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Spinners demolish SA for their third-lowest total in ODIs before openers secure ten-wicket win

Firdose Moonda03-Oct-2025

Linsey Smith picked up 3 for 7•ICC/Getty Images

If anyone thought England were not serious contenders for this World Cup, think again. They stormed to the top of the points table with a massive victory over a hapless South Africa, who were dismissed for their lowest score against England, second-lowest at a World Cup and third-lowest score overall.England had to chase just 70 and did in 14.1 overs. The whole match lasted 34.5 overs, not even the duration of a full T20. After one game, England’s net run rate sits at 3.773 – more than double that of Australia, who are next best – and puts them in pole position in the early standings.South Africa’s total belied conditions which neither seamed nor spun substantially as they disintegrated against a smart England attack. They appeared surprised by the early use of spin in the form of Linsey Smith and lost their three biggest batters to her. Smith, playing in her first ODI World Cup game and opening the bowling, became the only bowler to dismiss all three of Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp in the same innings.At the other end, Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver-Brunt bowled good lengths to pluck another three wickets in the first 10.1 overs. At 38 for 6 just out of the powerplay, all South Africa could hope for was to crawl to respectability and they didn’t get there. They were bowled out in 20.4 overs and only Sinalo Jafta, promoted to No. 6, got into double-figures.The rest of the batters will need to look at their movement at the crease, which was all but absent, and their shot selection. There will be questions asked over their selection. Annerie Dercksen, who scored her maiden ODI ton in Sri Lanka earlier this year, was left out as South Africa opted for all their allrounders.South Africa could not have imagined how quickly things would fall apart after Wolvaardt got proceedings underway with a square drive and Brits carved Bell through point in an opening over that cost nine runs. Smith struck second ball when Wolvaardt played across the line and popped up a leading edge to give a simple return catch. The first ball of Smith’s next over drifted in to Brits from around the wicket and snuck through the bat-pad gap to bowl her.With both openers’ dismissed, Sune Luus at No. 3 had a big job on her hands but fell to a Bell inswinger that curled in to take out off stump. Three balls later, Kapp was also done by drift as Smith got the ball to squeeze past her inside edge and on to middle stump. All of Wolvaardt, Brits, Luus and Kapp will need to work on their footwork going forward.In the mess, there were some shots that suggested South Africa still knew how to bat. Jafta drove Bell through cover point for her first boundary and Anneke Bosch nailed a cover drive – but the moments where they were on top of the England bowlers were few and very far between.Jafta should have been out on 8 when she advanced down the track in an attempt to drive Smith and missed. Amy Jones could not collect quickly enough and fluffed the stumping. That was the only blip in an otherwise flawless England performance.Sciver-Brunt brought herself on in the eighth over and had success with her first ball, Bosch walking across her stumps to be hit on the knee roll in front of middle and leg. She didn’t review what was a correct lbw decision. Sciver-Brunt also struck with the first ball of her next over. Chloe Tryon tried to flick her into the leg side but got a leading edge and was caught by Alice Capsey at mid-on.Jafta entered double figures when she guided Sophie Ecclestone to third but she didn’t have any support. Nadine de Klerk edged Ecclestone to Heather Knight at slip and Masabata Klaas played for turn against a Charlie Dean ball that held its line and was bowled. Jafta herself fell when she tried to hit Ecclestone back over her head but missed and was bowled. Dean finished things off when she beat Nonkululekho Mlaba’s slog.England’s chase was all but academic despite the best efforts of Kapp, who found her rhythm with back-of-a-length balls that beat the batters consistently. South Africa reviewed an lbw shout against Tammy Beaumont, which nipped back in but still hit her outside the line. Beaumont and Jones were patient against a disciplined South African attack and chose not to rush the result. They were 39 without loss in the powerplay but put the foot down straight after.Jones threaded Mlaba through point as soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted and then sent her back over her head and swung Klaas over mid-on in a reminder that there’s not only one “Storm Amy” in England today. She was dropped by Klaas in her follow through later in the over and then took back-to-back boundaries off the usually miserly Ayabonga Khaka to put England one hit away. They finished things off with a boundary from Beaumont.South Africa have suffered similarly at the hands of England before in a World Cup in India, but in the pre-professional era. They were bowled out for 77 in Cuttack in 2013. Charlotte Edwards, the current England coach, was opening the batting for England then, while Kapp and Tryon played for South Africa.

