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Tottenham Hotspur have not been good enough this season, and it’s clear that Thomas Frank needs to find a solution both in regard to results and the excitement factor that has been lacking.

Having lost each of their past three matches in all competitions, including the miserable home loss against Fulham on Saturday evening in the Premier League, a response is sorely needed, but Newcastle United at St. James’ Park has hardly been a happy hunting ground for the Lilywhites in recent years.

Frank’s tactics have yet to click together, but the players also need to take responsibility for their shoddy showings, with Pedro Porro among the guilty members to have flattered to deceive all term.

Pedro Porro's Spurs form this season

Porro, 26, is one of the most talented right-backs in Europe. He has played 126 matches for Tottenham, scoring 11 goals and supplying 23 assists.

The Spaniard’s gloomy, incensed demeanour at full-time on Saturday was indicative of the wider malaise at the club, but he surely must hold his hands up and acknowledge that he wasn’t good enough, with Sofascore recording that he found the mark with only three of 16 attempted crosses, losing eight of 11 duels and being caught out numerous times.

It was, frankly, a pitiful first-half performance, with Porro utterly toothless in his creative role and more than susceptible against the rampant Samuel Chukwueze and beaten far too easily in the build-up to Kenny Tete’s opening goal after just a few minutes.

He was hardly the only one to hang his head in shame, though, with his counterpart on the left serving up an equally frustrating performance.

Spurs defender is now becoming a liability

At his best, Destiny Udogie is a machine. Ferociously athletic, fleet-footed on the ball and attuned in crucial defence phases, he took the Lilywhites faithful’s breath away when he charged the left side of Postecoglou’s system during the halycon days of 2023/24, before things went wrong.

Indeed, when he burst onto the scene as a teenager under Postecoglou’s wing, journalist Hunter Godson remarked that he was “sickeningly good” and would get into “nearly every team in the world already”.

Such was his power and pace and balance down the left lane that he was considered by Clinton Morrison on BBC Sport to be “the best left-back” in the country during that first foray into English football.

But it might be fair to say that Udogie has yet to raise his game in the Premier League. Sure, he’s been unfortunate with injuries, but this is now his third season in English football and he is no longer an up-and-coming prospect but a talented member of the first team who is expected to provide an outlet while protecting his box.

Goals scored

0.08

0.00

Assists

0.11

0.17

Shot-creating actions

2.15

2.25

Touches

66.81

69.71

Pass completion (%)

85.8

85.0

Progressive passes

5.83

5.72

Progressive carries

3.12

3.47

Successful take-ons

0.90

0.52

Ball recoveries

6.36

5.72

Tackles + interceptions

3.95

2.43

Clearances

3.01

Aerials won

0.83

0.69

It may take a moment to look at the various elements of Udogie’s game, but it’s worth a closer inspection, with Udogie yet to raise his creative levels and indeed provide greater security at the back.

In fact, as per Sofascore, he has only completed 30% of his dribbles and won half of his duels in the Premier League this year.

This remains a talented full-back with the capacity to perform as one of the best in the division, but Udogie is not pulling his weight right now, and it’s clear to see that Frank’s system is being hindered by the lackadaisical performances of Udogie and Porro, two wide players who are considered among the most talented in the country, if not the continent.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 1, 2025

Sunderland returned to Premier League action after the international break with a whimper, instead of a bang.

Indeed, Regis Le Bris’ men lost 1-0 away at Fulham, which doesn’t seem like the demoralising result on first glance. But, on another day, Marco Silva’s hosts could have run away with the clash as resounding winners, having notched up a colossal 23 shots, to the Black Cats’ meagre five.

Le Bris will hope his side can return to winning ways in the top-flight when AFC Bournemouth come to Wearside next, before December kicks into gear, which sees huge contests such as the Tyne-Wear Derby arrive on the jam-packed calendar.

Before you know it, the January transfer window will also reopen to give Sunderland an apt opportunity to improve their ranks, ahead of a tough second part of the season, with some high-profile names already being linked to the Stadium of Light.

Transfer latest at Sunderland

Sunderland were very busy in the summer before jumping up to the big time in the Premier League, with a whopping £162m forked out on the likes of Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs.

Therefore, it isn’t the wildest shout to suggest they could break the bank again if a tempting move comes their way in January, with recent reports from Spain suggesting that the Black Cats could boost their forward line with the acquisition of Real Madrid hotshot Gonzalo Garcia.

The biggest rumour of them all comes in the form of Matteo Guendouzi, the former Arsenal midfielder who worked under Le Bris at Lorient.

Keith Downie reported last week that the Mackems boss has not ruled out a move for the Frenchman as they potentially go about bringing another former ex-Gunner to the Stadium of Light.

He isn’t the only Lazio midfielder catching the eye, with concrete rumours emerging involving the Premier League newcomers being in the hunt for Lazio outcast Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

As per reports from Italy, Sunderland are named as one suitor taking a look at the ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder this January, with the centre of the park a clear priority position to improve.

Sunderland will hope, even if a move for Guendouzi isn’t forthcoming, that they can still clinch a deal for Dele-Bashiru to leave Serie A behind, as Le Bris potentially works his magic on another diamond in the rough, much like he did with Wilson Isidor.

