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Matthew Mott has stepped down as England Men’s white-ball head coach with immediate effect.Mott was halfway through a four-year contract, during which time he presided over triumph at the 2022 T20 World Cup as well as the side’s failure to defend that title this year or the 50-over crown they won in 2019 at the 2023 edition, where they won just three of their nine games.He will be replaced by assistant coach Marcus Trescothick on an interim basis for the rest of the home summer, which includes three T20Is and five ODIs against Australia in September.Related

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• Key, Mott in spotlight as England white-ball team reaches crossroads

On Sunday, Mott met with Rob Key, ECB managing director of England men’s cricket, to gauge his view on the last nine months as part of a review into the drop in team’s limited-overs performances.”I am immensely proud to have coached the England Men’s team; it has been an honour,” Mott said. “We have put everything into trying to achieve success over the past two years, and I am incredibly proud of the character and passion that the team has displayed during that period, including a magnificent T20 World Cup victory in 2022.”I would like to thank the players, management, and everyone at the ECB for their commitment, support, and hard work during my time. I leave with many great friendships and incredible memories. Finally, I would like to thank the England fans, who have always backed us and given us fantastic support wherever we have travelled around the world.”Appointed in May 2022, Mott also led England to white-ball series victories against Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan. But it appears that England’s most recent campaign, where they were knocked out of the T20 World Cup in the semi-finals by eventual winners India, was pivotal to the decision.Matthew Mott was halfway through his contract•Getty Images

Key said the search for a full-time replacement would begin immediately. He believed the rapport between Trescothick and white-ball captain Jos Buttler “will help us maintain continuity and stability”.”On behalf of everyone connected to England cricket and me personally, I would like to thank Matthew for all he has done for the team since his appointment,” Key said. “He can be proud of his achievements as he leaves his post as one of only three coaches who have won a Men’s World Cup with England.”After three World Cup cycles in a short space of time, I now feel the team needs a new direction to prepare for the challenges ahead. This decision was not made lightly, but I believe it is the right time for the team’s future success. With our focus shifting towards the Champions Trophy early next year and the next cycle of white-ball competition, it is crucial that we ensure the team is focused and prepared.”Trescothick, added: “England cricket is in a strong position, and the potential is huge, given the quality we have available. It is about harnessing that potential and developing the work that has already been put in place by Matthew Mott and the rest of the set-up. I’m excited about the challenge and shaping how we want to play.”Eoin Morgan, England’s former World Cup-winning captain who now works as a commentator, recently dismissed reports that he could replace Mott as nothing more than “speculation”.Other names such as Andrew Flintoff, currently in his first coaching role with Northern Superchargers in the men’s Hundred, Mike Hussey, who was part of the coaching staff for the successful 2022 T20 World Cup campaign, and Kumar Sangakkara have also been touted for the role. However, it is understood no prospective successors to Mott have been sounded out at this juncture.

Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match late in the contest. He first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get, and the game looked set to turn on its head.However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed his side across the line off the last ball of the 19th over to give his side victory in their opening encounter of T20 World Cup 2024.The late Sri Lanka surge aside, this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling in the first innings. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad’s three-for through the middle overs also pegged Sri Lanka back.Mustafizur was especially instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, Sri Lanka’s inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.

The tight finish

It should never have got so close. With five overs to go, Bangladesh had only 25 runs left to get, five wickets in hand, and their two most experienced batters – Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah – were at the crease.But then Shakib uppercut a Matheesha Pathirana short ball, and Maheesh Theekshana took an outstanding diving catch at deep third, surging in from the rope to intercept the ball inches from the ground.And then Sri Lanka’s other slinger, Thushara, took two wickets in two balls in the next over – the 18th of the innings, first bowling Rishad who had tried to hit him inside out over cover, and then nailing Taskin with a toe-crusher that would have hit leg stump.Thushara had three more balls left in the over, with Bangladesh still needing 12. Sri Lanka’s best chance of stealing victory was for him to get another wicket before his spell ended. But Tanzim Hasan Sakib survived, and Mahmudullah was on strike next over.Next over, bowled by Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka had used up all their frontliners hunting for wickets), Mahmudullah bludgeoned a thigh-high full toss into the deep square leg stands to ease Bangladesh’s nerves.But there was more drama to come. With two runs needed – but desperate to keep strike off the last ball of the 19th over – Mahmudullah ventured a risky single to mid-off, and would have been out had Wanindu Hasaranga connected with his shy at the stumps. But the Sri Lanka captain didn’t, and the overthrows helped Bangladesh limp over the line.1:32