It was a complete team effort by Nepal, who outplayed the two-time world champions in every facet of the game

Hemant Brar27-Sep-2025Nepal created history as they beat West Indies by 19 runs in Sharjah for their first-ever win against a Full Member across formats. They had beaten Afghanistan in a T20I in 2014, but Afghanistan were an Associate back then.Even if you keep the win aside for a moment, it was a historic occasion for Nepal. It was their first T20I against West Indies and the start of their first bilateral series against a Full Member. They made it even more special by outplaying the two-time world champions in every facet of the game. It was a complete team effort by Nepal: six of their batters hit at least one six, six of their bowlers took at least one wicket, and their fielding was top-notch.Leading a second-string West Indies side that featured four debutants, Akeal Hosein opted to field after winning the toss. Nepal did not start well and both their openers were back in the pavilion by 3.1 overs. Kushal Bhurtel was beaten by an arm ball from Hosein and was stumped. Aasif Sheikh stepped out to Jason Holder but miscued the lofted shot and was caught by a backpedalling mid-on.Until the final over of the powerplay, Nepal had hit just two boundaries. Their captain Rohit Paudel doubled that count with back-to-back fours off debutant Ramon Simmonds in the sixth over, but it was Kushal Malla who provided the real momentum. He first smashed Fabian Allen to the long-on boundary for a four and then, in the spinner’s next over, deposited one into the stands for the first six of the innings.Malla hit another six, off Obed McCoy this time, to take Nepal to 68 for 2 at the end of ten overs. He and Paudel added 58 off 45 balls before both holed out against debutant legspinner Navin Bidaisee. Gulsan Jha and Dipendra Singh Airee tried to keep the momentum going, but Bidaisee struck again, getting rid of Jha to finish with 3 for 29 from his four overs. Then, in the 19th over, Holder picked up three wickets. But thanks to West Indies’ catching that oscillated from jaw-dropping grabs to face-palming drops, Nepal had a fighting 148 for 8 on the board.File photo: Rohit Paudel top-scored for Nepal with 38 off 35 balls•AFP/Getty Images

Kyle Mayers kicked off the chase with a first-ball four. But it all went downhill for West Indies from there. It started with Bhurtel’s direct hit to run Mayers out in the second over of the chase. Ackeem Auguste, another debutant, hit two delightful sixes but he too fell inside the powerplay.Still, West Indies were placed fairly well at 40 for 2 after six overs. But the Nepal spinners spun a web around the West Indies batters from which they could not come out. Paudel and Lalit Rajbanshi gave away only 16 in the next four overs while picking up a wicket each.With West Indies needing 93 from the last ten overs on a pitch where the shot-making was not easy, Nepal were the favourites. Three overs later, Airee’s brilliance in the field sent back Keacy Carty. Carty had set off for a non-existent single after pushing the ball towards covers. His partner sent him back but he could not beat Airee’s bullet through to the wicketkeeper.After that, West Indies depended heavily on Holder but he could manage only 5 before holing out to deep midwicket off Bhurtel. Bidaisee, Allen and Hosein tried to keep the fight on with their big hits but they could not keep up with the asking rate. West Indies needed 70 from the last five overs, and 49 from the last three.In the 18th over, the otherwise flawless Nepal fielders dropped Hosein twice in two balls. The first one went for a four and the second for a six. But Karan KC removed the West Indies captain in the following over, leaving Allen to score 28 from the 20th. He could not pull that off.

Bayern Munich legend and former CEO Oliver Kahn has opined on Vincent Kompany's decision to field Manuel Neuer in their Bundesliga match against Union Berlin last week. This comes after the German goalkeeper's mistake cost the side their 16th straight win from the start of the campaign, forcing them to play out a 2-2 draw, their first of the season.

• Neuer's howler almost cost Bayern the game

  Bayern were handed a tough start against Union Berlin, partly due to Neuer's goalkeeping error in the 27th minute when a shot from Danilho Doekhi slipped through his arms to find its place in the back of the net. This goal had a psychological impact, perhaps, as Bayern, despite equalising through Luis Diaz in the first half, again went down in the 83rd minute, courtesy of another Doekhi goal. However, in the 90th minute, it was English striker Harry Kane who bailed them out of this situation and helped the team settle for a point in this away fixture. 