How Dele-Bashiru can be Le Bris' next Isidor

Isidor hasn’t had the smoothest career up to this point, even if he is now four Premier League goals down in Sunderland red and white.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old attacker has had to bounce back from a lot of adversity already, so early into his playing days, with the Rennes-born striker never going on to score a senior goal for AS Monaco, before many loan moves to the likes of Lokomotiv Moscow came to fruition.

Thankfully, the nomadic marksman has now found a home that suits him in Wearside, after such a well-travelled career, with Dele-Bashiru’s career path looking very similar.

Like Isidor, the “special” midfielder as he’s been labelled in Nigeria, is well-travelled, having already played in countries such as Turkey and Italy, after failing to make the grade at Manchester City at youth level.

Much like Isidor, though, he has shone in the EFL previously – which is where the 6-foot-1 striker bagged 13 goals to seal Sunderland’s promotion out of the Championship – with seven goal contributions coming his way on the books of the Owls in League One, as a rising youngster in South Yorkshire.

The nine-time Nigeria international has also shone in spurts for Lazio, even if only four appearances have come his way this season, with five goals and three assists from 33 appearances perhaps standing him in good stead to acclimatise to the Premier League effortlessly, as Isidor has managed.

Away from possessing a similar eye for a goal and assist like his Rennes-born counterpart, Dele-Bashiru would also be a useful buy when you consider his versatility across his up-and-down career to date, with his Lazio teammate in Boulaye Dia even hailing him as a talent who “can do everything”, whether that be from a central role, down the flanks, or even as an unorthodox defender.

Valued at around the £4.7m mark, which is the amount he officially joined Lazio for, this is a deal that would be really worth exploring, with Dele-Bashiru lining up across seven different positions during his bumpy career to date.

Isidor only cost around the £5m price range, as well, and in January, another Isidor-style deal could soon be wrapped up.

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By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 21, 2025

Manchester United has been the home to so many iconic centre-forwards over the years, with the fanbase often blessed by numerous elite-level talents at Old Trafford.

Players like Wayne Rooney so often caught the eye during their time as a Red Devil, with the Englishman undoubtedly leaving a lasting impression on the club’s history.

He registered a total of 253 goals for the club, subsequently sitting at the top of their goalscoring charts and beating the record set by the great Sir Bobby Charlton.

Rooney was partnered by numerous legendary players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie, subsequently helping Sir Alex Ferguson win 13 Premier League titles along the way.

However, no manager has been able to achieve such a feat since, with Ruben Amorim wanting to land another talisman to his ranks to boost any title success in the near future.

Man Utd’s hunt for a new striker in January

Over the last couple of weeks, United have been strongly touted with a potential winter deal to land Serhou Guirassy from Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund.

The Guinean international has caught the eye of the last couple of years with his goalscoring exploits, subsequently registering 45 goals in just 65 appearances for the German club.

However, any deal would likely be an expensive one, as his current employers are demanding a fee in the region of £70m to part ways with the 29-year-old frontman.

He’s not the only name currently on their shortlist, with Crystal Palace star Jean-Philippe Mateta another talisman the hierarchy have set their sights on for the near future.

According to one Spanish outlet, the Red Devils’ hierarchy are considering a move to land the Frenchman and could present an offer to the Eagles in January.

The report also states that the player is understood to be frustrated over the lack of contract talks at Selhurst Park, which could lead to a £40m departure in the coming months.

Why United’s latest target is an upgrade on Sesko

The thought of talking about a new striker in December would have been a shock to many associated with United – especially after their move to land Benjamin Sesko in the summer.

Amorim and the board forked out a total of £74m, including add-ons on the Slovenian international after he netted 21 goals across all competitions for RB Leipzig last campaign.

Such a deal generated huge excitement and handed the supporters hope that they had found their new number nine, but ultimately, the move has struggled to lift off in recent months.

The 22-year-old has only managed to find the net twice for the Red Devils, with central midfielder Casemiro scoring more to date – subsequently highlighting his struggles in the Premier League.

Obviously, Sesko will need time to settle into life in England, but the early signs don’t appear to be promising, especially considering the fee paid for his services.

His lack of form has fuelled speculation over a deal for Mateta, with the Frenchman undoubtedly providing Amorim with the needed Premier League-proven star he craves.

He netted a total of 14 goals in his 37 league outings throughout 2024/25, but he’s continued his remarkable goalscoring feats into the current campaign – leading to Paul Merson labelling him “much better” than Sesko.

When comparing his stats to those of Sesko, he’s managed to outperform him in key areas, with his potential move undoubtedly an excellent pickup for United.

Mateta, who’s been dubbed “one of the best strikers in the Premier League” by Ben Mattinson, has scored three times more goals than Sesko, whilst also achieving a better shot on target accuracy rate.

How Mateta & Sesko compare in the PL (2025/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Mateta

Sesko

Games played

11

11

Goals & assists

6

3

Shot on target accuracy

50%

38%

Take-on success

55%

20%

Carries into final third

0.8

0.4

Aerials won

51%

48%

Shots on target per 90

1.4

0.9

Pass accuracy

65%

63%

Stats via FBref

Such numbers showcase his clinical nature within the final third, often able to take advantage of more of the opportunities that have fallen his way in front of goal.

