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Suryakumar Yadav, the India captain, withdrew an appeal against Junaid Siddique on Wednesday night in Dubai despite the batter being given out by the third umpire.The incident took place in the 13th over of the UAE innings. Siddique was beaten while attempting a pull off Shivam Dube, and was found outside the crease when wicketkeeper Sanju Samson collected the ball and under-armed a direct hit to the stumps at the striker’s end. As soon as he missed the ball, Siddique seemed to point towards the towel that Dube appeared to have dropped while delivering the ball.Even as the square-leg umpire referred the decision to third umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Suryakumar walked up to the umpire at the bowler’s end to have a chat, and withdrew the appeal after he saw the replays on the big screen. The third umpire had declared Siddique out by that stage.Related

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Siddique was out one legal ball later, when he toe-ended a slog off a Dube slower delivery to Suryakumar at mid-on to leave UAE 55 for 9. It was Dube’s third wicket; UAE were eventually bowled out for 57, which India overhauled in 4.3 overs.On ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, Aakash Chopra suggested that Suryakumar’s decision was based on the match situation at the time, which was heavily in India’s favour.”It’s event-specific in my opinion, it wouldn’t have happened if [Pakistan’s] Salman Agha was playing on 14th [of September] and the game is in the balance, and he’s just roaming around, he [Suryakumar] won’t do that,” Chopra said. “It was a good throw, presence of mind from Sanju to hit the stumps.”If he was [outside the crease], it should be out, in my opinion. But opinions may vary. The problem is the moment you bring in ethics and generosity, it opens a can of worms: ‘oh, you did this today, why are you not doing the same thing tomorrow?’ Why go down that route?”Will you do it? If that’s the case, it’s like walking. You nick it and you walk. But the day you do not walk, that’s the day that decides which side of the divide you are on and that’s when you look like a hypocrite. I’m not saying SKY is going to do it again, or not do it again. But if it is within the rules and the umpire has given it out, just stay out. That’s it.”India went on to pull off their fastest chase in men’s T20Is, in terms of overs left – eclipsing the 6.3 overs’ chase against Scotland at the T20 World Cup in Dubai in 2021.

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has claimed he was happy to have only given up five shots to Manchester United during their 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Saturday due to the visitors' attacking strength. The Red Devils led for much of the game before Spurs scored twice in quick succession late on, only for Matthijs de Ligt to head in a 96th-minute equaliser to ensure the spoils were shared.

De Ligt comes up with last-gasp equaliser

United took the lead midway through the first half through £71 million ($93m) summer signing Bryan Mbeumo, who rose highest to meet an Amad Diallo cross. Mathys Tel came off the bench to bring Tottenham level on 84 minutes, and then Richarlison thought he had won it with a deft header to redirect Wilson Odobert's shot from distance. However, one last United corner saw Bruno Fernandes plant the ball atop the head of De Ligt, whose effort crept over the line to salvage a point for the visitors.

De Ligt's header was only United's fifth attempt of the game, with both of their shots on target going in. They accumulated 0.63 expected goals, compared to the 0.96 tally of Tottenham, who had 10 shots with four on target.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFrank pleased with stifling United

Much of the buildup to this fixture centred on United's run of four straight defeats to Tottenham across all competitions, including in the Europa League final in May. But Frank denied that match or this record had any bearing on his plans, claiming Ruben Amorim has done well to make the Red Devils a more threatening outfit.

Frank told GOAL: "I think I saw this game as one game ahead of us, to try to do everything we could to try to win it. That was the aim of the game. I spoke before the game about it's clear they have improved this season. They look, how can you say, more in sync together. But I think especially going forward they look like a big threat. That's why I actually think, I know we conceded two goals, but if you said to me before the game concede five shots in the game, I would take that. So we're all happy."

Mbeumo comes back to haunt Frank

The Spurs boss also came up against a familiar face in Mbeumo, who was signed by the Dane at Brentford in 2019. Mbeumo scored 70 goals in 242 matches under Frank before completing a mega-money move to United this summer, despite interest from Tottenham and his former manager.

Though the Cameroonian has been a revelation from his favoured right-wing position this season, Amorim shifted him to the left to face Spurs, pushing Amad into the front three and dropping striker Benjamin Sesko to the bench. Nevertheless, Frank said this was a wrinkle he wasn't totally stunned by.

"I think it's not the first time Ruben has, how can you say, played around with the front three," he added. "I think no matter where Bryan plays he's a threat, which he showed again today."

Regarding the game in general, Frank said: "Of course, the emotions inside me are high but I take the positives out of this game. That’s what I believe and how I believe in building a good team and keep adding layers to it.