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  Oliver Kahn slams Kompany's decision

  After a tough game against Paris Saint-Germain, which Bayern won 2-1, Kahn felt that Kompany should have rested Neuer and fielded Jonas Urbig. The backup goalkeeper joined the Bavarians in January from Koln and is yet to establish himself as the first-choice custodian, with Kompany keeping his faith on the 39-year-old Neuer, who is approaching the twilight of his career. Kahn defended Neuer to but felt the ex-Germany international should have been rested, saying: "That's perfectly normal. It doesn't matter if you're world-class or not. These moments just happen. A game like that is quite a mental strain after the match in Paris. The goalkeeper has to constantly anticipate. A game like the one against Union would have been a good opportunity for recovery. So instead, they let Urbig play."

  Kahn also provided references from his own playing career, where he rested himself in certain games to ensure a soothing recovery. He stated: "I actually did that quite often and would say that I needed a recovery break before the next game. It's different than when you're 25 or 35, 38 or 40. The recovery time is longer then."

• Neuer reflects on his performance

  A World Cup winner with the German national team and holder of multiple accolades for Bayern, Neuer is often regarded as one of the finest goalkeeper's in football. However, the veteran unhesitatingly accepted his fault for Bayern's share of points. He said: "I played a part in the first goal. My view wasn't perfect, and the distance wasn't ideal either. But I made the wrong decision. I made the wrong decision in the first goal, we lost the second ball in the second goal. It was tough today against this team, especially after Wednesday. But we believe we'll soon get back to winning ways. In the end I think it was a good point."

  Kompany too, defended his No.1, saying: "What do you expect me to say? That I'll say something about my number one goalkeeper? Of course not. It's a collective game. When you concede a goal, there are many things and sequences that happen before. We look at those moments too."

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  What comes next for Neuer?

  Neuer, a former Germany international with 124 caps, will be beaming to return to action after the international break. The Bavarians have important fixtures against Freiburg and St. Pauli when domestic football resumes later in November. However, their main focus will be on the Champions League tie against Arsenal. The two teams are level on points at the top of the table A win will fuel Bayern's ambitions of finishing the round as league winners. 

Newcastle United extended their unbeaten run to three games after a 2-1 victory over Premier League strugglers Burnley at St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe’s side were able to bounce back from their disappointing draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the week to pick up all three points on this occasion.

It took Eddie Howe’s side until just past the half-hour mark before they managed to open the scoring. Their goal was scored in magnificent fashion, too. Captain Bruno Guimaraes pulled off the lesser-spotted stunt of an Olympico, scoring directly from a corner.

Then, deep into first-half stoppage time, the Magpies had their second goal. Burnley midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu gave away a penalty for handball, and Anthony Gordon obliged, stepping up from 12 yards to double Newcastle’s lead.

It was not all plain sailing, though. Burnley, who had ten men after Lucas Pires was sent off in the first half, managed to pull a goal back.

They were also awarded a penalty for handball, this time from Jacob Ramsey, with Zion Flemming firing home. It was too little, too late, though, for the Clarets, and Newcastle held on to win the game.

The two goal scorers were Newcastle’s standout players on the day.

Guimaraes and Gordon’s key stats compared

It has been quite the week in front of goal for Guimaraes and Gordon. Not only did they score on Saturday afternoon, but they also bagged both of the Magpies’ goals against Spurs in the week.

Guimaraes’ strike against the Clarets was surely better. Scoring directly from a corner is no mean feat, and it took a superb curling effort to nestle into the back of the net.

Aside from the goal, the Magpies skipper won six from eight duels and made six recoveries, as per Sofascore.

As for Gordon, he shone in key moments. Of course, the England winger bagged his second goal from the spot in a matter of days, but he also played Anthony Elanga through on goal, which led to the Burnley red card.

One person he impressed was Lee Ryder, the chief Newcastle writer at Chronicle Live. He gave the former Everton winger a rating of 8/10, praising him for remaining a ‘threat throughout’ against a depleted Burnley defence.

It has been a good week individually for two of Newcastle’s biggest stars, but another of their marquee players struggled against Scott Parker’s side.

Newcastle’s worst player vs. Burnley

It was an afternoon to forget for Newcastle’s big summer signing, Nick Woltemade. The German striker was not very involved against the Lancastrian outfit and was described as “sloppy” by journalist Craig Hope.

His stats from the clash at St James’ Park reflect what was an underwhelming evening. He only managed 17 touches, fewer even than Magpies goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

The Newcastle number 27 could only manage one shot and win a single duel, too.

