The English FA has given its approval for the appointment of a foreign manager as Gareth Southgate's successor.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Bilal Khan and Fayyaz Butt took three wickets apiece to set up a seven-wicket victory
Peter Della Penna19-Oct-2019The absence of three banned players in the wake of an ICC ACU investigation into match-fixing left UAE badly exposed on the opening night of the T20 World Cup Qualifier on home soil as Oman ran roughshod over the depleted hosts, storming to victory by seven wickets.Oman demonstrated early that they would show little mercy to their shorthanded gulf rivals with some superb fielding leading to three wickets in the Powerplay. The sequence included a direct hit from mid-on by Khurram Nawaz but was highlighted by a brilliant diving catch from Aqib Ilyas at backward point off the fifth ball of the match to dismiss Ashfaq Ahmed and give Bilal Khan the first of his three wickets.The normally fluent Rameez Shahzad and Rohan Mustafa struggled to pace their innings in the middle overs without the suspended Shaiman Anwar as a buffer, each scoring below a run a ball before they fell after the halfway stage. Shahzad was bowled missing a slog sweep to Khawar Ali’s legspin before Mustafa lofted Khan to Aamir Kaleem at long-on.UAE wheezed their way past 100 before stuttering badly in the final two overs as Khan and Fayyaz Butt excelled at the death. Butt took three wickets in four balls in the 19th with clever use of the slower bouncer. Khan then had Junaid Siddique caught behind in the final over on what may have been a far more contentious decision – replays indicated it was a bump ball but third umpire referrals are not in place for this tournament – had the scoreline been remotely tighter.The chase became even more comfortable for Oman thanks to some very sloppy fielding by UAE, in contrast to the visitors. Medium pacer Siddique bounced out Khawar for a five-ball duck to start the reply and should have had Jatinder Singh at deep square leg for 2 in the third over, but Waheed Ahmed put down a diving effort coming in from the rope and Jatinder went on to make 16, not much but enough in a low-scoring match.A much clumsier effort was put down by Ashfaq Ahmed at slip in the 9th over. Kaleem was fresh at the crease after Jatinder’s run out by Waheed from deep cover and captain Ahmed Raza supported Mustafa’s offspin with a slip in the form of Ashfaq. But he still had his hands on his knees when Kaleem, on 2, edged one that went in between his legs at knee height and carried on for a boundary.Kaleem made 27 off 19 before he slogged to long-on in the 14th off Raza but by that stage Oman needed just 28 off 39 balls to reach the target. An uncharacteristically sedate Ilyas patiently knocked singles and twos in tandem with captain Zeeshan Maqsood in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand to get Oman across the line with 10 balls to spare as Maqsood ended the match pulling a six off Siddique over square leg.
Real Betis are launching a unique clothing range inspired by Antony's neck tattoo as the club look to fund £21.6m move from Manchester United. The Brazilian winger had already won fans over during his loan spell in Seville last season, but finances threatened to derail the deal. United stood firm on their valuation, leaving Betis to search for creative ways to bridge a £5m gap.
Fast bowler praises impact of bowling coach Charl Langeveldt after death-overs prowess seals thriller
Firdose Moonda12-Feb-2020Lungi Ngidi knows a thing or two about making a comeback. In his short international career, which has just turned two years old, he has already had to recover from a stress fracture, a side strain and a slew of hamstring niggles, the latest of which kept him out of this summer’s Test series against England. He returned for the white-ball matches and he has now shown an ability to come back, on the field.On Sunday, in the Pink ODI at the Wanderers, he dragged South Africa from a certain defeat to tense one with a final spell of 3 for 11 in four overs, after his first five overs had cost 52 runs. On Wednesday, in the first T20I at Buffalo Park, he turned England’s chase from flying to floundering with a death-bowling spell off 3 for 10 in two overs, after an opening spell of 0 for 20, and has proven his ability to play the big moments.”I guess it’s a mental thing, to be able to finish off well in situations that require you to,” Ngidi said afterwards “It takes a lot out of your mental side. Physically, obviously I am trying as best as I can to get back to the pace that I was at and to hit the areas that I am known for hitting. But at the moment, it’s just trying to keep that confidence going of doing my job at the back end and closing out very well.”Though Ngidi made his name for bowling fast, he demonstrated a different quality at the death in East London. On a slow pitch, Ngidi’s offcutter foxed Ben Stokes into fetching a wide ball and slapping it to long-on in the 18th over, with England 26 runs away from victory and 14 balls remaining. Top-scorer Jason Roy had been dismissed by a Beuran Hendricks slower ball three overs before that, while Dale Steyn, playing for