"Overall, a fine/good performance against a good Man United team which is definitely in flow. We are talking a bit about our, how can you say, level of defensive/attacking threats and to play against a Man Utd side that play with confidence with [Matheus] Cunha, Mbeumo, Amad and Sesko coming on and we kept them to five shots. It's just another example on the other way around that it's not that easy to create in the Premier League even though they had all their big boys out there.

"Second half, I was extremely happy with our response. We are playing at home and of course we all want to win and don't talk too much about (Tottenham's bad) home form and all that. I know we need to win before we don't talk about it. The way we turned it around to stay in the game, kept doing the right thing throughout the second half very happy with that. So close to winning it. On any other day, we win it."

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AFPMan Utd & Tottenham continue rebuilding

Ahead of the rest of the weekend's fixtures, Tottenham sit third in the Premier League table, while a resurgent United, who are unbeaten in their last five games, are seventh, but only behind Tottenham on goal difference.

The Argentine deserved his second straight MVP award, but might face more competition for the honor next year – and Miami, too, could feel the heat

Lionel Messi has been named MLS Most Valuable Player. 

Need we say more? Is there anything to intellectualize here? The best player on the planet – yes, still – has been named the best player in his domestic league. 

What else did you expect? Who else could it probably be? Lionel Messi will be the best player in Major League Soccer until he doesn't want to play in Major League Soccer anymore. If this sport were about talent and talent alone, Messi would be the best footballer in the world into his 50s. It is pretty much impossible to understate exactly how good he is. 

It's also pointless to make any argument for anyone else to be the MVP. Last season – yes, Messi won it then, too – you could make a semi-compelling case. Cucho Hernandez was excellent. Luis Suarez might have split the vote. Messi's win this year was comprehensive and entirely deserved. Anders Dreyer finished in second after a wonderful season for San Diego. But there are levels here. 

Yet, somehow, amid all of this, there is tension. Messi is the clear choice for MVP – and he’ll likely enter next season as the favorite again – but the field around him is getting stronger. LAFC’s Son Heung-Min looms as a real threat, and the Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller should mount a challenge of his own. The sense of inevitability around Messi may soon give way to genuine competition, which will only strengthen MLS.

For Miami, though, the award raises the stakes. They have won MLS Cup, carried mostly by Messi's brilliance in the final. The club is opening a new stadium in Miami Freedom Park and will likely find a way to carry a star-studded roster next season, but it still hasn’t truly built a balanced team around Messi. Their playoff run was an excellent exercise in getting hot at the right time, but there are still questions to be asked about how prepared this team is to survive long-term. And if this is to be more than a one-off for a consistent MVP, Miami need to get smart in the transfer market. 

AFPThe best season in MLS history?

Let's run through the facts here. Most had Messi as their MVP before the season. And that assumption has stayed alive and well. Messi started the season strong and never truly let up. In 28 games, he scored 29 and added 19 assists. This was all done while flying around the world on Argentina duty, and following a surprisingly hefty preseason tour of Central America. 

He led MLS in the following stats: goals, assists, goal contributions, shots, shots on target and big chances created. He was poked fun of for being a "brace man" – often scoring twice but failing to complete a hat-trick – yet that also gave him the lead in multi-goal games. And he bagged three on the final day of the regular season, just to kill that narrative. 

Not a single one of his goals came from inside the 6 yard box. And even when he wasn't directly involved, 10 of Miami's shots per game came in which moves Messi touched the ball. 

This was, in effect, the most dominant attacking season the league has ever seen (with due respect to Carlos Vela – who had one more goal contribution but played three more games). It is worth pointing out, too, that most of those numbers came with the Argentine being man-marked, or often double-teamed. Of course, there's the flip side. Only one attacking player ran fewer or put in fewer sprints. He had more goal contributions than defensive actions. But who cares? This is pure, stripped-down football. Get it to Messi, and get out of the way. 

AdvertisementAFPThe individual performances

And then, there were the big games. Messi had the audacity to score one regular season hat-trick in 2025. But it was a vital one. The final game of the regular season had nothing riding on it. There was, at that point, no jeopardy in the standings. The Supporters' Shield was out of reach. The Herons were playing for little more than momentum and pride.

Miami were battered by Nashvile for 30 minutes. Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar probed and harassed. Somehow, inexplicably, the game remained level. And then Messi woke up. He scored the first from the top of the box after 35 minutes, bagged the second from the penalty spot after the break, and iced the game in the 81st. Miami won 5-2. Messi secured the Golden Boot. That game also set up a first round playoff matchup with Nashville. And the Tennessee-based side never quite recovered from the psychological damage. Sure, they sent Miami to three games in the first round, but the Herons were mightily assured (it helped, too, that Messi scored five goals and added an assist across the three games). He notched four-goal contributions in the Eastern semis. He assisted two of Miami's goals in the final. By the time the playoffs had ended, Messi had tallied 15 goal contributions. 