His poor performance was reflected in the post-match rating Ryder gave. The journalist said Woltemade a 6/10 and prefaced that by saying ‘he did not get a great deal of service’ against the Clarets.

That display was also significant for Newcastle because Yoane Wissa made his long-awaited debut for the club. He replaced Woltemade with 15 minutes to go, and received a warm welcome from his new home fans.

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With the striker’s return to full fitness, it will be fascinating to see whether or not Howe keeps the German in the side or brings Wissa into the fold instead.

After a performance like that from the former Stuttgart attacker, where he was so isolated, it would not be hard to blame the Magpies boss for rotating him out.

It is also worth considering the number of games the North East side have coming up. They have Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup games before the year is up, plus the FA Cup at the start of January.

Howe will surely want to manage the minutes of his squad, so they can be at their very best in a testing few weeks. It would be no surprise if Woltemade drops out of the side next time out.

Eddie Howe has already found a bigger talent than Anderson at Newcastle

Howe’s Newcastle side are showing green shoots after a difficult start to the season.

By
Angus Sinclair

Dec 5, 2025

Chasing 208, WI folded for 133 in 39 overs on an unusually dark pitch in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam18-Oct-2025

Rishad Hossain’s 6 for 35, which included the first five West Indies wickets in a chase of 208, paved the way for a Bangladesh win in the series opener in Dhaka. After being on 51 for 0, West Indies were dismissed for 133 in 39 overs.The visitors’ chief tormentor on an unusually dark Dhaka pitch was Rishad, who became only the second legspinner to take the first five wickets in an ODI innings. Sri Lanka’s Jeffrey Vandersay is the only other legspinner to this feat, when he took the first six wickets against India last year in Colombo.Brandon King and Alick Athanaze had started well for West Indies, putting on a half-century opening stand. King struck Taskin Ahmed for a flicked six in the third over before Athanaze slammed Tanvir Islam for three fours and a six in the fourth over, which cost Bangladesh 18 runs.Bangladesh the dried up the boundaries from the fifth over. Rishad struck in his very first over, the 12th over of the chase, when he trapped Athanaze lbw for 27 off 36 balls. Then, in his fifth over, Rishad had No.3 Keacy Carty caught at slip for nine off 30 balls. Saif Hassan took a straightforward catch at slip after dropping Carty on 3 off Islam.Rishad struck the big blow when he had King caught behind for 44 off 60 balls with a fizzing legbreak in the 22nd over. Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan took the catch on the second attempt. Sherfane Rutherford fell for a duck in the same over, also caught behind off a beautiful legbreak.Rishad completed his five-for in the 24th over when he had Roston Chase caught behind for six. He became the first legspinner from Bangladesh to take a five-wicket haul in ODIs.Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Islam then got into the act, removing Gudakesh Motie and Shai Hope. Motie was lbw to Mehidy for three, before the West Indies captain, Hope, gave Nurul his fourth catch of the innings. Romario Shepherd fell trying to force the pace against Mustafizur Rahman in the 35th over. Mustafizur proceeded to dismiss allrounder Justin Greaves for 12 off 23 balls. Rishad wrapped up the game with Jayden Seales’ wicket, with Mehidy taking the catch at slip. It was just reward for Mehidy who tasted victory for only the second time in 11 ODIs as captain.West Indies had earlier controlled Bangladesh’s run-rate for most of the first innings. The home side lost their openers Saif and Soumya Sarkar within the first three overs, before Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto added 71 runs for the third wicket.Both batters, however, remained mostly circumspect hitting three boundaries each. Shanto made 32 off 63 balls before Hridoy reached his fifty off 87 balls. Bangladesh struck just three boundaries from the 11th to the 36th over. Mehidy and Mahidul Islam also batted slowly, with the latter, making his ODI debut, finishing with 46 off 76 balls. He struck three fours before Chase bowled him in the 46th over.Rishad also contributed with the bat, his 26 off 16 balls, including two sixes and a four, helping Bangladesh pass 200. His cameo ended when Seales yorked him in the 49th over. His job wasn’t done yet. He played an even bigger role with the ball to carry Bangladesh to victory.

Leeds United are in crisis up front. The Whites have simply not been good enough in front of goal in the 2025/26 campaign, which is no doubt one of the reasons why they are relegation contenders in their first season back in the Premier League.

This term, Daniel Farke’s side have only found the back of the net 11 times in just 12 games. That is worse than all but one side in the top flight, bottom-place Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Their expected goals tally is not much better, standing at just 15.21xG. The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has one goal this term, have not yet got going.