Tamim: Hridoy’s 20-ball 40 changed the game

Bangladesh boss bowling death overs

The definitive period of play, though, were the last seven overs of Sri Lanka’s innings. They had arrived at the start of the 14th over in okay shape – 100 runs on the board and seven wickets in hand.But then they nosedived. Rishad first dismissed Charith Asalanka, having him caught slog sweeping at deep square leg, after his teammates had kept Asalanka quiet through much of the middle overs. Next ball, he had Hasaranga caught at slip with a ball that dipped and gripped.This double strike pushed Sri Lanka into a tailspin, losing their next six wickets for 25 runs. Only one boundary would be hit in the last six overs, as batters repeatedly tried cross-batted shots against bowlers varying their pace and got themselves out, almost in frustration. Rishad got his three wickets in this period, and Taskin, Mustafizur, and Tanzim Hasan got one each.

Nissanka’s bright start

That Sri Lanka even got to 125, rather than crashing out in double figures as they did against South Africa, was down to their best batter – opener Pathum Nissanka. He struck seven fours and a six, favouring the leg side, and maintained a strike rate of 168 across his 28-ball innings.The turning point for Sri Lanka’s innings, after which they struck only two intentional boundaries (seriously), was when Mustafizur dismissed Nissanka with a cutter towards the end of the ninth over. Until that point, Sri Lanka’s run rate was above 7.50. Afterwards, it was less than five.

Hridoy’s sixes

Given how close the match was in the end, Towhid Hridoy’s four sixes – all of them against Hasaranga – also had an impact. Three of them came back to back to back, at the start of the 12th over. The first two came off slog sweeps, and the third off a beautiful inside-out shot over cover.Hasaranga would trap him lbw next ball, but Hridoy had already landed the important blows. It was these sixes that gave Bangladesh the room to stutter towards the end and still win with two wickets in hand and one over to spare.

Managers coming and going is very much a part of life in football, and with the managerial merry-go-round in full swing, the number of dugout changes in the 2024/25 season grew right up to the end of the campaign.

Premier League bosses like Russell Martin and Sean Dyche could not avoid the dreaded axe, while the Championship saw the likes of Wayne Rooney given their marching orders after dismal campaigns from the dugout.

Firings were rife throughout the rest of the EFL too, as clubs scrambled to avoid failure by making drastic changes.

We have the full list of dismissals here, with nearly 50 managers leaving their posts during the season.

All 20 Premier League managers' salaries (lowest to highest)

How much each Premier League gaffer earns.