But there were other big showings, too. He ran the show against Porto in the Club World Cup, with a wonderful free kick securing first MLS win over a European side. That game, more than all, was perhaps the most significant – one that gave the league an extra slice of legitimacy on the club game's biggest stage. 

By the end of it all, his manager was sold: Messi had to win this thing. 

"Clearly, I think if anyone had any doubts about what his regular season was like, the reality is that he's cleared any doubts. They'll surely give him the MVP award for everything he's shown," Javier Mascherano said. 

GettyThe highs are dazzling, the lows unmistakable.

Eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed that Miami technically had a worse season than in 2024 – and they would be right. Last year, Miami set an MLS single-season points record and comfortably claimed the Supporters’ Shield. This year, they collected nine fewer points and conceded six more goals.

Whether this is, overall, a worse team is up for debate. In truth, not much has materially changed. Names have come and gone, but the net effect is a remarkably similar squad in terms of talent. Rodrigo De Paul was an obvious upgrade in midfield. Yet Luis Suárez’s decline was stark and, at times, difficult to watch. The issues at center back also remain, with Maxi Falcón still unreliable next to the developing Noah Allen. Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia have provided flashes, but prioritizing them over Benjamin Cremaschi – before his loan to Parma – is open to scrutiny. And Sergio Busquets, who looked considerably older this season, has now retired following MLS Cup.

Taken together, even if Messi’s numbers improved, the team around him did not. MLS Cup wins are incredibly difficult to come by, but it’s not outrageous to suggest that Vancouver may actually have outplayed Miami in the final.

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Getty Images SportIs the window closing?

The issue is simple: there is only so much Messi left. The Argentine may have signed a multi-year deal to stay in MLS, but time and resources are limited. Miami must operate under a tricky salary cap, and that means they need to be shrewd. The widely held belief has long been that if Miami built a more MLS-savvy team around Messi – players who understand the league – then long-term, sustainable success would follow.

Instead, the club has been riskier and, at times, without clear direction. Allende and Segovia were signed from abroad. De Paul is elite, but another European product. Even Javier Mascherano had never overseen a minute of MLS before taking charge. Stars can be foreign in this league, but history has shown that the connective tissue around them must be MLS-experienced. It’s not unlike how Argentina constructed their national team: willing runners, hard-nosed competitors, a structure that makes Messi shine.

Last year, the LA Galaxy learned this lesson the hard way. Their title-winning squad was built heavily on expensive imports. Salary-cap restrictions forced them to sell or release key players, and they fell to 14th in the Western Conference the season after lifting the trophy.

The irony, of course, is that Messi is partly responsible. No one has said it outright, but it’s hardly a secret that Miami were built to provide a Barcelona reunion. Sergio Busquets admitted as much when he joined: he was “happy” to be playing with former teammates. Jordi Alba was even more direct:

“We’re here to help [Messi], all the team, the staff. There is a great atmosphere. He’s feeling well, he’s feeling loved. That’s very important. He has won everything, yeah, and more. But he’s still willing to compete, to win.”

It’s also fair to question whether Miami’s front office alone would have elected to sign Rodrigo De Paul, or loan Benjamin Cremaschi to Parma. MLS commissioner Don Garber has confirmed that roster rules are being reviewed, but no changes are imminent.

Which means Miami have to get smart – quickly.

After choosing to bowl, West Indies picked up nine wickets on a rain-affected day

Hemant Brar01-Dec-2025Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith’s 52-run stand for the seventh wicket ensured New Zealand ended the rain-affected opening day on an even keel. In seam-friendly conditions at the Hagley Oval, Kane Williamson had set the platform with a half-century but once he fell, New Zealand collapsed to 148 for 6. They looked in danger of being bowled out under 200 before the lower order steered them to 231 for 9 at stumps.After winning the toss, West Indies captain Roston Chase had no hesitation in opting to bowl first. Apart from the overcast conditions and a green pitch, Chase also pointed to the venue’s history. Of the 15 Tests played here, including the current one, only once has a team opted to bat after winning the toss, South Africa in 2022.Kemar Roach, playing his first Test since January 2025, took only three balls to prove his captain right. Bowling around the wicket, he pitched one up in the channel. Devon Conway hung his bat out, got a healthy outside edge, and Justin Greaves did the rest at second slip.Related

