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Scotland allrounder Bryce takes two wickets and hits unbeaten fifty in ten-wicket triumph

ECB Media19-Aug-2025Kathryn Bryce starred with bat and ball and Sophie Ecclestone was at her parsimonious best as Manchester Originals cruised to a 10-wicket victory over Trent Rockets at Trent Bridge and moved third in the table.Having taken 2 for 19 to help restrict the hosts to 111 for 7, Bryce steered the chase with an unbeaten 61 from 45 deliveries, receiving strong support from Aussie star Beth Mooney, who made 47 not out from 37 balls.Their clinical opening stand secured victory with 18 balls to spare as Originals claimed a third straight win to boost their chances of progressing through the group stage.Earlier, Rockets had made a bright start after being put into bat, Natasha Wraith stroking 17 from 14 before a canny piece of bowling from Ecclestone (2-12) saw her stumped by Mooney. Bryony Smith was also in punchy form, moving to 17 from 12 only to have her innings ended by a peach of a legcutter from Bryce.Nat Sciver-Brunt (34 from 26) played nicely to leave the Rockets well-placed at 78 for 2 but Ecclestone produced a moment of brilliance to swing the game in Originals’ favour, ripping a sharp-turning delivery past the England skipper’s outside edge before Mooney effected another superb stumping.The hosts lost their way thereafter, the impressive Lauren Filer taking the key wicket of Ash Gardner as the Rockets mustered just 33 runs from their final 37 deliveries, stuttering to a below-par total and ultimately falling to a fourth defeat in five matches.Ecclestone, named as the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “It’s nice to take a few wickets and be able to contribute. I feel like we bowled so well as a group. We identified the pitch was quite slow and we bowled so well to keep them to that total.”Mooney actually said we just needed one partnership and she stuck to her guns and did it, fair play to those two. We need to keep winning as much as possible and hopefully get into the Eliminator.”

Despite Corbin Bosch’s best efforts, South Africa fell short of the 350-run target by 17 runs

Sidharth Monga30-Nov-20254:46

Takeaways – Kohli in comfort zone; Jansen, Kuldeep and Rana sparkle

Virat Kohli added to his world record of most ODI hundreds, Rohit Sharma brought up the world record for most ODI sixes, and a Sunday full house on a pleasant evening in Ranchi enjoyed watching India beat South Africa in a close first ODI of the three-match series. Kohli and Rohit turned back the clock in a 136-run partnership, Kohli went on long enough to hit seven sixes, and the fast bowlers inflicted just enough damage before the pitch eased out in the dew under the lights.The toss disadvantage that India had to overcome – having lost a 19th consecutive one in ODIs – was huge. During the afternoon, the old ball proved to be difficult to hit, resulting in a slowdown after the start Kohli and Rohit gave India. In the night, the pitch became dramatically easier to bat on.Related

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In the end, India needed every last bit of that start of 161 in 21.2 overs and the two wickets in the first over that Harshit Rana bowled with the new ball. Even after being 11 for 3, this is how South Africa’s next three partnerships went: 66 in 10.2 overs, 60 in 6.4 and 97 in 11.1. Marco Jansen and Matthew Breetzke scored 70s, Dewald Brevis and Tony de Zorzi 30s, and the target came down to 123 from 17 overs when Kuldeep Yadav got the wickets of Jansen and Bretzkee in the same over to ease India’s breath.South Africa still refused to go away with Corbin Bosch’s 67 bringing them to needing 19 off 10, but with only the last man for company, Borch found himself handcuffed against Arshdeep Singh’s yorkers. It was especially heartbreaking for Bosch after he had bowled overs 46, 48 and 50 for just 21 runs to keep India down to 349.This ODI followed the grammar of ODI cricket in recent years in India. The new ball does nothing in the afternoon, but you can cleverly offset it with the pitch’s slowness when the balls go soft. Under lights there is a small window of movement with the new ball, which you need to maximise, because once the dew sets in, batting gets easier on every count.Kuldeep Yadav celebrates after getting rid of Tony de Zorzi•BCCI