ByCharlie Smith Oct 21, 2025

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Manager

Club left

Date

Time in charge

Ryan Lowe

Preston

12th August

2 years, 249 days

Neil Critchley

Blackpool

21st August

1 year, 90 days

Paul Simpson

Carlisle

31st August

2 years, 189 days

Steven Schumacher

Stoke

16th September

272 days

Erol Bulut

Cardiff

22nd September

1 year, 111 days

Mark Robinson

Burton Albion

23rd October

141 days

Mark Kennedy

Swindon

25th October

149 days

Erik ten Hag

Man Utd

28th October

2 years, 158 days

Paul Hurst

Shrewsbury

3rd November

284 days

Mark Robins

Coventry

7th November

7 years, 246 days

Steve Cooper

Leicester

24th November

157 days

Tim Walter

Hull

27th November

180 days

Jon Brady

Northampton

5th December

3 years, 299 days

Neil Harris

Millwall

10th December

293 days

Gary O’Neil

Wolves

15th December

1 year, 128 days

Des Buckingham

Oxford

15th December

1 year, 29 days

Russell Martin

Southampton

15th December

1 year, 177 days

Matt Taylor

Bristol Rovers

16th December

1 year, 15 days

Charlie Adam

Fleetwood

22nd December

357 days

Narcis Pelach

Stoke

27th December

100 days

Wayne Rooney

Plymouth

31st December

220 days

Mark Bonner

Gillingham

5th January

243 days

Julen Lopetegui

West Ham

8th January

230 days

Rob Edwards

Luton

9th January

2 years, 53 days

Sean Dyche

Everton

9th January

1 year, 345 days

Stephen Clemence

Barrow

19th January

233 days

Ian Evatt

Bolton

22nd January

4 years, 205 days

Mike Williamson

Carlisle

3rd February

137 days

Paul Warne

Derby

7th February

2 years, 138 days

Garry Monk

Cambridge

16th February

349 days

Luke Williams

Swansea

17th February

1 year, 43 days

Nigel Adkins

Tranmere

25th February

1 year, 115 days

Shaun Maloney

Wigan

2nd March

2 years, 33 days

Scott Lindsey

MK Dons

2nd March

158 days

Michael Duff

Huddersfield

9th March

299 days

Darrell Clarke

Barnsley

12th March

293 days

Rob Elliot

Crawley

19th March

169 days

Steve Evans

Rotherham

30th March

347 days

Ivan Juric

Southampton

7th April

105 days

Omer Riza

Cardiff

19th April

209 days

Tony Mowbray

West Brom

21st April

93 days

Johannes Hoff Thorup

Norwich

22nd April

327 days

Nelson Jardim

Newport

24th April

282 days

Inigo Calderon

Bristol Rovers

4th May

129 days

Tom Cleverley

Watford

6th May

1 year, 12 days

1 Ryan Lowe (Preston North End) Left: 12th August

Championship side Preston North End parted ways with head coach Ryan Lowe after just one league game this season.

Following the Lilywhites’ 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United, Lowe asked to leave the club, telling Preston’s board he wanted “a change”. The defeat to the Blades was Preston’s sixth on the bounce, with Lowe’s side having lost their final five games of the previous season – a run of form that saw them fade out of the play-off race.

2 Neil Critchley (Blackpool) Sacked: 21st August

Blackpool sacked manager Neil Critchley after they began their 2024/25 League One campaign with back-to-back defeats against Crawley Town and Stockport County.

The 45-year-old had previously guided Blackpool to the Championship by way of the play-offs in 2021, and returned to Bloomfield Road in May 2023 after spells with Aston Villa and QPR. However, he was unable to recapture the magic of two years prior, with the Seasiders finishing the 2023/24 campaign in eighth.

3 Paul Simpson (Carlisle United) Sacked: 31st August

Paul Simpson was let go by Carlisle United following a 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers back in August. The defeat was their third from four league matches this season, having been relegated to League Two under Simpson’s tenure last year.

“Everyone at the club would like to thank Paul and his staff for their efforts,” Carlisle said in a statement.

4 Steven Schumacher (Stoke City) Sacked: 16th September

Stoke City sacked Steven Schumacher after the Potters lost three of their first five games of the campaign. The final straw came by way of a 1-0 loss to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium.

Schumacher’s tenure as Stoke boss lasted just nine months in total, with the 40-year-old having left Plymouth Argyle to take the job in December 2023.

Two days after sacking Schumacher, Stoke appointed Norwich City coach Narcis Pelach as their new manager on a three-year contract.

5 Erol Bulut (Cardiff City) Sacked: 22nd September

Cardiff City were rock bottom of the Championship when they fired head coach Erol Bulut in mid-September.

The Bluebirds had picked up just one point from six games and scored one goal – their worst start to a season in 94 years. Bulut’s final game was a 2-0 home defeat against Leeds United. He has since been replaced by Omer Riza, who remains in interim charge heading into December.

6 Mark Robinson (Burton Albion) Sacked: 23rd October

Mark Robinson was relieved of his duties at Burton Albion following a run of seven successive defeats in all competitions.

“We feel we have reached a point where a change is necessary to improve the team’s results,” sporting director Bendik Hareide said at the time.

Robinson, 58, is the third Burton manager in three seasons to have been given the axe before Christmas, following in the footsteps of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dino Maamria.

7 Mark Kennedy (Swindon Town) Sacked: 25th October

Swindon Town sacked head coach Mark Kennedy after less than five months in charge following a 2-1 defeat at Salford. Kennedy won just 3 of his 15 games in charge of the Robins, who were 22nd in League Two at the time of his departure.

Just hours after Kennedy’s sacking, Swindon appointed former Bristol Rovers, QPR and Blackpool manager Ian Holloway as their new head coach.

8 Erik ten Hag (Manchester United) Sacked: 28th October

By far and away the most high-profile sacking of the season, Erik ten Hag was let go by Manchester United following a disastrous start to the season. The Dutchman’s final game was a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United, which left the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League with just three wins from their opening nine games.

Though he guided United to two trophies during his two-and-a-half-year spell at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has been dubbed the club’s worst-ever manager. Ruben Amorim has since stepped in as his replacement.

9 Paul Hurst (Shrewsbury Town) Sacked: 3rd November

Shrewsbury Town parted ways with head coach Paul Hurst after a run of just 1 win in 12 games in all competitions, leaving them second from bottom in League One. Assistant boss Chris Doig was also let go.

Hurst and Doig were in their second spell at the club, having previously led the Shrews to the League One play-off final in 2018.

“Everyone at the football club is hugely disappointed their second spell hasn’t worked out and we find ourselves in our current position,” Shrewsbury said in a statement.

10 Mark Robins (Coventry City) Sacked: 7th November

Coventry City fired boss Mark Robins after a run of just 4 wins in 14 Championship games this season. Robins, 54, had been in charge of the Sky Blues for 2,803 days, making him the English Football League’s longest-serving manager at the time.

Former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard has been appointed as Robins’ successor on a two-and-a-half-year deal, replacing interim boss Rhys Carr.

The 8 longest-serving managers in the Premier League & EFL

A rare sight in football…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 8, 2024

Leeds United’s Saturday lunchtime couldn’t have gone any better, with the Whites recording a priceless victory in the ongoing automatic promotion tussle in the Championship against Preston North End, whilst one of their rivals for the top two spots succumbed to a third straight defeat in the league.

That was Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United who shockingly fell to a late defeat at bottom-of-the-table Plymouth Argyle, with Leeds’ emotions very different at the final whistle away from the dour mood in Devon from the away stands.

The picture above encapsulates the mixture of both relief and jubliance inside Elland Road when the full-time whistle was sounded, with Manor Solomon standing out throughout as a top performer after gifting his promotion-chasing side the lead after just four minutes.

Solomon's performance in numbers vs Preston

With Daniel James confirmed to be out of the lunchtime clash when the lineup filtered through, Solomon must have been even more aware that he could be a hero for his team down the flanks, away from the energetic Welshman.

He instantly threw himself into the contest and was rewarded with a stunning early effort, with the Tottenham Hotspur loanee managing to curl this delightful effort past the opposition goalkeeper after the Whites’ patient passing approach paid off.

Preston would instantly fight back with an equaliser, but thankfully, the Championship’s table-toppers had more than enough in their system to get over the line and win, with Solomon a lively customer across the frantic 90 minutes.

Indeed, the 25-year-old winger would also turn provider when assisting Jayden Bogle’s winning goal, with the Spurs loan ace further completing four accurate crosses to try and make Leeds’ slim victory more comprehensive.

Whilst the attacking players in Daniel Farke’s ranks do often steal the plaudits with breathtaking displays of quality, there was also a resilient side to Leeds on show against Paul Heckingbottom’s visitors, with this defender a colossus throughout.

The 8/10 Leeds star who has become undroppable

It could be argued that the centre-back star in question was even better than Solomon across the full duration of the bumpy 90 minutes, with the 6 foot 4 titan having to remain alert throughout, away from his attacking teammate stealing the show early on.

Joe Rodon would come away from this nervy encounter with his head firmly held high, considering the Welsh enforcer would trudge off the Elland Road turf at the close of the contest with all but one of his seven duels won, among other standout numbers.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

59

Accurate passes

47/51 (92%)

Key passes

1

Shots

2

Clearances

4

Tackles

1

Total duels won

6/7

Looking at the table above, it’s clear Rodon was a man in control throughout his near-faultless 90 minutes, with the ex-Swansea City man only misplacing four of his 51 passes on the day.

Whilst he followed a worried trend of Leeds being wasteful in front of goal with two chances spurned of his own, Rodon would still rightly be praised post-match, leading to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth dishing out a high 8/10 rating to the dominant number six, labelling his forceful showing as simply ‘no-nonsense’.

Already undroppable before this tense fixture – considering Farke has started him in every Championship game this season to date – his importance to the cause has only been heightened now off the back the unfortunate backdrop of his usual centre-back comrade, Pascal Struijk, being ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Rodon will hope more authoritative performances defensively, such as this one against the Lilywhites, leads to more invaluable victories coming his side’s way, with just one misstep in the automatic promotion race in the Championship proving to be very costly.

He's playing like a £50m star: Leeds sold Struijk successor for just £4m

Leeds United must wish they never sold this defensive star now.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 11, 2025

All the key numbers as a masterclass performance from Root enabled the home side to haul in a 300-plus target

Sampath Bandarupalli02-Jun-20257082 Runs scored by Joe Root in his ODI career. He is the first batter to aggregate 7000-plus runs for England in the format. Root became their leading run-scorer on Sunday, surpassing Eoin Morgan’s tally of 6957 runs.166* Root’s score in the chase on Sunday is his highest in the format. It is the second-highest score for England in an ODI chase, behind Jason Roy’s 180 against Australia in 2018.Root’s 166* is overall the fifth-highest individual score for England in men’s ODIs and their highest against West Indies.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6 Number of hundreds by Root in the 300-plus target chases in ODIs, the second-most by any batter, behind Virat Kohli’s nine. Four of those six tons by Root came in successful chases.9 Total hundreds for Root in ODIs in England, the most by any batter, going past Marcus Trescothick, who had eight.5 Centuries for Root in ODIs against West Indies, the joint second-most by any batter, behind Kohli’s nine hundreds. Root also went past 1000 runs against West Indies in ODIs on Sunday, the first batter with the milestone for England.15 Number of successful 300-plus chases for England in ODIs, the second-most by any team, going ahead of Australia (14) and only behind India (19).143 Partnership between Root and Will Jacks, the second-highest for the sixth wicket for England in ODIs, behind the 150 by Michael Vaughan and Geraint Jones against Zimbabwe in 2004.176 Runs that England needed in the second ODI after the fall of their fifth wicket. These are the most target runs that England have successfully chased in a men’s ODI after losing their fifth wicket. The previous highest was 167 runs against Pakistan in Birmingham in 2021, where they chased down 332 from 165 for 5.3 Hundreds for Keacy Carty in his last four ODI innings. Only Desmond Haynes (in 1984), Phil Simmons (in 1992) and Chris Gayle (in 2002 and 2008) had scored three centuries in the space of four ODI innings for West Indies before him.269 Total runs scored by Carty and Root while batting at No. 3 in Cardiff, the fourth-highest aggregate by the No. 3s in a men’s ODI. The highest is 339 by Ricky Ponting (164) and Herschelle Gibbs (175) at Johannesburg in 2006.

“I mainly practice yorkers”, says Indian quick who’s had to shoulder the responsibility of the end overs in Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer’s absence

Abhimanyu Bose21-May-20231:25

Have Mumbai found a specialist death bowler in Madhwal?

It’s the 19th over of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings. Fifth ball. They are 186 for 3. The two previous overs have gone for six runs each, and Sunrisers, from looking good for 225-230, are now probably targeting 210 or thereabouts. On strike is Heinrich Klaasen, their best batter this season.Akash Madhwal runs in and bowls a seam-up delivery that moves in ever so slightly after pitching and cleans up Klaasen, who was looking to heave it across the line.Harry Brook is next in and he is welcomed with a searing yorker. He tries to get his bat down but is too late; the ball goes through his legs and crashes into the stumps.Madhwal, striking with his last two balls, finishes with 4 for 37.Related

