Portions of content taken from International Hockey Federation (FIH)
The schedule has been revealed for the 2025 FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup, which will kick off with Germany versus Ireland on December 1, 2025, in Santiago, Chile.
On that same day, host Chile will start their Junior World Cup campaign against the Netherlands, current Junior Women’s World Champions and ranked world’s number one.
This year’s iteration of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup will feature 24 teams for the very first time.
The draw held on June 12 determined the following pools:
Pool A: Netherlands, Japan, Chile, Malaysia
Pool B: Argentina, Belgium, Zimbabwe, Wales
Pool C: Germany, India, Ireland, Namibia
Pool D: England, South Africa, China, Austria
Pool E: Australia, Spain, Canada, Scotland
Pool F: United States, Korea, New Zealand, Uruguay
The tournament will be held from December 1 to 13 in the city of Santiago, Chile. The full match schedule is available here.
For the latest updates and complete information about the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2025, please click here.
A Fabian Ruiz double helps Paris Saint-Germain thump Real Madrid to set up FIFA Club World Cup final against Chelsea.
Fabian Ruiz scored twice, Ousmane Dembele tallied a goal and an assist, and Paris Saint-Germain eliminated Real Madrid as well as Kylian Mbappe from the FIFA Club World Cup by sailing to a 4-0 semifinal win.
PSG built a 3-0 lead in 24 minutes, deflating the heavily pro-Madrid crowd on Wednesday. Goncalo Ramos, who subbed on for Dembele early in the second half, added a goal for good measure in the 87th minute.
Gianluigi Donnarumma parried one early shot by Mbappe and finished with two saves, but the PSG defence was otherwise unbothered en route to their fifth clean sheet in six tournament matches.
Wednesday marked Mbappe’s first time facing PSG, for whom he scored 256 goals over seven years before joining Madrid a year ago. After coming on as a substitute in the past two matches, Mbappe started up front alongside Gonzalo Garcia, but was held off the scoresheet.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was out of Real Madrid’s squad, reportedly due to a training injury.
PSG’s Fabian Ruiz scores their first goal [Hannah Mckay/Reuters]
Coming off its first European title, PSG will play for the championship on Sunday.
Real fared no better than Inter Milan, overrun by PSG 5-0 in the Champions League final. The 15-time European champions looked sluggish after travelling to Florida for training between games, and PSG had 76.5 percent possession in the first half.
A crowd of 77,542 was at MetLife Stadium on a scorching day, with a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) at kickoff and humidity that made it feel like 38C (101F).
PSG’s attack wasted no time, however, forcing Courtois to make two difficult saves during the first five minutes. But in the sixth, Dembele robbed Raul Asencio of the ball in the centre of the box, tapped it away from Courtois’s diving reach and set up Ruiz for a one-timer into the back of the net.
PSG’s Ousmane Dembele scores the second goal [Image Photo Agency/Getty Images]
Dembele made Madrid pay again when he closed in on Antonio Rudiger, who proceeded to whiff on a pass attempt in the defensive half. Dembele bolted away and beat Courtois in the bottom left corner for a 2-0 lead less than nine minutes in.
After Mbappe’s third shot of the day was blocked, PSG ran out on a clinical counterattack. Achraf Hakimi sprung free down the right side on a give-and-go with Dembele, and Hakimi’s cross set up Ruiz’s second goal in the 24th minute.
Paris Saint-Germain will face Chelsea on Sunday in the final. Chelsea won the title in 2021, while PSG will try to become the first team from France to capture the trophy.
PSG has earned $88.4m to $113.8m for reaching the final, the amount depending on a participation fee.
Kylian Mbappe speaks to Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal [Michael Regan/FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images]
All Blacks selectors Scott Robertson, Scott Hansen and Jason Ryan have named their team for the second test against France in the Lipovitan-D July Series at Sky Stadium in Wellington.
LIVE on Sky Sport – Saturday 12 July: All Blacks vs France, 19:05PM (NZST). Highlights available on NZR+ and All Blacks YouTube.