Kohli and Rohit respected the need to maximise the new ball themselves when the early wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal brought them together. For the first time when batting first in his career, Kohli hit two sixes in the first 10 overs, both off-drives that not long ago he might have kept down. Rohit, who is generally used to quicker starts, hit successive slog-swept sixes off offspinner Pernemal Subrayen to catch up with Kohli in no time.Rohit’s third six, a pull off Jansen moments after bringing up his fifty, took him past Shahid Afridi’s world-record tally of 351. It was also India’s eighth, the most they have hit in the first 20 overs of an innings. The next short ball from Jansen stayed low, trapping Rohit in front.Kohli, now 72 off 61, five sixes to his name, was deprived of strike as the next two batters struggled to come to terms with the slowness of the pitch. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 8 off 14, Washington Sundar 13 off 19, and they also dominated the strike. Kohli had to grit his teeth and get through this period. He kept picking up singles with ease, but the period from Rohit’s dismissal to Kohli’s hundred brought India just 72 runs in 16.3 overs.When he brought up the hundred, Kohli broke into an emotional celebration. This was his first hundred since February; while he plays only one format, there is scrutiny around his and Rohit’s future. And now, Kohli went into a renewed assault, hitting two more sixes and scoring 35 off the next 17 balls. KL Rahul, who fought through the initial period, took India’s six tally to 16 and the score to 349.Rana immediately showed why the selectors and the team management show so much faith in him. In the second over of the innings, he swung the ball both ways and also found seam both ways to take the wickets of Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks. Rickelton lost the top of middle with the ball swinging away and nipping back. Away swing and away seam were enough to take de Kock’s outside edge. Aiden Markram, captaining in the absence of the resting Temba Bavuma, looked to manufacture a cut off Arshdeep at the start of the fifth over but edged through to Rahul.Marco Jansen struck several meaty blows•Associated Press

By now the ball had stopped moving, the pitch had begun to skid, and the outfield had become moist only to become damp pretty soon. Everything played into the batters’ hands, leaving you wondering what a massacre it would have been but for those three early wickets.Kuldeep got de Zorzi lbw for 39 off 35, clever bowling from Rana contained a marauding Brevis for 39 off 28, and still Jansen and Breetzke proceeded to give India a right scare. After de Zorzi’s dismissal, Breetzke took upon the role of taking singles and watching the damage other batters did. What damage Jansen did in his 39-ball 70, the fastest fifty by a South Africa batter in India and the second-fastest against India.The dew got so heavy India had to forget about spinners for a while. Washington bowled only three overs. It was after having run through the fast bowlers that Rahul went back to Kuldeep, who, as wristspinners can sometimes do, drew the toe end from Jansen on a long hop. In the same over, Breetzke holed out to long-on, perhaps having got too close to the pitch of the ball.Incredibly, South Africa still refused to go away. Bosch kept South Africa interested with his maiden fifty, but never had the support left to pull off this heist. Arshdeep’s wicket-maiden in the 47th over seemed to have sealed the game, but Bosch still kept gasping. In the end, it probably came down to the two full tosses he missed from Prasidh Krishna in the 46th over.

Three double centurions on the second day while J&K’s Khajuria was dismissed on 190