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Wickets, yes, but a bit more too. Something a little difficult to classify. The delivery before he knocked Klaasen over, Madhwal had bowled a wide yorker that was squeezed out for a single but called a no-ball. For the free-hit delivery, Madhwal nearly nailed the yorker again but not quite; his 135kph low full-toss, on the fifth-stump line, was still good enough for Markram to only dispatch to the off side for a single.It’s this ability, to bowl yorkers with quite some efficiency, that has made Madhwal Mumbai Indians’ go-to bowler at the death this season, a season when they haven’t had Jasprit Bumrah around at all and Jofra Archer available only for a while – and far from at his best – meaning the bowling has been their weaker suit by a distance.”I was just thinking about the execution. What I was doing in the nets, I just tried to execute that,” Madhwal said during the mid-innings break. “My communication with [Rohit Sharma] was also great, he was giving me a lot of confidence.””I mainly practice yorkers. Even in domestic cricket, I practice a lot for yorkers for the death overs.”But that penultimate over, in which he conceded just six runs, was not all Madhwal did to hurt SRH’s chances on the day.Akash Madhwal nailed his yorkers at the death•BCCIEarlier in the script, he saw off openers Vivrant Sharma and Mayank Agarwal with a couple of short balls. While Vivrant miscued a pull to deep midwicket, Agarwal’s attempted pull was edged to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps.Agarwal and Vivrant had put on a 140-run opening stand in 13.5 overs to set Sunrisers up for a really big total, but Madhwal’s wickets meant he and Chris Jordan could put the squeeze on them in the death overs and restrict them to exactly 200.”We were 173 for 3 in 17 [Sunrisers were 174 for 2]. You will think that in the next 18 balls, on that track, you will get 40-50 runs,” Sunrisers head coach Brian Lara said in the press conference after the match. “I think 220, not sure [even] that would have been enough, but it would have looked a lot better for us.”He [Madhwal] bowled well. Knocked over Klaasen and not many people were able to do it without being damaged first. But he was able to knock over our in-form player.”I think we were thinking in excess of 215 at that stage, but they pulled it back.”Cameron Green, whose first T20 century later on meant Mumbai Indians made short work of the target, said Madhwal had “completely changed the line-up” for Mumbai.”As soon as he has come into the team, he has changed our whole line-up basically,” Green said after the game. “I think with the role he is able to play, especially at the back-end, can help guys like myself and Jase [Jason Behrendorff], take overs off us [at the end] and we can bowl a little more through the powerplay. We can kind of mix and match different people to bowl at different times with how good he has been in the back end.””His addition has been incredible. He’s got a really good head on him. He is so calm out there. Looks like he’s made for it. He’s been awesome.”Madhwal has now played six games in the IPL and his four-wicket haul in Sunday’s must-win game for his team helped him double his wickets tally in the competition.Next year, Mumbai will hope that both Bumrah and Archer will be fit, and what their return would mean for Madhwal remains to be seen. But as an Indian quick bowler who can help shut innings out, he can provide Mumbai with a lot of flexibility in picking their team.

More teams will be faced with first-choice players pulling out, and it could result in further lopsided contests

Mohammad Isam22-Jan-2021If any part of Jason Mohammed really hoped that his West Indies side would follow what India did to Australia on their own tour of Bangladesh, it’s all gone now. They are 0-2 in a three-match ODI series, never once posing a threat to the opposition.Their batting in both games was almost identically poor, with the middle-order were forced to rebuild after the top-order fell cheaply. They couldn’t quite balance between caution and aggression. And while their bowlers impressed in patches, they were never equipped to defend totals of 122 and 148.Meanwhile, Bangladesh hardly put a foot wrong, in either game. The spinners dominated proceedings after the pace attack gave them early breakthroughs. The batsmen were understandably watchful even though they were chasing small targets. There was professionalism and consistency on display, the least you could expect from a team that has targeted direct entry to the 2023 World Cup.West Indies have now lost their last seven ODIs to Bangladesh. Things may have been different had their first-choice picks made themselves available for this series. But that doesn’t change the fact that they have just given up 30 points in the race to World Cup qualification.Still, coach Phil Simmons had urged the newcomers to put up performances that make it hard for the regular players to replace them in the next series. Covid-19 basically gave them opportunities that were becoming hard to come by. But now it is more than likely that many of those missing seniors will ever so smoothly regain their place in the ODI team.Akeal Hosein has been one of West Indies’ few bright spots on this tour•AFP via Getty ImagesWhether teams and boards like it or not, this is going to be a feature of international cricket until the pandemic ends. West Indies are just the first among the international teams to suffer the consequences of traveling regularly during these times. It is natural to for players to feel so mentally drained that they choose to skip tours. Other teams will be faced with this dilemma soon enough.West Indies had a couple of pull-outs for their visits to England and New Zealand last year, but for this Bangladesh trip, several of their top players decided to stay away. Add to that, Romario Shepherd testing Covid-19 positive before departure, and Hayden Walsh Jr testing positive after landing in Bangladesh. They haven’t replaced him in the ODI squad officially, which leaves them with only 14 men to choose from, and no lead spinner.To go back to January 19 for a minute, the touring West Indies side couldn’t be faulted for feeling inspired by India, who broke Australia’s incredible stronghold in Brisbane, and won the Test series 2-1. They are an inexperienced bunch too, trying to beat an opponent with a formidable home record. But that’s where the comparisons end.India’s domestic circuit includes a tournament like the IPL and they have an A-team system that gives its cricketers an almost international level-like platform. Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan may have only dreamt of forming a bowling attack together in a crucial Test in Australia, but when the chance came, they played like they belonged.India’s selectors and team management now know that even if Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav are injured, they have four more to take their place. There will be the initial nerves and perhaps bit of struggle, but they wouldn’t have many teething problems, even at the highest level.West Indies’ second string has given very little evidence of such promise. Their lack of overall experience and first-hand knowledge of Bangladeshi pitches, and a short lead-up into the ODI series, have worked against them. But performing out of their comfort zone, especially in overseas conditions, is how top-class cricketers are made.So far however, Mohammed’s West Indies are a stop-gap team, one that is fulfilling their board’s commitment to the BCB to tour Bangladesh. There hasn’t been much to write home about their performance. However, there is a very important message for every international team: keep up your standards. A small group of top cricketers won’t do in this pandemic. Widen your talent pool. Otherwise, you’ll have to face the consequences.