He’s also completed more take-ons in the Premier League, whilst completing more carries into the final third per 90, which has certainly made him a more all-round threat.

Aerially, Mateta has dominated, subsequently winning more of the battles he’s entered – making him the perfect target man in Amorim’s current system at Old Trafford.

£40m in today’s market would be an absolute steal for a striker who’s been producing incredible goalscoring numbers at the top level over multiple years.

As for Sesko, he desperately needs to find form in the Premier League to avoid losing his place in the side at Mateta’s expense ahead of January and beyond.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb Nov 21, 2025

Leicestershire’s march towards promotion may be in danger of becoming something of a shuffle, but a resilient batting performance saw the Foxes go a long way towards securing the draw that depending on results elsewhere, could prove enough to see them over the line on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship match against Gloucestershire.Big half-centuries from Lewis Hill, his fifth of the season, and Shan Masood, on his Championship debut for the county, saw Leicestershire recover from 86 for 3 and secure a batting bonus point before closing on 270 for 4. Both achieved personal landmarks in the course of their innings, Masood passing 12,000 first-class runs, and Hill 5000.Leicestershire still trail the visitors by 212, and need another 63 runs to be sure of not being asked to follow-on, but a poor weather forecast for days three and four means the draw is now strong favourite, and there should be enough play for Leicestershire to secure at least two more batting bonus points.A return of 14 or 15 points could prove sufficient to confirm their return to the top division.A sunny morning at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road, saw Gloucestershire resume their first innings on 382 for 7, but play began with one of those somewhat unedifying periods of county cricket when the bowling side opts to hurry through a few overs to improve a negative over rate, which in this case saw Leicestershire opening batsmen Rishi Patel and Sol Budinger squeezing 11 overs of their occasional off-spin into the first 20 minutes of play.While on one hand this meant the Foxes were no longer in any danger of being deducted any points at the end of the game, it also meant they had little chance of taking the two wickets they needed for a third bowling bonus point, and Zaman Akhter and Matt Taylor happily and comfortably built a half-century partnership before, with the seamers now back into the attack, Taylor top edged a pull at a short delivery from Logan van Beek, and Hill took a good catch at deep square leg.Van Beek then produced a fine delivery to bowl Josh Shaw, but Akhter and last man Ajeet Singh Dale laid about them to good effect, Akhter registering a third half-century of the season to underline his status as aspiring all-rounder before edging an Ian Holland out-swinger to wicket-keeper Ben Cox.Having made important contributions with the bat, Taylor and Singh Dale then looked dangerous with the ball, finding sufficient movement to beat both Patel and Budinger in impressive spells before lunch. Budinger could consider himself unfortunate however, when having hit Taylor for consecutive boundaries, the left-hander got a delivery that kept markedly low before thudding into off stump.Patel, who has struggled for form in recent weeks, followed shortly after the break, an uncertain defensive push at Shaw giving Ben Charlesworth a straightforward catch at second slip, and though Holland tried to dig in, the Leicestershire captain’s inclination to stay on the back foot cost him when a fullish Taylor delivery stayed low and pinned him leg before.Hill, however, has been one of Leicestershire’s most consistent run scorers this season, and having played himself in, the 34-year-old former captain began to unfurl some fine shots, including four boundaries in five balls before a glorious on-drive off Shaw took him past 50, the half-century coming off 57 deliveries.Masood, coming in to the side in place of Peter Handscomb (the Victorian having returned to Australia to prepare for the forthcoming season down under), also began slowly, but as the ball got older and the bowlers began to tire, he too began to show his class, with one particular late cut verging on the exquisite. The partnership had passed 150 when Hill, to his dismay, was given out caught behind on 88 off the bowling of Matt Taylor.His dismissal brought in another making his Championship debut for Leicestershire, Steve Eskinazi, and the tall right-hander gave Masood solid support in steering their side to the close without further loss.

Celtic are currently searching for their long-term successor to Brendan Rodgers after the manager tendered his resignation at Parkhead at the start of last week.

The Northern Irish head coach left the Glasgow giants after successive losses to Dundee and Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, which left them eight points adrift of Hearts in first place.

Rodgers won four trophies and only lost 20 of his 123 games in charge during his second spell, which shows that it was far from a disastrous return to the club.

However, he clearly felt that the time was right for a change, and Martin O’Neill has been brought in to be the interim manager until a successor can be found.

The experienced manager has overseen wins over Falkirk in the Premiership and Rangers in the semi-final of the League Cup at Hampden Park in his first two matches in the dugout.

It remains to be seen how long O’Neill will be in interim charge, though, as one pundit has told the club to swoop for a former Premier League winner.

Celtic told to swoop for Premier League-winning manager

Speaking on The Warm Up, former Celtic central defender Charlie Mulgrew has told the Scottish giants to go and persuade Jurgen Klopp to make the move to Parkhead.

Mulgrew stated: “I would go all out and get Jurgen Klopp in the door.”

After laughs from Kris Boyd and Steven Naismith, the former Hoops man added: “Why not? £7million a year. Give him it. Jurgen Klopp in the door. What’s your argument against it? I know it’s unrealistic, right.

