UAE are well-placed to join them in next year’s world tournament in India and Sri Lanka
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2025Nepal and Oman have confirmed their places in the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka even before their Super Six meeting in Al Amerat in the Asia-EAP Qualifier. One more team from the tournament will join them in next year’s T20 World Cup.Nepal and Oman were assured of their T20 World Cup spots after UAE thumped Samoa by 77 runs earlier in the day. UAE are currently third on the Super Six points table, with four points. Both Oman and Nepal are on top, with only net run rate separating the two teams.UAE will next face Japan in a crucial fixture on October 16.ESPNcricinfo LtdWristspinner Sandeep Lamichhane has been central to Nepal’s progress to the T20 World Cup, taking ten wickets in four innings at an outstanding average of 9.40 and an economy rate of under six. His 5 for 18 helped Nepal dismiss Qatar for 142 in their chase of 148.Oman’s Jiten Ramanandi is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with seven strikes in four innings at an economy rate of 5.90. Before the Asia-EAP Qualifier, the left-arm seamer had also impressed against India in the Asia Cup, where he took the wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma.
Messi produced 12 goal involvements in the playoffs already, and Miami’s defensive improvement could be the difference-maker on the road to potentially winning MLS Cup.
Lionel Messi's third assist was the best. Or maybe it was the second. The first wasn't bad either. To be honest, just take your pick. All three were silly – effortless, inch-perfect, ridiculous things.
And all three were perhaps more vital than they have ever been for the Argentine in an Inter Miami shirt. This is the time of year when there is true jeopardy in Major League Soccer. We are in the playoffs. This is win-or-go-home territory. And it's also the same type of forum where Miami have fallen time and time again. They lost in the CONCACAF Champions Cup earlier this year. They were battered in the Leagues Cup final in August. Just over 12 months ago, they were bounced from the playoffs by Atlanta United.
But this is a different Miami. They’re defending with more resolve, playing with more structure, and managing games far better than they did earlier in the year. They’ve even had a bounce or two go their way.
Still, the biggest shift is obvious: Messi is dragging this team forward. He has had a hand in 22 of Miami’s last 24 goals – an absurd return – and there are stretches where he looks almost extraterrestrial, operating at a level the rest of the league simply can’t match. With two more wins standing between Miami and an elusive MLS Cup, it’s hard to see who stops them if he keeps playing like this.
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Messi adds new dimension
Messi has repeatedly been asked how he has been able to be so good, so injury-free, and so effective for so long. It's a fair question. He is 38, and still immensely effective. His response? Well, he has just learned how to walk.
It seems simple, really. And it's not particularly novel either. But Messi has become a master at conserving energy – when his team is both with and without the ball. He strolls into spaces nowadays, positioning himself before making tiny sprints to receive passes. He is still more than good enough to operate in the tiniest of pockets, so Messi exploits them without having to buzz around everywhere. It is the same when Miami don't have the ball. Usually, he doesn't press. His defensive action numbers are woeful. There is no point in asking him to mark, close down, or impact play. That is, after all, everyone else's job.
Until Sunday night. That's when things changed. Messi learned how to run. When Miami didn't have the ball, he buzzed and scampered. He clogged passing lanes and prevented Cincinnati from threading passes into the dangerous Evander. Ahead of the Herons' third goal, Messi dropped back into his own half, won the ball, and then played the killer ball – which Allende finished.
"We know what Leo is capable of – he proves it every weekend. Today, he did another incredible job off the ball, because we already know what he's capable of with it," manager Javier Mascherano said after the game.
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Vintage Messi brilliance
But of course, the classics stuck around. This is the bit, after all, that really matters. The numbers are ridiculous. Messi created eight chances, bagged three assists, and scored the opening goal. He has broken an MLS record by notching 12 goal contributions in a single playoff campaign (with potentially two games to go). In his last seven games, he has scored 11 and assisted 11. Piece it all together, and Messi is averaging a goal contribution every 28.6 minutes. These are simply absurd numbers.
There's also a deadly efficiency about him. Of course, Messi is the impact man in pretty much every Miami attack. But five players on the pitch had more touches. Both Sergio Busquets and Rodrigo De Paul were on the ball more. Three more players had more touches in the opposition box. Jordi Alba had more passes into the final third. Yet no other Miami player completed more dribbles. No other attacking player had a higher pass completion percentage.
But quantifying Messi in stats doesn't do him full justice. Instead, it is the that matter. He started the move that led to the first goal, picking the ball up near the halfway line, dumping it off, before accelerating into the box to notch just the 30th headed goal of his career. On the second assist, he swiveled, pivoted, and in one move dished to Mateo Silvetti, who finished wonderfully. His second assist came with the inside of his left foot. The third was thanks to the outside of his right. Both were inch-perfect into Allende. Both cut through the defense. Both set up chances that really could not be missed.
