Celtic are now targeting a move to sign Wessam Abou Ali from Columbus Crew, according to reports, with Wilfried Nancy looking to bring one of his star men to Scotland.

At long last, the Bhoys are closing in on a managerial appointment. The Scottish giants have taken their time, waiting for the right appointment, with Martin O’Neill doing an impressive job as interim boss in the meantime.

The 73-year-old has reiterated every week that he will happily step aside once Celtic have found their next permanent option and that looks set to happen sooner rather than later amid recent reports.

The Columbus Crew manager looks set to take his first job in European football and has the task of bridging the gap on Hearts in a shock Scottish Premiership title race.

O’Neill, meanwhile, will bow out of his second stint in charge after steadying the ship. Whether he’s still in charge by the time that Celtic travel to face Feyenoord this Thursday is the big question.

Speaking to reporters, the veteran manager said: “The answer is this: the game is on Thursday so the plane leaves on Wednesday. They better make their minds up very quickly.”

Of course, if Nancy doesn’t arrive in time, then O’Neill will have the opportunity to win his first European game of his second stint in charge to cap off a small tenure full of nostalgia.

The ball will then be in the new manager’s court, who has already reportedly identified the need for a new striker at Celtic Park and set his sights on exactly who that new striker should be.

Celtic now lining up January move for Columbus Crew star

According to the Scottish Sun, Celtic are now targeting a move to sign Abou Ali from Columbus Crew in the January transfer window. The 26-year-old Palestinian striker has been one of Nancy’s best players in the MLS and quickly won the faith of his manager after arriving from Ahly SC.

Celtic chiefs learn Nancy arrival date as personal terms update emerges

The Hoops are closing in…

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 20, 2025

Described as “clinical” by Columbus Crew general manager Issa Tall, Abou Ali first grabbed the headlines when he scored a perfect hat-trick against Porto at the Club World Cup as the MLS side watched on, waiting to secure his signature.

Since then, the 26-year-old has only impressed even more in America and may yet be on his way to Scotland to strike an instant reunion with Nancy.

With four goal involvements in five games under Nancy, Celtic would be wise to go all out to sign the 6’1 forward, who could solve their own striker problem in January.

Whether Columbus Crew will allow their star striker to leave with their manager is another question, however. Losing Nancy is already set to deal them a blow in its own right, let alone their top star alongside him.

Celtic set to make quadruple backroom appointment to Nancy's staff

Two losses in the first three games, and the next two washed out. New Zealand’s World Cup campaign has veered off track, but on the eve of an all-important clash against India, captain Sophie Devine was all calm, answering questions at the press conference in her signature deadpan style.”Thanks for not saying I’m old. I appreciate that, experienced is nice,” she said on being asked how her near 20 years as an international cricketer might help her in Thursday’s high-pressure game.New Zealand haven’t had much game time lately but they’re embracing the “underdog badge with pride”, Devine said, also acknowledging the pressure her side will be under playing in Mumbai in front of “99.9%” of India fans. But she also feels “real empathy” for hosts who have come under scrutiny after losing three matches in a row.”We’re really stepping towards that pressure,” Devine said. “In all honesty, I can’t begin to imagine the type of pressure that the Indian team is under. I know when we played at a home World Cup [in 2022], the pressure that we felt to perform in front of our home crowd was at times overwhelming. I can’t imagine what that’s like with a billion people tuned into the TV screens and the expectation and the weight that’s on their shoulders.””These are the moments that you want to be playing cricket in – a pretty much knockout game against India in India at a World Cup. We’re obviously under no illusions that India are still the favourites, without a doubt. And we will wear the underdog badge with pride, as Kiwis often do.”India might have home advantage but when it comes to ODI World Cups, their win-loss ratio against New Zealand is 0.2, the lowest against any opposition. Does that give New Zealand a psychological edge?Sophie Devine has 260 runs at the World Cup at an average of 87•ICC/Getty Images

“Yeah, ask me after the game tomorrow because I think that’s generally the way it goes, isn’t it?” Devine quipped. “We can get confidence from the fact that we’ve played them in pressure situations before. But tomorrow’s a new game, everyone starts on zero.”Related