All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets; * denotes debutant)
1. Ethan de Groot (30)
2. Codie Taylor (97) (Vice-Captain)
3. Fletcher Newell (23)
4. Patrick Tuipulotu (51)
5. Fabian Holland (1)
6. Tupou Vaa’i (39)
7. Ardie Savea (95) (Captain)
8. Christian Lio-Willie (1)
9. Cam Roigard (11)
10. Beauden Barrett (135)
11. Caleb Clarke (29)
12. Jordie Barrett (69) (Vice-Captain)
13. Billy Proctor (3)
14. Rieko Ioane (82)
15. Will Jordan (42)
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (31)
17. Ollie Norris (1)
18. Pasilio Tosi (8)
19. Samipeni Finau (9)
20. Du’Plessis Kirifi (1)
21. Cortez Ratima (12)
22. Timoci Tavatavanawai *
23. Damian McKenzie (62)
Unavailable due to injury: Tamaiti Williams (knee); Tyrel Lomax (calf); Wallace Sititi (ankle); Luke Jacobson (concussion); Sevu Reece (concussion); Scott Barrett (calf)
Timoci Tavatavanawai will have the opportunity to earn his first All Blacks cap this Saturday night, becoming the fifth debutant this season so far. He has been named on the bench in one of three changes to the line-up that beat France in Dunedin last weekend.
With Scott Barrett unavailable for the remainder of the series due to a calf injury, Patrick Tuipulotu comes in at lock and Ardie Savea will captain the side.
Caleb Clarke will make his first start of 2025 in the 11 jersey, while Rieko Ioane shifts to the right wing.
“Test series are a unique and exciting opportunity. Both teams now have a better idea of what they’re going to get on Saturday night, and both will lift for this next occasion. We know where we need to improve,” Scott Robertson said.
“It is also awesome to be part of a double-header with the Black Ferns, who will take on Australia at 4:30pm. We’ve enjoyed connecting with the team this week and know they will put on a spectacle for the fans at Sky Stadium, in their last domestic game before the Rugby World Cup.”
MATCH FACTS
A win this weekend would see the All Blacks awarded the Dave Gallaher Trophy, for the first time since 2018. The trophy is named after the 1905–06 All Black captain who was killed in Belgium during World War I. The All Blacks became the first international side to record 500 test wins last weekend, taking 652 matches to do so. France is the nation with the next highest number of test wins, with 460 out of 829. This will be the 30th All Black test match Sky Stadium has hosted since opening in 2000. France has never beaten the All Blacks in Wellington (but has in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin).
Alan Permane was named as Racing Bulls’ new Team Principal on Wednesday, following a reshuffle that has seen Laurent Mekies promoted to CEO of Red Bull after the exit of Christian Horner. As Permane prepares to take the reins of the sister squad, F1.com has the lowdown on the Briton’s career so far…
F1 beginnings with Benetton
After completing an electronic engineering apprenticeship, Permane secured his first role with the then-called Benetton team in 1989 in what would prove to be the start of a long chapter in his career.
“It was exciting times for me,” Permane recalled to the Beyond The Grid podcast in 2020. “I’d just turned 22, I’d got a job in Formula 1.
“I’d just come out of an electronic apprenticeship and had my eyes opened to the world of Formula 1. It was awesome.”
From there his role grew from being factory-based to becoming an electronic engineer for the test team, while in 1990 Permane joined the race team, with his first event being the United States Grand Prix at the Phoenix Street Circuit.
Race engineering beckons
Permane experienced plenty of success as part of the Benetton team in the years that followed, with the squad winning the Teams’ Championship in 1995 in a year that also saw Michael Schumacher take his second consecutive Drivers’ title.
The next step for Permane came when he was promoted to Junior/Assistant Race Engineer in 1996, working alongside Jean Alesi. He then became a race engineer in the following year, a role that he held through to 2006 – by which point the outfit had become known as Renault.
This saw him work with a range of different drivers, including Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli. It is a position that the Briton carried fond memories of, having told Beyond The Grid: “That was a great part of my career, being a race engineer, and I still miss it.”
