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We are deep into the international break now and yet, Daniel Farke still remains in the Leeds United dug-out.

If there were an apt time to get rid of the under-fire German, it would have been during this big gap in fixtures in the Premier League.

However, he has managed to see out the break – for now – without feeling the wrath of the 49ers, as he attempts to get back to winning ways against Aston Villa up next, when the hustle and bustle of the top-flight returns.

He will need summer recruit Noah Okafor back to his rampaging best down the left flank to secure a surprise result against Unai Emery’s visitors, with the Swiss continuing to stick out as one bright spark, even as the losses begin to stack up high.

How Okafor's start compares to Leeds wingers of days gone by

Already, the former AC Milan attacker has captured the hearts of the hardened Elland Road masses, with Leeds content creator Oscar Marrio even hailing him as a “difference maker” down the left flank.

Indeed, the £18m summer arrival is constantly trying to carve out openings and excite the Leeds fans watching on, with a whopping 12 dribbles attempted in November, even as his new employers fell to back-to-back away defeats.

Okafor also has the goals to back up his tricks and flicks, with two goals already put away by the hard-to-contain 25-year-old from eight Premier League contests.

But, how does his electric start to life in England compare to other notable wingers who previously called West Yorkshire home?

Amazingly, before he went on to reach “world-class” heights at Barcelona – as Brazil icon Romario stated – Raphinha would ply his trade for the Whites, with 17 goals and 12 assists collected from 67 matches in total.

Yet, he would only tally up one goal from his first eight Leeds appearances in the Premier League, with zero assists also next to his name.

Even more staggeringly, Luis Sinisterra – who only made 16 top-flight appearances for Leeds – managed a more impactful start than his Brazilian counterpart, with two goals fired home from his opening six matches, also seeing him surpass Okafor’s early numbers.

Back to the present, however, while Farke will be overjoyed with Okafor for the most part, he will still be feeling the strain of the right wing spot in his starting XI.

Leeds loanee is outperforming Okafor

Farke continues to persist with the likes of Brenden Aaronson on the right, despite his up-and-down reputation on English shores continuing into this season.

Only one goal has come the American’s way this campaign in league action, with Joe Gelhardt – on the other hand – full to the brim with goals and assists galore out on loan at Leeds’ Yorkshire neighbours in Hull City.

He might well be somewhat of a forgotten name now at Elland Road, but Gelhardt – who has eight Premier League goal contributions under his belt – is tearing apart the Championship at the moment with the Tigers, as classy dinked finishes such as his fine effort against Portsmouth become customary.

Hull manager in Sergej Jakirovic, when speaking to Croatian outlet Jutarnji, has even stated that the Liverpool-born star goes about his business on the pitch “in the style of legendary Dennis Bergkamp”. Leeds would surely benefit from having their classy 23-year-old attacker back at his parent club, therefore, if his glowing praise is anything to go by.

AM

6

2 + 0

RM

6

4 + 2

CF

1

1 + 0

The numbers back up all the wild praise, too, with Gelhardt now up to a stunning seven goals and two assists already in league action, despite lining up for just 15 matches.

This also means the one-time England U20 international is outperforming Okafor back at Elland Road, with the temptation surely there to recall Gelhardt from his loan at the Tigers, to see if he can impress in the league above, again, and fix Farke’s Aaronson-related woes.

Really, this should be no surprise to those who saw him tearing things up on the youth pitches at Wigan Athletic. He scored ten goals in one match against Huddersfield at U14s and was said to be on par with Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.

“Very few players stand out at 14. Steven Gerrard did in my first season, Rooney and certainly Joe [Gelhardt],” long-time Merseyside Boys’ manager Tim Wyatt once stated.

Reports do suggest Leeds have a small window right at the start of the upcoming transfer window to recall the reinvigorated 23-year-old if they so desire, with Gelhardt and Okafor on either flank back at Leeds a terrifying prospect.

Farke must drop Ampadu to unleash Leeds star who's like Declan Rice

Daniel Farke could boldly drop Ethan Ampadu by unleashing this Leeds United star in a new role.