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Whether it’s the atmosphere or the profile of the game, Devine hopes it serves as a learning experience for the young players in her side.”Some youngsters that we’ve got, they’ve still played cricket under different pressures and have had to perform at different stages,” she said. “It is such a cool opportunity. This is why you play high-performance sport, it’s why you play international cricket. To be put under the most intense pressure and see how you stand up.””To me that’s just a really exciting opportunity to not only showcase the women’s game, but showcase New Zealand cricket,” she said. “And as you mentioned, we’ve had a great record, not just females, but males as well, of playing India in these sort of tournaments.”Rustiness is a concern – New Zealand haven’t played a full game in nearly 12 days – but so is the forecast. With rain having already sabotaged their campaign, Devine responded in her trademark style when informed there’s more in the forecast.”I’m not surprised, to be honest. I expect there to be rain everywhere we go at the moment,” she said, shrugging. “But you can’t control the weather. We’ll deal with it if it comes. There’s no point worrying about it until it actually falls down and the umpires call you off, we’re just focused on what we want to do.”Thursday’s clash will also be New Zealand’s first outing at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, but they’ll be banking on local knowledge from Amelia Kerr, who has played six WPL matches at the venue.”Not just tomorrow, but everyone expects Melie to perform and to give to this group,” Devine said. “She’s played a lot with Harman [Harmanpreet Kaur], she’s obviously played with the Mumbai Indians here. Hopefully she’s got a few fans in the crowd as well that’ll be cheering for New Zealand and her.”Melie knows some of those Indian players really well. They also know Melie well. I think the Indians probably have enough pressure on them coming from the rest of your country to try and perform and get through to a semi-final, which I know is the expectation for them.”Devine ended the press conference in her typical style: “We’ll let the Indian public and the media and all that give the Indian team enough pressure and we’ll just keep going about our thing.”

West Indies batter arrives in form and in a mood to repay the faith put in him by his island of St Maarten

Vithushan Ehantharajah28-May-2025After shadow-batting at both ends of the pitch that will host Thursday’s first ODI between England and West Indies, Keacy Carty sidles up to a member of the Edgbaston groundstaff, who is currently perched on a roller moving up and down one of the side strips.The conversation is brief but civil. Carty, having enquired about whether more grass is going to be taken off the pitch and which direction the wind comes from, gives a nod farewell, rapping his knuckles on the roller in the way one might show their approval of a vintage car. An exchange of platitudes between batter and curator.This is idle water-cooler chat for Carty. He’d put in the graft in the nets, surveyed the conditions and, on his way past the water cooler, dipped an ear for a quick bit of goss before heading off to prepare for his main job – batting.And it really is a job for him. One he is proud to call his profession, but a job nonetheless. His business is runscoring. And, recently, business has been booming.In the past week, Carty has struck two ODI centuries against Ireland; the first in a rained-off second match, the second in a series-levelling (and face-saving) finale. Since last November – a span that incorporates his first one-day hundred against England at Bridgetown to take a three-match series – his average of 94.50 and strike-rate of 102.71 has come as confirmation of his talent.To Carty, however, this all falls under duty. Even the joy at thriving – duty.”It is always good to be impactful for the team,” he tells ESPNcricinfo, matter-of-factly. “But I don’t try to get too much into it on a personal standpoint. It is a job, and that job is trying to get West Indies cricket back to where we would like it to be.”There’s an almost military undertone to Carty’s words, but he is keen to stress an important differentiation. He loves what he does. It’s just far more serious at this level when you’re representing West Indies. The stakes are higher, the scrutiny fiercer, the sharp ends sharper. You, as an individual, need to be colder.Keacy Carty scored back-to-back centuries in Clontarf•Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images”If you look at batting, we have to carry out as an individual in order for the team to have a complete performance. So when you’re trying it like a job, when you’re treating it like a nine-to-five, you know what you have to do in order to your job.”Remember, this is sport – you don’t be permanent here, you just try to fulfill your duty as best as possible. Take care of matters for the team that will go to your personal stats. Then, when it’s all said and done, you can look back and feel good with yourself.”The seriousness tallies with a young batter who began first-class life as an opening batter for Leeward Islands before the long-term return of West Indies opener Kieran Powell bumped Carty down a spot from 2017 onwards. By then – aged 20 – Carty had already put the word out that he was one for the future with a mature 52 to seal 2016’s U19 World Cup against India. Ever since, his progress has been steady without ever being spectacular, although the last few months hint at a tipping point.What stereotypes there are of Caribbean batters – particularly those pedalled outside the region – are not applicable to Carty, who is an intriguing lore unto himself. And it is not unrelated to the fact he became the first cricketer born in St Maarten to represent West Indies when he earned the first of his 34 ODI caps in 2022. It takes a village to raise a child, but an island grooved this batter.As a kid, while watching football on TV, he spoke aloud his desire to do that as a job. “My father was like… “nah!” He don’t know no football.” What his father did know, as a handy seam-bowling allrounder who also opened the batting for local club, Spartans, was cricket.”By the time I really understood cricket, like between 9 and 13, he was at the back end of his career. But by then, we had played many games together.”Carty’s father remains a guiding influence, dog-sticking for his son when he’s not on tour, in between long-held coaching duties with the club’s under-13 and 15s. “He’s not really harsh, but he does have high expectations,” Carty says of their dynamic.It was from Under-15 level that Carty’s cricket took him across the channel to Anguilla. But it was the extra sessions in St Maarten, and the generosity from others involved at Spartans, that he credits for an ingrained fearlessness at stepping up levels.Keacy Carty played the matchwinning innings when West Indies beat India in the Under-19 World Cup final in 2016•Getty Images”One example, I didn’t have to ‘share’ the batting back home. So, versus when they (Anguilla) have 15 kids a day, two might bat for 25 minutes up there, from 4pm to 5:30pm – I was batting from 4pm to 5:30pm myself. I was hitting so much more than them.”When I was preparing for age-group tournaments, the local bowlers would make the effort to come out and bowl to me before I went off. Outside of my training with my dad and batting all day, Under-19 players, national team players, they’d all come and bowl to me before I leave.”I think there were one or two players better than me from that core group when I was at that age. But the difference is I was facing more advanced bowlers as a 15-year-old. By then, the players my dad had coached at a young age were between 32 and 38.”Two or three of them had played first-class cricket, so all their knowledge passed on to me. When I started, I knew a few things that was necessary. Your temperament, your preparation, your mindset when you’re playing first-class cricket for example. Like you don’t need to have all the shots. No, you don’t need to play all the shots because it’s a red-ball game. You have a lot of time. The ball is doing a lot. Bowlers will look to set you up.Related