Permane also experienced championship glory while in this position, with Renault winning back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. And while these came courtesy of Fernando Alonso – who he was not a race engineer for – Permane still enjoyed a victory of his own when Trulli won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, a moment he recalled as “pretty special”.
Climbing the ranks and famous radio messages
In 2007, Permane became the chief race engineer at Renault and went on to oversee all trackside engineering from mid-2011 to mid-2016. This took him through another change in the squad’s name, with the team going under the guise of Lotus from 2012 to 2015 inclusive.
While the outfit’s fortunes varied during this period, Kimi Raikkonen claimed one victory apiece in 2012 and 2013. Permane had an infamous radio exchange with Raikkonen at the 2013 Indian Grand Prix, in which he instructed the Finn to “move out of the f***ing way” for team mate Romain Grosjean, who had more pace at that stage of the race.
“Would I change the way I handled it now? Probably, definitely,” Permane told Beyond The Grid. “But I think at the time there was a frustration there, there was a feeling that Kimi was being selfish and wasn’t putting the team where he could have put the team, so that’s where that came from and that’s history.”
In 2016, the team were taken over by Renault again and Permane was appointed as Sporting Director.
Exit from Enstone
As the Enstone-based outfit went through further changes in the years that followed – including a rebranding as Alpine in 2020 – there were some other highlights for Permane, with the squad taking a surprise victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix via Esteban Ocon.
However, the team also experienced plenty of organisational changes and it was confirmed ahead of the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix that Permane and then-Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer would both depart after that weekend.
With this bringing his 34-year stint with the outfit to an abrupt end, Permane spent some time away from the world of F1 – before making a comeback with a different team a few months later…
Return with Racing Bulls
In January 2024, it was announced that Permane would join the then-called RB team – Red Bull’s sister outfit – as Racing Director, reporting to the squad’s new Team Principal Laurent Mekies.
Now, just over 18 months on, a new challenge awaits the Briton as he takes over as Team Principal at Racing Bulls, with Mekies moving to Red Bull as CEO following the departure of Christian Horner.
“I feel very honoured to take on the role as Team Principal and would like to thank Oliver [Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments] and Helmut [Marko, Red Bull advisor] for the trust they have shown in me,” said Permane.
“I am looking forward to working with Peter [Bayer, CEO of Racing Bulls] to continue the good work that both him and Laurent have done in taking this team forward.
“This is a new challenge for me, but I know that I can count on the support of everyone within them.”
Prince William was all smiles this evening as he was spotted chatting to the Lionesses after their 4-0 victory against the Netherlands. The Prince of Wales, 43, flew to Zurich, Switzerland, for the UEFA Women’s Euro match on Wednesday.
The prince, who was not accompanied by Princess Kate or their three children, watched the match from the stands. He looked increasingly happy as the team continued to score goal after goal, eventually securing a 4-0 win at Stadion Letzigrun.
After the game, the prince was seen chatting to the football team, who were delighted at their win in the group stage of the competition.
The future King also took to social media to celebrate the result before flying back home to the UK.
He wrote on the official Prince and Princess of Wales social media page: “A big 4-0 win in the group stage — and what a set of goals!
“Off the mark and onto the next one. Let’s go @lionesses! #WEURO2025.”
The Lionesses will next play Wales in the tournament on Sunday.
Many royal fans were delighted to see William in the crowd today showing his support for the team.
One fan wrote on X: “Congratulations!!!!! The joy on Prince William’s face said it all!!”
Another said: “Prince William was at the stadium and was very happy with the results.”
When it comes to clutch achievements in the annals of tennis history, few can challenge Virginia Wade’s glorious three-set triumph over Betty Stöve in the final of the ladies’ singles at Wimbledon in 1977.
Consider the circumstances: longtime British favorite Wade, a week shy of her 32nd birthday and on her 16th attempt, had finally reached the title match at her home Grand Slam. What’s more, it was the centenary year of the Championships and the entire nation was holding its breath – including Queen Elizabeth II, watching from the Royal Box during her silver jubilee celebrations.