“But could Dermot Desmond go, ‘Do you know what? We’re going to bounce back after Rodgers here and we’re going to go big.”

Klopp is currently the Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull GmbH, which means that he is not managing a club at this moment in time, but he is in a job and would need to be tempted to leave it.

There has been no suggestion, beyond Mulgrew’s comments, that Celtic are considering a move for the German manager, or that he is interested in returning to management in the short term.

As you can see in the table above, the former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool head coach has had an illustrious career, winning plenty of high-profile titles and trophies, which is why he would be a huge coup for the Hoops.

However, for the aforementioned reasons, a move for Klopp does not seem to be very realistic, which is why the club should be looking to find their own version of the 58-year-old tactician.

Klopp once described his own style of play as “heavy metal” because of how intense he likes his teams to make games, and there is one reported Celtic managerial target who could deploy a similar philosophy.

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It was recently reported that Dermot Desmond and the board have Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen on their radar as a possible replacement for Rodgers and, more immediately, O’Neill.

The 57-year-old manager is seemingly one of the names on the club’s shortlist, and they could unearth their answer to Klopp by bringing him to Parkhead in the coming days or weeks.

Why Celtic should appoint Kjetil Knutsen

Parking results and trophies aside for a moment, Knutsen would be Celtic’s answer to Klopp because he also plays an extreme brand of football with his teams, which is why Desmond should swoop to appoint him.

Former captain Bodo/Glimt Ulrik Saltnes described his playing style as “kamikaze”, due to the intense forward-thinking nature of the performances and style of play.

Like Klopp, Knutsen typically deploys a base 4-3-3 formation, per Transfermarkt, and looks to play aggressive and intense “kamikaze” football to dominate opponents and score plenty of goals.

The statistics in the table above show that he has successfully coached his team to score plenty of goals throughout his time in charge of Bodo/Glimt, with their 103 goals in 30 league matches in the 2020 campaign a particularly eye-catching achievement.

Knutsen may not have won the Premier League, the Bundesliga, or the Champions League in his managerial career, as Klopp has, but he has had plenty of success with Bodo/Glimt in the Eliteserien.

As you can see in the table above, he has won the league in four of the last five seasons, whilst his team are currently one point off first place with three matches left to go in the current campaign.

On top of his domestic success with the Norwegian outfit, Knutsen also led Bodo/Glimt to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, whilst Rodgers never even reached the last 16 of the Europa League or Champions League at Celtic.

The Norwegian tactician also reached the quarter-finals of the Conference League in the 2021/22 campaign, and has won 39 of his 78 European games in charge of his side in total, per Transfermarkt.

O’Neill, who is in interim charge, has not reached past the group stage in a European competition as a manager since he reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup with Celtic in the 2003/04 season.

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This manager who is interested in the Celtic job could revive Reo Hatate at Parkhead.

1

By
Dan Emery

Nov 4, 2025

Therefore, Knutsen could come in as an upgrade on both Rodgers and O’Neill in terms of what he can achieve on the continent, whilst also having the potential to deliver domestic success and a Klopp-esque style of play, if Desmond swoops to appoint him.

India have once again returned to demanding early turn, but they could be underestimating how much more aware and better equipped visiting teams have become

Philander: ‘On that surface 123 was like 350-400’

Over the three days of the first India-South Africa Test match and its aftermath, a tricky, up-and-down pitch at Eden Gardens has triggered two parallel debates.One, already discussed on these pages, is whether such pitches are good for Test cricket.The other, which gained urgency as South Africa pressed home the decisive advantage they gained on the third morning, is whether such pitches are good for India. Is it really in their best interests to roll out tracks that turn sharply, and offer uneven bounce, from day one?Related

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India certainly think so. Gautam Gambhir, their head coach, has made it clear that he and the rest of India’s team management had asked curator Sujan Mukherjee for a surface along the lines of what they got.”This is what we asked for, and this is what we got,” Gambhir said in his post-match press conference. “I thought the curator was very supportive. And I still believe that irrespective of how the wicket was, 123 [124] was chaseable. And I felt that if you are willing to put your head down, and if you have a solid defence, if you have the temperament, you can definitely score runs.”Yes, it might not be a wicket which is going to [allow you to] be very, very flamboyant, where you can play those big shots. But if you are willing to put your head down, definitely it’s a wicket where you can score.”Is the pressure mounting on Gambhir, the red-ball coach?