ByDan Emery Nov 16, 2025

A turning point, or another false dawn at Liverpool?

The relief was palpable when Cody Gakpo swept home at the London Stadium on Sunday, confirming in the late stages Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United, arresting a landslide in form that had seen nine defeats dished out across 12 matches in all competitions.

Arne Slot is still a man under pressure, and no mistake. But it’s important to remember the Dutchman has FSG’s backing at this stage. That could change, however, if the Reds sink back into negative habits over the coming weeks, and that win over the Hammers stands as a lonely winter outlier.

The latest on Arne Slot's future at Liverpool

Slot definitely has credit in the bank after his incredible Premier League triumph last season, taking Jurgen Klopp’s squad and fashioning them into champions once again.

However, the owners’ leniency will only stretch so far, and forthcoming Premier League fixtures against Sunderland (H) and Leeds United (A) feel significant. Liverpool won at West Ham, but they must prove that they have stopped the rot.

And if this doesn’t prove the case, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been earmarked as the perfect successor.

As per Spanish reports, the 43-year-old Spaniard is very much on FSG’s radar, and, moreover, he would consider an approach from the English champions.

Bournemouth would require compensation for Iraola’s departure, but if push does come to shove, he might be the perfect option for Richard Hughes, formerly sporting director at the Vitality Stadium, to lure to Anfield.

Why Liverpool are considering Andoni Iraola

Iraola’s Bournemouth system is built on high-energy, aggressive principles. These are key tenets of his philosophy.

This bespeaks his players’ elite physicality, and that is a product of his schooling.

This young manager is the real deal, and if Liverpool were to complete his signing, they would land themselves the next version of Mikel Arteta, who is working wonders with Arsenal in north London.

Praised as “the best coach in the Premier League” by journalist James Horncastle, Iraola might not have the same calibre of players as teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, but he’s whipped his Cherries into shape, alright, creating a front-footed and aggressive outfit that rival the Gunners for actions in the offensive third.

Premier League 2025/26 – Most Touches in the Final Third
Club	Total Touches	Touches (Final 3rd)
Man City	9095	2463
Liverpool	9001	2410
Arsenal	8384	2348
Bournemouth	7977	2191
Nott’m Forest	7927	2127
Data via FBref

Indeed, Iraola may hail from the same Basque region as Arteta, but there is also a likeness in regard to the managers’ respective tactical visions and the way they tackle obstacles in the Premier League.

There’s also Iraola’s ability to craft a special, close-knit feeling at his club, something Arteta has masterfully achieved at the Emirates, so miserable were Arsenal at the end of Unai Emery’s tenure.

Liverpool are already known admirers of Bournemouth talisman Antoine Semenyo, and Milos Kerkez was purchased from the south coast side this summer.

Whether the Redmen manage to string together a run of consistency under Slot’s wing remains to be seen. Fans will reserve judgement until the win over West Ham is followed by a series of wins that propel the Merseysiders back into something resembling the ascendancy.

But Iraola could be the perfect fallback, if things don’t improve. He is young and hungry, and the tactical similarities with his Basque peer Arteta suggest he could be the long-term solution at Liverpool, a club looking to cement their position at the very top.

Gakpo upgrade: Liverpool open surprise talks to sign "magic" £70m PL star

Liverpool are planning to strengthen their flanks after a tough start to the season.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Dec 1, 2025

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are major doubts for a London derby meeting with Brentford on Wednesday night. Both players missed the Gunners' 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the weekend. Arteta also delivered updates on Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes as they remain in the treatment room with more serious knocks.

• Summer signings set to step up again

  Saliba’s omission from the matchday squad at Stamford Bridge on Sunday raised eyebrows, but Arteta explained that the France international had suffered a knock during training on the eve of the draw with Chelsea. With centre-back partner Gabriel also sidelined, Arteta turned to an improvised pairing of summer signings Pierro Hincapie and Christhian Mosquera, who are likely to remain in the starting XI for Brentford's visit to the Emirates.

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• Getty
  

  Saliba facing 'days, not weeks' on sidelines

  After running tests on Monday, Arsenal determined that Saliba remains short of fitness and is a doubt to feature at the Emirates on Wednesday. Arteta described the injury as another puzzling episode, comparing it to the ankle problem that forced the defender to miss several matches back in August.