Deivarayan Muthu02-Nov-2025Nair continues to rack up the runsLeft out of the senior India and the India A squads, Karun Nair served another reminder to the selectors and team management, converting his second successive fifty-plus score for Karnataka into a double-century, against Kerala in Mangalapuram. This was Nair’s fifth double-hundred in first-class cricket and third since 2024.After dropping him for the home Test series against West Indies in favour of Devdutt Padikkal, Nair’s state junior, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that they ‘expected a little bit more’ than his 205 runs in eight innings at an average of 25.62 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.Nair went back to the Ranji Trophy and scored an unbeaten 174 against Goa in Shimoga in the second round. After that knock Nair felt that he “deserves” to be part of India’s Test team.”Obviously, it is quite disappointing, but I know that I deserve to be there after the last two years I have had,” Nair told reporters during the last round. “People might have their own opinions, but for me personally, I can have my own. My own opinion is that I deserve a lot better.”He eventually ran out of partners in Shimoga but found ample support from 22-year-old R Smaran, who scored a double-century of his own. The pair added 343 for the fourth wicket, stopping 12 short of Karnataka’s first-class record. Manish Pandey and Dega Nischal had piled on 354 for the fourth wicket against Uttar Pradesh in Kanpur in 2017-18.It was seamer NP Basil who ended the stand when he dismissed Nair for 233 off 389 balls, including 25 fours and two sixes. Smaran then proceeded to make a career-best 220 not out. Karnataka will hope that the twin double-centuries will translate into their first outright win this season.Shikhar Mohan: A new star for Jharkhand?•PTI Another double-centurion: Shikhar MohanJharkhand’s rookie opener Shikhar Mohan also hit a double-century, setting up his team’s push for an innings win against Nagaland in Ranchi. After Jharkhand had lost two early wickets on the first day, Mohan combined with stand-in captain Virat Singh, who was leading the side in the absence of Ishan Kishan, who had linked up with the India A team in Bengaluru as cover for the injured N Jagadeesan. They accumulated 253 for the second wicket before Virat was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Imliwati Lemtur.Mohan and Kumar Kushagra (58) then carried Jharkhand past 400. Robin Minz also helped himself to a half-century before Jharkhand declared on 510 for 8. Mohan finished with 207 off 303 balls, with 21 fours and three sixes in his third first-class innings. A prolific run-getter in age-group cricket for Jharkhand, Mohan, now 20, is making a smooth step up to the Ranji Trophy.Elsewhere in Raipur, Jammu and Kashmir opener Shubham Khajuria came close to a double-hundred, but left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate denied him and dismissed him for 190 off 344 balls. His knock countered Chhattisgarh professional Ravi Kiran’s 7 for 82.Nachiket Bhute’s five-for wrecked TN•PTI Vidarbha flex their depthNo Danish Malewar. No Atharva Taide. No Harsh Dubey. No Yash Thakur. No problem for defending champions Vidarbha.Despite being hit by injuries and unavailability of their strike bowlers Thakur and Dubey, who are on India A duty, Vidarbha had enough depth to dominate Tamil Nadu in Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu were also without Gurjapneet Singh, Jagadeesan and India Under-19 allrounder RS Ambrish, but it was Vidarbha who coped better.Fast bowler Nachiket Bhute, who was playing his 14th first-class game, stepped into Thakur’s shoes and triggered a TN collapse. From an overnight 252 for 4, TN were bowled out for 291. Bhute threatened both edges, especially the inside edge of both right-handers and lefties with his inducker. Both M Shahrukh Khan and B Indrajith were done in by sharp induckers. Bhute gifted himself a five-wicket haul a day after his 26th birthday.Aman Mokhade then kickstarted Vidarbha’s reply with fluent strokes against both pace and spin. When TN captain R Sai Kishore pushed one marginally outside off, Mokhade stretched forward and swept him flat and hard into the square-leg boundary. When offspinner S Mohamed Ali darted one into the stumps from around the wicket, Mokhade dared to back away and pump him through the covers. But just when he was looking set to reel off this third successive century, Sai Kishore had him caught by Vimal Khumar for 80. Vidarbha’s professionals Dhruv Shorey and R Samarth then helped them cut their deficit to 80 by stumps on day two.

Nuno Espirito Santo is now reportedly ready to launch his first transfer move in charge of West Ham United to sign Bristol City’s set-piece specialist Scott Twine.

The Hammers could certainly do with a busy January transfer window. Whilst results have improved recently, their 2-2 draw against Bournemouth in a game that they led 2-0 exposed their problems once again.

After watching on as his side let go of their 2-0 lead gained through Callum Wilson’s goals, Nuno told reporters: “It’s a very tough place to come. The first half was us – we took advantage of the straight ball, of the second ball, we managed the tempo of the game, we managed to control Bournemouth, and we achieved a good lead.

“In the second half, Bournemouth did exactly the same that we did [in the first]. They managed better the circumstances of the game, we couldn’t go out, they put us against the ropes, they engaged five players in the last line.

“The boys were organised but were missing the pass to go out of pressure, to really hurt them with space, under tough circumstances. But the positive is that I think the team was resilient, was organised, was compact and was really committed.”

After the dramatic draw, West Ham have at least escaped the dropzone, albeit only on goal difference. With the visit of Liverpool up next, they’ll be hoping to compile the champions’ recent misery and escape the relegation zone in the process.

It goes without saying that the January transfer window would be a lot easier if West Ham were approaching it without the bottom three in mind. It would hand Nuno the perfect opportunity to welcome first-choice reinforcements and potentially take the Hammers onwards and upwards.

On that front, the former Nottingham Forest manager already has certain additions in mind, according to reports.

West Ham and Nuno ready to launch Scott Twine move

According to Sports Boom, Nuno is now ready to launch West Ham’s move to sign Twine from Bristol City in the January transfer window. The set-piece specialist would be an instant upgrade on James Ward-Prowse, who has been frozen out by Nuno, and would cost West Ham just £8m.

Minutes

1,244

958

Goals

6

3

Progressive Passes

41

71

Ball Recoveries

52

53

Although it is in a league below the Premier League, Twine has shown plenty of promise compared to Lucas Paqueta this season. Based on those numbers, £8m could quickly turn into a bargain for the London club.

Whether Bristol City allow one of their key men to leave so easily remains to be seen, however. Robins manager Gerhard Struber recently praised his midfielder – telling reporters: “Scott (has) outstanding technical power with his monster leg.

