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The doom and gloom currently engulfing Leeds United is strong.

At Elland Road this season, the Whites have looked like a competent Premier League outfit, in all fairness, as was showcased in their 2-1 win over West Ham United to close out October.

But, Daniel Farke and Co cannot rely on their home form all season long to keep them away from the dreaded relegation spaces, with their away record an abysmal read at the moment.

Only three of Leeds’ 11 points so far this season have been picked up on their disappointing travels, with all of their defeats on the road also seeing the top-flight newcomers offer up very little in an attacking capacity.

The 3-0 loss last time out at Brighton and Hove Albion was an alarming reminder of the gulf in quality between Leeds and the likes of Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls, with Leeds reduced to a relegation-fodder state at the Amex.

Strangely, though, Leeds have pulled off some memorable bits of business this summer that have stuck out amid all the hopelessness, with Noah Okafor already up to two goals at his new employers, as the Whites are usually prone to a transfer clanger or two.

Ranking Leeds' transfer business in recent history

Switzerland international, Okafor, has already been described as a “class difference-maker” by Leeds content creator Oscar Marrio for his goal-laden displays in West Yorkshire.

Successfully completing five dribbles against the rampant Seagulls, too, it will be interesting to see if the Whites can avoid the drop, courtesy of the risky £18m acquisition bombing down the flanks.

The likes of Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach have also stood out in midfield, after joining from Newcastle United and Hoffenheim respectively, with the energy that Okafor offers in spades also visible in this new duo.

Two Premier League strikes have also already been put away by the ex-Magpies star, and his Croat counterpart, with Longstaff even being labelled as “one of the best signings in the Premier League” this summer by journalist Daniel Storey.

Often, comments about Leeds’ recent purchases haven’t always been so complimentary, with the Whites’ summer business heading into 2022/23 – which ended in a pitiful Premier League relegation – sticking out as being full of blunders.

Luis Sinisterra certainly stands out as being a transfer deal gone wrong, with the £21m winger billed as an “animal” by ex-teammate Juan Cuadrado on this entry to England, only for the Colombian to score a weak five goals in the Premier League donning Leeds white, during what was an injury-ravaged stint.

The likes of Rasmus Kristensen, Tyler Adams, and many more around this same time period aren’t remembered fondly, either, as they all left the Leeds train at the earliest possible opportunity, after relegation was confirmed.

Another name that springs to mind is Helder Costa. Costing £12m to obtain under the great Marcelo Bielsa, he then only made an unmemorable 23 Premier League appearances in West Yorkshire.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be praying that he’s not recounted in the same dismissive manner down the line, as the ex-Everton marksman continues to struggle to find his goalscoring groove at Elland Road.

The former England international does have the bonus that he was acquired on a free transfer, so he doesn’t have a weighty Sinisterra-like price tag hanging above his head.

Still, with only one goal coming his way so far this season, he isn’t immune to pelters, with ex-Premier League scout Bryan King even stating recently that he isn’t the “right striker fit” for Leeds if they desperately crave goals to stave off the drop.

It’s too early to judge whether he’s an outright flop, though, but the early signs are concerning. He isn’t alone in being deemed a shaky summer signing, however.

Leeds flop could be seen as one of their worst signings

Heading into top-flight action this season, it was clear Leeds needed to successfully find a long-term replacement for Illan Meslier.

The Frenchman was so error-prone last campaign that £400k recruit Karl Darlow had to be thrown in for the latter matches of the campaign, so their promotion charge wasn’t sabotaged.

Unfortunately, Lucas Perri’s £13.9m arrival this summer from Lyon hasn’t instantly eased the goalkeeping nerves that plagued their Championship promotion story.

The Brazilian stopper joined the building having been branded as an “outstanding” shot-stopper by South American football expert Nathan Joyes, having collected a promising ten clean sheets last season in Ligue 1 action.

He started life in England with two clean sheets collected from his first three Premier League clashes, too, but he has looked worryingly ropey when Leeds have been under the cosh.

In particular, his showing away at Brighton would see journalist Adam Pope criticise the 27-year-old for the amount of “unnecessary” decisions he was making with the ball at his feet that just ramped up more pressure on the all-at-sea defenders on the South Coast.

Games played

5

Goals conceded overall

9

Goals conceded*

1.8

Saves

9

Goals prevented

-0.48

Accurate passes*

18.8 (53%)

The table above doesn’t lie, either, when looking at Pope’s comments, with Perri only managing to accurately complete 53% of his passes so far this season, as the likes of Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson were then put under far more strain than necessary at the Amex.

Moreover, Perri has the worst save percentage among the 21 goalkeepers to have played five or more games so far this season in the Premier League, with nine efforts being hammered past the new Leeds number one, despite only facing 18 total shots.

Amazingly, Leeds might well have just been better sticking it out with their trusty second-in-command from last season in Darlow, with the experienced Welshman managing to make 13 saves across his own span of five Premier League encounters.

At £13.9m, Perri is yet to live up to his high transfer fee, with the highly praised Longstaff even coming into the building for a lower fee himself, at the £12m range.