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Carty 170 headlines West Indies' massive series-levelling win

“Little things like getting three shots that you want to work with. Developing safe options and force bowlers to bowl in your area. I did not have to learn all these things the hard way – it was all told to me before I had even played my first game.”Carty brackets all those willing net bowlers during his teenage years and older heads sharing advice as good friends. For a man of such focus, he acknowledges the value of what he describes as “larking”. There’s even a hint of cheekiness, oddly enough when he talks about his matchday routines, which usually begins with watching the TV to discern how much the ball is moving before joking with teammates.”I’m not superstitious, and I do like to talk and laugh with teammates before I bat. I don’t like to be too focussed or totally zoned in, because you put more pressure on yourself like that. Even at this professional stage, you have to enjoy the game.”Test cricket remains a nut to be cracked, with five caps so far against a mix of South Africa at home, Bangladesh at home and Pakistan away. But it is a format he seems suitably wired for.He is yet to record even a fifty against the red ball, but that first milestone will carry great significance for him and St Maarten. Typically, he bats away the notion of being a trailblazer. He sees himself above no-one else – simply as someone who worked hard, and is willing to help others achieve, too.”I still move like a normal person on the island. Like, nobody don’t flock me or anything. I’m still just a regular guy. And yeah, I used to be very joyful about it, but like, I’ve been here a while now, so it’s like… the focus can’t be about just being proud that you’re here.”You know what I mean? Now is the time to be impactful. You got kids looking up to you that are playing cricket locally so I always tell them, I was just like y’all at one stage. It’s just that I wanted it.”

Out of almost nowhere, Chelsea have emerged as Arsenal's closest challengers for the Premier League title this season as the London rivals prepare to lock horns at Stamford Bridge this weekend – but is this another false dawn? After all, Enzo Maresca's side found themselves in a similar position midway through 2024-25 only to fall away dramatically in the second half of the campaign. Ahead of Sunday's showdown, though, there is reason to believe the Blues could have staying power this time around.

After grinding out wins against Wolves and Burnley, following the customary defeat of Tottenham on the road, Chelsea have – – risen to second in the Premier League table ahead of hosting Mikel Arteta's early-season champions-elect, albeit they are still six points behind their cross-capital foes.

Serious doubts, though, remain over their ability to stay the course for the long-term – which are justified given the Blues haven't mounted a sustained title challenge since they last lifted the trophy nine seasons ago, and the backdrop of the club's tumultuous recent history since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover three years ago.

It's not long since Chelsea were in a similar position, either; around this time last season they surged into second place behind eventual league winners Liverpool, before failing miserably to deal with the packed festive schedule and sliding back down the standings amid a winter of discontent.

This time, though, things feel slightly different, with Maresca's side showing the kind of mettle and big-game aptitude that suggests they could have staying power for the season. However, the visit of the Arsenal juggernaut will be the ultimate test of their credentials at the top of the table.

Getty Images SportWinning habit

Chelsea's start to the season was inauspicious as they picked up just two wins from six league games, leading many to believe that another top-four finish would be the best that they could hope for. Since the start of October, though, there has been a shift.

The sensational late victory over Arne Slot's toiling champions has proven to be the catalyst for a run of eight victories in 10 matches in all competitions, with the alarming home defeat to high-flying Sunderland late last month proving to be an anomaly in what could prove to be a defining period in the west Londoners' campaign.

Having dropped points in clashes they were expected to win earlier in the season against Crystal Palace, Brentford and Brighton, the Blues have defeated Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Burnley with relative ease, as well as notching another victory over Spurs in north London in one of the most one-sided 1-0 wins you're likely to see.

Of course, Chelsea's young squad reached the latest significant milestone in its progression in the Champions League in midweek, as they utterly dominated the 10 men of Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in a mightily impressive 3-0 thumping that sets them up very nicely for Sunday's top-of-the-table showdown.

AdvertisementAFP'There is only one way'

For Maresca, this developing winning habit is vital to his side's chances of success: "Last year, we were playing in the Conference League, and I said many times that for me personally, if you want to build a winning mentality, there is only one way: winning games. Because otherwise, if you don't win games, it's difficult to convince the players, 'guys, we are building a winning mentality'," the Italian tactician said after Tuesday night's dismantling for the Catalan giants.

"But when we don't win, it's difficult. So the only way in any competition, Conference League, Champions League this season, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, is to win games. It's the only way to build the winning mentality. And I think the Conference League and the Club World Cup last season helped a lot.

"And now we are trying to do exactly the same. For sure, the players are better players in this moment compared to last season, because we spent more time together."

Getty Images SportRotation, rotation, rotation

In downing the mighty Barca by exploiting their recklessly high line, Maresca served up another timely reminder of his tactical acumen, but what has been even more impressive of late is his ability to utilise his whole squad without results and performances suffering.

No Premier League manager has made more changes to their starting XIs than the Italian so far in 2025-26, with the five he made for the Barcelona game from his team that eased past Burnley taking his tally for the season to a remarkable 102, and it's only November.

While he has a core of guaranteed starters in bigger games, Maresca has been able to lean on the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens, fit-again Liam Delap and academy graduates Josh Acheampong and Tyrique George in lower-stakes situations – either from the start or as substitutes.

They have handled remarkably well without the talismanic Cole Palmer, too, who has made just four appearances this season due to a groin issue and subsequent broken toe. He has, though, been passed fit to play on Sunday. Meanwhile, defensive midfielders Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo – whose imminent returns will strengthen the group again – have also been sidelined, as well as long-term absentee Levi Colwill.

That ability to rotate, and doing so successfully, could well prove to be vital for Chelsea as they fight on four fronts over the notoriously hectic winter period. If they require a two-legged play-off to reach the Champions League last 16 and make progress in the domestic cup competitions, then they face a brutal schedule of as many as 32 games in the next four months.

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Getty Images SportAnother false dawn?

There will, of course, still be question marks over whether Chelsea have the staying power to go the distance and truly challenge Arsenal – who look ominously capable of becoming runaway leaders – all the way until the final day of the campaign, especially given the young group's lack of experience in that department.

If we zoom out, the Blues are only one point better off than at the same stage last season, and they have certainly benefitted from unrecognisable champions Liverpool and, to a lesser extent, disjointed Manchester City underperforming considerably to this point.

As we've touched upon, their title challenge completely unravelled over the winter period last term before they managed to steady the ship in time to secure a top-four finish on the final day. Even when they were second, Maresca was consistent in his messaging that his team were 'not ready' for a title challenge, although that led some to question whether he had manifested their downturn in form with his pessimistic outlook.

It will be very interesting to see how Chelsea contend with the relentless nature of the schedule this time around, but there is a sense that things are different one year on in terms of cohesiveness, togetherness and strength in depth – something the manager has recognised, albeit he maintains it is too early to predict what they are capable of.

India enforced the follow-on expecting wear and tear, but Campbell and Hope led West Indies’ strongest showing of the series

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Oct-20251:51

Chopra: ‘Tiredness’ hampered India bowlers

When India wrapped up West Indies’ first innings and secured a lead of 270 runs, seven-and-a-half sessions of the Delhi Test still remained.The pitch was still making bowlers work hard: West Indies, after lasting less than 50 overs in both their innings in Ahmedabad last week, had survived 81.5 overs in their first innings here. Their last two wickets had added 73 runs, suggesting that wicket-taking on this slow, low pitch was particularly difficult when the ball became older, with edges unlikely to carry to close-in catchers.Teams tend not to enforce the follow-on in such situations, given the time remaining in the match and the two major benefits of batting again – rest for the bowlers, and a chance for them to come back and bowl after the pitch has undergone more wear and tear.Related