Forget Guilherme: Nuno can fix Summerville blow with West Ham academy star

Nuno might already have the perfect solution to West Ham’s Summerville problem.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 25, 2025

“It helped us to score in this way but I like his energy at the moment – his work ethic on the field to invest everything. You do not see it that often that players on this level work really hard against the ball but this was the key – players with high technical level were involved in our defensive pressing moments.”

West Ham now make enquiry to sign Champions League CF with eight goals in 25/26

Aston Villa defender Matty Cash has been hailed for his incredible defensive form after shutting down Bournemouth winger

Antoine Semenyo on Sunday.

Villa cruised to a fourth straight home Premier League victory, brushing Bournemouth aside 4-0 at Villa Park. Unai Emery’s side had only scored nine goals in the league coming into the match but put their goalscoring woes to bed to dispatch Andoni Iraola’s below-par Cherries with ease.

Emiliano Buendia’s sublime free-kick put them on track for a fifth win from six before Amadou Onana’s cracker from range doubled their lead. Villa had to withstand a spell of Bournemouth pressure but Emiliano Martinez produced a string of fine saves to keep their lead intact, including a one-handed stop to deny Semenyo from the penalty spot after Morgan Rogers handled the ball.

Villa then made the match safe as substitutes Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen struck to wrap up victory and deliver a first four-goal haul of the campaign. During the game, though he didn’t get onto the scoresheet, one Villa player had a stellar performance.

Cash shone in dominant win over Bournemouth

Writing on X, Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic was full of praise for Cash, touching on his contributions over the 2025/26 season which rank him amongst the best defenders in the English top flight.

Cash, along with his Villa teammates, endured a slow start to the current campaign, far from a norm under Emery’s tenure at Villa Park. Picking up their first win of the season only in late September against Bologna, Villa have since lost just two of their last 10 matches, a run to which Cash has been a major contributor.

Matty Cash 2025/26 Season Stats So Far
Interceptions per Game	0.8
Tackles per Game	1.6
Clearances per Game	2.8
Blocked Shots per Game	0.7
Errors Leading to Goals	0
(All stats are from SofaScore)

In what has been a thunderous start to the season for Bournemouth, Semenyo has shone as one of the most exciting attacking talents in the Premier League. As Tanswell noted, Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola wanted the Ghanian international to be charging at Lucas Digne rather than Cash, given his form.

Semenyo was limited to a quiet game in a thrashing win, with Cash maintaining the exceptional standards he has had across the campaign as Villa look to, once again, qualify for European football under Emery.