Had they all known it would be 36 years before Andy Murray would capture the men’s title, the tension on Centre Court that day would have been even greater. In any case, the record books show that, having dispatched Chris Evert in the semifinals, Wade dropped the opening set to Stöve before snatching nine of the last 10 games for victory, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
For a largely self-taught player whose temperament wasn’t always an asset, it was a spectacular feat of focus and self-actualisation. But in many ways, none of it was a surprise. Over the course of her career – and well before sports psychology became a thing – Wade had found a way to harness her aggressive style and mercurial emotions to tremendous effect.
Reflecting on her evolution as a competitor, Wade recently told the WTA: “I finally learnt to let off steam in a non-harmful way, spending only a few seconds on the anger, and getting back to concentrating on the game. There was no time or room for excuses.”
She added: “I was athletic, dramatic and energetic. Tennis was my forte… and winning was intoxicating.”
Wade was a founding member of the WTA at London’s Gloucester Hotel in 1973 – and even left that meeting with the title of vice president – but she didn’t feel comfortable in the sport’s political fray. Rather, she played her part by winning big, and often, and taking pride in her status as a role model for women and girls in Britain and beyond.
Wimbledon marked, in fact, her third appearance in a major singles final, after the US Open in 1968 and the Australian Open in 1972. She won each of them, among 55 singles titles overall – the eighth-biggest trophy haul in the Open Era, tied with Lindsay Davenport. Another stat that has stood the test of time: Wade still places fifth with 839 singles match wins, behind only Martina Navratilova, Evert, Stefanie Graf and Serena Williams.
In short, Wade was always a contender, and when the WTA launched its rankings on November 3, 1975, she was No.2 in the world behind Evert. All up, she spent 12 years as a Top 10 player and enjoyed four Top 5 seasons after the introduction of computerized ratings.
“My career started later than is usual today, but lasted a long time, and I finally retired at almost 40,” said Wade, who won four doubles majors with Margaret Court along the way. “Luckily for me I went straight into broadcasting, which I loved, a fair amount of coaching on the tour, senior events and plenty of fun corporate events.”
In 1982, while still competing, Wade became the first woman ever appointed to the Wimbledon Committee – a reflection of the esteem in which she was held by the sport’s establishment. Her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in 1989, was never in doubt.
As she celebrates her 80th birthday on July 10, we look back at some of Virginia Wade’s highlights:
1966: University graduate with a knack for numbers
Getty Images
Born in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England in July 1945 as the youngest of four children, Wade spent most of her childhood in South Africa, where her father was the Archdeacon of Durban. She honed her skills hitting against the wall of the family home and watching a Davis Cup player train at courts nearby. Returning to the U.K. when she was 15, she went on to graduate from Sussex University in 1966 with a BSc in Mathematics and Physics, while playing tennis part time.
April 1968: Captures first event of the Open Era
Getty Images
As fate would have it, the first tournament of the Open Era, the British Hard Court Open Championships, was held in the town of Wade’s birth. She prevailed in a field of mostly British players, but it was an inauspicious start to the new order in world tennis. Most of the top women had boycotted in protest at a pay ratio that favored the men, 4:1 and Wade, uncertain about the ramifications of the sport’s new rules of engagement, chose to compete as an amateur. This meant she pocketed expenses but not the £300 winner’s cheque.
September 1968: Upsets Billie Jean to win inaugural US Open
Getty Images
By the time the US Open came around in 1968, most of the top players were back on deck but it was 23-year-old Wade, the No.6 seed, who blazed her way to her first Grand Slam title – defeating No.3 seed Judy Tegart, No.2 seed Ann Haydon-Jones and top seed and defending champion Billie Jean King in the final to take home the $6,000 winner’s purse.
1971: Mastering the red stuff
Getty Images
Although Roland Garros would prove to be the only Grand Slam singles title to elude Wade, she enjoyed meaningful successes on the surface least suited to her game. In 1970 she defeated clay court exponent Helga Niessen Masthoff for the title in Berlin (pictured), and in 1971 she beat the classy German again to win the Italian Open. “For me to win on slow clay courts was a major achievement,” said Wade. “After Wimbledon, Rome was my favorite tournament.”
