improvement after that, but hasn’t played since December 2022 because of a long-term injury.Rana will have plenty of advice coming his way but he should know he is special. He is Bangladesh’s fastest bowler ever. Fitness and health are key. The most crucial thing for a Bangladeshi star-in-the-making is to stay in the straight and narrow. Rana can’t be spoilt. And for the new dispensation in charge at the BCB, it will be their responsibility to keep him fresh, and let him bowl fast.