And then there were the other bits: the drops of the shoulder, the exploitation of impossible angles.
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Defense finally steps up
The thing is, this has all been true for some time now – in MLS and beyond. Messi was MVP last year. It would be an immense shock if he didn't claim the award this year, too. He came within one goal or assist of breaking the single-season goal involvement record (a mark currently held by LAFC legend Carlos Vela). He has always done these things, whether it be in a romp for PSG, a demolition of Puerto Rico in a meaningless friendly, or World Cup final.
So, what has changed? Well, for Miami, at least, it's been a surprising efficiency at the other end. Miami have been subpar defensively for most of the season. The configurations aren't right. They lack legs in both midfield and central defense. Maxi Falcon is erratic. Noah Allen is 21 – and plays like it. Marcelo Weigandt and Ian Fray are inconsistent at right back. Busquets can't move anymore. In short, the Herons get exposed in transition almost every game.
In the playoffs, though, they have been tougher to beat. Silvetti has added more legs. A bit more intensity from Messi has put more pressure on the ball. It also has to be admitted that the absence of Luis Suarez – suspended for the third game against Nashville and benched Sunday night – has given Miami one less passenger to account for.
They have certainly benefited from a few mistakes, too. Cincinnati had their chances early on, but failed to capitalize. Evander, consistently one of MLS's best, hasn't scored a career playoff goal – a baffling stat given his raw quality and regular season goalscoring exploits. He was quiet once again Sunday. Still, Miami have done something that vaguely mimics Argentina: but a strong defensive structure around Messi and allowed him to be his best. The result is a team tricky to beat. Miami have allowed just 1.01 xG against, and have conceded just once from open play in the playoffs.
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Who stops Miami now?
There has, to be sure, been an imbalance in MLS this year. The Eastern Conference is, quite simply, far better than the West. The top three teams in the Eastern Conference all amassed more points than the first in the West. It is deeper, too, with strong teams like the Columbus Crew and Nashville SC occupying the sixth and seventh spots – as opposed to Austin and Dallas out West. Take nothing away from the excellence of Vancouver, San Diego, and LAFC, but Miami have had a harder go of things this season when factoring in all of the competitions the team was in.
The pattern has held in the playoffs. Miami were narrow favorites over Cincinnati largely because they had Messi, but they hadn’t won at TQL Stadium in MLS play since 2021. Their 3-0 loss there in the regular season – a match in which a full-strength Miami were comfortably handled – was cited all week as the clearest sign they might struggle.
But it didn’t matter. They went on the road to the conference’s best team, one that routed them four months ago, and won convincingly.
So who stops them now? Philadelphia might have been the logical answer, but they were edged out by a resurgent NYCFC. Miami, in all likelihood, won’t lose to that group at home. And they’ll host whoever escapes the West in MLS Cup. San Diego and Vancouver are both capable — and Vancouver even beat Miami at Chase Stadium in April — but this version of the Herons feels far removed from the one that fell 3-1.
Strip all of that away, though, and the Messi effect still looms largest: the goals, the assists, and the moments in between. It will take a team effort from here, but when that switch flips, Miami become almost impossible to beat.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez have reportedly finalised a wedding venue that holds a special meaning for the Al-Nassr and Portugal superstar. The couple got engaged in August this year after Ronaldo proposed to his long-term girlfriend. They plan to tie the knot next summer, following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.
Ronaldo and Georgina's romantic journey
The couple started dating in 2016 and have been together for the last nine years, during which time they also became a family of five children. Ronaldo finally popped the question in August, as confirmed when Georgina showed off an image on social media of her huge engagement ring. In the caption on the post, she wrote: "Yes I do. In this and in all my lives."
AdvertisementGetty/InstagramWhen and where is Ronaldo getting married?
According to , Ronaldo and his fiancée will tie the knot in a Christian ceremony on his home island of Madeira in the summer of 2026. The ceremony will take place in Funchal Cathedral after the World Cup in North America and the reception will be hosted at a luxury hotel. The location of the hotel holds a special meaning for Ronaldo as it is located just 1.5 miles away from the hospital where he was born and only three miles away from the base of Nacional da Madeira, one of the teams he played for in his youth.