1973: Doubles domination and No.1 status
Alamy
A year after winning her second Grand Slam singles title at the 1972 Australian Open – by defeating Evonne Goolagong in the final, no less – Wade won the Australian Open doubles title with Margaret Court in 1973. The duo went on to capture three of the four majors that year, namely also at Roland Garros and the US Open (pictured). They won the US Open again in 1975, as well as the precursor to the WTA Finals, held at Los Angeles.
Wimbledon 1977: For she’s a jolly good fellow!
Getty Images
Wade appeared at Wimbledon a record 26 times, including 24 years in the singles field, starting from her debut in 1964. Her singles title run, the first by a British woman since Haydon-Jones in 1969, was the strawberry on the cake – and the crowd sang in celebration. Including her doubles successes, Wade remains the only British woman to win Grand Slam titles at all four majors.
2004: Immortalized in bronze and other accolades
Getty Images
Even during her playing days, Wade’s achievements were widely recognized. In 1973 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), which was elevated to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1986 and more recently, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2025 for services to lawn tennis and charity. In 1977, she received the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. And in 2004, a bronze likeness was unveiled in tribute at the All England Club.
2023: Celebrating shared legacy at WTA 50
Getty Images
In 2023, Wade joined Billie Jean King and other WTA founding members as the WTA celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala event in New York. “Competing has to be the most satisfying endeavor for any young person,” she said. “To challenge yourself to be the best you can, whether you win or lose, and learning how important sportsmanship is – it’s all a test of character.”
When: July 12-16 (July 13-17, 4.30am AEST first ball)
Where: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
How to watch: ESPN (available via Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Disney+, Fetch TV)
How to listen: ABC radio, SEN radio
Live scores: Match Centre
Officials: Nitin Menon and Adrian Holdstock (on-field), Richard Kettleborough (third), Javagal Srinath (match referee)
Highlights, news and reactions post-play: cricket.com.au, the CA Live app and the Unplayable Podcast.
The Unplayable Podcast will have daily recaps of each day of the Test series, so if you’re unable to stay up through the night, you’ll be able to catch up in 15 minutes right after stumps. Listen and subscribe below:
The squads
West Indies: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales
West Indies coach Daren Sammy wouldn’t guarantee 100-game veteran Kraigg Brathwaite’s spot in the side for the series finale following four straight single figure scores this series. Brathwaite’s last Test century was more than two years ago in February 2023, and he’s only passed 50 three times since.
Sammy said they did “have a couple more options” at the top of the order, which could include Mikyle Louis who opens for West Indies A and Leeward Islands in first-class cricket, or Kevlon Anderson who bats at No.3 for West Indies A and Guyana.
“All options on the table,” Sammy said. “Obviously, Kraigg just played his 100th Test match. He hasn’t looked good this series and in a team where you’re searching for performances, you get very close to saying; ‘OK, do we give somebody else a chance?’ We will really have a good discussion, myself, the selection group and the captain about that particular situation.”
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
Australia have already clinched the series after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with a 133-run win in Grenada and coach Andrew McDonald doesn’t expect any changes for the third Test in Jamaica, which will be the team’s first pink ball contest overseas.
“If the conditions were the same as what was presented in the first couple of Test matches and everyone pulls up fine, then it’s highly unlikely for any change,” McDonald said. “We’re confident the players that we’ve got here that can do the job. (There were) small steps forward last game with the top order. Do we want some more output there? There’s no doubt about that but in the context of this series, it’s been very tricky at the top of the order with variable bounce and sideways movement.”
If Australia do go in unchanged as expected, it means Mitchell Starc will make his 100th Test appearance, becoming just the second Aussie fast bowler to reach the mark after Glenn McGrath, and the 11th specialist quick overall. Starc (395) is also on the verge of becoming the second Australian paceman to take 400 Test wickets after McGrath.
Series fixtures
First Test: Australia won by 159 runs
Second Test: Australia won by 133 runs
Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST, next day)
Session times
First Session: 1.30pm – 3.30pm local (4.30am – 6.30am AEST, next day)
Second Session: 4.10pm – 6.10pm local (7.10am – 9.10am AEST, next day)
Third Session: 6.30pm – 8.30pm local (9.30am – 11.30am AEST, next day)
* An extra 30 minutes can be used to complete daily overs
Broadcast info
Australia’s three-Test tour of the Caribbean will be broadcast live on ESPN in Australia and New Zealand.
Given ESPN is part of the Disney stable, that means every ball from the tour will be distributed across a wide range of networks and platforms in Australia and New Zealand, including Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, Sky NZ and Sky Sports Now.
The tour will be the first time the Australian men’s team has featured on the ESPN networks inside Australia, with the five T20Is that follow the Test series also live on ESPN.
For those who listen on the wireless, both ABC and SEN radio will cover the series.
Local knowledge
Steve Smith made 199 and Josh Hazlewood took seven wickets across both innings the last time Australia visited Sabina Park in 2015, but that of course, was using a red ball. The third Test against West Indies will be the Aussies’ first ever day-night Test overseas and using a different pink ball than the Kookaburra variety used in home Tests.
Australia didn’t get their hands on the Dukes-branded pink balls used in Test matches in the Caribbean until their first training session under lights at Sabina Park on Wednesday evening. “We’re going into a little bit of the unknown with this version of the pink-ball Test match,” coach Andrew McDonald said. “We’re excited by it. It’s a different format. It creates different challenges. Some players really love it, some don’t like it as much, but we’ll solve whatever problems that present.”
Smith’s recollection from 2015 was the Sabina Park surface “spun a bit as the game went on” and that was indeed the case too in the last Test played at the Kingston venue between West Indies and Bangladesh last November-December. Fast bowlers took 28 of the 30 wickets in the first three innings of the match before left-arm finger spinner Taijul Islam spun Bangladesh to a 101-run victory with 5-50 on the fourth day.
Rapid stats
Australia have lost only one of their last 23 men’s Tests against West Indies (won 18, drawn 4) – an eight-run loss in January 2024. They have won three of their last four Tests against them at Sabina Park (lost 1), including each of their last two after going winless across their five meetings prior (drawn 3, lost 2).
West Indies have won only one of their last eight men’s Tests at home (drawn 2, lost 5) – a 201-run victory against Bangladesh in November 2024. They have lost each of their three matches since then and a fourth consecutive defeat in this game would be their outright longest losing run in home fixtures in their Test history.
Australia have won four of their five men’s Tests away from home in 2025 (lost 1); the last time they recorded more wins on the road in the format in a calendar year was in 2006 (won 5).
West Indies have lost three of their last four men’s Tests at Sabina Park, including each of their last two. The last time they recorded a longer losing run at the venue was a three-match span from 2005 to 2008.
Smith explains ‘different’ grip used in second Test victory
Only Pakistan (38.1) have recorded a better bowling strike rate in men’s Tests in 2025 than West Indies (38.7) and Australia (38.8). Australia’s bowling dot ball rate (74 per cent) is the best of any team to play more than one Test in 2025.
Travis Head (3927) is 73 away from becoming the 29th player to score 4000 runs for Australia in men’s Tests – if he achieves the milestone in his next innings (100*). he’ll become the fifth player overall to reach it in exactly 100 innings (Clive Lloyd – West Indies, David Gower – England, Misbah-ul-Haq – Pakistan and Rohit Sharma – India).
Kraigg Brathwaite (5950) is 50 away from becoming the 10th player to score 6000 runs for West Indies in men’s Tests. However, he’s scored fewer than 10 runs in five of his last six Test innings (9, 52, 4, 4, 0, 7).
Nathan Lyon (562) is one away from equalling Glenn McGrath (563) for the second most wickets for Australia in men’s Tests after Shane Warne on 708. He’s also six away (294) from becoming the second player to take 300 wickets for Australia in the format away from home (Shane Warne – 389).
West Indies duo Shamar Joseph (74.3 per cent of 105 runs) and Brandon King (67.8 per cent of 115 runs) have scored a higher percentage of their runs from boundaries than any other players in men’s Tests in 2025 (minimum 70 runs).
What are they playing for?
Australia have extended their hold on the Frank Worrell Trophy past 30 years after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead by winning the first two Tests in Barbados and Grenada. After the Ashes, the Frank Worrell Trophy is the second oldest silverware contested by the Australian men’s cricket team.
The trophy is named after Sir Frank Worrell, who was the first black player to captain the West Indies on a regular basis.
He was appointed ahead of the 1960-61 tour of Australia where the first Test in Brisbane was the first tied Test match ever played.
After the tie, and the tightly contested series Australia won 2-1, the Australians were filled with such admiration for Worrell’s leadership that the then-named Australian Cricket Board commissioned former Test cricketer and jeweller Ernie McCormick to design a trophy in his honour.
The 12-inch trophy was topped by one of the balls used in the tied Test, which Steve Smith accidentally dislodged during the presentation ceremony following Australia’s 2-0 series win in 2022. The ball is mounted on three silver stumps set in a trophy base which features engravings of a kangaroo and a palm tree.
Captains Pat Cummins and Roston Chase pose with the Frank Worrell Trophy prior to the series // AFP via Getty
Australia and West Indies played three Test series prior to the creation of the trophy, which was first awarded to Richie Benaud’s side in 1960-61, and has been for the 25 series since.
The series will be Australia’s 16th holding the trophy aloft, while West Indies won it eight times, with three draws, including the last series in Australia (1-1) after Shamar Joseph bowled the visitors to a famous eight-run win at the Gabba.
However, Australia have held the Frank Worrell Trophy for 30 years, not losing a series since Mark Taylor’s team ended the Windies’ two decades of dominance with a 2-1 away win in 1995, with Steve Waugh hitting the only double-century of his career to help clinch the deciding Test in Jamaica by an innings and 53 runs.
The Richie Benaud Medal has also been awarded to the Frank Worrell Trophy player-of-the-series since 2016.
Players to watch
Brandon King: Two matches into his Test career and Brandon King looks every bit a Test batter and has been the only West Indian to truly put the Australian attack under pressure this series in difficult batting conditions. He has scored his side’s only half-century of the series so far with his 75 in the first innings in Grenada and it took a Pat Cummins seed to dismiss him in the second.
Mitchell Starc: Fittingly, Mitchell Starc – the most prolific Test bowler with the pink ball with 74 wickets – is set to play his 100th Test under lights, becoming just the second fast bowler for Australia to reach the mark after Glenn McGrath, and the 11th specialist quick overall. Starc (395) is also on the verge of becoming the second Aussie paceman after McGrath to take 400 Test wickets. Starc has struck four times in his opening over with the pink ball so the Windies openers will need to be on high alert at the start of their innings in Jamaica.
All 74 wickets taken by Mitch Starc in day-night Tests
What ball will be used?
English-brand Dukes balls will be used for the three Tests, albeit ones that have been specifically designed for Caribbean pitches and therefore differ slightly to those used for matches in England. The pink ball for the day-night Test in Jamaica is also manufactured by Dukes, meaning it’ll be one that none of the Australians have played with before given their 13 day-night matches at home have all featured Kookaburra’s pink ball.
Pink Dukes balls have only been used in two Test matches to date, once between England and West Indies at Edgbaston in 2017 and again in 2018 in Barbados when the Windies hosted Sri Lanka.
New World Test Championship begins
Australia’s 133-run victory in the second Test in Grenada saw them take an unassailable 2-0 series lead, as well as banking another 12 valuable points to continue their undefeated start the new World Test Championship campaign.
Each of nine teams play three home and three away series in every two-year WTC cycle, with the Aussies’ first home series a blockbuster five-Test Ashes campaign against England beginning in November.
The first series win of the 2025-27 World Test Championship is already in the books with Sri Lanka beating Bangladesh 1-0 at home, while England and India have won a Test each to begin their five Test series.
The points percentage system used in the previous two editions will determine the standings with teams getting 12 points for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw.
Form guide
Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, D: draw
West Indies: LLWLLWLDLL
West Indies have been on level pegging with Australia for the first two days across both the first two Test matches, until the tourists grabbed hold of the game in the second innings, bowling the Windies out for 143 in the second Test and 141 in the series opener to end up with comfortable victories on each occasion.