the national side for the first time in 11 months, had also taken pace off the ball earlier to demonstrate the value of skill, rather than speed, in the shortest format.The South African attack’s attention to developing the more nuanced areas of their game has been notable under the coaching of Charl Langeveldt, who was with the team under Russell Domingo and was headhunted from his role in Bangladesh to return in the Mark Boucher era. Ngidi credited Langeveldt with giving him the belief to bowl a variety of different deliveries and trust that the results can be effective.”He has had a massive impact in terms of the mental side,” Ngidi said. “Having watched him and the way he used to bowl, he has given me a lot of confidence as a young player, knowing someone like that is now on my journey. He has made sure I back the skills that I am good at. Something like that on the back end, where maybe someone would say maybe a change of ball was needed or maybe a yorker, stick to what’s working and it worked out just well.”ALSO READ: ‘Experiences like this are so valuable’ – Eoin MorganThe yorker did make an appearance in Ngidi’s final over, when he bowled Moeen Ali with the penultimate ball of the match, with England still needing three runs for victory. That wicket, and the run-out off the last delivery meant that Ngidi successfully defended seven off the final over, which is not often heard of in T20 cricket. But in East London, Ngidi knew it was possible. “The game speeds up a lot at the back end here so even 10 runs can seem like a lot,” he said.So can 178, a score that would be considered gettable in most T20 matches. While Ngidi will receive the bulk of the plaudits for restricting England to less than that, South Africa’s attack as a whole will be thrilled with the collapse they forced on an opposition that bats deep. England lost 7 for 44 in 5.4 overs as Tabraiz Shamsi, who went wicketless and Hendricks, who was only brought on to bowl in the 15th over, started the squeeze before Ngidi finished off.With Andile Phehlukwayo and Steyn also among the wickets, Kagiso Rabada resting from this series and Sisanda Magala waiting in the wings, pending fitness, all that leaves South Africa with some healthy competition in the pace department, and Ngidi wants to make sure he stays ahead of the chasing pack. “We know that there are a lot of fast bowlers fighting for a spot so you’ve got to be on your A game,” he said. “If you’re not quite there, someone else is going to come in and do the job you’re supposed to be doing. I don’t plan on letting anyone take my spot so I am just going to keep playing as best as I can.”
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side face a potential season-defining trip to face Chelsea in the Premier League this afternoon, looking to make amends after the last two outings.
The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at St James’ Park last Saturday, before losing 1-0 again to Inter Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League.
Given the recent league defeat, this afternoon is a huge game for their title aspirations, needing vital points if they are to keep up with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
However, the meeting with Enzo Maresca’s side will undoubtedly be a difficult one, with the Blues only tasting defeat twice in the Premier League so far this campaign.
Arteta will have a few huge calls to make ahead of the clash, potentially needing to freshen things up if they are to turn around their recent fortunes on the pitch.
Suspensions and injuries have constantly plagued the Arsenal squad throughout the early stages of the current campaign – resulting in various different changes in key positions.
William Saliba, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard have all received red cards early on in the season, halting their progress and resulting in temporary fixes in key positions.
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta confirmed that Rice hasn’t trained this week after missing the Champions League clash in midweek – ensuring he could also be absent against his one-time employers.
Full-back Riccardo Calafiori has also missed the last couple of matches after suffering a knee injury in the Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk- with the Italian set to miss out once again this afternoon.
Many must be wishing that the Gunners had a fully strengthened squad, with the aforementioned duo undoubtedly playing a key role in keeping Chelsea danger man Cole Palmer quiet.
The Englishman already has 12 combined goals and assists in the Premier League this season, with most of the Blues’ big chances going through him so far this season.
However, Arteta has the opportunity to recall one player to the starting lineup to allow the Gunners to have their own version of the superstar talent.
Midfielder Martin Odegaard had been sidelined for the Gunners since the end of August after suffering an ankle injury on international duty with Norway.
However, the 25-year-old has made progress over the last couple of weeks, even featuring as a late substitute in Milan just a couple of days ago – undoubtedly pushing for a start this afternoon.