Even Meslier would come away from his 2022/23 efforts in the top-flight with a higher accurate pass percentage average next to his name, with a worry now that Leeds have forked out significant wads of cash on a ‘keeper who isn’t a noticeable upgrade on what they already had.

The same could be said about Calvert-Lewin, arguably, – if you remove talk of transfer fees – with golden-boot winning Joel Piroe up top now frozen out completely, despite collecting a blistering 19 strikes on the way to promotion being clinched.

Thankfully, Calvert-Lewin’s woes in front of goal have been regularly bailed out already by the likes of Okafor stepping up to the mark as a far more impactful new addition.

In between the sticks, though, it’s harder to go under the radar for your mistakes and errors, with a worry that more unconvincing performances from the £13.9m ‘keeper to come could result in Leeds hurtling straight back down to the second tier.

This would be a gigantic disappointment, with Perri once judged as a clean slate in goal, who could break away from the shoddy days of Meslier.

Leeds star was "indispensable" to Farke, now he's as droppable as Aaronson

This Leeds United star who was once dubbed as a necessary cog is now struggling in the Premier League.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 5, 2025

Longtime Seattle Mariners announcer Dave Sims has been named as the new radio voice of the New York Yankees. The two-time Emmy Award winner, who has called Mariners games for the past 18 years, is returning to New York to replace John Sterling, who retired after a legendary career.

Sims has plenty of familiarity in New York, as he was the radio host for the New York Knicks in the mid-'80s.

"By now you've probably heard the news. I'm coming home to New York," Sims said. "I thoroughly enjoyed my 18 years in Seattle. I loved becoming part of Mariner nation in the Pacific Northwest. So many great memories, so many good people. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for having this interloper coming in and being part of your culture. I really enjoyed it and I wish everybody in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest all the best as we move forward. Go Mariners and Go Yankees."

The 71-year-old Sims will begin calling games for the Yankees in 2025, as the franchise will look to return to the World Series and capture its first title since 2009.

Root and Crawley got fifties in the chase as India’s six dropped catches in the match proved costly

Matt Roller24-Jun-20251:53

Did we see a refined version of Bazball?

Headingley has become the home of the run chase, and England hauled in a target of 371 to prove it. Set up by Ben Duckett’s dazzling 149, and sealed with a six by Jamie Smith, they romped home in just 82 overs to seal a sixth consecutive win in Leeds – all while bowling first – and to take a 1-0 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.It left Ben Stokes to breathe a sigh of relief after his decision to field on Friday morning, and India to dwell on the countless opportunities they missed to take control of this Test. They hit five centuries to England’s two, but lower-order collapses of 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 proved costly – as did their six dropped catches.This was a chastening way to start a new era for India, with Shubman Gill’s sparkling first-innings century long forgotten as he reflected on a heavy defeat in his first Test as captain. After series losses against New Zealand and Australia, India have now lost seven of their last nine Tests, and may only have Jasprit Bumrah available for two of the next four on the England tour.Bumrah was borderline unplayable in Australia, taking 32 wickets in the series, but was unusually ineffective after his first-innings five-for at Headingley. He went wicketless in England’s run chase, and was seen off by Duckett and Zak Crawley, whose partnership of 188 in 42.2 overs laid the foundations for a victory cruise despite the lingering threat of rain.3:26

Harmison: Not sure India believed they could get Duckett out

Duckett was sublime, starting his innings slowly before accelerating against India’s weaker links. He was particularly severe on Ravindra Jadeja, whom he reverse swept into submission, and Prasidh Krishna, whose five wickets in the match could not disguise an eye-watering economy rate of 6.28, the most expensive in India’s Test history.England wobbled in the afternoon against Prasidh and Shardul Thakur, but Smith and Joe Root saw them across the line with 14 overs remaining in the final hour. Root was characteristically cool in his unbeaten 53, while Smith took Jadeja for 18 runs in an over, including sixes over square leg and mid-on, to see his team across the line.Duckett and Crawley had reached the lunch break unscathed, battling through probing early spells from Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj before tucking into India’s change bowlers. Duckett cut and pulled with total control until his hundred was a shot away: on 97, he offered a chance when he pulled Siraj to deep square leg, but Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped his third catch of the match.Siraj was furious, and made no effort to hide it. He had drawn Duckett into a verbal battle after drawing an outside edge which skewed away through a gap in the slip cordon soon after lunch, and could only watch in frustration as Duckett reverse swept Jadeja for four to reach three figures, his ~ Test century and his first in the second innings of a match.Duckett punched the air to celebrate and then got back to work, milking Jadeja for off-side runs as he packed his leg-side field. But Prasidh prised the game open from the other end, first drawing an edge from Crawley which flew to first slip, and then nipping one back off the seam to induce a chop-on from Ollie Pope, England’s first-innings centurion.Shardul Thakur got Ben Duckett and Harry Brook back-to-back•Getty ImagesDuckett continued to race along, his strike rate edging closer to 100 as he reverse slapped Jadeja over cover-point for the first six of the final day. It took the reintroduction of Thakur to remove him on 149, driving straight to short cover, and when Harry Brook strangled his first ball down the leg side, India were back in the game.Stokes survived Thakur’s hat-trick ball, and saw England through to an early tea with Root for company. After a brief hold-up for a rain shower, Stokes and Root both survived lbw appeals as Gill burned through India’s last two reviews. But with the partnership on 49, Stokes top-edged a reverse sweep straight to his opposite number at short third.Smith strode out at No. 7 as though determined to prove his mettle after an ill-timed first-innings dismissal, and set to work alongside Root. The same pair took England close to the line in a nervy chase against Sri Lanka in Manchester last year; this time, they took them over it with an unbroken stand of 71.Some of Gill’s decisions will come under scrutiny: Siraj went unused between the 41st and 81st overs, while Bumrah did not get the chance to bowl in the final 17 overs of the match. He is only due to play in three of the five matches in this series, and India’s performance suggested their attack will struggle badly without him.The result was vindication of Stokes’ decision at the toss, and means that five of the last seven Headingley Tests have been won by a team chasing at least 250 in the fourth innings. And if this chase was not the white-knuckle ride of the 2019 Ashes, it was a clinical performance which hinted at a more complete, more rounded England approach.