Despite a new direction and a fresh-looking team under new head coach Daren Sammy and captain Roston Chase, they’re still searching for that consistency as a batting unit. “We all know we are playing against the No.1 team in the world, four quality bowlers all in the top 10, but we’ve just not shown when it is tough to find a way to absorb pressure,” Sammy said.
Day 4 Wrap | Bowlers get it right as Aussies seal series
Their bowlers however have been world-class, taking all 40 Australian wickets in the first two Tests. “I don’t know when the last time we got 40 wickets against top three team in two Test matches (was),” Sammy said. “So the bowlers are doing the job … it’s just that our batting has not been up to par against a really good attack.”
Australia: WWLWWWWDWL
Australia have secured a fourth straight series win after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with victory in Grenada, bouncing back from their World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa with two straight wins to start the new cycle.
Pat Cummins’ side haven’t lost a series since their away loss to India in early 2023 and will be eyeing a series sweep in Jamaica as the build towards a blockbuster Ashes home summer with five Tests against England.
Qantas Tour of the West Indies
First Test: Australia won by 159 runs
Second Test: Australia won by 133 runs
Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales
First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 11am AEST)
Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 11am AEST)
Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)
Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)
Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)
West Indies T20 squad: TBC
Australia’s T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
Defeat for Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston by 36 runs
Birmingham Bears opened the Vitality Blast north group right up with a 36-run victory over leaders Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston.
Birmingham Bears, 203 for nine, beat Lancashire Lightning, 167 all out, by 36 runs.
Birmingham Bears opened the Vitality Blast north group right up with a 36-run victory over leaders Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston.
Bears stacked up 203 for nine, their first 200-plus total against Lancashire in the Blast, thanks to Dan Mousley’s thunderous 32 from 12 balls, which took them to 74 in the powerplay, and Ed Barnard’s luscious 54 (34). Jack Blatherwick and Tom Hartley emerged from the onslaught with a creditable three for 29 and two for 29 respectively.
Lancashire replied with 167 all out from 18.1 overs, their chase undone right at the start when George Garton (four for 28) dismissed both openers in the first over. They slumped to 111 for seven and Hartley’s violent late 35 (16) was in a lost cause as the Lightning faded to defeat beneath the beautiful, burgundy Birmingham sunset.
The Bears’ win means just eight points separate the top six as the North group heads towards its denouement.
After the Bears were put in it was a case of two fours and out for openers Alex Davies and Tom Latham, both back in the pavilion before the end of the second over. That paved the way for a dazzling cameo from Mousley who hit James Anderson for four fours in an over before leading-edging Luke Wood to mid off.
Barnard smote his first ball for six and timed the ball exquisitely in a stand of 74 in 47 with Sam Hain (36, 27) before the latter drove Hartley to extra cover. The spinner soon added the wicket of Barnard who passed his third T20 half-century, from 30 balls, then slogged to deep mid-wicket.
Rob Yates (19, 14) and Garton (16, eight) kept the momentum high, the latter falling to a wonder catch by Green who hurled himself far and low to take a skier in front of the Hollies Stand.
Lancashire’s quest for 204 started tough – after one over, from Garton they were two for two. Keaton Jennings chipped his first ball to deep mid-wicket and Jos Buttler was lbw to his third. Phil Salt then fell to another stunning catch, by Yates, again right in front of the Hollies, from a pull off Garton.
Already needing more than ten per over, it was a long way back for Lightning. Luke Wells chipped Craig Miles to extra cover and Ashton Turner slog-swept Danny Briggs’ fourth ball to Hain at deep mid-wicket. That was Briggs’ 303rd T20 wicket and Hain’s 85th T20 catch and sent Lancashire into the last ten overs needing 119 with five down.
Hartley’s 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th T20 sixes achieved no more than taking his side to respectability. Anderson has performed many excellent feats on the cricket field but finding 37 from the last two overs here was beyond him and the Lightning’s run of four successive wins was over.
For more information about Rothesay, please visit http://www.ecb.co.uk/about/wgho-we-are/our-partners/rothesay