Score, here, had to be a relative term. Neither team passed 200 over the four innings, and Temba Bavuma scored the only half-century of the match, his unbeaten third-innings 55 helping South Africa set a target of 124 that proved well beyond India in fourth-innings conditions where run-scoring and survival were both fraught with risk.While there were generous amounts of turn on offer from the first afternoon itself, the factor that made batting especially challenging was uneven bounce, which meant batters could never feel settled at the crease. There were 12 scores of over 20, but only one above 40.”This is exactly the pitch we were looking for,” Gambhir reiterated, when asked if the uneven bounce had surprised him. “And I feel that, as I just mentioned before, that the curator was very, very helpful. And this is exactly what we wanted. And this is exactly what we got. When you don’t play well, this is what happens.”Over the last decade, India have tended to go back and forth over their preference of pitches for home Tests. In 2015, when they were a young, up-and-coming team taking on a South Africa side with a proud away record, they won a four-Test series 3-0, with two of the Tests played on square turners. This proved to be a one-off, as India built a formidable home record over the next half-decade or so on pitches that usually allowed both teams to post sizeable first-innings totals.Simon Harmer picked up eight wickets in the Kolkata Test•BCCIThe first home Test of the post-pandemic period, at Chennai in 2021, however, made India rethink their strategy, as England won a Test match on the back of a massive first-innings total that India weren’t able to get close to. Then, the pitch was benign on day one but began to offer sharp turn even before India began their first innings; winning the toss gave England a massive advantage.It was here that India went back to asking curators for pitches that turned from day one, in the belief that these surfaces would minimise toss advantage.Gambhir echoed this sentiment on Sunday. “We have always said we want turning wickets where the ball turns a little on day one so that the toss doesn’t become an important factor. We’ve never said we want to play on bad wickets or rank turners. Ultimately, if we had won, we wouldn’t be speaking about the pitch this much.”That Gambhir retained his belief that turning tracks minimised the effect of the toss was interesting, considering India’s recent results on such pitches. They have lost the toss in each of their last three home Tests on tracks with early turn – against New Zealand in Pune and Mumbai last year, and now against South Africa – and have gone on to lose each match.Losing the toss has meant India have had to bat fourth on all three occasions. This is usually a disadvantage even on flatter subcontinental pitches. Pitches that offer turn and/or uneven bounce early on often give teams their only real window of straightforward batting conditions — which could last for as little as one session — on day one, and amplify the treachery of batting fourth.Gambhir: ‘This was not an unplayable wicket’

How might Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata have played out if India had won the toss and batted first?There is one counter-argument, though, which comes from India’s series against Australia in early 2023. In that series, which pitted two relatively evenly-matched spin-bowling units, batting second seemed to give teams a bit of an advantage, because early moisture in the first session of the match often made the ball turn alarmingly, before the pitch settled down somewhat.Asked about this after India lost the third Test in Indore — where Australia’s spinners made deadly use of that first-session moisture — their then captain Rohit Sharma said he too had pondered the question of whether there was an advantage to batting second on such pitches, without coming to a decisive conclusion. “Again it tells you that toss is not a factor at all in this series,” he said. “You’ve got to bring your best skills, play best cricket and win the game.”It could well be the case, notwithstanding recent results, that pitches that turn sharply, and early, by and large advantage the team winning the toss less than flat pitches that begin breaking up on day two or three. Gambhir’s belief only reiterates similar thoughts expressed by previous coaches and captains stretching at least as far back as 2012, when MS Dhoni called for pitches that turned from day one during a home series against England. He made this plea after India had a Test against England on a slow, low, flat pitch in Ahmedabad.”I don’t even want to see this wicket,” Dhoni had said. “There wasn’t enough turn and bounce for the spinners… Hopefully in the coming matches we’ll see the wicket turn, right from start, or as soon as possible so that the toss doesn’t become vital.”A thread runs directly from Dhoni 13 years ago to Gambhir now, and every team management along the way has also subscribed to the broad idea that the toss matters less on square turners than on flat pitches.That’s the Test – Keshav Maharaj leads the celebrations•Getty ImagesThe recent history of square turners in India presents one other observable pattern. They have tended to occur in series where India rate their oppositions highly, such as the 2015 series against South Africa. The series against Australia in 2017, which came at the end of a long home season played mostly on flat pitches, began on such a pitch in Pune, where a defeat made them veer away from that gameplan.In 2023, India went 2-0 up against Australia on sharp turners, before a defeat in the third Test in Indore led them to close out the series with a high-scoring draw on an Ahmedabad shirtfront. Now, after two Tests against West Indies on pitches enabling big scores in the first innings, India have once again returned to demanding early turn. They respect South Africa, and they don’t want to take any chances.In respecting their opposition in this manner, however, India could be underestimating just how much more aware and better equipped visiting teams have become over recent years. Australia in 2023, England and New Zealand last year, and South Africa now have all arrived with players who are more experienced, possess better attributes for the conditions, or both, than most previous touring teams from those countries. Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, for example, aren’t just skillful fingerspinners; they’re both on their second Test tours of India, and bring knowledge gained over long careers that have taken them to all parts of the world, including two recent subcontinent tours. Giving them conditions that add fangs to their bowling may not be in India’s best interests.And in doing this, India may be underestimating just how good their own bowlers are on normal Indian pitches. In Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, they have the world’s best fast-bowling wicket-taker and the world’s best spin-bowling wicket-taker in conditions with minimal help for seam or spin. In Mohammed Siraj, they have a quick, skillful operator who is dangerous with new ball and old, and can pound away on good lengths relentlessly without losing his intensity. In Ravindra Jadeja, they have one of India’s greatest-ever fingerspinners, and if Washington Sundar and Axar Patel aren’t yet as rounded as he is, they come close to matching him for control. All three are genuine batters as well.Against this, in Kolkata, South Africa had an attack that had Harmer, Maharaj and the hugely gifted left-arm quick Marco Jansen, but they were without their best fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, and had Wiaan Mulder, a batting allrounder, taking the new ball in the first innings. This attack certainly did not match India’s for depth or variety in Indian conditions. And certainly not for experience in Indian conditions.There was a distinct gap between these attacks, on paper, and India narrowed it with their choice of pitch. They had done the same thing last year, against New Zealand, with devastating consequences. They chose to do it again.There’s something to admire in India’s bull-headed belief in their pitch strategy. But is it really doing their cause any good?

And who has played the most Tests without ever taking a catch?

Steven Lynch19-Aug-2025Bob Simpson, who died recently, had a ten-year gap in his Test career – was this the longest for Australia, or indeed anybody? asked David McCormack from Australia
Bob Simpson, who sadly died last week at the age of 89, had played 52 Tests when he originally retired, aged only 31, after the 1967-68 Australian season. But he returned to captain them again in 1977-78, when several first-choice players were unavailable as they had joined Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. Simpson was 41, but scored two centuries against India before captaining in the West Indies (which he had done before, in 1964-65). In all he played 62 Tests, scoring 4869 runs at 46.81. The highest of his ten centuries was his first, 311 against England at Old Trafford in 1964.There was a gap of nine years and 305 days between Simpson’s 52nd Test (against India in Sydney in January 1968) and his 53rd (also against India, in Brisbane in December 1977). That’s the longest such gap for Australia in Tests, but leaves him quite a way down the overall list.The offspinner John Traicos tops the list: he went 22 years 222 days between playing for South Africa in March 1970 and appearing in Zimbabwe’s inaugural Test, against India in Harare in October 1992. George Gunn of England and Pakistan’s Younis Ahmed both went more than 17 years between Test appearances.Simpson missed 71 Test matches during his absence, and lies third on that particular list for Australia, behind Brad Hogg and Tim Paine, who both missed 78. The overall list is headed by the England offspinner Gareth Batty, who was not selected in 142 successive Tests between June 2005 and October 2016.Who has played the most Test matches without ever taking a catch? And what’s the record for ODIs and T20Is? asked Zaheer Ahmed from the United States
I’ve answered this before, but not for a while I think, and it’s worth doing again as Zimbabwe’s Tendai Chatara has (possibly temporarily) joined four other men who have played ten Tests without ever taking a catch. The others are Australia’s Chuck Fleetwood-Smith, Imran Khan of Pakistan (the recent bowler, not the famous captain), India’s Abey Kuruvilla and Jayananda Warnaweera of Sri Lanka.In ODIs, the Pakistan seamer Ata-ur-Rehman played no fewer than 30 matches without ever holding on to a catch: he’s well clear of the next man, Zimbabwe’s Piet Rinke with 18.In T20 internationals, Chirag Suri of UAE has played 31 matches so far without taking a catch, while Hungary’s Ali Farasat has drawn a blank in 22. Australia’s Billy Stanlake has played 19 T20Is without a catch, as has Rwanda’s Yvan Mitari.For the women, Pakistan’s Sharmeen Khan played 26 ODIs without taking a catch and Jiska Howard of Netherlands 21. In T20Is, the Singapore offspinner Haresh Dhavina has so far played no fewer than 49 matches without a catch, and Harjivan Bhullar 43 for Austria.Has any captain ever done less than Mitchell Santner in the second Test against Zimbabwe? He only bowled one over and didn’t bat… at least he took a few catches! asked Christopher McKenna from New Zealand
I don’t suppose Mitchell Santner was too bothered by his slim pickings in Bulawayo, since his side won by an innings and he ended up with two wins out of two as captain! He wasn’t required to bat, bowled one over for four runs, but did take three catches.There are 18 instances of a captain not batting or bowling in a Test, most of them rain-affected matches – it includes successive games for England’s Arthur Carr during the 1926 Ashes, and rival captains Tom Lowry (New Zealand) and Harold Gilligan (England) in a soggy match in Auckland in February 1930. The previous two instances were both in 2023, by Ben Stokes for England against Ireland at Lord’s in June, and the injured Temba Bavuma for South Africa vs India in Centurion in December.There’s one other instance of a captain not batting but bowling just one over in the Test, by Jackie Grant in West Indies’ innings victory over England in Kingston in 1935.Ben Stokes neither batted nor bowled but did take one catch when he captained England to a ten-wicket win against Ireland at Lord’s in 2023•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesOn his Test debut in 2019, George Linde scored the most runs in the match and also took the most wickets for South Africa. Has anyone else done this on debut? asked James King from South Africa
South Africa’s George Linde scored 37 and 27, and also took 4 for 133, on his debut against India in Ranchi in 2019.He was only the second man to make the most runs and take more wickets than any other team-mate on his Test debut, after Roger Blunt, who scored 52 runs and also took five wickets with his legbreaks against England in Christchurch in 1930, in New Zealand’s first-ever Test match.Two other players scored the most runs, and were the equal-top wicket-taker in their first Test: Tinashe Panyangara, with 50 runs (from No. 11) and three wickets for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka in Harare in 2004 (Blessing Mahwire also took three wickets), and Alick Athanaze, who top-scored in both innings with 47 and 28 and also took a wicket for West Indies vs India in Roseau (Dominica) in 2023. Athanaze was one of five West Indian bowlers who took a solitary wicket in that match.As a follow-up to last week’s question about Brendan Taylor, did Zimbabwe have the oldest average age for any Test team? asked Anandh Subramanian from India
The team in Bulawayo was Zimbabwe’s oldest in a Test, with an average age of 32 years 111 days: apart from the nearly-40s, most of the others were relatively young. Zimbabwe’s previous-oldest team was against England at Trent Bridge earlier in the year, with an average age of 31 years 133 days (Taylor wasn’t in that one).Buit it’s a long way down the overall list of the oldest teams: there have actually been 156 XIs with a higher average age. The top four places are occupied by England in the four Tests in the West Indies in 1929-30, when their side included two 50-year-olds in Wilfred Rhodes (who was actually 52) and George Gunn, two fortysomethings in Nigel Haig and Patsy Hendren, and 39-year-old Andy Sandham, who scored Test cricket’s first triple-century in the final Test in Kingston, when the team’s average age was 37 years 188 days.The oldest in the current century was Australia’s team in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June 2025, which had an average age of 33 years 156 days – only Cameron Green was under 30.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Former Manchester United player Zidane Iqbal has been banished from the Utrecht squad and will be absent for the game against Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday. Utrecht coach Ron Jans has publicly criticised the midfielder following his return from international duty with Iraq, saying that he needs "a reset" before he will be brought back into the team.