Ronaldo 'is not a romantic guy'
Ronaldo claimed he is not generally a very romantic person in a recent interview on 'Piers Morgan Unsensored'. The 40-year-old narrated the entire episode of the proposal, as he said: "It was like 1 am. My daughters were in bed sleeping. One of my friends gave me the ring to offer Gio (Georgina) and as I was giving her the ring, my two kids come in and say 'Daddy, you're going to give the ring to mum and you're going to ask her to get married'.
"I said, 'Wow, this is the right moment to say yes.' It was the time. I knew that I was going to do it one day but I hadn't planned to do it then. Because my daughters said that and my friends were filming, it was what I wanted and I offered (the ring). I didn't (get on one knee) because I wasn't prepared but it was a beautiful moment. I made a speech. It was simple, I'm not a romantic guy. Well, I am, but I'm not very romantic, not the kind of guy who brings flowers every week to the home. But I'm romantic in my way. It was beautiful and I knew that it is the woman of my life so I did that and I hope that I did it well."
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IG:@georginagioGeorgina's ring valued at £1.5 million
Ronaldo, who is football's first billionaire player, spent lavishly on the special engagement ring that he specially bought for his partner. According to engagement ring specialist Laura Taylor, Georgina's gorgeous diamond is valued at £1.5 million. Taylor told the : "A diamond of this size is almost certainly set in platinum for security, which also enhances its colour and gives the ring a timeless finish. This is a show-stopping ring, and easily among the most impressive we've seen in recent years, which feels perfectly suited to one of football's most famous couples. If the diamond is natural and of exceptional quality in the D-F colour range with flawless or near-flawless clarity, its value could easily exceed £1.5 million."
Meanwhile, Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, said to : "We estimate the value of Georgina Rodríguez's stunning engagement ring to be around $5 million. The ring is reminiscent of the famous Taylor-Burton Diamond, a 69.42 carat pear-shaped stone gifted to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton, who reportedly bought it from Cartier, who bought the rarity for over $1 million at auction."
Every year, Virat Kohli dusted himself off and brought the same energy to the IPL for RCB. After 18 years, he is finally an IPL champion
Sidharth Monga04-Jun-20252:28
Aaron: Kohli has been king of the castle for 18 years
Virat Kohli just didn’t know what to do with himself. It had finally happened. Josh Hazlewood had bowled a dot ball on the second ball of the last over. Punjab Kings now needed 29 to win off the last four balls. He later suggested to AB de Villiers, friend and former Royal Challengers Bengaluru team-mate, with whom he put together many magical stands, that he was struggling to hold back tears. Now, though, it was mathematically impossible to lose if Hazlewood didn’t concede extras. Kohli has faced enough of Hazlewood to know that wasn’t going to happen.It’s funny. If you look back at any of RCB’s interviews in the last week or so, you see signs of a team that believed this was their time. Their players signed off from New Chandigarh promising bigger celebrations on June 3. Kohli said that before the final he had told de Villiers that he wanted him to celebrate with them “when” they lifted the trophy at the end of the night.And yet, when it does actually come around, you don’t know what to do. As Kohli later said, he gave this team his youth, his prime, his everything, just for this moment. The team gave back. He came across players here who shaped his international career. Every year he dusted himself off and brought the same energy to the team. After the 2009 heartbreak, when he was just a kid. After 2016, when it seemed even more preordained than this year.Related
IPL 2025: Kohli, Bumrah, Iyer headline ESPNcricinfo's team of the tournament
Krunal Pandya is an IPL great even if you don't think he is
Kohli and RCB are finally IPL champions
You can trick your mind into believing there is no power that can stop you from winning, but when you have had that kind of history, you can’t visualise what you will do after winning. On top of that, there are four balls to go before you can let yourself go completely.At the end of the second ball, Kohli covered his face, and then covered even his eyes. The fingers came back wet. He had to wipe them on the back of his trousers. He was fielding at deep midwicket, one of the hot zones in the death overs that needs your best fielders. The next ball flew away for a six into the leg side. You have never seen Kohli react slower. He just jogged towards the ball and let someone from the infield retrieve it.RCB coach Andy Flower later acknowledged that those who believe in fate would have a story to tell because geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan led to the suspension of IPL 2025 just when Royal Challengers’ campaign was flagging with injuries to Rajat Patidar and Hazlewood, which gave both players time to recover. Their opponents in the final, PBKS, lost a key player because the delay disrupted his team’s WTC final preparations.Try talking about fate to Kohli. He kept moving in circles as boundaries came off the last three balls. He looked deep into the stands. When you are struggling to hold back tears, looking into the distance helps. The same stands that mourned with him on November 19 two years ago were celebrating with him. A lot of them had come from Bengaluru. Not just English- and Kannada- and Dakhni-speaking fans, but also Tamil- and Hindi speakers who have settled in Bengaluru. The metro rides from Ahmedabad to Motera were jampacked and suffocating, but they endured it with discipline and joy. Perhaps they believe in fate.
“I’m going to feel the real side of it when we get to Bengaluru tomorrow and celebrate this with the city” – Virat Kohli
King Kohli walks into the dressing room with ABD, talks about Rajat’s leadership, Jitesh’s smartness, and the team coming together to achieve this… pic.twitter.com/aqLY7LHvvE
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) June 4, 2025
The crowd for Qualifier 2 – on a Sunday – was only about half of this. Most of them were in the No. 18 knockoffs. Flight tickets from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad had risen to close to Rs 40,000 one way (over US$460). They still came. As they have been coming for 18 years. Never dunking on their team even when they were ridiculed for the team’s performance.One ball later, Kohli used the blue towel and threw it over the rope. It didn’t matter if the ball was wet now. Krunal Pandya began to celebrate after the fourth ball. He wouldn’t know what Kohli was going through. This was Krunal’s fourth title. His second Player of the Match in a final. He can’t know the pain of waiting with the same side for 18 long years.Kohli said there might have been moments of doubt in between, but he never seriously considered moving to any other franchise. He wanted to win his first IPL with RCB. Not many do, but he had found home at the first go. He gave his heart, soul, and now his experience to “Bangalore”. This is where he went from wild child to lean, mean fighting machine to responsible statesman. At some point along the way, it became his forever home. No matter how much you trick yourself into believing you will win, when you are slowly winding down and retiring from one format after the other, surely there are times you wonder: what if you never win?Before the last ball, Kohli threw away his cap as well. As the ball flew away for the final six, he sank to his knees with the grace of a Roger Federer icing one of his many Grand Slam wins when the opponent made an error. If there aren’t any already, there will soon be split-screen edits showing both falling to their knees upon winning.Virat Kohli and silverware make a striking pair•BCCIThat it means enough to Kohli to bring him to tears is vindication of how important the IPL is and how utterly difficult winning it is. Kohli is someone who has won almost all there is to win in cricket. The IPL is still a young product. Not long ago, it started as a glorified holiday for overseas players. This tournament needed a buy-in from its big stars.For 18 years, Kohli has given it his all, celebrating, anguishing, sledging, putting his reputation on the line beefing with kids, reinventing his game to triple the percentage of good-length balls he slogs. His tears of anguish, and now tears of joy, are perhaps the most glowing endorsement for the tournament.Second only to the crowd. About three-fourths of the 92,000 people who turned up stayed back till the end of the bloated presentations that went on for nearly an hour and a half after the match ended. They all sounded like they had the night of their lives despite all the struggles of attending a match in India. People were on the phone telling their loved ones they were “right there” when “we” won. A lot of them were going to go straight to the airport or the train station because Ahmedabad just doesn’t have enough hotels to accommodate everyone who comes to attend a match at the humongous stadium.There were many chasing the team bus to the hotel. That RCB will get a much bigger celebration, most likely an open-top bus ride with the trophy, in Bengaluru is a matter of when more than if. By then, Kohli and the others will not be fumbling with their reactions. They will have slept like babies and woken up to confirm this is not just a dream. That they are the IPL champions.
The last few months have been a whirlwind for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, especially considering the topsy-turvy nature of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Lilywhites won the Europa League under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, with the Aussie delivering on his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season.
However, it was somewhat overshadowed by the 17th-place finish in the Premier League, which ultimately cost the 60-year-old his job in North London.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou
The responsibility of building on the triumph was handed the way of Thomas Frank, with the Dane joining the club from fellow top-flight club Brentford during the off-season.
Despite his arrival, some players have struggled to match the levels they produced last campaign, which will have no doubt been frustrating to the new manager.
The Spurs players who have struggled in 2025/26
After arguably his best-ever campaign in 2024/25, Brennan Johnson has endured a dismal current campaign and has often failed to deliver when called upon by Frank.
The Welsh international has only netted two league goals in 2025/26 to date, subsequently dropping down the pecking order and only making five starts since the Dane’s arrival.
He was even sent off in the latest Champions League clash against FC Copenhagen, which pretty much sums up the decline he’s endured over the last few months.
Johnson hasn’t been alone in struggling to match the levels he produced last season, with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur another who’s been unable to produce on a consistent basis.
The Uruguayan international has only made eight starts to date, but his numbers from the current campaign showcase his dismal form in North London.
He’s ranked in the 43rd percentile for passes completed and has only been able to make 0.5 interceptions per 90 – often struggling to make an effect in and out of possession.
The Spurs star who needs to be offloaded
The decline of some players has led to the recent additions during the summer, with the hierarchy landing Mohammed Kudus in a £55m deal from West Ham United.
The Ghanaian international has since replaced Johnson on the right-hand side of the attack and has already made an immediate impact for the Lilywhites.
He’s scored once and registered four assists in the Premier League to date, with the latter of the two tallies the joint-highest of any player in England’s top-flight.
Kudus would have been joined in the final third by Dominic Solanke, but the Englishman has massively struggled with injuries and has been out of action since the end of August.
He’s been struggling with an ankle issue over the last couple of months, subsequently restricting him to a total of just 31 Premier League minutes in 2025/26.
As a result, the hierarchy decided to delve back into the transfer market to complete a loan deal for striker Randal Kolo Muani from French side PSG.
The 26-year-old’s move generated huge excitement within the fanbase, but after a couple of months, it’s safe to say that the deal so far has been a disaster for everyone involved.
He’s struggled to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, with the loanee subsequently failing to score in any of his eight outings across all competitions.
His underlying stats also showcase his lack of form since his transfer on Deadline Day, with the former Juventus star undoubtedly struggling to meet expectations in England.
Games played
4
Goals & assists
0
Shots taken
0.47
Touches in opposition box
1.4
Aerials won
0.4
Aerial success rate
37%
Fouls committed
1.6
Passes completed per 90
8.2
He’s only registered a total of 0.47 shots per 90 in England’s top-flight – with such a tally ranking him in the lowest 1% of all other attackers in the division this season.
Kolo Muani, who earns a reported £150k-per-week, has also registered just 1.4 touches in the opposition box and 0.4 aerials won per 90, which place him in the first percentile – further highlighting his lack of positive impact to date.
Such form backs up one content creator’s previous claim about the forward, with the Frenchman previously being dubbed “one of the most overrated players in the world”.
It’s evident that the move to date has been a huge failure, with the club desperately needing to cut ties and allow other players to stake their claim for a starting role.
His loan deal shouldn’t be made permanent in either of the two windows before it expires, but it’s crucial the club do invest big and land a new talisman for Frank.
Spurs star was one of the "best in the world", now he's on borrowed time
One Tottenham Hotspur star could be on borrowed time under Thomas Frank in the coming months.
England have a 6-2 superior record against South Africa in the tournament
S Sudarshanan02-Oct-20252:05
Sciver-Brunt: WPL experience will benefit us
Big picture: England’s strong record vs SAEngland have been South Africa’s banana peel in the Women’s ODI World Cup. They have a 6-2 superior record in the tournament heading into the clash in Guwahati on Friday. While South Africa beat England in the group stages in 2022, they lost to England in the semi-final. The result was the same in the 2017 semi-final as well.”I feel like we’ve beaten them in the group stages in the past World Cups and then lost to them in the semi-final. So we know as a group, we can beat them, especially in the group stages,” South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said on Thursday. “We have played some good cricket recently. We’ve been batting really well. We’ve been bowling better and better. I think all of us know that if we really stick to our plans and are really clear with what we want to do, we can beat them tomorrow.”South Africa enter the World Cup on the back of a solid run of games. They played a tri-series with India and Sri Lanka, then played Pakistan in Pakistan. They have been in action regularly with the same set of players, high on confidence. While the women made it to successive T20 World Cup finals in 2023 and 2024, the men ended the drought of ICC titles with the World Test Championship win this year.”It’s been amazing to see how the country has supported them and how excited everyone was back at home and united to support them in that trophy,” Wolvaardt said. “Hopefully we have the chance to do something similar to really get the country behind us in this tournament.”England have had a contrasting run in this regard. Their leadership group underwent a change after the Women’s Ashes. Under head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, England played just the two series – winning comfortably against West Indies and losing to India, both at home.Sciver-Brunt, however, was okay with the team’s preparation away from internationals. They had a ten-day camp in Abu Dhabi, where they acclimatised to the conditions they would encounter at the World Cup. Plus, there are eight players in the England squad with WPL experience.”We got some great time out in the middle in really hot, humid conditions where in England it’s not like that,” she said. “So preparing physically in that way was really good. That is going to be a massive part of our tournament, making sure that we are adapting as quickly as we can.”During the India vs Sri Lanka match at the ACA Stadium, spin played a part in the middle overs while it was easier to face pace at the start. That is a template that Sciver-Brunt backed England to follow.”That’s a blueprint that we work with, especially when we’re bowling, making sure the spinners in the middle are doing a really good job for us and making it really hard for people to get away. I think that has been a really good strength of ours for a number of years. We’ve got a brilliant spin attack.”Form guideEngland LWLWW (last five matches, most recent first) South Africa LWWWWIn the spotlight: Nat Sciver-Brunt and Marizanne KappIn her first World Cup match as captain, the spotlight will be firmly on Nat Sciver-Brunt. She is England’s leading run-scorer since the 2022 World Cup and only Amy Jones has more than her so far this year. That is in addition to her 20 wickets in the last three years. With a view to manage her workload, she hadn’t bowled since the WPL but resumed duties with the ball at the warm-up games. With Heather Knight returning from a hamstring injury, Sciver-Brunt will draw from her WPL experience to navigate the side at the ACA Stadium, where the track could be slightly two-paced.This will be Nat Sciver-Brunt’s first World Cup as captain•Getty Images
A like-for-like, South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp is at the peak of her powers. Give her the new ball, she’ll dry up the runs and pick up wickets. Send her in with South Africa in a spot, she will not just arrest the slide but also transfer the pressure back on the opponents. A WPL regular for Delhi Capitals, Kapp is into her fifth World Cup and would want her team to cross the finish line this time. “The amount of experience that she has is invaluable,” Wolvaardt said on match eve. “She knows every player going around. She’s bowled to basically all of them.”Team newsSciver-Brunt will bowl at the World Cup, which means England could play an extra spinner or an extra seamer. But she said on match eve that she would “like to select seven batters to go into this tournament” which opens the door for Alice Capsey, who also bowls offspin.England (probable): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Charlie Dean, 10. Em Arlott, 11 Lauren BellAyabonga Khaka bowled full-tilt on the eve of the game. She could shoulder duties with fellow seamers Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen. Karabo Meso had a long batting stint ahead of Sinalo Jafta, who is South Africa’s preferred wicketkeeper.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Annerie Dercksen, 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Nondumiso Shangase, 10 Nonkululeko Mlaba, 11 Ayabonga Khaka
Pitch and conditionsRain washed out England’s pre-game practice session, while South Africa managed to get theirs done under lights. Showers are expected on Friday as well with IMD issuing thunderstorm alerts. A washout isn’t on the cards, though.A fresh pitch will be used for the game. Expect spin to come into play as the game goes on, as was the case during the India vs Sri Lanka contest.Stats and trivia No opening pair has scored more runs than Laura Wolvaardt-Tazmin Brits in ODIs since January 2023. They have 1536 runs at an average close to 60. The next best is Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal with 1316 South Africa have won only two of their last six ODIs against England Marizanne Kapp has dismissed Heather Knight five times in 15 innings, Nat Sciver-Brunt three times in nine innings and Tammy Beaumont five times in 13 innings Charlie Dean has got Laura Wolvaardt out three times in seven innings for only 65 runs and Sune Luus three times in four innings for just 19 runsQuotes”She obviously has a lot of experience. I think it would be stupid of me not to listen to her. She’s a hugely valuable person in our side, whether it’s with the bat or just that tactical thinking. She’s got a brilliant brain for cricket. So, yeah, I’m encouraging her to be as vocal as she wants to be.” “The biggest learnings in that series are probably just how to play spin, especially being nice and proactive with the bat against the spinners in that middle phase. We generally get off to good starts, and I think we had really good death overs with the bat in that series in Sri Lanka, but probably could have done a bit more in that middle phase.”
In an instant blow for new manager Vitor Matos, “top clubs” are now reportedly making moves in an attempt to sign Swansea City’s Harlan Perry, who has been the academy’s Player of the Year for four consecutive seasons.
It’s the last thing that Matos needs, with the pressure on to arrive and turn things around in Wales. As things stand, the Jacks sit 20th and only four points above the Championship’s dropzone with the manager’s debut against Derby County up next.
Upon arriving, the former Liverpool coach shared how optimistic he is that Swansea can turn their season around – telling the club’s website: “Swansea, for me, have always had a style. Something that distinguished the club from all the others.
“Somehow we have got a bit far away from what is the DNA of the club. So it will take steps, it will take a bit of time, but I really believe we can take steps in the right direction.
“For that, we will need everyone, the whole club, all the fans and us all to have the same vision. That’s what I want. I see the fans are still behind and pushing the team, we will need them and I see players who want to change the momentum and we need to find the right idea and the right vision to do it.
“That’s the most important thing. It is clear we need to win games and points, but we need to focus on the process and I really believe if we can play to our best then the more chances we will have to win. That’s the direction we need to have.”
It’s a DNA built from the first-team to the academy, but one that Swansea’s best young player may yet miss as contract concerns continue to emerge.
"Top clubs" now moving to sign Harlan Perry
As reported by Rudy Galetti, “top clubs” are now moving to sign Perry from Swansea in what would be a free deal. The 17-year-old has been the academy’s Player of the Year in the last four seasons, but is yet to sign a professional contract – opening the door for a potential exit.
Vitor Matos decides to take Swansea City job as release clause cost revealed
A major boost for the Swans.
ByTom Cunningham Nov 20, 2025
The midfielder turns 18 this week – it’s then that clubs will be able to offer him a long-term contract to deal those in Wales a major blow.
Whilst Matos’ first priority should of course be turning results around, he must also ensure that Swansea keep hold of players with impressive potential like Perry, even if it means selling for a larger profit at a later date.
Instant blow for Matos as "one of Swansea's key players" could now leave
Aminul Islam has been re-elected as the BCB president at the board election on Monday. He will serve a four-year term, after having been in the same role for the last four months. Faruque Ahmed, the former president who Aminul had replaced in May, and Shakhawat Hossain, will be the vice-presidents.The day-long election, which included physical votes and e-ballots, was held in a hotel in Dhaka. A total of 23 directors were elected and two government representatives were announced later to form the 25-member body. The election commission said 115 votes were cast out of the 156 eligible voters.The election process is two-fold. The voters, called councillors, elect 23 board directors in three separate categories. Aminul was one of ten directors elected from the first category, which includes only the divisions and districts of the country. The second category is the all-powerful Dhaka clubs who elect the majority of 12 directors. The third category includes representatives from different institutions, former cricketers, captains, and several other organisations.The election commission announced the names of the board directors at 6.30pm, before the new 25-member body held an election among themselves to choose the president and two vice-presidents. Aminul, Faruque and Shakhawat were elected unopposed in these posts.Three former captains are now in the board of directors, including Aminul, Faruque and Khaled Mashud. Former Bangladesh cricketer Abdur Razzak was nominated from the Khulna sub-category unopposed, becoming a board director. He had left his job as a senior men’s selector recently.While the voting was held without major incident on Monday, the election commission representatives made allegations of “intimidations”. The build-up to the election, too, had several controversies. Tamim Iqbal, the former Bangladesh captain, had withdrawn from the race after complaining of interference, when BCB chief Aminul issued a letter asking for fresh nominations for the elections’ first category. The letter was cleared by the country’s courts the day before the elections.After he was confirmed as the new president, Aminul said he wanted to continue in this role after “falling in love with Bangladesh cricket’s development”. When he was elected on May 30, Aminul had said that his short-term role would be like a “quick T20 innings”.Aminul played 13 Tests and 39 ODIs, and led the side during their maiden World Cup appearance in 1999.Category 1 directors: Aminul Islam, Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury, Asif Akbar, Abdur Razzak, Julfiker Ali Khan, Mukhlesur Rahman, Hasanuzzaman, Rahat Shams, Shakhawat HossainCategory 2 directors: Ishtiaque Sadeque, Adnan Rahman, Fayazur Rahman, Abul Bashar, Amzad Hossain, Shanian Taneem, Mukhsedul Kamal, Nazmul Islam, Faruque Ahmed, Manjur Alam, Mehrab Alam Chowdhury, Iftekhar RahmanCategory 3 director: Khaled MashudGovernment representative directors: M Ishfaq Ahsan, Yasir Mohammad Faisal Ashique
Captain’s poor form with bat typified off-colour display and leaves questions to be answered before Lord’s
Matt Roller06-Jul-20251:46
Harmison: England’s top-order returns a worry
Ben Stokes was surrounded. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed convinced that he had edged Washington Sundar down the leg side in the over before lunch, and Indian fielders converged on England’s captain. Ravindra Jadeja pointed to Stokes’ thigh pad. Shubman Gill decided against using his final review. Stokes chewed his gum, hand on hip, and glared.One ball later, India’s fielders went up in appeal again. Stokes was dumbfounded when umpire Sharfuddoula raised his finger, and held out his left hand in bemusement before reviewing. But the decision was spot on: DRS confirmed that Washington’s in-drifter had hit his pad before his bat. He shook his head as he walked off, past a fan waving an India flag in Edgbaston’s South Stand.Stokes’ innings was a grimly compelling watch, a public disavowal of his previous stance that he was “not interested” in drawing Test matches as captain. With every high-elbow defence and exaggerated leave off the seamers, he made ever more clear the extent to which his team had been backed into a corner by India. After three years, the option of last resort had finally arrived.Related
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The trouble for Stokes was that Gill knew he could attack him with spin. Stokes never settled in England’s run chase in Leeds, compulsively reverse-sweeping – he played the shot 16 times in 51 balls, the last of which brought about his dismissal. He has always been a stronger player against pace but his numbers against spinners have fallen off a cliff.Here, Stokes put his reverse-sweep away against Jadeja, but was never in control. He shifted his guard, batting across his stumps, and was caught between stools when confronted with a rough patch outside off. He lunged forward to sweep, missing as many as he hit, and gloved one ball just short of Gill at leg slip as he looked to defend.Just briefly, Stokes had started to look like his old self when back-cutting, driving and pulling Mohammed Siraj for boundaries, finally exerting his dominance on a bowler. But his dismissal to Washington felt almost inevitable: 16 of his 25 Test dismissals since the start of last year have been to spinners, and he is averaging 18.43 against spin in that time. It has been a barren run, and it was telling that Gill pushed his fielders back at the end of overs, allowing Stokes singles that would keep him on strike.
“The task today was batting out the 80 overs. The result we always try to push towards and look forward [to] was beyond [us]… It just wasn’t meant to be”
Stokes has had a bad week in Birmingham. He took five wickets in the first Test at Headingley but admitted that bowling 35 overs left him as “a shadow of my normal self”, and after 15 more on day one at Edgbaston, managed only 11 overs thereafter. Uncharacteristically, he seemed to run out of ideas in India’s second innings as the game drifted away from him slowly.His decision to bowl first at the toss backfired, with India enjoying the best batting conditions and grinding England into the ground. “As the game got deeper and deeper, it was pretty obvious that [the pitch] was not playing the way that we thought it was going to,” Stokes said. Brendon McCullum was clearer, saying: “We probably got it slightly wrong.”India’s relentlessness with the bat left England facing an unprecedented situation under Stokes’ captaincy, attempting to bat out the final day to secure a draw with a win off the table. “The task today was batting out the 80 overs,” he said. “The result we always try to push towards and look forward [to] was beyond [us]… It just wasn’t meant to be.”4:11
Stokes: We weren’t able to deliver our skills when needed
His team now faces a quick turnaround to Thursday’s third Test at Lord’s. Stokes does not expect the 336-run margin of defeat to affect their performance next week, but he needs to step up with the bat. Gill, his opposite number, does not look a natural leader in the field, but his runs have bought him scope to make mistakes that Stokes is not giving himself.The opening day of this match marked the two-year anniversary of Stokes’ most recent Test hundred, a rage-fuelled 155 in defeat to Australia at Lord’s, and he has not scored a century in any format of the game since the 2023 World Cup. He declined the opportunity to play for Durham or England Lions ahead of this series to manage his body, but his batting has suffered.Since the start of last year, Stokes has faced only 1280 balls in professional cricket, limited heavily by knee and hamstring injuries; the next fewest among England’s top seven is Zak Crawley with 2414, while Joe Root has faced 4523. If batting is a skill that relies on rhythm and tempo, then Stokes has been dancing to a very different tune.Stokes shrugged off a post-match question about his own form with the bat but his five Test scores this year read 9, 20, 33, 0 and 33, and his career batting average has dipped to its lowest mark (35.31) since the 2019 Ashes. He has been an inspirational and tactically astute captain, but Stokes’ leadership alone cannot mask his struggles with the bat.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was joined by Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Will Smith and Kiké Hernandez as guests on Tuesday night's where they were described as "still moist" from their World Series celebration. The quintet of champions answered some questions while remembering just how awesome that all was for Los Angeles fans—your typical late-night fare.
The highlight was Hernandez revealing that he was under the impression his team had lost the World Series after getting trucked by Andy Pages to end the ninth inning of Game 7.
Hernandez shared the story of how he processed the season-saving play after getting teed up by Roberts.
"Bases loaded ninth inning, ball drops we lose, right" he said. "I get a bad jump because the pitch almost bounced, he kind of put the bat on the ball. I broke half a step in and I'm running. And I'm thinking about my entire life as I'm following this ball and I felt like I ran a 400-meter dash and like as I'm finally about to catch the ball I'm like 'the only thing I've got to worry about is the wall, right?'"
Hernandez assured everyone he was in position to catch the ball before he was blindsided from Pages, who had just entered the game as a defensive replacement.
"Out of nowhere I feel like an NBA player because my teammate posterized me," he said. "I go down and in my head everything is quiet, which should have told me he caught it."
Hernandez said he didn't trust his instincts because he thought his brain was protecting him from heartbreak. And that he only found out the Dodgers had fresh life in extra innings after Pages came over to check on him.
It's an awesome story and an extra bit of lore for an already unbelievable World Series.