Villa exploring deal for exciting striker

His match-winning 92 trumps centuries by James Bracey, Ben Charlesworth

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Aug-2025Hampshire 315 for 5 (Middleton 92, Gubbins 76, Orr 52, Albert 52) beat Gloucestershire 313 for 7 (Bracey 104, Charlesworth 104, Barker 3-52) by five wickets Fletcha Middleton scored a match-winning half-century as Hampshire beat Gloucestershire by five wickets at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium to secure a quarter-final berth in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.The Winchester-born batter top-scored with 92 from 95 balls, struck six fours and two sixes and staged a crucial third-wicket partnership of 115 with Toby Albert, who made 52, as the visitors reached a victory target of 314 with eight balls to spare.The country’s leading scorer in the 50-over competition this season with 658 at an average of 131.6, captain Nick Gubbins made 76 from 60 deliveries, accrued 12 fours and staged a superb opening stand of 112 in 11.2 overs with Ali Orr, who contributed a quickfire 52 from 35 balls to set up Hampshire’s successful run chase.Put in to bat on a flat track, Gloucestershire posted 313 for 7 in a match reduced by rain to 49 overs a side, James Bracey and Ben Charlesworth both scoring 104. Bracey’s innings spanned 85 balls, included 12 fours and three sixes and took his tally for the campaign to 572 at an average of 71.5.He dominated stands of 81 and 118 with Ollie Price and Charlesworth for the second and third wickets respectively. Charlesworth proved equally destructive, facing 83 deliveries, with eight fours and four sixes and staging an alliance of 90 for the fourth wicket with Jack Taylor.But Hampshire withstood the pressure and Keith Barker, making his first appearance since completing a 12-month ban for a drug offence, returned figures of 3 for 52 from 10 overs to prevent Gloucestershire from posting a really big total.Victory secured Hampshire a second-place finish behind Worcestershire in Group A and a home quarter-final tie against Warwickshire on Thursday, while Gloucestershire will face a West Country showdown against Somerset at Taunton on the same day.Hampshire won the toss, elected to bowl and put Gloucestershire under pressure with the new ball, Eddie Jack producing a brilliant delivery to bowl Cameron Bancroft in the first over. Price was then fortunate to survive on nought, slicing Barker to point where Middleton spilled a straightforward chance.Bracey and Price overcame a testing examination and a short break for rain to post a 50 partnership from 58 balls. Acceleration followed when Bracey twice cut Jack for four and then pulled him for six as Gloucestershire posted 52 for 1 in the powerplay.Price succumbed to an ugly dismissal, bowled by a high full toss from slow left armer Andrew Neal, initially standing his ground in the expectation of no-ball being called before departing for a 31-ball 36.But there was no stopping the indomitable Bracey, who went to his fourth 50 in eight innings from 47 balls. He found an able ally in Charlesworth and these two put Hampshire spinners Felix Organ and Neal under sustained pressure during the middle overs, raising 50 from 41 balls in just 21 minutes as Gloucestershire advanced to 141 for 2 after 25 overs.Bracey’s second 50 occupied just 35 balls, the 28-year-old going to his fifth List-A hundred from 82 deliveries. Warming to his task, Charlesworth plundered 18 off an over from teenager Manny Lumsden to push the rate above six an over for the first time and the 100 partnership arrived via 86 balls as the third wicket pair put the visitors under the pump.Hampshire desperately needed a breakthrough and the returning Barker obliged, persuading Bracey to hit to Ben Mayes at deep mid-wicket in the 33rd over.Charlesworth picked up the pace thereafter, scoring a run-a-ball half century. In dominant form, the left hander went to his first List-A hundred in fine style, hoisting Barker high over midwicket for six to eclipse his previous highest score of 99 not out, made against Hampshire at Bristol in 2021.Having dominated an aggressive stand of 90 for the fourth wicket with Jack Taylor, Charlesworth hit Barker to long-off with the score 290 for 4 in the 45th.Despite not being at his fluent best, Taylor raised 38 from 42 balls. But he was bowled by Neal, after which the home side managed a mearge 17 runs off the last 20 deliveries as Hampshire seamers Jack and Lumsden kept things tight at the death.A lingering impression that Gloucestershire might have fallen short began to take hold when Hampshire openers Gubbins and Orr staged a chanceless 50 partnership in just 5.2 overs, new ball spearhead Josh Shaw going for 39 in three overs as the visitors seized the initiative. The pair raised 97 from the powerplay, registering 13 fours and two sixes between them and forcing the home side to resort to spin after only seven overs.Gubbins and Orr both went to 50 from 31 balls as Gloucestershire’s bowlers continued to allow them to cut and pull with impunity. Progress was smooth until Orr, attempting to sweep Price, top-edged to Shaw at short third and departing for 52. Middleton arrived at the crease with a further 202 required at 5.4 an over.Gloucestershire hardly helped their cause by missing an opportunity to dismiss Gubbins on 59, Graeme van Buuren putting down a sharp chance off his own bowling to allow the competition’s top scorer a life. The home side’s disappointment was compounded when Middleton hit the ground running, scoring at a run a ball and lifting Price effortlessly over long-on for six as the second-wicket partnership realised 48 in quick time.When Gubbins attempted to reverse sweep van Buuren, offered a catch behind and departed for 76 with the score 160 for 2 in the 21st, Hampshire still needed 154 to win and Gloucestershire supporters were afforded a glimmer of hope. But Middleton helped settle any nerves, posting a chanceless half-century from 54 balls as Hampshire advanced to 183 for 2 at halfway.Gloucestershire lacked a cutting edge with the ball and Middleton and Albert were able to move comfortably through the gears in a partnership which served to ease Hampshire’s path. With victory within sight, Albert opened his shoulders, pulling Jack Taylor for six to bring up an assured 50. He was dismissed lbw by Matt Taylor soon afterwards, while Middleton was brilliantly caught by Tommy Boorman on the deep backward point boundary off the bowling of Shaw as Gloucestershire refused to lie down.Ben Brown was then bowled by Matt Taylor with 23 still needed from 24 balls, but Mayes and Organ remained calm under pressure to see the job through.

Minority owners Red Bull have reportedly told Leeds United to replace Daniel Farke with a manager who has worked with Thomas Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Leeds set fresh Farke sack timeline

The pressure is on Farke, who’s looking to avoid his very own Groundhog Day in the Premier League. The German is yet to achieve survival in the Premier League, despite previous attempts with Norwich City, and will be desperate to silence any doubters at Elland Road this season.

It looked for a moment as though the Leeds boss was about to do exactly that against Manchester City last time out, to his credit, only for Pep Guardiola’s side to turn on the style and secure a late 3-2 victory. A point at the Etihad would have been invaluable for those in Yorkshire, but they now play host to Chelsea this Wednesday with Farke under increasing pressure.

According to The Guardian, defeat against both Chelsea and Liverpool could spell the end for Farke at Elland Road. On paper, that may seem harsh. After all, Leeds are facing the world champions who just earned a point against Arsenal with 10 men and the Premier League champions, albeit during a tumultuous period for the Reds.

That is the harsh reality of the Premier League, though, and Leeds are seemingly willing to act as early as possible in an attempt to avoid the drop. As such, names like Ange Postecoglou have already been mentioned as potential candidates recently, but Red Bull have reportedly recommended Zsolt Low instead.

Red Bull tell Leeds to hire Zsolt Low

As reported by TeamTalk, Red Bull have told Leeds to hire Low to replace Farke if they decide to part ways with the German. The minority owners don’t have a say on sporting matters but are there for the 49ers to lean on, should they please.

Related Leeds eyeing move for 4-3-3 Farke successor who has admirers at Elland Road

The Whites are struggling for form in the Premier League and could now change tact in the dugout.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Nov 28, 2025

It seems that, if they choose to do exactly that, then Low could be an option. The 46-year-old won’t be a name that many are familiar with at Elland Road, but he is someone that PSG, Bayern Munich and Chelsea know well.

Low was Tuchel’s assistant at all three clubs and is known by Red Bull thanks to his time as the interim boss at RB Leipzig at the end of last season and his time as Adi Hutter’s assistant at Red Bull Salzburg.

Zsolt Low at Leipzig

Record

Games

8

Wins

2

Draws

3

Defeats

3

Goals scored

13

Goals conceded

17

Out of the options available, Low would arguably be the greatest gamble. He’s had just eight games as a manager and won just two of those games at Leipzig last season – using a 4-4-2 system.

His work as an assistant is admirable, but Leeds must replace Farke with a far more experienced candidate.

Leeds lining up January spending spree for "phenomenal" Farke replacement

Seven seamers included in Lions group to shadow England during first two Ashes Tests

Matt Roller30-Sep-2025

Rehan Ahmed will be part of the England Lions squad in Australia•Getty Images

England will bring Rehan Ahmed, Jordan Cox, and seven fast bowlers to Australia this winter as part of an 18-man Lions squad. Andrew Flintoff’s team will shadow England’s main touring party for the first two Ashes Tests, providing a stable of potential reinforcements at close quarters.The Lions will provide England with their only competitive match practice ahead of November’s first Test in Perth and will then face a Cricket Australia XI (also in Perth) and Australia A (in Brisbane) alongside the first and second Tests. They are also expected to provide the bulk of the England XI to face the Prime Minister’s XI in a pink-ball tour match.Rehan and Cox were both overlooked for the main Ashes squad but will both be on standby at the start of the tour in the event of injury. Will Jacks was preferred to Rehan as the back-up spinner, while Cox’s omission came after England opted against taking a second specialist wicketkeeper, reasoning that Ollie Pope can take the gloves from Jamie Smith if required.Related

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Switch Hit: Ashes optimism department