  "He had a little niggle, so I think it’s going to be a matter of days, so let’s see if he’s able to be there tomorrow," he said. "Well, the ankle one, it was a really random and a very unlucky action that kept him out for a few weeks. He tried at Anfield, he wasn't comfortable, and he had to stay away and this one as well, very bizarre. But hopefully it will be a matter of days."

  Trossard will also miss the midweek fixture after limping off in the Champions League win over Bayern Munich last week. Further tests conducted on Friday confirmed a minor calf problem, but Arteta also expects the Belgian winger to be available again in a few days.

  Arteta also shared a heartfelt assessment of Havertz’s ongoing recovery. The German forward, who underwent a minor knee procedure in August, has endured a stop-start calendar year marked by a hamstring injury late last season and fresh complications during pre-season.

  "We are all desperate to have him," he said. "I mean, it is a player that, personally, I love so much for what he brings to the team – his character, his personality. I see him suffer, being outside. Matter of weeks; let’s see how it evolves in the next few weeks. He’s doing really well, he’s doing stuff on the pitch, but I think he needs some time."

  Gabriel, another long-term absentee, is continuing his rehabilitation from a thigh injury. Arteta has offered encouragement, saying the Brazilian centre-half is "doing very well", though the medical team still estimates a recovery period of several weeks.

  "Big Gabi is doing very well as well, but that’s weeks as well," he said. 

• Will Rice or Timber be rotated?

  The cluster of defensive injuries has prompted questions about whether players such as Declan Rice or Jurrien Timber should be rested, given their heavy workloads in recent weeks. Arteta, however, defended his selection philosophy, saying he always prioritises fielding the strongest available side.

  "We try to manage every case, every individual in relation to how they feel in the context of the matches, adjust with the only purpose to have the best options on the best pitch and to be better than the opponent, that’s it," he said. 

  "Our motivation comes from preparation and how we prepare for every game to try to be better than the opposition. Where we are in the league and what we are doing, I don’t think we need any more motivation than that."

  Reflecting on the season’s injury turbulence, Arteta said the team has had to navigate several unexpected blows. Losing Trossard when he was hitting his stride, reintegrating [Gabriel] Martinelli gradually, and then coping with Saliba’s late withdrawal at Chelsea have forced players into unfamiliar roles.

  "Especially how we lost them [the injuries] with Leo as well, because Leo was in a great moment, and Gabi Martinelli was just coming back, and we had to manage his minutes," he said. "He wasn't able to play more than he did on Sunday. So, managing that, the fact that obviously Willy trained the day before, and then he was uncomfortable, players are not training in certain positions, having to play there. But again, the attitude towards it and the way the players are performing and giving absolutely everything they can to fulfil those absences, it's been the key part of the season because we have to deal with a lot already."

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  Gyokeres and Odegaard ready to start

  Viktor Gyokeres, who made an appearance from the bench at Chelsea after recovering from a muscle injury suffered in the 2-0 win over Burnley, is expected to be fit enough to start on Wednesday. Meanwhile, captain Martin Odegaard, who has not started a match since damaging his MCL in early October, is also ready to rejoin the starting XI after making substitute appearances against Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Newcastle United were their own worst enemies again, facing off against Marseille on Tuesday night in the Champions League.

The Magpies looked to have a strong grip on the contest at the intense Orange Velodrome when Harvey Barnes popped up with yet another strike to add to his glittering back catalogue for the campaign.

Yet, in typical Newcastle fashion this season on the road, Eddie Howe’s men ended up being architects of their own downfall, as a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang-inspired comeback handed the Ligue 1 hosts a slim 2-1 win.

While the Gabonese marksman continued his fine season in France and beyond, Howe’s experiment with Anthony Gordon as a lone striker seriously failed, as the 24-year-old’s own campaign – away from Aubameyang and Barnes – shows no signs of getting better.

Gordon's woes at Newcastle

As writer Thomas Hammond stated at full-time whistle of yet another away loss for the Magpies, Gordon’s showing was another “nothing” display from the ex-Everton man this season.