Fernando Tatis Jr. thinks it’s obvious who the best player in Major League Baseball is, but that doesn’t mean he wants to admit it.

During his media availability at the MLB All-Star Game, Tatis was asked who he thought the league’s best player was. He had an answer but didn’t want to say the name.

“I feel like that’s a really obvious question,” the San Diego Padres right fielder said with a laugh. “But he’s my rival, I’m not gonna mention his name. You know it already, 17 for the blue team.”

Tatis is obviously referring to Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who has won three MVP awards. It’s pretty funny that the Padres-Dodgers rivalry has gotten so heated that one All-Star has to begrudgingly admit another is the best player in baseball.

So far this season, Ohtani is slashing .276/.382/.605, with a National League-best 32 home runs and 60 RBIs. It’s actually shocking to see his OPS below 1.000. He’s currently fifth in MLB with 4.7 fWAR, and his wRC+ (168) ranks fourth.

Obviously Tatis was joking around, but there are only two possible answers to that question. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has a legitimate claim to that title this season, but it’ll be tough for anyone to beat Ohtani in that contest. Especially now that he’s back pitching.

The first American pope was elected last week, with Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost ascending to the title of Pope Leo XIV after a vote in Vatican City.

The sports world quickly came to appreciate that Pope Leo XIV was not just from America—he was from Chicago.

While there’s a good chance a man known as the “Vicar of Christ” does not hold hate in his heart for any sports team, there was nonetheless a rush to discover just which teams Pope Leo XIV supported. Turns out, he’s a White Sox fan.

On Friday, with the Chicago Cubs hosting the Chicago White Sox in a crosstown rivalry game, White Sox fans decided to head into enemy territory dressed up as the team’s most famous fan.

Chicago isn’t the only part of the baseball world having a bit of fun with the new pope—the Texas Rangers' Jake Burger, a Catholic, has started using the sign of the cross as his celebration after hitting a double.

While a White Sox turnaround would really be something, Chicago’s true test of faith will come when the Bears kick off their season in September.

Big picture: Ghosts to bury for South Africa

We often have poignant memories of certain places that come rushing back when we return to them. As much as they would want to avoid it, South Africa could experience this on their return to Guwahati, where they began their World Cup 2025 campaign by being dismantled for 69 in just 20.4 overs. On Wednesday, they will play a semi-final at the same ground, against the same opponents, England.South Africa’s batters had seemed to overcome that opening-match shock, firing in five successive wins, until they ran into Australia in their last match of the league stage. If they had succumbed to Linsey Smith, Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean in the game against England, it was spin again that undid them now, the magic right wrist of Alana King sending them hurtling to 97 all out.Related

• Tactics board: Kapp vs Knight and Sciver-Brunt and SA vs spin

• For Nonkululeko Mlaba, cricket was a means to a better life but then she fell in love with it

• South Africa take hurt, hope and hard lessons into the semi-finals

• Powerplay Podcast: Can anyone stop Australia?

If their net sessions on Tuesday were anything to go by, South Africa will look to counterpunch, whether England throw spin or pace at them. Their batters had a hit in the sun, hitting uninhibitedly in the air, getting plenty of appreciative yells and thumbs up from head coach Mandla Mashimbyi.It isn’t just spin demons that South Africa must exorcise to reach their maiden ODI World Cup final. Their only semi-final appearances so far came in the last two editions of the tournament, and England shattered their dreams both times, heartbreakingly in 2017 and more comprehensively in 2022.At the start of this year, England themselves wouldn’t have expected to be the second-best team at this World Cup, having changed their captain and coach after a 7-0 blanking in the Ashes. But they buried their own ghosts, overcame wobbles against Bangladesh, snatched a game from hosts India, and crashed Sophie Devine’s farewell party before flying to Guwahati.Despite their volatile results in recent times, England have a lot more World Cup pedigree: they are four-time champions, they have made the semi-finals in each of the last six editions, and have turned out in all but one of the last four finals. If South Africa want to beat their nemesis, they will hope to make the most of a helpful Guwahati strip to break open England’s middle order. This is perhaps the only base England haven’t covered yet; they tried to fix it in their last league match, bringing in the experienced Danni Wyatt-Hodge.2:33

Kapp vs Knight, and other key match-ups to watch out for

Form guide

England WLWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWW

In the spotlight: Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Marizanne Kapp

Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 34 and in her fourth ODI World Cup, brings a wealth of experience that she finally brought to the XI when she came in for Emma Lamb well after England had booked their semi-final berth. She got all of seven balls to face in a modest chase of 169 against New Zealand, and will hope to channel the 2022 semi-final, which she dominated with a 125-ball 129 as opener. She has since moved down the order, hasn’t scored another hundred yet, and has gone past 50 just twice in 24 innings. She will hope she can put her hand up on Wednesday and put behind her an English summer during which she was dropped from the ODI set-up.Marizanne Kapp has hardly been herself at this World Cup, at least in terms of numbers. Barring her two half-centuries against Pakistan and Bangladesh, she hasn’t gone past 20 yet, and her seven wickets so far don’t quite reflect her body of work and skills with the ball. Having finished the 2017 edition with 13 scalps and the 2022 one with 12, she would definitely want to get into double-digits in her fifth ODI World Cup.

Team news

Sophie Ecclestone bowled just four balls against New Zealand and hurt her left shoulder while fielding. An MRI scan showed a “minor injury” close to her collarbone, and she trained on Tuesday evening, but bowled for barely 15 minutes before she switched to batting. While Ecclestone may not yet be 100% fit, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt said she would be “wanting to get out onto that pitch regardless of how she’s feeling.” If she doesn’t make it, England could bring in legspinner Sarah Glenn, who has so far only featured in the rain-hit match against Pakistan.England (possible): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 6 Sophia Dunkley, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren Bell.South Africa may not feel the need to make any changes to their XI from the Australia game, unless they want to bring in a third frontline spinner for the slower conditions in Guwahati.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Annerie Dercksen, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 7 Chloe Tryon, 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Masabata Klaas, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Nonkululeko Mlaba.2:55

‘SA will be confident in their batting unit’

Pitch and conditions

Guwahati has not had a game in over two weeks, which effectively makes the pitch for the semi-final a fresh one. The surfaces here so far have offered plenty of purchase for the spinners, with grip, turn and a lack of pace that has made run-scoring more challenging than it has been in Indore, Visakhapatnam and Navi Mumbai. The weather in Guwahati looked ominous a few days ago, but has mostly cleared since.If there’s not enough time to complete the game on Wednesday, the reserve day will come into effect on Thursday.

Stats and trivia

• Marizanne Kapp needs four more wickets to go level with Jhulan Goswami (43) at the top of the overall list of wicket-takers in ODI World Cups. Kapp and Megan Schutt are on 39, along with the retired Australian Lyn Fullston.
• England dominate the head-to-head between these two teams, with a 36-10 win-loss record.
• Laura Wolvaardt is 48 runs away from becoming the first South African woman to reach the 5000 mark in ODIs.
• Nonkululeko Mlaba needs just one wicket to reach 50 in ODIs
• Heather Knight (944) Tammy Beaumont (897) are closing in on 1000 ODI World Cup runs.

Quotes

“I think we were a totally different-looking side. They’ve got a lot of different players as well. So I think it’s sort of a fresh opportunity and it starts from zero. So I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we’re able to learn from those semi-final victories that we’ve got and maybe stay a bit calmer under pressure.”
“That was obviously a long time ago in the tournament and I guess since then we’ve played a lot of games. But, yeah, South Africa obviously have had some brilliant games since then and are a dangerous side.”