The “sensational” Odegaard, as dubbed by The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, produced some phenomenal numbers last season, helping him win the club’s Player of the Year award as they narrowly missed out on the title.
Operating in that number ten berth, the former Real Madrid star mirrors his fellow left-footer, Palmer, in being the creative hub for his side, possessing that ability – again, like Palmer – to both score himself and also provide assists for those around him.
He achieved a total of 18 combined goal contributions, whilst creating a total of 102 chances for his teammates – the most of any Arsenal player last season – having the ability to run English record signing Moises Caicedo ragged throughout the encounter.
|
Martin Odegaard’s stats for Arsenal in the Premier League (2023/24) |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Games played |
35 |
|
Goals & assists |
18 |
|
Pass accuracy |
81% |
|
Chances created |
102 |
|
Dribble success rate |
50% |
|
Duels won |
125 |
|
Recoveries made |
158 |
|
Possession won in the final third |
41 |
|
Stats via FotMob |
|
The Ecuadorian likes to progress the play, but Odegaard last season achieved a total of 158 recoveries and won possession in the final third 41 times – demonstrating his relentless nature, which can cause the Blues man endless problems.
The clash at Stamford Bridge is a huge one for the Gunners’ title ambitions, if they lose then it massively derails their hopes of ending their two-decade for for a title.
Given the importance of the clash, Arteta must start Odegaard, with the Norwegian sensation having the ability to be a game-changer for his side throughout the meeting.
Game-changer: Arsenal handed golden chance to land £71m Havertz upgrade
The sensational striker would take Arsenal to the next level.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Nov 9, 2024
Australia claimed their 11th clean sweep in their last 12 ODI series as Mooney made a career-best 133
AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2023Beth Mooney’s big-hitting century has helped Australia to a 101-run win over Pakistan, wrapping up another ODI series clean sweep for Meg Lanning’s team.After being sent in, Mooney monstered 133 from 105 balls while Lanning struck 72 from 70 to help Australia post 336 for 9 in Saturday’s match at North Sydney Oval.Pakistan had their best day of the tour in reply with 235 for 7, their equal-highest ODI total against Australia, but the visitors were never really in the hunt as they fell well behind the run-rate required.The win completed a 3-0 series victory for Australia, who have now swept 11 of their past 12 bilateral ODI series. With a T20 World Cup to be played in South Africa next month, Mooney’s brutal display of hitting will also have sounded a warning to Australia’s rivals there.Scratchy at first, Mooney eventually unleashed on Pakistan’s attack with Tuba Hassan copping the worst of the punishment on ODI debut. The Queenslander hit the legspinner for three straight sixes over the legside – one landing on the roof of the O’Reilly Stand and another bouncing off it and onto the road.Ash Gardner and Meg Lanning celebrate•Getty Images
Another six off the spinner was down the ground while she brought up her third ODI hundred when she hit Hassan behind square for four. It came after Mooney scored 16 from her first 37 balls, before striking 117 from her next 68.Mooney wasn’t alone in handing out the punishment as Hassan finished with 0 for 69 from six overs. Lanning hit the 22-year-old into the window of the commentary box to bring up her 50. Australia’s captain was also clinical against the quicks, cutting the ball whenever she was offered any width as Pakistan’s bowling waned after a tight start.Her 72 is a good sign for Australia ahead this week’s T20I series against Pakistan and the looming World Cup, with the series her first since her five-month personal break.Teenage Australian opener Phoebe Litchfield was dismissed for the first time in her ODI career, bowled for nine by Fatima Sana after unbeaten scores of 78 and 67 in Brisbane.Australia were less dominant with the ball than in the first two matches, and also gave up 25 wides. Ashleigh Gardner was Australia’s best with 3 for 30, bowling Sidra Ameen out of the rough and later going through Bismah Maroof on 44.There was a moment of confusion with Nida Dar on 5 when she pulled away from a Tahlia McGrath ball at the last moment and it cannoned into her stumps. The ball was declared dead and Dar was able to continue batting, before she later fell to Annabel Sutherland on 29.