The 24-year-old did manage to register three shots at the Marseille goal, but with only 25 touches amassed before Nick Woltemade came into the contest, it’s fair to say the experiment of starting the Liverpool-born attacker as a sole centre-forward must come to a close soon.

Unfortunately for Gordon, though, he is unlikely to displace the aforementioned Barnes from his more natural left wing spot when considering their side-by-side numbers of late.

The underperforming England international remains on zero goals and assists in the Premier League this campaign to date, while the ex-Leicester City man has a blistering seven strikes in all competitions, from just 925 minutes of total action.

He could slide down the pecking order so much that a sale is even considered, with Newcastle clearly well-stocked down the flanks, away from their former £45m purchase.

Recouping some of that £45m back could put the Magpies in a position to go after former star Elliot Anderson, who has been touted with a return to St James’ Park.

Manchester United are also in the mix, however, and believe they could strike a deal for £60m.

With Joelinton also not what he used to be, this feels like a signing that should be urgently pursued by Newcastle and PIF if the correct sum of money is found.

To get even nearer to that golden amount, Howe will also be considering ditching this other shaky Toon regular, who had another “moment of madness” against Roberto De Zerbi’s outfit last match, as per journalist Mark Douglas.

The Newcastle dud who could now be sold

There is a somewhat stale feel to Howe’s starting XIs at the moment, as he remains staunchly loyal to many first-team faces who have delivered in the past, in the form of Joelinton and Gordon.

Nick Pope also definitely fits into this category, now, with the shot-stopper a shadow of his former self, having once been labelled as “one of the best” goalkeepers the under-fire manager has ever worked with.

There’s merit behind his comments, too, with the ex-Burnley ‘keeper 78 clean sheets down in the challenging Premier League.

Still, Howe can’t afford to be stuck in the past, if he wants to keep his employment at St James’ Park, with Pope guilty of another error this season when rushing out of his goal rashly against Marseille, leaving Aubameyang with an open goal to shoot at in the process.

This would kickstart the Marseille comeback, with reporter Andy Kerr stating – at full-time – that something isn’t “right” with the 33-year-old at this moment in time, despite the 6-foot-6 ‘keeper previously being seen as a long-standing, reliable servant of the club.

Games played

4

Minutes played

347 mins

Clean sheets

1

Goals conceded

10

With ten goals now haphazardly given up all across November, Pope could be the next figure Howe considers getting rid of to try and make up some money for the Anderson kitty, with Aaron Ramsdale a competent enough replacement in the short-term.

With Pope’s wealth of Premier League experience, as well, surely a top-flight club would gamble dropping around £10m on the number one’s services, which is what Newcastle paid for him, despite being boldly labelled as “disgraceful” at the moment by Magpie Media.

Indeed, reports earlier this year indicated that PIF were looking for a fee of around £15m for the ageing stopper, heading into the summer window.

But, for Newcastle, where they are now, a fresh pair of gloves could be what’s needed, alongside a revamp up top to turn around their current slide, to put together some substantial funds to finally bring Anderson back to Tyneside.

Same agent as Tonali: Newcastle now eyeing January move to sign Serie A midfielder

The Magpies are looking to make up for the summer.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 26, 2025

Pakistan only scored 80 in the back 10 despite being only one down at the halfway mark

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2025

Pakistan’s innings lost steam after a promising second-wicket stand between Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub•AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan got to their highest T20I score while batting first against India, 171 for 5. If India win, it will be the highest successful chase of Asia Cup 2025. Yet, the total looked insufficient after the start Pakistan had. They scored just 80 runs in the back 10 despite being just one down at the halfway mark.There was a period of 39 legal deliveries without a boundary leading up to the death overs, which completely derailed what looked like a promising innings that could finally give the tournament a game to remember. It would have frustated Pakistan even more that they had got the better of India’s spin threat, hitting three sixes in the first three middle overs, but succumbed to the sixth bowler, Shivam Dube.Dube ended up with figures of 4-0-33-2, taking the wickets of the two set batters, Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, who put on 72 for the second wicket after the latter’s demotion to No. 3. Farhan, who reached 51 off just 34 balls, ended up with just 58 off 45. It was only Faheem Ashraf’s unbeaten 20 off 8 in the end that gave Pakistan respectability.Pakistan, the slowest side bar Oman and UAE in the middle overs during this Asia Cup, had looked set to correct those numbers, but Dube’s breakthrough and the quality of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav proved to be too big a challenge. Varun went for just 25 in four overs, and Kuldeep returned figures of 4-0-31-1.