With the January transfer window around the corner, it might not be a surprise to hear the West Yorkshire side are targeting a new number nine.

Leeds’ hunt for a new centre-forward

It is certainly frustrating for Leeds that they are in the position of needing a new striker.

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Of course, they signed Calvert-Lewin on a free this summer after his deal at Everton expired, and Lukas Nmecha on a free following the expiration of his Wolfsburg contract.

Yet, here we are again, with the Whites back in the market for a number nine.

According to talkSPORT, the player could be AZ Alkmaar and Ireland striker Troy Parrott. The 23-year-old is said to be ‘high on their list of striker targets’.

However, they are not the only Premier League side looking to get a deal for the 33-cap Ireland star.

Fellow strugglers, Wolves are also looking into a deal, with the report suggesting a fee of at least £20m is what it would take to sign him.

Why Parrott would be a good signing

It would certainly be a good addition for Leeds if they were able to bring Parrott to Elland Road this winter.

He has been in scintillating form for Alkmaar, with 14 goals in 15 games this term, taking his total up to 34 strikes in just 62 appearances.

He is certainly a “rejuvenated” striker, according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Indeed, his underlying stats are impressive too. This season in the Eredivisie, the former Tottenham Hotspur academy star is averaging 1.04 goals and 0.74 goal-creating actions per game, which rank him in the top 7% and 2% respectively.

Those stats show just how effective he is in the final third.

Of course, it is not just for his club where Parrott’s form has been excellent. In November, he became a hero of Irish football, scoring two goals against Portugal and then a hat-trick against Hungary to see his nation reach the World Cup playoffs.

The third goal against Hungary was an extraordinary 96th-minute winner.

If he were to move to Elland Road, the 23-year-old would no doubt love to replicate another former Irish striker who impressed in West Yorkshire.

Robbie Keane spent 18 months at the club between December 2000 and August 2001. After initially joining on loan from Inter, he made the move permanent that summer, before joining Spurs a year later.

He only played 56 times for the club, but certainly left a mark.

Keane bagged 19 goals in that time, which included three goals in the UEFA Cup and a memorable brace away to Manchester City at Maine Road.

It is easy to see the comparison between Parrott and Keane, as two clinical, highly-rated Irish strikers. The younger man, for instance, was even hailed in the past as the “best prospect” to have come out of Dublin since his compatriot, in the view of then-Belvedere F.C. Director of Football Affairs Vincent Butler.

The Alkmaar star is slightly older than the former Inter man was when he signed, yet both additions are examples of the Whites buying into potential and investing in the future.

If Parrott were to make the move to Elland Road this summer, he would no doubt love to follow in the footsteps of Keane and have the same sort of impact as his countryman did at such a young age.

Biggest error since Aaronson: 49ers have "wasted funds" on huge Leeds flop

Leeds United now has a bigger waste of money than Brenden Aaronson in flop, who is struggling to settle in the Premier League.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 26, 2025

After all the joy they experienced in Perth, day one in Adelaide served as a wake-up call for the visitors

Alagappan Muthu06-Dec-20240:45

Pujara: India should have got 250 on this pitch

“Get ready for a broken …” This Australia team don’t say things like that. But Nitish Kumar Reddy managed to get a rise out of their captain when he bailed out of facing the first ball of the 35th over on day one of the Adelaide Test.Pat Cummins has spent this news cycle dealing with questions about the unity of his men and the way they play. He’s been met with whispers of his own decline and insinuations that he takes defeat too easily. None of them seemed to wind him up as much as seeing a perfectly good ball go to such waste. He immediately went bouncer, at 143 kph, and Reddy, despite being ready this time, was barely able to duck for cover. The Adelaide Oval loved that.Related