Former head coach blames “our own system” for disrespecting and discrediting “our own people” and local coaches
Umar Farooq01-Feb-2023Former Pakistan captain and coach Misbah-ul-Haq sees the likely rehiring of Mickey Arthur by the PCB as “a slap on Pakistan cricket”. Arthur is likely to come on board as the Pakistan men’s team director. Misbah blamed former Pakistan players for damaging the credibility of the system and forcing the PCB, led at the moment by Najam Sethi, to look outside the country for top coaching roles.The PCB’s talks with Arthur, who had coached Pakistan from 2016 to 2019, had stalled three weeks ago but have picked up considerable pace again. So much so that the board is believed to be close to agreeing a deal with him as team director and not, as in his previous stint, as head coach.The Pakistan job, should Arthur accept it, will run concurrently to his long-term deal with Derbyshire. Arthur does not want to leave the Derby job and both parties have worked out an agreement and schedule allowing him to fulfill both roles. It will be an unusual arrangement for international cricket, in which Arthur will not be with the Pakistan team on every tour but will have a handpicked group of support staff running operations.Related
Misbah-ul-Haq set to work with the PCB again
Pakistan might rest Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to manage workloads
Yasir Arafat on Mickey Arthur's radar to be Pakistan's new bowling coach
PCB's talks with Mickey Arthur to coach Pakistan fall through
Mickey Arthur set to be appointed Pakistan team director
“It’s a slap on our cricket system that we are not able to find a high-profile full-time coach,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a shame that the best ones do not want to come and we insist on having someone who is looking at Pakistan as a second option.”I blame our own system, which is vulnerable enough with so many weak lines for anyone to exploit it. We are to be blamed ourselves that we have disrespected and discredited our own people to make a bad image. The present and former lot don’t respect each other, with media and former players using their own YouTube channels for ratings, damaging the credibility and value of our cricket which, as as result, gives an impression that we are not capable.”The Pakistan cricket fan is always disgruntled; he is picking up things from the media and is under the wrong impression. Players speaking against each other with grudges and talking openly with disdain just devalues our community, and that becomes the common perception. The game is hardly a subject of objective and constructive discussion.”Cricket is the most popular sport in the country but sadly never hits the headlines in the right way. It’s chaos; former cricketers ridiculing their fellow cricketers on national channels with fans getting the wrong sense. There is no empathy, no respect, and no conducive environment in the cricketing quarter of our country.”Mickey Arthur is set to join PCB as team director for the men’s team•AFP
Misbah’s comments on Arthur come with their own context, of course. Misbah was part of the committee that recommended the discontinuation of Arthur’s tenure after the 2019 World Cup. And he then replaced Arthur in the head coach position, with unprecedented influence by also becoming – uniquely – the chief selector. Misbah then resigned with a year left in the role, in September 2021.There has always been plenty of debate in Pakistan about foreign and local coaches, and Misbah said that the handling of each individual has been inconsistent by the PCB administration, with local coaches facing more scrutiny.”PCB is always ready to back foreign coaches but never supports the local ones,” Misbah said. “They are fond of having overseas coaches because they think locals can easily be politicised and are incapable. But do we know it’s the PCB bureaucracy who politicised the structure? They throw the local ones under the bus when they come under pressure and there has never been accountability of this bureaucracy in PCB. It’s the mismanagement and the consistent changes at the helm that is a problem and we are never able to find one solid line for our cricket.”Now there is a common narrative that Pakistan cricket does not even have a single capable guy and they are forced to look outside. Successful teams like India have completely shifted to homegrown coaches but sadly the policies here are so inconsistent and vague that we are never able to reach a consensus on what we want to do. We have some very good people in our system who can contribute well like Haji (Mohammad Akram), Aaqib Javed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, etc. but their reputation has been tarnished so badly and people think they are not right for the job.”During Ehsan Mani’s tenure, the PCB tried to rope in younger former cricketers but several former players were reluctant to join because of the board’s inherent instability and internal working culture. Wasim Akram is a prime example, having always distanced himself from taking up a PCB job and has preferred to work on a short-term role away from public scrutiny. Inzamam joined as chief selector and decided not to take a long-term role either, after completing his original tenure.Under Mani, the PCB had formed a blueprint for developing home-grown coaches and revamped the National Cricket Academy by turning it into a high performance centre for player and coach development, and recruited a large number of coaches in the system. But Ramiz Raja, after becoming PCB chairman, brought in overseas coaches at the grassroots and domestic level and reset the entire structure.
Atletico Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in Spain and have some superstars on the books at the Metropolitano Stadium.
In fact, in the 2025/26 season, Atletico have an annual payroll of €157,285,000, with the average player earning an incredible €6m a season.
But who earns what under Diego Simeone? Every Atletico Madrid player has been ranked in the first-team squad in order from highest to lowest in terms of wages for the 2025/26 season, with the help of Capology.
Disclaimer – only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.
|
Rank |
Player |
Gross pay per week |
Gross pay per year |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Jan Oblak |
€400,577 |
€20,830,000 |
|
2 |
Julian Alvarez |
€240,385 |
€12,500,000 |
|
3 |
Antoine Griezmann |
€180,385 |
€9,380,000 |
|
4 |
Conor Gallagher |
€173,077 |
€9,000,000 |
|
=5 |
Marcos Llorente |
€160,192 |
€8,330,000 |
|
=5 |
Alex Baena |
€160,192 |
€8,330,000 |
|
7 |
Nicolas Gonzalez |
€144,231 |
€7,500,000 |
|
=8 |
Alexander Sorloth |
€140,385 |
€7,300,000 |
|
=8 |
Clement Lenglet |
€140,385 |
€7,300,000 |
|
=10 |
Koke |
€128,269 |
€6,670,000 |
|
=10 |
David Hancko |
€128,269 |
€6,670,000 |
|
=12 |
Jose Gimenez |
€120,192 |
€6,250,000 |
|
=12 |
Robin Le Normand |
€120,192 |
€6,250,000 |
|
=12 |
Pablo Barrios |
€120,192 |
€6,250,000 |
|
=12 |
Giacomo Raspadori |
€120,192 |
€6,250,000 |
|
16 |
Thiago Almada |
€100,000 |
€5,200,000 |
|
17 |
Johnny |
€80,192 |
€4,170,000 |
|
18 |
Nahuel Molina |
€72,308 |
€3,760,000 |
|
19 |
Juan Musso |
€64,038 |
€3,330,000 |
|
=20 |
Giuliano Simeone |
€60,000 |
€3,120,000 |
|
=20 |
Javi Galan |
€60,000 |
€3,120,000 |
|
22 |
Matteo Ruggeri |
€40,000 |
€2,080,000 |
|
23 |
Thomas Lemar |
€31,250 |
€1,625,000 |
|
24 |
Marc Pubill |
€23,846 |
€1,240,000 |
|
25 |
Carlos Martin |
€16,154 |
€840,000 |
Koke
Club legend and captain Koke has been on the books with Atletico Madrid since he was a child, with his first professional contract coming back in 2009.
Since then, Koke has recorded an incredible tally of over 690 appearances in red and white and has won nine major honours. His deal expires in 2026 as it stands.
Clement Lenglet
After spending the 2024/25 season on loan at the Metropolitano from Barcelona, Clement Lenglet made his move to Atletico Madrid permanent.
The French defender signed a three-year deal worth €7.3m per season.
Alexander Sorloth
Alexander Sorloth is on the same salary as Lenglet, although the Norwegian forward joined 12 months earlier from Villarreal.
His contract also expires in 2028.
Nicolas Gonzalez
Nicolas Gonzalez is on loan at Atletico Madrid for the 2025/26 season from Italian giants Juventus, although the Spanish side will have the option to make a move permanent at the end of the campaign.
For now, Atletico will pay the winger €7.5m for the season in wages.
Alex Baena
Joining in the summer of 2025 in a deal worth around around €50m from Villarreal was Alex Baena.
Capable of playing on either wing or as an attacking midfielder, Baena signed a five-year deal at the Metropolitano.
Marcos Llorente
Also on €8.33m per season is versatile midfielder Marcos Llorente, who moved to the club from rivals Real Madrid in 2019.
Capable of playing as a right-back, right-midfielder or central midfielder, Llorente appears to be a dream player for Simeone and has turned out over 250 times for Atletico since his arrival.
Conor Gallagher
English midfielder Conor Gallagher swapped Chelsea for Atletico in 2024, with the La Liga side paying around €40m for his services.
Gallagher signed a five-year deal worth €9m per season and looks set to play a key role at the Metropolitano during that time.
Antoine Griezmann
Coming in at third place is Antoine Griezmann, who completed a permanent return to Atletico Madrid from Barcelona in 2022 for €40m.
His time at Camp Nou didn’t exactly go to plan, but he has been back scoring goals on a regular basis for Atletico and became the club’s all-time top goalscorer in 2024.