Stobo took 4 for 7 to leave Queensland 67 for 7 after Edwards made 95 in the home side’s big total

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2025

Charlie Stobo ripped through the Queensland batting order•Getty Images

New South Wales were charging towards a desperately-needed Sheffield Shield win, dominating an under-strength Queensland at the SCG.Declaring on 471 for 7 midway through day two, the Blues, led by a spell of 4 for 7 from Charlie Stobo, tore through Queensland’s brittle batting line-up.At stumps on Saturday, Queensland had crashed to 67 for 7, still trailing NSW by 404. They crumbled from 43 for 2 to 58 for 6 as Stobo claimed all four wickets in that collapse.Related

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Sam Geyer was forced to retire hurt late in the day after being struck on the helmet twice in two balls as he ducked into bouncers.NSW captain Jack Edwards fell painfully short of his fourth first-class century, out for 95 to former Australia legspinner Mitch Swepson.In the field, Edwards took a stunning one-handed catch at second slip to remove Jack Clayton and another excellent one to claim Jimmy Peirson during Stobo’s inspired spell.Ryan Hicks was the only member of the NSW top seven not to register a fifty. Axed Australia opener Sam Konstas brought up a confidence-boosting century on Friday, his first for NSW since October 2024.Second-placed Queensland are missing key quicks Michael Neser, who is playing his third Test for Australia, and Xavier Bartlett who is on Australia A duties.They are also undermanned in the batting department, with star opener Matt Renshaw at Allan Border Field playing for Australia A, veteran Usman Khawaja injured, and Marnus Labuschagne having been recalled to the Test team.NSW entered the match fifth on the ladder, having won just one of their five Shield matches this season.It comes just a week after they suffered an embarrassing defeat to Tasmania at Cricket Central when they capitulated on the final day on a flat pitch.

Big picture: World Test Champions’ toughest test

The variety of conditions Test cricket offers is evident from how the format’s world champions, South Africa, have not been able to even compete in their previous seven Tests in India, the country of their next challenge. They lost six of those Tests comprehensively, and were on their way in the seventh but for the rain.Even within India, South Africa have struggled in a variety of conditions. In 2015-16, they were outdone by a young side for whom the team management considered raging turners a necessity. Then, in 2019-20, against an established home team, South Africa were blanked by huge margins on good batting surfaces that had nothing for the home spinners, who averaged 27.18 compared to their fast bowlers’ 17.50.The world champions make this trip in 2025-26 not with any significant new faces in their attack but with more experience, and thus more equipped to compete during what has to be South Africa’s toughest tour. Keshav Maharaj was their lead spinner on the previous tour too. Simon Harmer toured in 2015-16. Senuran Muthusamy played two Tests in 2019-20. Kagiso Rabada remains the banker fast bowler.Related

• In India, captain Bavuma pursues the final piece of his validation

• Are India mulling Kuldeep vs allrounder?

• Eden Gardens conditions could weaponise India, SA quicks

• South Africa return to India without fear of the Turnado

• Dhruv Jurel: too good to keep out, too good to just keep

South Africa will also hope that India, who suffered a shock loss against New Zealand last year and are still a team in transition, still haven’t nailed the method to win home Tests. They blanked West Indies earlier this season, but they weren’t entirely invulnerable.Still, South Africa will need nearly everything to go their way to win a Test on this tour, just like it did for New Zealand last year. While India are currently third on the WTC points table, having drawn 2-2 in England and beaten West Indies 2-0, South Africa have only just begun their title defence with a 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month.

Form guide

India: WWWDL
South Africa: WLWWWShubman Gill has been hopping formats frequently since September•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Keshav Maharaj and Shubman Gill

Keshav Maharaj comes to India with experience of 60 Tests; he’s second only to Ravindra Jadeja among left-arm spinners in Test cricket. With India unlikely to offer square turners or assistance for traditional seam bowling, Maharaj will have to bear a heavy workload, and provide wickets and control.Starting September, India’s newest all-format star Shubman Gill has had no break. He got three days, including the travel day, between the T20 Asia Cup in the UAE and the first Test against West Indies in India. Then just four days to travel to Australia and switch to ODIs before going back to playing T20Is in three days. After that, a five-day break, which included travel from eastern Australia to eastern India to captain the team in an important series. Gill is young and fit, and must be itching to play as much as he can, but keep an eye on how well he readjusts to the longest format.

Team news: Jurel and Pant both set to play

Against West Indies, India got away with playing practically a ten-man side. Given India’s need for a seam-bowling allrounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy was understandably given games to develop his skills, but he hardly had a role to play in the series. Now, with their No. 1 Test wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant fit again, India have decided to keep Dhruv Jurel in the XI as a specialist batter and release Reddy to the India A side. The rest of the team should remain unchanged.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed SirajTemba Bavuma should replace Dewald Brevis in South Africa’s XI•Associated Press

South Africa should look to replicate the combination that won their previous Test, against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The batting ability of their first-choice attack gives them depth without compromising the bowling. Marco Jansen should pip Wiaan Mulder to the XI because there’s unlikely to be assistance for traditional seam bowling. The returning captain Temba Bavuma should take Dewald Brevis’ spot.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Tony de Zorzi, 5 Temba Bavuma (capt), 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Senuran Muthusamy, 8 Simon Harmer, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Kagiso Rabada

Pitch and conditions

Early indications suggest a good batting track at Eden Gardens, which could possibly bring reverse swing into the picture. There will be little grass on the pitch but it is not expected to be excessively dry or cracked either. A potentially tough task awaits the side that loses the toss.

Stats and trivia

• Gill has won only one toss in seven Tests as captain. South Africa have not won the toss in their previous seven Tests in India. One of these unlucky runs will end on Friday.
• Kyle Verreynne is five short of becoming only the fifth South Africa wicketkeeper to reach 100 Test dismissals.
• Jadeja is just ten runs short of becoming only the fourth player in the world to achieve the double of 300 wickets and 4000 runs in Tests.

Sri Lanka put in a spirited display, but couldn’t stop England from going top of the table