Stats – Starc gets to Adelaide fifty, Bumrah to 2024 fifty

Starc uses his favourite combination to give Australia just the day they needed

India were finally in the Australia they would have expected before coming here. Loud. Demanding. Hostile. Frustrating. Stingy about rewarding good work and gleeful in punishing mistakes. Towards the end of the day’s play, when Mohammed Siraj expressed his annoyance at having to expend more energy than he needed to for the same reason – a batter pulling away from his stance at the last moment, because of a fan running into his line of sight with a beer snake no less – he was told off by 50,186 people and then laughed at when he conceded a four off the next ball.A lot of the talk leading into this game was about India’s batters having to adjust to the pink ball, given how little they play this flavour of Test cricket. But it seems the bowlers had just as much to get used to. In a strange way, just like in Perth where they got a chance to bowl when the conditions were still helpful, a blessing in disguise if there is such a thing when you’re all out for 150, Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj got to use the pink ball just as twilight was about to hit.Nathan McSweeney and his top-order colleagues employed the leave to telling effect•Associated PressA lot of Australia’s success in these games has been built on batting first, batting big, and sticking the opposition in during the final session (usually of day two) when the floodlilghts take effect and wield a strange power over the game. In 2022, they had West Indies 102 for 4 at stumps on day two after declaring their own innings close to the final session’s play. Their fourth wicket had fallen at 428. In 2021, they took the fairly straightforward call to give up the runs their last two batters might have been able to add to their 479 in order to unleash Mitchell Starc at the England top order, and he delivered with a wicket in his second over, with Michael Neser backing him up before stumps. Australia had had 176 on the board before going two down. England had 12.India would have been hoping for something similar; to leverage the twilight session to make their way back into the Adelaide Test. But it felt like they were getting too much movement and struggled to calibrate their lines and lengths to make it count. An under-fire Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney were able to leave 18 of the first 30 deliveries they faced, and that trend continued. Australia didn’t play at half the balls they faced in the first 20 overs. They had a better understanding of the bounce available off the pitch, which made India look like they were missing their marks.”The lengths could have been slightly fuller to encourage more play,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said. “I thought Australia left very well as well. It seemed to be a trademark of the way they play, those two [McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne, who have put on an unbroken 62 for the second wicket]. They left on length very well. We kind of feel the swing and the seam was a little bit inconsistent which makes it difficult for both parties.”India batted to a plan too. They discerned that the good-length ball contained the potential to cause the most problems, and looked to be proactive against anything either side of that. It was in the course of this that KL Rahul and Virat Kohli fell to balls they realised they could leave but not until it was too late. This may have been a mix of what happens in Australia and what happens with the pink ball.”From Tests gone past, and probably no different today, there’s times in a pink game where the ball can get soft and it’s hard to score, hard to take wickets, a dead patch in the game,” Starc said, “Then for whatever reason the ball starts to do a little bit more again.”India have their task cut out after 77.1 gruelling overs in Adelaide•Associated PressIndia left for their hotel at the end of day one with a sense of what could have been. Another feeling well-known among away teams that come here. Shubman Gill missed a straight ball that he could have driven for four. Yashasvi Jaiswal wandered too far across his crease to be able to connect with a ball on leg stump. Rahul and Kohli were indecisive.”Obviously to lose a wicket of the first ball, sort of sends jitters through the change room,” ten Doeschate said, “But we recovered really well and [from] 69 for 1 we probably feel like we missed a chance there. I also feel that’s the nature of the pink ball. Things can happen quickly. Things happen in clumps, we lost wickets in clumps which we wanted to avoid. There’s lessons to be learned in that first innings and we’ll go away and look how to play in the second innings.”Even their most eye-catching spell of play – when Harshit Rana seemed to get inside McSweeney’s head by asking him to use the bat and when Bumrah found his usual control to beat Labuschagne’s bat – didn’t really amount to anything. They felt something might happen. It didn’t.”I don’t think 86 for 1 is a true reflection of how we bowled,” ten Doeschate said. “I thought there were a lot of played-and-misses. Obviously the edge [that we dropped in the seventh over]. I know the score looks like there’s a big gap between the two teams but we still feel we’re in the game and with a few tweaks tomorrow, if we bowl slightly better, we feel like we can get back in the game tomorrow.”India have loved being in Australia. They’ve had things to do at every turn, literally. The e-scooters available for rent on the streets were a huge hit with the team in Perth. There, at the end of every single day, they found themselves in a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming situation. After 77.1 overs in Adelaide, they’ve received a bit of a wake-up call.