Iqbal's dismal time at Utrecht

Iqbal, after an unsatisfactory tenure at United, left the club in 2023 to join Eredivisie outfit Utrecht. To date, he has featured 47 times for them across all competitions, recording just a single goal. This season, the central midfielder has made five Eredivisie appearances, having returned to the senior team after a brief stint with the reserves as he recovered from a knee operation. His last appearance came against AZ on October 26, and now the player, who started both of the recent World Cup qualifying games against United Arab Emirates, has been removed from the squad ahead of their crucial away game in the Europa League against La Liga side Betis on Thursday. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportUtrecht boss outlines why Iqbal has been left out

Speaking to , Utrecht coach Jans has clarified on his stance about the midfielder. He said: "Zidane then had a bad training week. He has shown little dedication, also around and after the matches. He was in disappointment all the time. You can have that for a day, sometimes for two days, but not longer. It needs to be reset."

The 67-year-old has not identified a potential return date for the youngster, but it is reportedly said that he might be suspended for more games than the Betis one.

Iqbal was frustrated at United too

Last season, Iqbal had revealed that he was not satisfied at United as well. He secured 35 appearances for the U-21 side but just one for the senior team – a one-minute cameo against Young Boys in the Champions League. He wanted to show his prowess to then-head coach Erik Ten Hag. However, opportunities were hard to come by and he soon opted to accept the Dutch side's offer. 

"I was supposed to start a cup game against Charlton," he later lamented. "I was in all the shapes and patterns in pre-match training. I was starting as a 10 and Lisandro Martinez came up to me and said: 'Now's your chance'. He talked to me and said: 'All of us are supporting you. Just show yourself, you're a good player. We're going to fight for you, make sure you're ready to fight'. It motivated me and it was nice from him, an aggressive leader in the team, a big player. I got tickets for family and friends to see me. Finally, my chance. Then I got to the stadium, looked at the whiteboard and didn't see my name. I was gutted. Then I thought I'd come off the bench. Nothing. That was the turning point for me. I didn't feel the manager respected me enough to play me."

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Getty Images SportIqbal feels respected at the national team

Despite his struggles at club level, Iqbal has enjoyed a more prosperous national team career so far. He has 22 caps to his name and could even secure a place at the World Cup, with Iraq set to face either Bolivia or Suriname in an inter-confederation play-off tie in March to decide whether or not they will be at the tournament in Canada, United States and Mexico.

Iqbal feels he is valued by the manager, telling : "For Iraq, the manager Graeme Arnold and his assistant, Rene Meulensteen, told me of my importance to the team. They told me to be ready and as soon as we conceded the first goal, the gaffer just pointed at me and said: 'You're coming on'."

The 22-year-old also reflected on his struggles with injuries that spilled over from last season into this one, adding: "Having no pre-season was tough as that’s where you gain your fitness. So I came back and everyone else had a pre-season and rhythm, while I was trying to pick up minutes. It's tough coming back from injury but I think I'm coming back to myself more. And I think I had a positive impact on the game. I'm just ready to give 100 per cent, whether they need me in the first minute, the last minute, whether I start or I'm off the bench making an impact."

Arya and Prabhsimran are among the pairs to have delivered strong starts for their teams this season


Omkar Mankame30-Apr-20255:32

Aaron: Sai Sudharsan ‘definitely’ in if there’s vacancy in India’s T20I side

Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan (GT)Last year, in Wriddhiman Saha’s absence, GT briefly tried out Sai Sudharsan to open with Gill, and it worked. The pair crossed fifty in all three innings they opened together. Building on that, GT have stuck with the same opening combination this season and it’s paid off.A standout feature of their campaign has been the ability of the openers to bat deep. Only once this season have both fallen inside the first ten overs. While the duo may not be ultra-aggressive in their approach, their consistency has been key to GT’s success in IPL 2025.Phil Salt and Virat Kohli have been consistent this season•Getty ImagesVirat Kohli and Phil Salt (RCB)Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, RCB released their captain and opener Faf du Plessis and invested INR 11.5 crore in bagging Salt. The move paid immediate dividends. In the season opener, Salt and Kohli stitched together a 95-run stand off just 51 balls, taking the sting out of Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) 175-run target. While they’ve occasionally been separated early, the duo has consistently provided rapid starts, often putting RCB in commanding positions within the powerplay.Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, the uncapped PBKS wunderkinds•AFP/Getty ImagesPriyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh (PBKS)Two uncapped Indians walking out to open an IPL innings is usually the result of an emergency – injuries, loss of form, or last-minute reshuffles. But PBKS placed their trust in Prabhsimran, a retained player, and Arya, an IPL debutant, and they have been vindicated. Though their aggressive style has often led to brisk but brief partnerships, they did demonstrate impressive composure in a rain-affected clash against KKR. On a slow Eden Gardens wicket, the duo stitched a 120-run stand off 72 balls, pacing their innings smartly and choosing their moments to attack.Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram have been dominant up top•Associated PressAiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh (LSG)LSG went into IPL 2025 with an overseas-heavy top order. Marsh, despite having limited experience as an IPL opener, was up and running as he scored more fifties in his first five outings this season than he did in his previous eight campaigns combined. Markram took a few matches to find his rhythm but has since added four fifties to his name. While their scoring rate has been modest, the duo has brought a measure of reliability to LSG’s top order.Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma haven’t found their golden touch from last season•AFP/Getty ImagesAbhishek Sharma and Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad)It was the ‘Travishek’ pair that transformed SRH’s fortunes in IPL 2024. They picked up from where they left off with a 45-run blitz in just 19 balls in their season opener this year. But over the next four games, oppositions have found early breakthroughs, dismissing one of them inside the first three overs. A glimpse of their last year’s form came against PBKS at home, where they put on a 171-run stand off just 75 balls during a chase of 246. Outside of such flashes, they’ve struggled to produce consistent partnerships this season.

Ben Charlesworth top-scores as experience counts at Guildford

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay08-Aug-2025

Ollie Sykes struck a defiant 97 off 94 balls but Surrey were still overpowered by a far more experienced Gloucestershire at Guildford in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.Ben Charlesworth hit four sixes and top-scored with an 83-ball 80 in Gloucestershire’s 293 for 9, before Josh Shaw spearheaded an excellent collective display with ball to restrict Surrey to 208 all out in reply.Fast bowler Shaw produced a five-over new ball spell of 3 for 19 as Surrey slumped initially to 33 for 3, but 20-year-old Sykes – in just his eighth List A game – belied his youth to counter-attack with two sixes and 12 fours and add 99 for the fourth wicket with Josh Blake.Blake top-edged Graeme van Buuren’s slow left arm to short fine leg on 26 to leave Surrey 155 for 5 in the 31st over and Sykes’ departure four overs later made it just a matter of time before Gloucestershire wrapped up the lower order.Ollie Sykes (file photo) fell just short of three figures•Getty Images for Surrey CCC

Van Buuren and Ollie Price, bowling his offspin cannily, had built pressure on Sykes for several overs and their reward was a charge down the pitch to what became a legside wide from van Buuren and an easy stumping for keeper James Bracey.Surrey’s innings had begun with Ryan Patel skying a catch to backward point off Shaw, who then saw Tommy Boorman fling himself to his right at short fine leg to cling on to a full-blooded flick off his pads by Rory Burns.Burns made 15, Patel 16 and debutant Nikhil Gorantla was soon gone for a third ball duck, athletically caught and bowled by Shaw in his follow through inches from the turf.Adam Thomas was then held in the cover roles for 6 and Shaw finished with 3 for 29 and Jack Taylor, who cleaned up Surrey’s tail, 3 for 16.Gloucestershire’s total, a decent effort on a used pitch, was built around Charlesworth’s superbly-judged innings, which ended when he was fifth out in the 39th over.At halfway, on 125 for 3, there was a danger that Gloucestershire would post a below-par score for a ground with such short square boundaries but Charlesworth was joined in a timely 54-run partnership in ten overs by van Buuren once Jack Taylor had been brilliantly caught in the outfield by a diving Thomas off Steel.Van Buuren’s 33 was then followed by further useful late-innings knocks from Boorman (22), Daz Ahmed, who launched two sixes in a 21-ball 29, and Matt Taylor’s hard-hit 27 from 11 balls.Taylor thumped a six and four fours in the closing overs, topping off an innings which had begun with Bracey driving Yousef Majid’s left-hand spin for two straight sixes but which looked like losing its way once Bracey (24) had been spectacularly caught by a sprawling Gorantla at backward point.Cameron Bancroft was bowled for 18 by a beauty from James Taylor, Surrey’s stand-out bowler with 3 for 42 from his ten overs, and Price fell for 26 when he was bowled by Majid.