Madushka Balasuriya11-Oct-2025
Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 10th WODI hundred and a four-wicket haul from Sophie Ecclestone helped England brush past a spirited if flawed Sri Lankan side in Colombo completing a dominant 89-run win, as they made it three wins in three at the World Cup – and with it go top of the group. It was Sri Lanka’s second defeat in as many games, though they have a point on board courtesy their washed out game against Australia.Here, Sri Lanka were up against it with just 17 runs on the board when Chamari Athapaththu was stretchered off the ground after she pulled up with what looked like hamstring strain in the sixth over of the chase. It was later revealed to be nothing more than cramps impacting her right calf, allowing her to bat later in the innings, but at that point Sri Lanka might have been fearing the worst.As it transpired the rest of Sri Lanka’s top order responded admirably. Vishmi Gunaratne struck consecutive boundaries off Lauren Bell to kickstart the chase, but before she could do any real damage she was done in by a ripper from Charlie Dean, turning sharply through bat and pad.This brought Harshitha Samarawickrama to join Hasini Perera in the middle, and the pair set about stitching together Sri Lanka’s best partnership of the innings – 58 off 66. During this period, you wouldn’t have blamed the boisterous crowd, one filled with several young fans, from entertaining thoughts of a famous victory.Sri Lanka had moved to 89 for 1 after 18 overs by the time Ecclestone – the number one ranked bowler in WODIs – was brought into the attack, but it wasn’t until her second over that she would begin to tighten her stranglehold on the game.The first to go was Perera, who chipped one to straight to mid-on. That over would be a wicket maiden – one of three maidens she would bowl – as Ecclestone proceeded to almost singlehandedly end Sri Lanka’s chase.Sophie Ecclestone derailed Sri Lanka’s chase•ICC/Getty ImagesSuch was her impact she ended up bowling her entire 10 overs in a single spell, during the course of which she picked up the wickets of pretty much the entire Sri Lankan top order.Samarawickrama was the next to fall, top edging a sweep off Ecclestone to short fine. Kavisha Dilhari then missed an arm ball, before arrived the coup de grace – one that dipped and turned, luring the recovered Athapaththu into a drive, before turning it viciously through bat and pad to crash into the stumps.That last wicket silenced the crowd for good, and the remaining wickets fell with little fuss – even Sciver-Brunt was able to get in on the action, rounding out her day with the wickets of Anushka Sanjeewani and Dewmi Vihanga. Sri Lanka eventually folded for 164.It was the proverbial icing on the cake for Sciver-Brunt who had earlier been on a one-woman mission to help her side overcome a tough pitch and Sri Lanka’s army of spinners.England were helped by a host of misfields littered throughout their innings, though perhaps the defining moment occurred in the 14th over.Sciver-Brunt was on three at the time, when she whipped one from Inoka Ranaweera hard and straight to Udeshika Prabodhani at midwicket, who just couldn’t hold on. It was the only drop of the innings, but ended up costing Sri Lanka north of 100 runs.England had started strong, going at around five an over in the opening powerplay, thanks to Tammy Beaumont’s 32 off 29, but an ill-advised single saw the back of Amy Jones before Beaumont herself sliced one high to point.From that point on though Sciver-Brunt was the common denominator as England strung together a spate of partnerships through the middle overs.Nat Sciver-Brunt gave the England innings momentum•Getty ImagesThe highest was 60 from 73 between Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight, a stand that had threatened to take the game away from Sri Lanka as the pair worked the field expertly, utilising deft sweeps and dabs, allied with calculated risks over the infield.The partnership was broken against the run of play as Knight gloved a reverse-sweep to slip. It was given not out on the field, but keeper Sanjeewani petitioned heavily for the review to be taken – and it was eventually, with just two seconds on the clock.That wasn’t Sanjeewani’s only intervention, as she also effected two sharp stumpings and helped complete a run out, in what was a consummate day out.Like against India, Ranaweera once more shifted the momentum of the innings, this time through a jarring intervention in the 35th over. Emma Lamb was first bowled around her legs, before a sharp bit of glove work from Sanjeewani saw Alice Capsey short of her crease after she had been deceived in the flight.Suddenly from 141 for 3 in the 31st over, England found themselves 168 for 6 a little over three overs later.Prior to this England had been eyeing up a total in excess of 270 but just as they had been looking to accelerate, they had to hold back. It meant that between the 40th and 48th over just two boundaries were struck, as England and Sciver-Brunt prioritised inching the total up to decent territory, if not imposing.The first real show of intent at the death came in the penultimate over, when Sciver-Brunt struck a sumptuous inside-out six over extra cover – to bring up her century – and followed it up with another loft down the ground.The final two overs brought more runs, as England struck 28 runs in that patch to boost their total past the 250-mark, and in the end it proved to be more than enough.

Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2025Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai struck half-centuries each to carry Afghanistan to 188 for 6 in the opening match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup. Hong Kong had their moments, their spinners in particular harnessing slow conditions well enough to frustrate their more pedigreed opponents. But the gulf in class eventually showed as Yasin Murtaza’s side dropped catches and committed misfields to hurt their own chances.Sediqullah has brought up each of this three T20I fifties in his last four innings, and as well as he looked out in the middle, standing tall at the crease and largely coping with the lack of pace, he benefited from three missed chances. A man who could’ve been dismissed in the very first over in the end batted through to finish on 73 off 52.Murtaza was involved in all three lives Sediqullah got – twice dropping the catch himself and once having to watch it go down off his own bowling. He did the best he could to make up for it, the three Hong Kong spinners giving the ball such little pace but so much air that this game looked straight out of the 90s. As such, the more modern day T20 batter wasn’t able to adjust. Murtaza, Ehsan Khan and Kinchit Shah picked up 3 for 75 in 11 overs.However, the arrival of pace in the 17th over changed the game with Atal and Omarzai targeting Ayush Shukla. Afghanistan scored 69 runs in the last four overs with Omarzai raising his first T20I half-century. From the simple clear-the-front-leg slog to the cheeky ramp past the keeper, the Afghanistan allrounder has shown impressive range on a difficult batting pitch and finished with a strike rate of 252.38.Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase.

Wolves are now expressing an interest in signing a Man City player, with one of their squad members potentially set to leave in January.

Wolves nailed on for relegation barring Rob Edwards miracle

The Old Gold face the most perilous situation in the Premier League, rooted firmly to the bottom of the table with just two points from 14 games.

Wolves appear destined for Championship football unless Rob Edwards can orchestrate an almighty turnaround during the second half of the campaign.

Edwards arrived from Middlesbrough in mid-November, leaving a promotion-chasing outfit second in the Championship to tackle one of football’s most daunting rescue missions.

Wolves still remain winless, sitting 12 points adrift of safety – a margin that already carries significant historical weight.

No team has ever survived relegation after collecting merely two points from their opening 14 games, and at their current rate, they would finish the season with just seven points — threatening to eclipse Derby County’s infamous 11-point record from the 2007-08 campaign.

Huddersfield Town (18/19)

16

Sheffield United (23/24)

16

Sunderland (05/06)

15

Southampton (24/25)

12

Derby County

11

The appointment of Edwards represents a desperate gamble by chairman Jeff Shi, who acknowledged the club needs a complete philosophical refresh.

Edwards’ deep connections to Molineux — having made over 100 appearances as a player before serving in various coaching capacities — offer hope that he understands the DNA required to navigate this crisis.

Wolves plotting January bid for "prolific" £17.5m striker with 29 G/A last season

The Old Gold are looking to bring in a centre-forward this winter, in order to bolster their survival hopes.

ByDominic Lund Nov 27, 2025

However, his task is monumental. Vitor Pereira managed just a 36.8 per cent win rate before his sacking in early November, inheriting a squad stripped of its best talent through successive transfer windows.

The pattern has become devastatingly familiar.

After selling Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in 2023, then Pedro Neto and Max Kilman in 2024, Wolves lost Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri last summer without securing adequate replacements.

Cunha’s departure to Man United for £62.5 million removed their most reliable goalscorer, 17 goals in all competitions last season, while Ait-Nouri joined Manchester City for £31 million.

The club’s attacking output has obviously collapsed as a result, with just seven goals scored so far — the division’s worst record and only team failing to reach double figures.

However, according to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, Shi and Fosun do have a succession plan for goalkeeper Jose Sa.

Wolves express James Trafford interest with Jose Sa set to leave

Indeed, it is believed that Wolves have expressed interest in signing Man City’s James Trafford on loan in January as Edwards searches for solutions.

The 23-year-old England youth international finds himself behind Gianluigi Donnarumma in Pep Guardiola’s pecking order after the Italian’s summer arrival, which is bad timing ahead of the World Cup next year.

After starting the campaign as City’s number one following Ederson’s departure to Fenerbahçe, Trafford has managed just three appearances since August and is eager to continue his development elsewhere.

Wolves face mounting concerns between the posts, with current number one Sam Johnstone enduring a difficult spell.

His error against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday proved costly, failing to connect properly with Omari Hutchinson’s cross and allowing the winning goal.

Meanwhile, second-choice Sa is ‘potentially set to leave’ next month, with West Ham monitoring the Portuguese ahead of a potential winter swoop.

Trafford enjoyed an outstanding 2024-25 Championship campaign with Burnley before returning to City, keeping 29 clean sheets in 45 appearances with an impressive 84.6 per cent save percentage.

His promotion-winning pedigree under Scott Parker could prove invaluable as Edwards desperately seeks reinforcements capable of mounting an unlikely survival bid during the second half of the season.

However, they’ll have to contend with competition for Trafford’s services, with Tottenham also believed to be exploring a move for the ‘top talent’.