Cox, who also features in England’s T20I squad to play New Zealand in October is expected to miss the final Lions match in order to play in the ILT20 after signing a lucrative replacement deal at Dubai Capitals.Raw seamers Sonny Baker, Josh Hull, Eddie Jack and Mitchell Stanley have all featured regularly in the Lions programme before, while Matthew Fisher – who won his only Test cap three years ago – is rewarded for his strong finish to the County Championship season with Surrey. Fisher’s county team-mate Tom Lawes and Nathan Gilchrist, who is joining Warwickshire from Kent, complete a seven-man pace battery.Thomas Rew, the England Under-19s captain, is one of four new Lions call-ups after impressing for Somerset in the Metro Bank Cup this summer and is named alongside his older brother James. Yorkshire’s Matthew Revis and Glamorgan’s Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe – who has five ODI and 26 T20I caps for Jersey – are the other new names.Sussex’s James Coles is a notable absentee, but is understood to be prioritising short-form cricket this winter after encouragement from the ECB; he has a contract at the SA20 in early 2026, and is also hoping to line up deals in the Abu Dhabi T10 and the ILT20. Saif Zaib, the leading Championship run-scorer this season, is another curious omission.Sam Cook, who struggled in his maiden Test against Zimbabwe earlier this summer, has also missed out on the Lions tour with England already aware of what he offers them as a medium-fast new-ball option. He could yet come into contention as an injury replacement in the event one of their six Ashes seamers goes down.”There are some unbelievably talented players in this squad, and this is a fantastic opportunity for them to go to Australia, excel in the conditions, and thrive against quality players,” Flintoff said. “At the same time, these players will get a sense of what an away Ashes series is all about.”Meanwhile, Rehan’s youngest brother Farhan Ahmed will captain England’s Under-19s on their tour to the Caribbean in November, following Rew’s Lions call-up. They are due to play seven ODIs – two against USA, five against West Indies – as part of their preparation for the Under-19 World Cup in Namibia and Zimbabwe early next year.”Farhan has been exceptional whenever he has been with the U19s squad and he deservedly gets the opportunity to captain the team for this tour and show his leadership qualities,” Michael Yardy, their head coach, said. “These will be important matches as we begin to fine-tune our plans for the U19s World Cup early next year.”England Lions in AustraliaSquad: Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Nathan Gilchrist, Tom Hartley, Tom Haines, Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Ben Kellaway, Tom Lawes, Ben McKinney, Matthew Revis, James Rew, Tom Rew, Mitchell Stanley, Asa TribeFixtures:
November 13-15: England vs England Lions (Lilac Hill, Perth)
November 21-24: Cricket Australia XI vs England Lions (Lilac Hill, Perth)
November 29-30: Prime Minister’s XI vs England XI (Manuka Oval, Canberra)
December 5-8: Australia A vs England Lions (Allan Border Field, Brisbane)England Under-19s in West IndiesSquad: Farhan Ahmed (capt), Ralphie Albert, Will Bennison, Ben Dawkins, Caleb Falconer, Jamie Feldman, Matthew Firbank, Alex French, Alex Green, Manny Lumsden, Ben Mayes, James Minto, Isaac Mohammad, Sebastian Morgan, Joe Moores, Jack Nelson, Charlie TaylorFixtures:
November 13 and 19 – Youth ODIs vs United States (both St Vincent)
November 16, 22, 25, 28 and December 1 – Youth ODIs vs West Indies (all St Vincent)

Do Arsenal lack attacking firepower?

The arrival of Viktor Gyökeres this summer was supposed to end the Gunners’ search for a centre-forward but, so far, the Swede has scored just four Premier League goals, with supporters yet to be truly convinced by their new number nine.

The Swede, as well as Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are all likely to remain sidelined ahead of Sunday’s North London derby, meaning Mikel Merino will continue as the makeshift centre-forward.

So, could Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta address this issue in January by targeting “one of the best strikers in Europe”?

Arsenal searching for more attacking firepower

The January transfer window is often a quiet one for Arsenal, albeit they have pulled off some memorable winter signings down the years.

Nacho Monreal, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, Leandro Trossard and Andrey Arshavin all arrived in various Januarys, as did current club captain Ødegaard, albeit the most exciting mid-season addition surely remains Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined from Borussia Dortmund for £56m in January 2018.

So now, in a deal that would be very reminiscent, reports in Spain claim that Arsenal are ‘seriously considering’ a January move for another Dortmund centre-forward, this time Serhou Guirassy.

They claim that the Guinea international has a €50m release clause (around £44m) in his contract, making him an attractive proposition for any potential suitors, including Arsenal.

Transfer Focus

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Former national team head coach Kaba Diawara is the only Guinean to ever feature for Arsenal, scoring zero goals in 14 appearances in 1999, infamously hitting the woodwork with pretty much every shot he took, so Guirassy would certainly surpass that legacy, should he swap North Rhine-Westphalia for North London.

How Serhou Guirassy would repeat Aubameyang's success

When Aubameyang joined Arsenal, he was 28 years old and had just scored 141 goals in 213 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, winning the previous season’s DFB-Pokal, scoring the winning penalty against Eintracht Frankfurt in the final at Olympiastadion.

Once at Arsenal, the Gabonese international netted 92 times in 163 outings, sharing the Premier League golden boot in 2018/19, while only five players have ever scored more goals for the Gunners in the competition.

For those wondering, this quintet are: Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Robin van Persie, Dennis Bergkamp and Olivier Giroud.

Now 36, Aubameyang is proving that goal-scoring instincts never fade, having netted six times for Olympique de Marseille already this season, most recently breaking the deadlock during Friday night’s 5-1 demolition of Nice, having also scored when les Phocéens crushed Ajax 4-0 at Stade Vélodrome in the Champions League in September.

So, with Gyökers earning mixed reviews, Arsenal might just lack a striker with that killer instinct, but could that be Guirassy?