Julian Alvarez
Atletico splashed the cash in 2024 to sign forward Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, who sold the World Cup winner for a club-record fee.
The Argentina international could end up costing the Spanish giants €95m (£78.9m) if all add-ons are met, with Alvarez picking up €12.5m per season.
Jan Oblak
Comfortably top of the charts and Atletico Madrid’s highest-paid player is goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who earns a whopping €20.83m per season.
The Slovenia international has been one of the best ‘keepers in the world for some time now and has been with Atletico since 2014. His huge contract was signed in 2022 and runs until 2028.
Alan Pulido, the 34-year-old forward who has featured in only five matches for Chivas during the Apertura 2025, will not be renewed by the Red and Whites’ front office, according to reports. The former Sporting Kansas City striker is expected to seek a new club in Liga MX. He has yet to score in seven appearances this year.
O’Neill took 5 for 26 while Boland claimed three as Victoria claimed a sizeable lead, but Liam Hatcher continued his fine game
Alex Malcolm16-Oct-2025Fergus O’Neill continued to push his case to be part of an extended Ashes squad with yet another five-wicket haul while Scott Boland bagged three to hand Victoria an important lead in their Sheffield Shield clash with New South Wales at the Junction Oval.After the pair had scythed through the NSW top-order on the opening night, including Boland bagging Sam Konstas for a duck, O’Neill continued the carnage on the second day picking up 5 for 26 while Boland claimed 3 for 59 as NSW were bowled out for just 163.Related
Fergus O'Neill averages 20 with the ball, but can he play Test cricket?
Abbott first to be subbed out under new Sheffield Shield injury rule
Konstas' Test hopes fade with a duck on 13-wicket day
It handed Victoria a first innings lead of 77 which they pushed to 149 for the loss of only one wicket into the evening session but then suffered a late collapse under gloomy skies, losing 4 for 21 before bad light stopped play with 45 minutes left. Liam Hatcher claimed another three wickets to go with his five on day one.At the start of the day Matthew Gilkes and nightwatcher Ryan Hadley provided stubborn resistance in the first hour but when O’Neill replaced Boland from the northern end he showcased why he is the reigning Sheffield Shield player of the year. After a close shout for caught behind he pinned Hadley lbw for 5 off 54 balls with a delivery that jagged sharply in off the seam.O’Neill could have had Ollie Davies out three times after he was dropped twice at cover by Harry Dixon. But he did not survive his third chance in 15 balls when he edged another probing delivery to Peter Handscomb at second slip.Gilkes had fought harder than any other NSW batter to reach 41 off 98 deliveries before becoming O’Neill’s fifth scalp. O’Neill angled in from around the wicket with the keeper up to the stumps to prevent Gilkes from batting outside his crease to negate the impeccable length. Gilkes edged to Will Sutherland at first slip to hand O’Neill his eighth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket and bring his bowling average back under 21.Boland was more expensive than usual when he returned for his second spell of the day with Will Salzmann and Jack Edwards playing positively. After coming together at 96 for 6 they raced to a near run-a-ball 62-run stand. Boland looked visibly frustrated as they drove him on the up without much fear on a surface that had offered plenty of sideways movement.Salzmann finally paid a price on 33 when he didn’t offer a shot, trying to leave a good length delivery from Boland that nipped back sharply to clip the off bail.Edwards then ran out of partners to be left stranded on 33, as the last three batters, including injury substitute Charlie Stobo, fell for ducks with Boland claiming one of them while Mitchell Perry picked up the other two.Victoria were then cruising at 72 for 1, with a lead of 149, as Campbell Kellaway and Marcus Harris took control after the early loss of Dixon despite dark clouds lingering over Junction Oval for most of the afternoon.Kellaway played impressively to reach 47 while Harris rode his luck having been dropped by Gilkes off Nathan Lyon before tea. But his luck ran out on 20 off 80 balls when he cut Hatcher straight to backward point. Kellaway chopped Hatcher on not long after, three shy of a deserved fifty, before Ollie Peake was cleaned bowled through the gate two balls later attempting a loose flat-footed drive on the up.The umpires checked the light but allowed play to continue in the gloom. Handscomb then gloved Hadley to Gilkes attempting a pull shot. Three balls later the umpires sent the players off for bad light with Victoria only 170 in front with just five wickets in hand.