The West Indies batters hit 78 off 39 balls during their thrilling ninth-wicket stand but fell short in a close contest

Ashish Pant09-Nov-2025The series that keeps on giving. After two humdingers in Auckland, the third T20I between West Indies and New Zealand in Nelson was shaping up to be a more one-sided contest, with the visitors having slipped to 88 for 8 in 12.3 overs, chasing 178, staring at a comprehensive defeat. Surely game over, right?Shamar Springer and Romario Shepherd, however, had other ideas. In a stunning rearguard action, the duo added 78 runs for the ninth wicket off just 39 balls to keep West Indies’ chase alive. From 90 off 45, they brought the equation down to 13 off seven. But New Zealand, just as they did in the second T20I, held their composure in the end.Jacob Duffy pulled off a stunning return catch off the final ball of the 19th over to send back Springer. And with 12 needed of the final over, Kyle Jamieson stepped up for the second game running to dismiss Romario Shepherd. New Zealand won the third T20I by nine runs to go 2-1 up in the five-match series.Electing to bat, New Zealand recorded 177 for 9 in their 20 overs on the back of Devon Conway’s 56 off 34 balls and Daryl Mitchell’s 24-ball 41. The final score was threatening to be a lot more, but three run-outs and Matthew Forde and Jason Holder’s two-fors denied New Zealand a late charge.Ish Sodhi’s 3 for 34 and Duffy’s two-wicket opening over had West Indies on the mat, before the visitors threatened to pull off the improbable again. In the end, they fell short… again.Shamar Springer gave West Indies hope at the death•Getty Images

Shepherd and Springer spring a surprise

The game was done, the writing was surely on the wall, but Shepherd and Springer proved otherwise. When the duo got together, West Indies were in all sorts at 88 for 8 in the 13th over. Springer slog swept Sodhi over deep midwicket first ball. Shepherd soon joined him, smashing Duffy for six over fine leg and then slicing him over point. At the time, a comprehensive New Zealand win felt just two mis-hits away, but these mis-hits never came.Both Springer and Shepherd found the boundaries regularly. Springer muscled Mitchell Santner over long-on, and then walloped Jamieson for back-to-back fours. By the time the 18th over from James Neesham was taken for 19, West Indies believed. With 24 needed of 12, it was their game to lose, especially when Duffy was sent out of the stadium for a 103m six over long-on by Shepherd.But Duffy, who had struck two telling blows earlier, dove low to his left and plucked out a stunner as Springer fell for a superb 20-ball 39. Jamieson, who had defended 16 in the previous match, was now tasked with defending 12 in Nelson. He went the hard-length way, rattling Shepherd with the extra bounce. With the equation down to ten off two, Jamieson bowled a shin-high full toss that was miscued to only as far as Mitchell at long-off, as a third-straight last-over finish went New Zealand’s way.Kyle Jamieson had a torrid time in his opening spell•Getty Images

West Indies slip and tumble

Much before the Shepherd-Springer mayhem, West Indies looked in complete disarray. Jamieson conceded three fours in his opening over, but as Duffy had all series, he kept at it. He bowled Amir Jangoo, chopping back onto his stumps first ball. Three balls later, he had Shai Hope caught at deep backward square leg. At the other end, however, Jamieson continued to bleed runs and also put down Alick Athanaze, as West Indies breezed past 50 in 6.3 overs.Sodhi’s introduction flipped the script. He had Athanaze caught behind with a long-hop, while Michael Bracewell sent back Sherfane Rutherford. Sodhi then found Rovman Powell swinging for the hills, but Powell missed instead and saw his stumps in a mess. By the time Sodhi trapped Forde lbw for 4, West Indies had lost 6 for 35 in less than six overs.

Forde shines, others disappoint

Earlier, Conway – managing to avoid his series nemesis Forde in the opening over – got into his groove, pumping Akeal Hosein over deep midwicket for a huge six. Forde himself was tight with his lines and conceded just 14 in his three overs in the powerplay. This spell included getting rid of Tim Robinson, who was looking to turn the fast bowler around the corner, but popped a straightforward return catch instead.However, West Indies bled runs at the other end. Hosein’s two overs went for 21, while Shepherd conceded 11 runs, as New Zealand reached 47 for 1 after six overs.Matthew Forde picked up 2 for 20 in his four overs•Getty Images

A failed Athanaze experiment and Conway’s fifty

Athanaze, more in the side for his top-order batting, had never bowled in any of his 11 T20Is before this game. The decision to introduce him right after the powerplay was surprising. Bowling with his cap on, Conway first pulled a short ball through midwicket, before lifting Athanaze inside-out over covers, on a delivery that also turned out to be a front-foot no-ball. While Conway couldn’t make use of the free-hit, Ravindra ended the over lofting Athanaze straight down the ground as New Zealand collected 16 runs in the seventh, giving their innings much-needed impetus.By this time, Conway had gotten a hang of the Nelson surface and brought out his repertoire of shots. He scooped Shamar Springer over short fine leg, before thrashing him past point to move into the 40s. He reached his 12th T20I fifty by mowing Hosein over cow corner, while Ravindra at the other end also got going nicely. He struck back-to-back fours against Holder, as New Zealand racked up 49 runs in the four overs after the powerplay.