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India, however, asked West Indies to bat again, and by stumps on day three the visitors had enjoyed their best day of the series, with John Campbell and Shai Hope scoring half-centuries and putting on an unbroken 138 for the third wicket. West Indies will begin day four trailing by just 97 runs, with India back on the field with 130.5 cumulative overs in their legs.India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said India had enforced the follow-on in the belief that the pitch would deteriorate significantly by the end of the third day’s play.”There was a discussion to bat,” he said. “Those last two wickets took a little bit longer than we would have hoped for, and had probably started going towards the [space] where you do look to bat again.”But we felt [270] was a good lead. We thought the wicket’s going to keep deteriorating, we thought by close of play it would be at its worst, but it just seems to have slowed down even more.”This left India’s spin trio with a tricky time of finding the right pace to bowl at. Having shared eight wickets between them in the first innings, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar took 1 for 149 between them in 38 second-innings overs.”It’s quite challenging to get any pace out of the wicket, [and] you have to really fire the ball in,” ten Doeschate said. “And, of course, when you fire the ball in, it’s got less chance of spinning. We have found it tricky this afternoon, and Shai Hope and John Campbell batted beautifully, so back tomorrow, get our plans right, and hopefully get those last four batters out and then get into the tail.”Khary Pierre, who scored 23 from No. 8 in West Indies’ first innings, said he was surprised by India’s decision to enforce the follow-on.3:56

What made Campbell and Hope stand out?

“Actually it was a bit surprising that they went back to bowl [even though] the wicket was still a good one,” Pierre said. “For me, personally, batting on the wicket, batting a lot of time, and watching the wicket, seeing what it was doing, I think it’s still a very good wicket.”I was surprised, but it’s India, and you know they want to get the win, and probably didn’t think they needed to go back and bat, but so be it. We have to bat properly in this innings and try and make a game of it.”With eight wickets in hand and the deficit now down to double-figures, Pierre felt West Indies had a real chance of making a game of it.”I would say the Test match is still on,” he said. “Once we apply ourselves with the bat, we have two set batters at the crease right now that will start over tomorrow, and once we bat properly, the game is still on. Once we get a lead, we all know, on the fourth and fifth day of a Test match, the bowlers will come and probably get some balls to spin and stuff and make a game of it.”

Australia are preparing to face Pakistan in Colombo after their second match was washed out

Andrew McGlashan06-Oct-20252:21

‘Tough to make a case against Australia winning the lot’

Megan Schutt has been termed the “ultimate professional” for the way she responded to being left out of Australia’s opening ODI World Cup match against New Zealand. She does, however, face a further wait to see if she will be included against Pakistan in Colombo.Due to the washed-out match against Sri Lanka, it will be a seven-day gap for Australia when they take on Pakistan. Head coach Shelley Nitschke did not confirm whether Schutt would have featured in that abandoned contest after Darcie Brown’s pace had been preferred against New Zealand.Related

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Schutt has 10 wickets in nine ODIs against Pakistan although she did go wicketless in the two most recent matches, at home, between the two sides in early 2023. Brown, meanwhile, has five wickets in two outings – figures of 2 for 21 and 3 for 32 in Brisbane – but she was taken for 52 off four overs against New Zealand in the World Cup opener.”She [Schutt] is obviously the ultimate professional and she took it very well,” Nitschke said on Monday. “We sort of looked at the match-ups and the performances coming in, but certainly I understand that Megan’s got a big role to play for us moving forward. We’ll have another look again at the match-ups and the conditions at Premadasa before we take on Pakistan and see if she’s in that right sort of team to best match up to them to hopefully win.”Speaking to ESPNcricinfo prior to the World Cup, Schutt said she had hoped to feature throughout. “I’d like to think my previous performances have kept me in good stead for that,” she said. “Obviously if it doesn’t work out, I will completely understand the balance of the squad and run drinks as best as I can if I’m not in the XI. But ideally I’d love to be out on the field doing what I do with people that I love. I like to think I’ve got pretty good awareness to know if that’s not going happen but ideally, I’d love to play all the games and get right through.”Sophie Molineux was outstanding on her return•Getty Images

The other key selection call Australia made for the opening match was preferring Alana King ahead of fellow legspinner Georgia Wareham. The fact there wasn’t room for both was because of Sophie Molineux’s return to the side which saw her take 3 for 25, including the wicket of Suzie Bates in her first over and the final removal of Izzy Gaze who was flying on 28 off 18 balls alongside a dominant Sophie Devine.It was Molineux’s first international since last December and Nitschke confirmed the left-arm spinner will need to be looked after as she continues to regain strength from knee surgery.”She [Molineux] was fantastic in that first round,” Nitschke said. “To open the bowling first game back and return figures like she did was unbelievable and a credit to her and the work she’s done to get her back to being available to play for us.”I think her knee is just ongoing management and seeing how it responds to training and games and looking at her availability from there. We’ll make sure that we’re doing the right thing by her and hopefully having her available when we need her.”When a decision needs to be made between King and Wareham, Nitschke said “sometimes it’s actually not about one or the other, like they bring different things to the table. I think Alana probably spins the ball a bit more and she’s a bit more attacking. Georgia can find a really good defensive length and [has] got a few variations that she goes to.”They both offer different things so it’s also about what we think we need in the game. Alana makes things happen, like I said, she’s an attacking bowler, as does Wolf [Wareham], but she also plays a lot of T20 and knows how to hit a really good defensive length at times as well.”The match in Colombo on Sunday between India and Pakistan saw play suspended for 15 minutes while the ground was fumigated against flying insects. It’s a problem Australia have not experienced during their training sessions in the city.”I’m not sure if that’s relative to the conditions and the bit of moisture that’s around,” Nitschke said. “But hopefully the fumigators are out and ready to go if that’s the case.”

The England opener has remained undroppable despite plenty of patchy form, and he showed why at The Oval

Matt Roller01-Aug-2025

Zak Crawley got to his half-century in just 42 balls•AFP via Getty Images

How do you explain a cricketer like Zak Crawley? He is an outlier, a player who continues to defy conventional wisdom. No man in Test history has opened the batting so often (93 innings) and averaged so little (31.06), yet he is one half of England’s most prolific opening partnership for a decade and his place has rarely been so secure.This Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series has been a trademark Crawley series: he has averaged 34.50, a tick over his career mark, and has thrilled and frustrated in equal measure. He has made three substantial contributions in eight innings, yet none of England’s first-choice top seven have scored fewer runs. He remains England’s enigma, his career a web of contradictions.Crawley was England’s top-scorer in their first innings at The Oval and personified their approach, jumping at the chance to dominate India’s seamers. Before his dismissal, Crawley hit one in every four balls that he faced for four, maintaining a strike rate well above 100. He scored 56 of his 64 runs in boundaries, reasoning that on a seaming pitch, attack was the best form of defence.Related

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It was the perfect attack for him to face. Crawley has the peculiar distinction of getting better when the bowling gets faster, reasoning that he is at his best when he has no time to think and lets his instincts take over. Facing seam, he averages 43.31 against balls at 84mph/135kph or quicker, compared to just 27.31 against those below.But that is precisely why England’s management have retained him for so long. He has missed only three of their 47 Tests since Boxing Day 2021 – and those through injury – despite two long ruts in form. That he was their top-scorer in two consecutive marquee series (Australia 2023 and India 2024) vindicated the sense that he is better equipped against the best than the rest.Crawley is encapsulated by the fact he has only been dismissed once in 119 balls in this series against Jasprit Bumrah, but twice in the seven balls he has faced from Nitish Kumar Reddy. India’s rebalancing at The Oval pitted him against three fast-medium bowlers; Crawley may have been the only England batter to breathe a sigh of relief when India left Shardul Thakur out.If he rode his luck at times – inside-edging Prasidh Krishna past leg stump, flashing him over the slips – he made good use of it. Crawley hit two perfect straight drives – one mid-off, the other mid-on – in three balls from Mohammed Siraj, and made a capacity crowd collectively purr when he spanked Prasidh through cover point.1:58

Bangar on Crawley-Duckett: Haven’t seen batting of that quality

His partnership with Ben Duckett was worth 92 in just 12.5 overs, and the collapse that followed vindicated their ultra-positive approach. Crawley and Duckett refused to let India’s seamers settle, disrupting their lengths by charging down the pitch and – in Duckett’s case – playing conventional and reverse-scoops. On a green seamer, it was defence that proved fatal.It was evident from Shubman Gill’s reactions at third slip – and, soon enough, mid-off – that England’s openers put India under severe pressure. After India folded for 224, Gill was caught between stools: he had no runs to play with, yet knew that he needed to break the partnership as soon as possible. Duckett’s fluffed reverse came as a huge relief.By that stage, Duckett and Crawley had reached a rare milestone, bringing up 500 runs for the series as an opening pair. It was the first time any opening pair had done so since 2015, and they were the first England openers to since Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes. No wonder Crawley, for all his flaws, is considered undroppable.Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have been the perfect contrast as an opening pair•Getty ImagesIt is not hard to work out why they have been such a success together. “One’s right-handed and a giant, the other is left-handed and isn’t,” Ben Stokes wrote in his programme notes for the Edgbaston Test. “When they get going, it can be a nightmare for bowlers trying to find rhythm.” A good ball to one is a freebie to the other, and vice-versa.Crawley is clearly frustrating to play against, and not only for his free-wheeling batting. He thrived on his role as pantomime villain at Lord’s and was on the wind-up again last week in Manchester, telling India’s batters their decision to bat on for centuries was “embarrassing” – seemingly oblivious that he was England’s only specialist batter without one in the series.His spliced pull to square midwicket felt oddly apt: he has always been a player of style over substance, and an anticlimactic dismissal was perfectly in keeping with the Crawley experience. On the flipside, for all that it looked like a missed chance to define the match, Crawley’s 64 was the highest score across both teams’ first innings.The Oval suits Crawley: it is one of two venues (along with the Utilita Bowl) where he has passed 50 three times in Test cricket, and is the English ground where he has scored the fastest. England have averaged fewer runs per wicket at The Oval than any other home venue in the last four summers; it is utterly in keeping with Crawley’s eccentricities that he has thrived there.

For 15 edge-of-your-seat innings, the Mariners and Tigers played a dramatic, thrilling postseason contest in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that ultimately ended in Seattle joy and Detroit heartbreak. And for the impartial fan, this was baseball heaven. There was excellent pitching, clutch hitting, peak drama and even first-class umpiring.

Over the course of 15 innings, 472 total pitches and nearly five hours of game time, home-plate umpire Alan Porter was nearly perfect. Porter correctly called 219 of 228 balls and strikes, a highly-impressive accuracy rate of 96%, according to Umpire Scorecards.

And while Porter wasn't perfect—some may point to his called strike against Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, or in the Tigers' case, the ruled hit-by-pitch of Mariners outfielder Victor Robles, a somewhat controversial call that went against Detroit's favor.

But overall, this was an outstanding performance by an MLB umpire on the game's biggest stage at a time when umpires are under the microscope seemingly more than ever.

A round of applause for Alan Porter please.

South Africa coach says, “the only context I ever intended it to be was that we wanted India to spend a lot of time in the field”

Firdose Moonda06-Dec-2025South Africa coach Shukri Conrad has clarified that he did not intend “to cause any malice,” when he said his team wanted to make India “grovel” during the Guwahati Test.Speaking to the media for the first time since he made that statement, Conrad stopped short of an apology but indicated he regretted his choice of words as South Africa worked their way to a 2-0 Test sweep.”On reflection, it was never my intention to cause any malice or not be humble about anything. I could have chosen a better word because it left it open for people to put their own context to it,” Conrad said after South Africa’s 2-1 ODI series loss in Visakhapatnam. “The only context I ever intended it to be was that we wanted India to spend a lot of time in the field and make it really tough for them. I’ve got to be careful what word I use here now because context could be attached to that as well.”Related

'Wanted them to really grovel' – SA coach Shukri Conrad on keeping India on the field

Jaiswal, Rohit, Kohli lead India to 2-1 series win

Conrad had made the comment after the fourth day’s play of the second Test, when South Africa batted deep into their second innings and set India a target of 549. When asked why they didn’t declare earlier, Conrad had said: “We wanted the Indians to spend as much time on their feet out in the field, we wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out the game, and then say to them, ‘come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening.'”South Africa won the match on day five to hand India their heaviest home defeat and complete a first series win in India in 25 years. But Conrad’s use of the word “grovel,” which was heavily loaded because it was used by Tony Greig when referring to the West Indies team in 1976, spoilt some of South Africa’s victory. Conrad was criticised by former Indian and South African players, including Sunil Gavaskar and visiting commentator Dale Steyn.Conrad made no public comment since then but Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma twice fielded questions about the use of the word. On both occasions, Bavuma said it was an issue for Conrad to address. Meanwhile, Conrad was in communication with a “network of people that I trust, family back home, and people on our staff,” and concluded he had done some damage, which he needed to repair.”It’s really a pity. Maybe what it did do was spice up the ODI series, and especially with India winning that now, the T20 series becomes even more so,” Conrad said. “The unfortunate thing is, with all the noise that that word caused, I still think it’s a perfectly good English word, but I just left it open to too many interpretations. What it did was take away the gloss of what was a really special win for our Test team. It’s unfortunate, but there was definitely no malice intended.”In his nearly three years as Test coach and almost six months as all-format coach, Conrad has emerged as a popular, witty figure who does not mince his words. Notably, he asked his team to “show-off more” a few months ago as they put out strong performances on the world stage, but has based his philosophy on the opposite of that and expects humility from everyone including himself.”Being humble is a cornerstone of our Test team and all our teams for that matter,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that the noise and the talk became around the coach. People shouldn’t really even know who the coach is. It should be about the players. That’s the unfortunate bit, and I’d like to think that it’s going to be put to bed now.”ESPNcricinfo understands Cricket South Africa was not amused by Conrad’s use of the word “grovel,” not least because they maintain a strong relationship with Indian cricket, but left it up to him to decide if or when he wanted to address the issue. CSA has made no comment or statement about the coach’s choice of language.

Despite spending over £200m on new additions during the summer transfer window, Manchester United have still found themselves short on quality in the midfield department.

Ruben Amorim has made it clear he wants added quality in such an area in the months, especially considering the current situation he’s presented with in the Premier League.

Casemiro has started 13 out of a possible 15 games in the league this campaign, but the Brazilian looks set to leave the Red Devils next summer when his current contract expires.

Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo are two other options in such an area, but they have both started two combined league matches in the 2025/26 campaign to date.

As a result, the hierarchy have been hunting for a player to operate at the heart of the side, which could see an excellent partnership being formed in the near future.

United’s potential midfield partnership after January

In an attempt to bolster United’s midfield, INEOS have been on the hunt for added reinforcements, which has led to Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson becoming their main target.

The 23-year-old has been in phenomenal form during the ongoing campaign, even topping numerous rankings in the Premier League compared to other players in his position.

He’s won possession on 126 occasions in England’s top-flight to date, with no other player managing to do so over 100 times – subsequently showing his ball-winning capabilities.

Anderson certainly would offer the perfect deep-lying option, something which Amorim has desired, but any deal would be a club record with Forest demanding a fee in the region of £100m.

Such a move would be a huge investment from the hierarchy, but it would also allow captain Bruno Fernandes to have the partner he’s craved in the middle of the park.

The Portuguese international has operated in a deep-lying position in 2025/26, but has still managed to star in possession, as seen by his tally of ten combined goals and assists in the Premier League.

He’s also constantly offered a creative source for the Red Devils, as seen by his tally of 3.1 chances created per 90 – the best tally of any player in the division at present.

A partnership of Anderson and Bruno would likely be one of the best in England’s top-flight, which could allow the club to finally challenge for a title once again.

The United star who’s a hybrid of Anderson & Bruno

United’s work in the transfer market over the last couple of years has certainly raised eyebrows across the division, with the hierarchy wasting huge funds on countless players.

Over £800m has been splashed in the last four years alone, which has seen numerous players fail to deliver and resulted in a measly 15th-place finish last campaign.

However, Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system requires a very specific type of midfield pairing, which has led to the rumours of a big-money move to land Anderson in the coming weeks.

It would be yet another huge addition made by the board, but one that could set the first-team up for many years, especially considering his tender age, which could see him explode into life in the years ahead.

A player of Bruno’s calibre is also extremely rare in the modern game and would likely cost a pretty penny, but it appears the Red Devils have already got ahead of the curve.

In recent weeks, they completed the €1m (£750k) addition of 17-year-old midfielder Cristian Orozco from Colombian side Fortaleza, with the teenager set to join the academy squad.

The move for the youngster has certainly taken a few supporters by surprise, but it’s one that could allow them to have a huge talent in the future at Old Trafford.

Despite his tender age, he’s already been a star for his boyhood club, which has led to him featuring at the U17 World Cup for his nation – even catching the eye of many people.

Orozco has been dubbed “a midfield destroyer” by one analyst, with his showing against El Salvador last month highlighting why he would be the perfect hybrid of Anderson and Bruno.

Minutes played

90

Touches

107

Pass accuracy

75%

Passes completed

63

Tackles made

2

Duels won

9

Recoveries made

9

Dribbles completed

2

The teenager produced a superb defensive performance on the international stage, subsequently making two tackles and coming out on top in nine of the duels that he entered.

Such figures showcase his remarkable ball-winning ability, something which has made Anderson such a desirable target for the Red Devils in the last couple of months.

Regaining possession is one thing, but the youngster has also thrived with the ball at his feet – subsequently producing numbers that Bruno would be proud of.

In the same game, he completed 67 passes at a completion rate of 75% – with such numbers reflecting his incredible ability to find his teammates when driving forward with the ball.

There’s no doubt that Orozco has a long way to go in his development before he nails down a starting role at Old Trafford, but there’s little denying that the club have secured a top young talent.

His numbers from his recent showings at international level showcase his incredible talents, with the teenager having all of the tools to be the perfect hybrid of Anderson and Bruno.

Cunha upgrade: Man Utd looking to sign "one of the best wingers in Europe"

Manchester United considering a move for a top-level forward ahead of the January window.

1 ByEthan Lamb 2 days ago