The 22-year-old quick took four wickets on debut for Queensland in the day-night game at the Gabba

AAP22-Nov-2025Queensland quick Sam Geyer withstood an early barrage from Sam Harper to take four wickets on debut in the Sheffield Shield against Victoria.Geyer was the star of the show for Queensland on Saturday, as Victoria hit 318 for 9 declared before the home side were 15 without loss at stumps on day one of the pink-ball fixture.Crucially Matt Renshaw survived a tough final half hour under the Gabba lights to be unbeaten on two, in what could be an audition for the day-night second Ashes Test at the same venue.With questions over Usman Khawaja’s fitness and whether Travis Head will remain opener or go back to No. 5 after his Perth heroics, Renshaw has a big Sunday ahead of him in Brisbane.Saturday night’s 34-ball survival came with chief selector Tony Dodemaide in attendance, with the opener having already scored two centuries this summer.Regardless it will be Geyer who left the Gabba happiest after his 4 for 102 on debut, even if he went at more than six an over. Struck down by stress fractures in his teens, the 22-year-old paceman needed plenty of resilience after Harper took him down early at the Gabba.Harper cut the seamer’s first two balls for four on his way to 88, in a brutal welcome to first-class cricket for Geyer. But the seamer responded shortly after, having Marcus Harris well caught at slip for 18.Geyer also copped some treatment from Matt Short, but recovered to remove Mitchell Perry, Fergus O’Neill and Will Sutherland in the final session.He would have had a five-wicket haul had Tom Straker not put down a catch at fine leg to dismiss Todd Murphy.”He’s very high energy Sammy,” spinner Mitch Swepson said. “Looked like he would run through a brick wall every time I threw the ball to him. He was ready and raring to go.”Outstanding for him to get four wickets, he probably deserved five as well. He bowled brilliantly and was that spark for us.”Swepson also took two crucial wickets, getting Harper and Peter Handscomb in quick succession after the pair added 88 for the third wicket.Harper had been the chief aggressor for Victoria, bringing up his 50 in 55 balls after a series of cuts, late cuts and a big six over mid wicket off Straker.But he fell when he cut Swepson straight to backward point, before Handscomb picked out the midwicket fielder in Swepson’s next over.Veteran Gurinder Sandhu also took 2 for 55, and was arguably Queensland’s best bowler with the pressure he built with the ball.

India Test captain Shubman Gill has been discharged from the hospital where he was receiving treatment for neck spasm sustained during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata. He, however, remains in doubt for the second Test in Guwahati starting Saturday.India have a training session in Kolkata on Tuesday morning but Gill is not expected to take part in that. The team is expected to fly to Guwahati on Wednesday, but with commercial air travel not advised for people recovering from neck issues, Gill is unlikely to fly with the team that day.Head coach Gautam Gambhir said at the post-match press conference that Gill was “still being assessed”, with another assessment to be carried out by the physio and team soon. Gill’s absence in the fourth innings left India a batter short in their 30-run loss in a low-scoring game.Related

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“It was tough because we always knew we were one down,” Gambhir said after India were bowled out for 93 in their chase of 124. “Obviously, Shubman wasn’t there, and then losing two before lunch, we were literally three down. But we always felt that if we got those partnerships, a 50-run partnership or two 40-run partnerships, we would’ve been in the game.”If Gill is unavailable for the next Test, potential replacements are left-hand batters B Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal. Sudharsan made 87 and 39 against West Indies in Delhi but had a top score of 32 in four innings for India A against South Africa A earlier this month. Padikkal, who played one Test each in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the home series against England, returned three single-digit scores and a 24 against South Africa A.If that’s the only change India make for the Guwahati Test, it would leave them with seven left-hand batters in their XI. In Kolkata, India fielded six left-hand batters for the first time. Of the eight wickets offspinner Simon Harmer took in the Kolkata Test, six were of left-hand batters, while part-time offspinner Aiden Markram also dismissed one left-hand batter.Gill was admitted to the hospital after the second day of the Kolkata Test, following the decision to retire hurt after facing only three balls in India’s first innings. On the morning of the third day, the BCCI said Gill would take no further part in the Test.Gill missed a Test against New Zealand in October 2024 due to a neck spasm too. His injury scare comes at a time when his workload has been under constant monitoring. He has played cricket non-stop across formats since IPL 2025 and was among four Test players who flew to Kolkata straight from Australia after the T20I series.

Opener Campbell Kellaway also impressed for Australia A on a dominant day for the hosts

AAP05-Dec-2025Jhye Richardson has announced his triumphant return to bowling, taking four wickets in his second game back from injury as Australia A punished a hapless England Lions.The hosts went to stumps on day one of their four-day match in Brisbane at 155 for 2, after Richardson had taken 4 for 35 to help bowl the Lions out for 166.Richardson would almost certainly have figured in Test contention for this summer, had he not been recovering from shoulder surgery. He went wicketless during 20 overs for a CA XI against the Lions late last month, but was back bowling at pace at Allan Border Field on Friday.Richardson had Ben McKinney dropped at first slip in his third over of the day, before running through the tourists in the second session. He bowled James Rew for 7 when the left-hander inside-edged a ball that angled across him onto his stumps, before Richardson’s pace had Ben Kellaway playing on.In almost comical fashion, Kellaway defended a delivery from the quick before he was unable to stop the ball rolling back onto his stumps.Richardson then had both Matthew Fisher and Nathan Gilchrist edging behind the wicket, as the Lions fell from 72 for 1 to all out for 166 in 50 overs.Richardson played his last Test in December 2022, but has battled constant shoulder and hamstring injuries since then. His recovery from last season’s dislocated shoulder ruled him out of contention for the start of the Ashes, with Brendan Doggett debuting in Perth.Todd Murphy and Xavier Bartlett also took two wickets each for Australia A, before Campbell Kellaway flew to 71 off 75 balls in the final session.Earmarked as a Test opener of the future, Kellaway’s runs came after he also hit a half-century for the Prime Minister’s XI against England last weekend.Kellaway produced one of the shots of the day with a cracking pull shot off Gilchrist, before he later pulled the quick straight to mid on.England spinner Shoaib Bashir meanwhile had an unhappy afternoon, taking 0 for 22 from three overs after being overlooked for the Gabba Test.Nathan McSweeney (40 not out) pulled Bashir’s first two balls for four, before Kellaway also took to him in the next over and he was dragged out of the attack.

Scott McTominay continues to rewrite the history books in Italy, with the Napoli midfielder being named Serie A’s footballer of the year for 2024-25. The Scotland international has picked up that prize after being joined at a glitzy ceremony by girlfriend Cam Reading. Another individual award for McTominay has allowed him to emulate the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Memorable move: McTominay's stunning debut season in Italy

McTominay moved to Naples in the summer of 2024 when severing career-long ties with Premier League giants Manchester United. He had taken in over 250 appearances for the Red Devils, but was allowed to move on when a £26 million ($34m) transfer offer was tabled.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed a new lease of life after stepping out of his comfort zone, with any shackles that had been holding him back at Old Trafford being shaken in spectacular fashion. He ended his debut campaign with Napoli as a Serie A title winner and the division’s MVP.

AdvertisementHistory made: Records broken when emulating Ronaldo & Zidane

McTominay hit 12 goals in Serie A last season, breaking Denis Law’s 63-year record for most efforts by a Scot in a single campaign – with another former United star being passed there. He landed several prestigious prizes at the end of a memorable season.

Alongside the domestic gongs which came his way, McTominay also became the first Scotsman in 38 years to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or. He ended up finishing 18th in the Golden Ball vote.

He has since gone on to help Scotland qualify for the 2026 World Cup, netting a stunning overhead kick in a must-win meeting with Denmark, and will be gracing the grandest of sporting stages at international level next summer.

McTominay will head to that tournament as the reigning Serie A player of the year. He has become the first Scot to win that award and follows in the footsteps of illustrious former title holders such as Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Kaka, Francesco Totti and Zinedine Zidane.

McTominay said when collecting his prize: “Coming to Napoli was an easy choice. I came to the right place. It’s sensational, it’s incredible to be here and win this award. Thank you to everyone, the team, the staff, and my team-mates. My bond with Napoli is special; there are so many special places here.”

Queen of Italy: Reading also embraced by Napoli supporters

McTominay was joined at the glitzy Gran Gala Del Calcio by girlfriend Cam Reading. She has also been taken to the hearts of Napoli supporters, alongside her free-scoring partner, with the director at asset management firm Fortress Capital being billed as the ‘Queen of Italy’.

Reading was all smiles as she walked the red carpet with McTominay and joined him on stage for celebratory pictures. She has fully embraced life outside of the UK, with a new culture providing endless opportunities to create lifelong memories.

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Man Utd return? McTominay generating transfer talk

There have been suggestions that McTominay is attracting interest ahead of transfer windows in 2026. La Liga giants Barcelona are said to have been monitoring his progress, while a return to Manchester has also been mooted.

A homecoming at United is, however, considered to be unlikely. Ex-Red Devils star Wes Brown told GOAL recently when asked if McTominay could retrace steps to Old Trafford: “It would be a lot of money for Man United to get him back. I’m so happy that Scott has gone away and done so well – he has done better than so well! He’s been excellent.

“Would it happen? Probably not. The respect from that getting talked about is unbelievable. What an achievement by Scott, for one. Sometimes when you leave really big clubs, it can be difficult to keep a level going – normally it is a dip. But he’s got better and better. He’s a great lad and he’s determined to do the best he can. I can’t see it happening, but I can understand why there are whispers.”

McTominay is tied to a contract at Napoli through to 2028, meaning that he and Reading have no need to consider another uprooting of professional and personal lives any time soon.

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