The New Zealand slide

At 96 for 2 after ten, New Zealand had their eyes set on 200, but poor running and effective West Indies bowling held them back. Ravindra’s sprightly knock was cut short by Shepherd, whose slower offcutter stopped on the surface and caught Ravindra’s leading edge to extra cover.Conway was then undone by some Athanaze brilliance: Mitchell squeezed a fuller-length Springer delivery to the left of deep midwicket and called for two right away. Conway responded, but Athanaze sprinted to his left and fired a direct throw at the non-striker’s end to find the opener well short.With the run rate slowing down, Mitchell took Hosein downtown for two sixes and a four in the 15th over before Bracewell was run out. Forde made a mess of Neesham’s stumps with a quick and full ball, while Santner sliced a low Springer full toss outside off to deep point.When Holder removed Mitchell and Mitchell Hay in the 19th over, New Zealand had slid from 144 for 3 to 169 for 8 in 21 balls. The hosts managed only 35 runs in the last five overs, losing six wickets to fall well short of what they would have wanted at the halfway stage of their innings.In the end, it was just enough.

With the pressure growing on Arne Slot, Xabi Alonso has reportedly made his mind up on taking the Liverpool job if it becomes available at the same time that he potentially leaves Real Madrid.

For the first time in Slot’s Liverpool career, serious questions are being asked about his tenure. Last season’s Premier League title win has provided him with plenty of credit but, as Jamie Carragher pointed out on Monday Night Football, not everyone is still convinced that he’s still the man for the job.

After eight defeats in 11 games, the Dutchman simply has to turn things around. The Reds backed him by breaking their transfer record twice in the summer and spending over £400m, but are yet to see that investment pay off.

The most concerning aspect of Liverpool’s recent run is that nothing has changed. Slot has persisted with the same system, which only provided false dawns against Real Madrid and Aston Villa.

Now, with Alonso also under pressure at Madrid, Liverpool could be presented with a tempting opportunity to make a sensational change.

Xabi Alonso makes Liverpool decision

According to Football365, Alonso is now ready to take the Liverpool job if Real Madrid decide to sack him. The Spaniard has been put under increasing pressure by reports that Vinicius Junior has decided against signing a new deal whilst the manager is in charge.

As Real Madrid are forced to decide between their star man and their new manager, it’s Liverpool who could take full advantage.

For many, the big question has centred around who would replace Slot if Liverpool decided to sack the Dutchman. In Alonso, they’d have the perfect answer.

The Reds were interested in a reunion with the Spaniard before they hired Slot and could now get what they initially wanted over a year later.

Forget Leoni: 19-year-old academy star could end Konate's Liverpool career

Liverpool’s French centre-back has been abject in Slot’s system this season.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 24, 2025

Although a lot of pieces will need to fall into place, there’s little doubt that Alonso would be welcomed with open arms at Anfield.

"I'm told" – Romano shares what Slot thinks about his own Liverpool future

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O goleiro Rafael Cabral está fora dos planos do Cruzeiro, e dois clubes brasileiros possuem o atleta no radar: Santos e Grêmio.

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A direção de futebol santista voltou a fazer contatos com o estafe do atleta, que esteve nos planos do clube alvinegro no início do ano. Porém, na ocasião, ele optou por permanecer na Raposa. Ainda assim, a volta do goleiro ao time da Vila Belmiro não é unanimidade internamente, o que pode dificultar a evolução do negócio.

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Algumas pessoas no Santos temem que Rafael Cabral não supra as necessidades da equipe, que deseja contratar um titular para a meta, após a falha de João Paulo na final do Campeonato Paulista. O histórico de falhas em Minas Gerais nesta temporada é alto. Esse é o motivo, inclusive, da saída dele do Cruzeiro.

Enquanto o Peixe vive indefinição interna sobre avançar na negociação com Rafael Cabral, o Grêmio corre por fora. O Tricolor Gaúcho discute se o goleiro seria uma boa oportunidade de mercado.

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Em Belo Horizonte estima-se que o negócio com o Grêmio possa evoluir nos próximos dias e que o destino de Rafael seja Porto Alegre.

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CruzeiroGrêmioRafael CabralSantos