Archive June 20, 2025

Steve Smith is also out with a broken wrist, and Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for their opening test against the West Indies.

Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis take Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis’ place for the series’ opening in Barbados, which will begin on June 25.

In their final match of the World Test Championship, Australia lost to South Africa last week, but Labuschagne finished with 17 and 22 points, continuing his lean start.

Since the fourth Ashes Test of 2023, the 30-year-old has not scored a Test hundred.

“Marnus can play a really significant role in this team,” said the coach. Selection chair George Bailey, in his opinion, “he understands that his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects.”

We will continue to collaborate with him on the areas that require rediscovering. We continue to value his ability and anticipate that he will overcome the challenge successfully.

Smith did this on day three of the Lord’s final, where he suffered a dislocated right finger.

He must wear a splint for up to eight weeks despite having avoided surgery and traveling to the Caribbean. He may also be able to play in Grenada’s second Test in July.

We’ll give Steve another week’s rest and assess his functionality afterward, Bailey said. “Steve needs more time for the wound to heal.

Josh and Sam have the option of replacing Steve and Marnus, according to the company. We look forward to seeing them advance their aspiring Test careers.

When Lionel Messi sizes up the target before launching a free-kick from 20 yards, few things are as inevitable as the ball hitting the back of the net.

Messi was a reminder to the rest of the world that he is still capable of creating special moments during Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Porto at the Fifa Club World Cup.

Claudio Ramos couldn’t save the 37-year-old’s vintage free kick, which was his trademark.

This is undoubtedly a man who, for Barcelona, scored 73 goals in all competitions in the 2011-12 season.

The goal, which was positioned centrally and on the edge of the D, was Messi’s choice, going both over the wall and the goalkeeper’s side.

With that strike, Messi has scored his 68th goal from direct free kicks, and he has no shortage of experience and self-assurance.

Only Juninho Pernambucano (77), who spent the majority of his career with Lyon and Pele (70), has scored more direct free kicks than Messi.

“Touched by God, isn’t he?” Unbelievable . What a player, ex-Portugal defender Jose Fonte said on Dazn.

You go see this guy if you get the chance to see him in person. Shay Given, an ex-Newcastle goalkeeper, continued, “This is what he does.”

He is so precise, it almost feels like a penalty. He has genius.

The words “Meister, magician, you call him” expire.

In a comeback victory, Messi’s strike put Inter Miami firmly in the running for a spot in the last 16 of the Club World Cup, following another impressive performance from team-mate Telasco Segovia.

Messi continues to be regarded as one of the best players in world football just two years after leaving Paris St-Germain and Europe for the MLS.

Messi is the club’s all-time top goalscorer, despite the fact that Inter Miami was founded in 2018 and he scored 50 goals in 61 games for the team.

With six goals in seven appearances, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is no stranger to delivering in the Club World Cup.

He won the competition in 2009, 2011, and 2015, just three of the five awards he had won during his distinguished career, scoring five goals, three of which came in the finals.

At club level, Messi has scored a remarkable 754 goals, and he isn’t letting down.

Fafa Picault, a team-mate of Inter Miami, said, “He’s the greatest player in the world.”

He is just one point behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who leads the overall standings with six goals, and is joint-second in the standings for all-time goalscorers at the Club World Cup.

At the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Messi had the second-most dribbles, which placed him fifth overall in the game’s attempted attempts (56).

Former Scotland international Don Hutchison said on Dazn that “you can have a high pass completion, but you’re not affecting the game.”

Lionel Messi “influences” the game, and he does both. He never gives the ball away to his team-mates, and he is controlling them.

“Lionel Messi still has those incredible feet. 37 years old, still dancing through”.

In the upcoming phase of the Club World Cup, Messi will have a chance to celebrate his 38th birthday on Tuesday.

Inter Miami have set their sights high with the addition of some older players like Messi, Luis Suarez, Busquets, and Jordi Alaba, who all spent their best years with Barcelona.

For the first time in an official competition, an MLS team defeated a team from Europe with a victory over Porto on Thursday.

Manager Javier Mascherano told Dazn, “Today we demonstrated to the world and ourselves that we can compete against any team.”

The USA’s population will enjoy seeing our team compete in this kind of competition, according to the president.

Only one MLS team had entered the competition prior to this year’s re-formatted Club World Cup. Seattle Sounders, who participated in the same event this year, advanced to the second round in 2022.