Well, let’s compare his and Aubameyang’s time at Borussia Dortmund to see if he would be able to replicate the ex-Gunners star’s career?

Guirassy 24/25 vs Aubameyang 16/17
Stats	Guirassy	Aubameyang
Appearances	50	46
Minutes	4,244	3,959
Goals	38	40
UCL Goals	13	7
Assists	9	5
Shots per 90	2.9	3.4
Shots on target per 90	1.8	2.2
Shot accuracy %	60.54%	63.11%
Big chances missed	31	32
% of touches in the box	15.9%	20.5%
Stats via Transfermarkt, SofaScore & Squawka

As the table documents, Guirassy’s form last season is remarkably similar to that of Aubameyang during his final campaign with die Schwarzgelben.

​​​​​​​

The current Dortmund centre-forward scored two fewer goals than peak Aubameyang, albeit he did net 13 times in last season’s Champions League, thereby picking up the competition’s golden boot.

Other numbers that are similar are the pair’s shots per 90, shooting accuracy and the percentage of their touches that come in the opposition’s penalty area, while the duo both missed more than 30 Opta-defined big chances, which, statistically speaking, is a lot!

Nevertheless, Guirassy’s form at Westfalenstadion​​​​​​​ led to Germany’s all-time record appearance holder Lothar Matthäus asserting that he has become “one of the best strikers in Europe”, underlining how highly rated he is by regular Bundesliga observers.

Thus, should Guirassy arrive at Arsenal in January, he would undeniably have a massive impact, one that could fire Arteta’s team to that elusive first Premier League title in 22 years.

Rice & Merino hybrid: Berta now exploring Arsenal move for £70m "monster"

Declan Rice & Mikel Merino remain two of Arsenal’s most important players, so is Andrea Berta now targeting a monster hybrid of of the two worth £70m?

By
Ben Gray

Nov 21, 2025

The first, in Adelaide, was a win manufactured from a position where a draw was the only likely outcome, while the second was an against-the-odds scrap that ended with a world-record chase

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The AUS-ENG 2006 Adelaide Test moves to the round of 16.

A win out of nowhere – Adelaide, 2006

The final day of the Adelaide Test of 2006-07 started with 1123 runs already scored, and only 17 wickets having fallen. The ESPNcricinfo report after the fourth day’s play was headlined “Draw beckons after Clarke hundred” – Michael Clarke was the fourth century-getter in the Test, after Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting.But within no time on the fifth morning, Shane Warne – who else? – had broken through, and broken through again, and 54 overs into the day, England were done for 129. Collingwood, who had scored 206 in the first innings, was 22 not out at the close, his runs coming in well over three hours.And Australia had a target: 168. In 36 overs. That meant an “asking rate” of 4.67.We didn’t know what Bazball was, but Australia had their own version of it at the time, and made a dash for it.Matthew Hayden’s 18 came off 17 balls. Ponting’s 49 off 65. Mike Hussey remained unbeaten on 61 off 66. And Clarke, slow by comparison, scored 21 not out in 39 balls. And it was done. Australia victors by six wickets, with 3.1 overs in the bag, having scored their 168 at a scoring rate of 5.11. A victory from… nothing, really.

The highest chase in Test history – St John’s, 2003

To start with, there was a tie – both teams stopping at 240 in their first innings. So it came down to a one-innings-a-side shootout. One which Australia appeared to have won when they scored 417, leaving West Indies upwards of two days to cross or crumble. Not to forget, it was the Test with the (in)famous Glenn McGrath-Ramnaresh Sarwan spat.Australia had a specific target: sweeping West Indies in a Test series in the West Indies. Never done before. West Indies also had a target: preventing aforementioned sweep. Australia’s target was closer, it seemed.Not to Brian Lara, not to Sarwan, and not to Shivnarine Chanderpaul.Lara fell for 60 on the fourth afternoon, and then it was a 123-run stand between Chanderpaul and Sarwan that took West Indies to 288. But, when Sarwan was gone for 105, and Ridley Jacobs fell for a first-ball duck, off successive Brett Lee deliveries, the die appeared to have been cast. Chanderpaul had no one really to partner him, and the target was still 130 away.But help was an unexpected source away. In fact, “help” might be the wrong word to use, since Chanderpaul was gone for 104 the final morning, and Australia were closing in, and it was left to Omari Banks, the first Test cricketer from the island of Anguilla to play Test cricket, to do the job, with Vasbert Drakes for company.They did. Banks scored 47 not out. Drakes scored 27 not out. And West Indies had pulled off the highest successful chase in Test history, still unsurpassed.