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But rain arrived after just 3.3 overs and halted play for 90 minutes. Another shower towards the end of the first session meant only 10.3 overs were possible before an early lunch was taken. New Zealand scored only 17 in that period.Williamson upped the scoring rate after lunch, hitting Johann Layne for two fours in three balls. While he was not always in control, he played late and defended with soft hands, like he always does. That helped him survive and also score runs on a difficult pitch.Debutant Ojay Shields had a forgettable start. His first ball in Test cricket was short and wide and a front-foot no-ball. Tom Latham, who was on 2 off 47 until then, cut it away for four. In his next over, Shields bowled Williamson through the gate but had once again overstepped.Kane Williamson celebrates his half-century•Getty Images

That showed there was still help from the pitch but Layne and Shields were not disciplined enough to take advantage of it. But Greaves was. In his back-to-back overs, he removed Williamson and Latham. Williamson was squared up and caught at second slip; Latham nicked an overpitched delivery to the wicketkeeper.Soon after, Jayden Seales castled Rachin Ravindra with a full delivery from around the wicket. Will Young made only 14 before Layne had him caught at second slip, leaving New Zealand 120 for 5. It was Layne’s maiden Test wicket. Shields followed suit when Tom Blundell inside-edged one onto his stumps.Bracewell and Smith then got together and revived the innings. Bracewell was the aggressor in their stand, while Smith defended well. Chase eventually broke the stand when Smith flicked one uppishly to short midwicket.Bracewell realised there was not much batting left and started taking more risks. The strategy didn’t work for long, though. On 47, he miscued a pull to give Shields his second wicket. Matt Henry also fell to the short ball, caught off Roach for 8. Two balls later, Roach hit Jacob Duffy on the helmet with another bouncer. As the physio came out for a concussion test, the umpires realised it had gotten too dark to continue.As a result, only 70 overs were possible in the day’s play. In those 70 overs, West Indies gave away 23 extras, which could prove to be decisive in these conditions.

There’s little to be gained for Zimbabwe, but they still agreed to play what felt like a club game from the days before sportainment

Firdose Moonda04-Jun-2025There’s a distinctly Liverpudlian flavour among South Africa’s leadership group. So it’s hardly surprising they’re getting by with a little help from their friends as they prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) final next week.Head Coach Shukri Conrad, batting coach Ashwell Prince, and captain Temba Bavuma all support the Reds – and are fresh off celebrating their league title win – and the first people they asked to lend them their ears were Zimbabwe, the guys next door.South Africa have not played them since October 2022, and haven’t hosted them since October 2018 or visited them since August-September 2014. But they convinced Zimbabwe to extend their stay in England to play them in a four-day warm-up game in Arundel. There are worse places to be in than the picturesque town in the South Downs – though both South Africa and Zimbabwe are actually based a 40-minute drive away in Portsmouth – and there’s little to be gained for Zimbabwe, apart from some insight into a team they will host later this month. But they’ve still agreed to play.Related

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So understanding have the not-so-noisy-neighbours been that they happily agreed to let South Africa bat first to give their line-up time in the middle, and then promptly even dropped Ryan Rickelton at second slip in the opening exchanges. Rickelton went on to top score with 62. But Zimbabwe weren’t quite as accommodating to Aiden Markram, who flicked 21-year old Alex Falao aerially to Wessly Madhevere at square leg, and departed for 13 off 15 balls.That meant Conrad was forced to show his tactical hand early when it comes to the least certain spot in the side: No. 3. Conrad had initially handed it to Tristan Stubbs in August last year, then let Wiaan Mulder bat there with a broken finger against Sri Lanka in Durban – seemingly because that was his only way of contributing in that match – and has also used Rickelton there briefly.Now that Rickelton has secured the opening berth, one of Stubbs, Mulder or Tony de Zorzi could bat at No. 3 at Lord’s. At Arundel, Mulder was given the spot, which is either an indication of how South Africa will line-up at the final or a bluff.On the evidence of the 49 balls he faced, Mulder appeared a serious candidate, and batted with a good measure of circumspection, especially as Rickelton was in full flow at the other end. Though Mulder looked aggrieved when given out lbw to a Tanaka Chivanga delivery that kept low, he made 26 runs, and was generally solid in defence.Stubbs was in at No. 5, which is a position that seems to suit him. He bedded in, and took 120 balls to score 58, but never appeared to be under pressure. Stubbs may be considered in that spot ahead of de Zorzi, the other batting option in the top five. De Zorzi was initially confused by spin and retired on 28, which indicates his status as a reserve player for the WTC final.Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder during the warm-up•ICC via Getty ImagesSouth Africa would have been most satisfied with the performances of Rickelton, in form across formats and playing attackingly, and Bavuma. This was Bavuma’s first competitive fixture in three months since the Champions Trophy, and he was in good touch. Importantly, Bavuma was able to play the pull and the hook comfortably. Those are shots which require him to extend his elbow fully, and hence he allayed fears that the chronic injury he carries is holding him back.As for Zimbabwe, for much of the day, it looked like they were doing their bit for continental unity, and it has been made easy for them. Their bills have been paid mostly by their hosts (the ECB provided a touring fee for Trent Bridge, and the ICC are paying for this add-on against South Africa). Their coaching staff – Justin Sammons, Charl Langeveldt and Rivash Gobind – are South African, so it has also been explained as something of a patriotic act.”A lot of their support staff have been part of the Proteas set up before, so we’ve got a really good relationship in terms of that,” Conrad told the media after the first day’s play was washed out.Overall, they gave South Africa as decent a challenge as they could on a flat track. Chivanga led the attack with a healthy dose of aggression and returned for spells late in the day, Victor Nyauchi got a hint of bounce, and the spin combination of Wellington Masakadza and Vincent Masekesa asked some questions of technique. More’s the pity that Blessing Muzarabani, their most reputed quick, was unavailable for this match after jetting off to the IPL, where he did not get a game.With heavy rain forecast for all of Thursday and most of Friday, South Africa had to manufacture some time in the field, and declared after 79 overs, with an hour’s play remaining. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen opened the bowling, and combined to take the first wicket – Brian Bennet caught by Jansen at gully off Rabada – before Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj took over. Does that mean Ngidi is being thought of ahead of Dane Paterson at Lord’s? It may be too early to tell, given South Africa only bowled 11 overs.

“It would be foolish of me not to tap into whatever IP there is, and he’s current. He was successful against Australia, and knows how to bowl at Lord’s, and the nuances that come with bowling from the respective ends”SA coach Shukri Conrad on getting Stuart Broad on board

The only thing South Africa may not get is a full 90-over day in the field and additional time in the bowler’s legs. But they’ve made another plan for some extra help in that department too. They’ve recruited a former Notts team-mate of Prince’s, who is also an SA20 commentator, in Stuart Broad. He will attend part of their training session on Monday in London, and have dinner with the coaching staff in an evening designed for information exchange. The arrangement is unpaid.”I reached out to Stuart via Ash, because they obviously know each other. And I just said to him, ‘Is there any way we can just get together, spend some time – primarily with the coaches – and then share whatever you’ve got?’,” Conrad said. “He’s coming for dinner with the coaches, and then he’s probably spending an hour or so at our nets.Temba Bavuma was back in action after an elbow injury•ICC via Getty Images”It would be foolish of me not to tap into whatever IP there is, and he’s current. He was successful against Australia, and knows how to bowl at Lord’s, and the nuances that come with bowling from the respective ends.”Conrad also wants to be careful not to overload his team with “too much information”, and remind them that, at its core, cricket is about simplicity. There was nowhere better to do that than Arundel. The Castle Cricket Ground is nestled among greenery, has no big stands, and the only food stall is the quaint Tea Hut. The match was open to members only, and there were just a few hundred people in attendance who could hear every word, ooh and aah being said on the field.It was very much like watching a club match from the days before sportainment, and was as low-key as it can get the week before the highest-profile engagement of this South African Test team’s careers. Zimbabwe will be back home by then, knowing they were the friends who provided a little – or, depending on how things go, perhaps a lot – of help when their neighbours needed them most.

A new update has emerged regarding Manchester City’s pursuit of Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning attacking midfielder Arda Guler, with Pep Guardiola’s stance made clear.

The Turk is arguably one of the most talented and exciting young attackers in Europe currently, gradually becoming more of a key man for La Liga giants Madrid.

Guler has started 10 league games so far this season, scoring three goals and bagging five assists, while Madrid legend Toni Kroos has lauded him, also discussing comparisons between the pair.

“But I don’t believe in comparisons. Arda is also a different type of player than me. His best position is much more attacking than mine, so it’s not about me succeeding him at all. But I’m generally pleased because he’s a good lad. I’ve played alongside him.

“He has a really delicate touch, which he’s already used very effectively for Real this season. That’s why I hope he continues to get consistent playing time, because that’s the only way to improve. Then I’m sure he can make his mark at Real for many years to come.”

At 20 years of age, Guler has an enormous amount of potential, and while Madrid are no doubt hesitant to allow him to leave, it looks as though he remains on City’s radar.

Guardiola wants Man City offer for Guler increased

According to a report from Spain, Manchester City are readying an offer of £88m for Guler, but that won’t be accepted by Madrid, who will demand more for his signature.

Guardiola has asked ‘whether it’s feasible to increase the offer’, though, no doubt considering him a player who he values greatly, as he looks to snap up some of the biggest young talents in the game.

The idea of Guler in a City shirt is a mouthwatering prospect, with the Turkey star someone who could fit perfectly into Guardiola’s style of play, with his technical ability right up there with the best in Europe.

Like Phil Foden, he possesses an effortless class with his left foot, being capable of drifting in off the right flank or adopting a No.10 role, while Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has lauded him.

“With his quality, he’s a mix between Ozil and Guti. Guti had that vision and finesse to link play or operate closer to goal, and with Mesut I enjoyed football so much. Arda has that something special – that natural talent you can’t teach.”

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For now, it looks as though Madrid are going to be stubborn in allowing Guler to leave the club, but City and Guardiola should continue to pursue him as a top target, given his world-class long-term potential.

Man City leading race for Rodrygo with Real Madrid future now in major doubt

South Africa’s all-right-hand batting lineup faces a growing test against left-arm spin, a tactic opponents are exploiting early in the tournament

Vishal Dikshit08-Oct-20254:32

Preview: Left-arm spin to the fore in Vizag?

Around the time Pakistan’s Nashra Sandhu was running through the Australia middle order in Colombo with her left-arm spin on Wednesday, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was taking left-arm spin throwdowns in Visakhapatnam to prep for their next clash. That match is against South Africa, who had dramatically crumbled to the left-arm spin of Linsey Smith in their opening game.The theme of left-arm spin kicked off this World Cup especially after South Africa had rolled over for 69 in Guwahati, that too against the new ball, when Smith struck in each of her first three overs with deceptive use of her drift and natural variations. If Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits hardly moved their feet, Marizanne Kapp tried to reach the pitch of the ball and still saw the ball go through the gate, making the top order look clueless against left-arm spin.But do South Africa really have a problem against left-arm spin?Related

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Wolvaardt had been prepping with batting coach Baakier Abrahams on match eve for England’s left-arm spinning duo of Smith and Sophie Ecclestone, and the use of Smith with the new ball turned out to be key for England. It was, however, no surprise that Wolvaardt dismissed any similarities between that and how South Africa lost six wickets to Sandhu – four by the 17th over – in the third ODI against Pakistan just before the World Cup, because in the series before that, South Africa didn’t look troubled while facing left-arm spin against West Indies and in the tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka earlier this year. In fact, since the start of 2024, the South Africa batters average a solid 42.50 against left-arm spin, which ranks third among Full Member teams, after England and Australia.But it’s for a reason that England handed the new ball to Smith as soon as they opted to field. South Africa’s scoring troubles against left-arm spin appear more prominent when the ball is new: since the start of 2024 and until that match against England, South Africa had been scoring at just 4.03 an over in the powerplay against left-arm spin – much slower than England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and India – even if they weren’t losing as many wickets (just three in 192 balls).1:33

De Klerk: ‘We do expect to be spin-heavy for game against India’

England were also not the first ones to use the left-arm spin threat against South Africa, who have faced the most such deliveries since the start of 2024 (192 in 11 innings), while India have had to face just 120 such balls in 10 innings. Even if England employed Smith early on to put the brakes on South Africa, the Guwahati pitch that had turn and grip on offer worked wonders for her, while the South Africa batters played the wrong lines.It obviously doesn’t help South Africa that their entire line-up is stacked with only right-hand batters, which gives the opposition the luxury of attacking or strangling them with left-arm spinners. It’s a tactic New Zealand, South Africa’s next opponents, could not employ as their only left-arm spinner – the uncapped Flora Devonshire – was ruled out of the World Cup just before their clash, and South Africa had no issues in tackling the New Zealand’s offspinner or legspinner on a much flatter track in Indore.But why are left-arm spinners tougher to face for right-hand batters than offspinners or legspinners?”…Especially with the conditions that we’ve got in Guwahati and in Sri Lanka with the ball gripping and turning a bit, it’s always an advantage for a [left-arm] fingerspinner,” India’s Jemimah Rodrigues said on Wednesday. “And if someone has that good quality who can mix it up with bowling in (angling it in) and bowling out (turning it away), I think that’s where the challenge comes. I think it’s always great to have a good left-arm spinner on your team.”Laura Wolvaardt will be key for South Africa against India’s spin threat•ICC/Getty ImagesCome Thursday, South Africa will be up against a team who have two left-arm spinners in the squad, even though only Shree Charani has played the two India games so far while Radha Yadav has sat out. Whatever the conditions in Visakhapatnam, if India pick the more experienced Radha as well, it will surely plant a seed of doubt in South Africa’s mind of how to go about their approach against them.It’s not all doom and gloom for them though. Even if South Africa have the third-worst powerplay scoring rate (2.60) and the most wickets lost (three) against left-arm spinners in the early stages of this World Cup, they can take confidence from the fact that their captain Wolvaardt, who opens the innings, doesn’t fall too often to left-arm spinners and has largely picked up her scoring rate against them since her debut in 2016, averaging 67 and 51 while facing them in 2024 and 2025 respectively. South Africa will hope she leads them from the front on Thursday and then against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan as well, who can all slot a few left-arm spinners in their XIs.

Just a matter of weeks ago it looked like Chelsea were in the title race but things have rather unravelled for Enzo Maresca and Co in recent weeks.

The Blues did pick up a point against Arsenal with ten men but results since then have been bleak, losing 3-1 to Leeds United and drawing 0-0 with Bournemouth.

Cole Palmer’s return to fitness has been timely, but according to the manager, he’s still not up to full speed just yet.

The latest Chelsea injury news

Palmer returned from the bench against Bournemouth at the weekend but in a fresh blow to Maresca and Co they have decided that the attacking midfielder will not travel with the squad for the Champions League trip to Atalanta.

That said, no fresh injury has been sustained. The manager has confirmed the forward is simply being rested as part of his recovery.

Palmer had missed a period courtesy of a groin injury and then had to spend an extra week out after breaking a toe at home.

That said, he is now slowly working himself back. Maresca said: “Cole is in part of his process in this moment. He’s not available, he can’t play two games in a row in three days. So we planned that, and it’s just a way to protect him.”

As far as Liam Delap is concerned, the news isn’t ideal there. The striker injured his shoulder against the Cherries and will now miss a period of time.

Commenting on the striker’s situation, the Chelsea boss stated: “Liam, fortunately, there is not any fracture, so that is good news. In terms of how long he will be out, we are not sure at this stage to be honest.”

What Delap's injury means for Chelsea

Well, it certainly means that Joao Pedro is likely to play a lot of minutes over the festive period and there could well be a rare slice of minutes for Marc Guiu who has barely kicked a ball this season after being recalled from his early-season loan spell with Sunderland.

That said, it’s unlikely we’ll see a recall for a certain Raheem Sterling who remains out in the cold alongside centre-back Axel Disasi.

A January exit looms for both players and it would be a surprise if we saw either in a Chelsea shirt again.

Maresca said in his press conference: “In terms of Raheem, once again it’s the same thing I said about Axel, they are Chelsea players. Now also we are in December, January is coming, so anything can happen, obviously.”

Sterling signed at Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £47.5m back in the summer of 2022 but has not lived up to expectations, scoring just 19 goals in 81 outings. A season-long loan spell with Arsenal in 2024/25 failed to get his career back on track either.

As for Disasi, he had a loan spell with Aston Villa in the back end of last campaign but has not been seen in Chelsea blue this season. He once cost the club a whopping £38.5m but there is seemingly no way back for him.

Chelsea flop has fast become their biggest liability since Bakayoko

Chelsea and Maresca need to move on from the walking disaster as soon as possible.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes 3 days ago

Thailand, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda will take part in the inaugural edition

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2025A new global tournament, the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, involving eight teams from four continents, will be played from November 20 to 30 in Bangkok. Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda will take part in the inaugural edition.The trigger for the tournament, an ICC statement said, was the success of the recent ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where “more than 500 million viewers in India” were recorded and there was also “significant growth in viewership across countries”.”Nearly 300,000 fans attended matches across India and Sri Lanka and the event concluded with India becoming the first Asian team to lift the Women’s Cricket World Cup, a watershed moment in the evolution of the sport and the socio-cultural context of gender roles,” an ICC statement said. “Building on the extraordinary impetus provided by the marquee event, the ICC continues to invest in creating a sustainable future for women’s cricket. The Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy is part of a new three-tier development pathway designed to offer high-performance exposure to emerging nations.”Sanjog Gupta, the ICC chief executive, said, “It is the ICC and the Chair’s [Jay Shah] vision to sustainably expand cricket’s footprint across the world and grow the women’s game. Providing elite athletes from emerging nations more opportunities to play at the highest level is aimed at fast-tracking their development and improving the competitiveness of their teams.”It also drives the visibility of the sport in participant nations, serving as a driver of girls’ involvement in the sport and inspires women from other nations to stay committed to the development pathways.”The opening day will feature Thailand vs Netherlands and Papua New Guinea vs UAE.

USAC said it remains committed to navigating through this “challenging” period and will hold elections in line with the timeline agreed upon with the ICC

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Oct-2025

USA Cricket (USAC) has described the ICC’s decision to suspend it as “one of the most difficult moments” in its history and “difficult to comprehend”. In a statement on Friday, USAC said it remains committed to navigating this “challenging” period and will hold elections in line with the timeline agreed upon with the ICC.The statement came after the board filed for bankruptcy on October 1. Calling the suspension “aggressive”, USAC stressed that the financial restructuring was necessary to secure the organisation’s future.USAC’s decision to file for bankruptcy came as a surprise to the ICC as it was after the ICC had moved to suspend the organisation on September 23. The statement on Friday, USAC pointed out, was part of a “series of communications” it would share to explain its decision-making in recent weeks.”The recent suspension of USA Cricket by the International Cricket Council has been one of the most difficult moments in our history,” the statement said. “It has caused uncertainty and disappointment for players, members, volunteers, and supporters. Yet this moment must not be mistaken for dysfunction. It is the result of difficult but necessary decisions taken to protect the game, the organization, and the future of cricket in the United States.”Related

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At its annual general meeting in July, the ICC said USAC would continue to be “on notice” but asked the latter to conduct elections within three months and carry out governance reforms.In August, USAC terminated its long-term contract with American Cricket Enterprise (ACE), its principal commercial partner and owner of Major League Cricket (MLC). This was followed by the move to initiate the financial restructuring. ICC chairman Jay Shah had warned USAC, in the suspension letter, to “not take any steps to undermine the ICC or its Normalisation Committee in all aspects of the ICC’s work related to the USA, including the LA28 Olympic Games”.On Friday, USAC said the ICC decision was difficult to comprehend because the ACE termination was taken “to protect integrity and independence rather than to harm it”. USAC chair Venu Pisike reiterated the same, saying the ACE contract was “one-sided” and the stand should not be seen as a “defiance” of ICC. “We chose principle over convenience. Our decisions were driven by the need to safeguard the game’s future, not to surrender its control,” Pisike said. Tensions between USAC and ACE have simmered almost since the two parties signed a 50-year commercial agreement in 2019, which included current chair Pisike. As part of the deal, ACE committed to providing USAC with a minimum of US$1.2 million annually to fund national team contracts, including those of the support staff. However, USAC has since said the deal undervalued the national team’s commercial rights, which it claims are worth over US$5 million per year.In a section titled “Years of strain and commercial overreach”, USAC said it had “operated under immense pressure” from ACE and its ownership group. Despite never managing to create a “balanced, long-form” agreement”, USAC said ACE never met its financial and operational targets while “attempting to control” the organisation’s “governance, operations, and programs”.Despite the divide with ACE, USAC said it tried to comply with the ICC requirement, including the “directive” issued in August (following the ICC’s annual general meeting) to conduct the elections by October 20 this year.USAC also accused ACE of “continuous acts of intimidation and interference” stretching from grassroots cricket to the USAC Board. The statement on Friday alleged that ACE “attempted to pressure” the national selectors “into choosing players aligned with their interests, displacing home-grown talent and threatening participants who sought to participate in non-MLC tournaments”.It also alleged that ACE had “imported” over 100 overseas players “under the guise” of involvement in cricket in the country, but many of those players were left unsupported and there were “promises left unfulfilled”. USAC also alleged that ACE had attempted to influence its board members by promising them team owner or other roles in associated leagues. USAC said it was legally challenging ACE’s conduct.The decision to file for bankruptcy was taken after the USAC Board met on September 30 with nine directors including Pisike in attendance. However, it is learned those four directors – Nadia Gruny, Atul Rai, Arjun Gona and Kuljeet Singh Nijjar – left the meeting in protest, with one saying the members were being “muted” by Pisike before being able to complete what they wanted to say.In a statement on Saturday, ACE blamed the remaining five directors and alleged that they had “hijacked” the USAC Board, which resulted in ICC suspension. “USA Cricket was put on notice by the ICC in July 2024, so they have had plenty of time to address ICC’s legitimate governance concerns,” ACE said. “Five directors appear to have hijacked the Board and refused to comply with the ICC’s and USOPC’s six-step roadmap for reform. Not only have the acts of these five directors resulted in the suspension of USA Cricket by the ICC for clear governance and management failures, they have also placed the organisation in bankruptcy court.”ACE also said the USAC statement issued on Friday was “false” and “inaccurate”. “ACE considers this a thinly veiled attempt to avoid being answerable for their actions in a court of law. ACE strongly refutes all the allegations made in the recent false and inaccurate statement by USAC. USAC continues to show zero regard for the best interests of cricket and its players, and is only motivated by politics and the personal agendas of these five directors.”These developments come even as the ICC has been working closely with the US Olympics and Paralympics Committee (USOPC) to help USAC secure national governing body (NGB) status from USOPC, which is mandatory for all sports that are a part of the LA28 Games. As part of that process, the ICC has sent a six-step “roadmap” to USAC to “restore the integrity and credibility” of the board.The statement on Friday, USAC said, was being issued “not in blame, but in belief, the belief that American cricket can emerge stronger, fairer, and more inclusive”. It said that it was taking a “principled path” to ensure “control of cricket in the USA remained with the USAC as well as the local cricket community and not outside commercial interests”.