Tottenham have made contact with a “complete” young player over a move to the club, with plenty of other clubs providing stiff competition including Scottish giants Rangers.

Tottenham given £100m cash injection

It has been a positive start to life in north London for Thomas Frank, with Spurs performing well overall in the Premier League and sitting third in the table.

Tottenham have now been given a fresh boost, with their owners, Enic, who are run by the Lewis Family Trust, injecting £100m into the club to “further strengthen the club’s financial position and equip the club’s leadership team with additional resources to continue the focus on driving long-term sporting success”.

A source close to Spurs also added: “This is initial additional funding. As the club’s management decides what’s needed to deliver success, more money will be available. The Lewis family is committed to backing the club to be successful.”

This will be music to the ears of the fanbase, who will feel that life after Daniel Levy is going well, and it’s now a case of using the money wisely, potentially on new signings moving forward. One player has now been mentioned as a potential option for the north Londoners.

Tottenham make contact with "complete" winger

Writing on X, journalist Rudy Galetti claimed that Tottenham have made contact with AS Trencin winger Sani Suleiman, looking to beat the likes of Rangers and Bayer Leverkusen to his signature.

Not a lot is known about Suleiman, given his age and where he is currently playing, but he could be an exciting long-term acquisition for Spurs, being capable of shining on both wings. The report does say that he has impressed with his speed, creativity, and ability to impact games.

At just 19, he has already scored 15 goals at senior level, as well as winning three caps for Nigeria’s Under-20s, and Galetti himself has described him as “complete” recently.

It is always important for Spurs to plan for the future, rather than simply focusing on the present, and signing players of Suleiman’s calibre and potential is vital.

Related Move over Spence: Spurs must unleash "one of the best talents England have"

Frank manages at Tottenham some of England’s finest up-and-coming talent.

Posts 2 ByAngus Sinclair Oct 12, 2025

Granted, it is hard to predict the trajectory of a young player, with so many hurdles to clear in their career, from injuries to consistency, but if Frank and the recruitment team at the club see him as a good option, they need to be trusted.

STKNP also acquired middle-order batter Alick Athanaze by trading out Rutherford

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2025In a landmark move in the history of CPL, experienced allrounder Jason Holder will leave his home franchise Barbados Royals after 13 years, to join St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (STKNP) for the upcoming season. As part of the trades and transfers before the CPL draft next month, STKNP also acquired middle-order batter Alick Athanaze while trading middle-order basher Sherfane Rutherford to Royals.Holder had been with Royals since the inaugural CPL season in 2013. That period included lifting the trophy twice, in 2014 and 2019, the latter under Holder’s captaincy. He played 104 matches for Royals to take 97 wickets that included two four-fors, and also scored 1169 in 85 innings at a strike rate of 129.60.Rutherford, currently playing IPL 2025 for Gujarat Titans (GT), will be turning out for his third CPL franchise, having represented STKNP for the last four seasons and Guyana Amazon Warriors from 2018 to 2020.Related

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CPL 2025 to be played from August 14 to September 21

Athanaze has also turned out only for Royals so far, in 2023 and 2024. He made his international debut in 2023 before his CPL debut, and played 19 matches in all for Royals. He scored 344 runs in those outings, averaging 22.93 and striking at 106.83 with just one half-century.STKNP had finished last in 2024 with just one win from 10 games, while Royals had progressed to the playoffs and lost qualifier 2 to runners-up Amazon Warriors.CPL 2025 will be played from August 14 to September 21 with no clashes with West Indies’ international assignments. St Lucia Kings are the defending champions this time.

There is less than a week left to go in the summer transfer window and this means that Celtic need to start ramping up their business if they want to avoid missing out on key targets.

The Hoops are reportedly doing exactly that, as they are said to be closing in on two new additions to the squad on the left flank for Brendan Rodgers.

Sky Sports recently reported that the Scottish Premiership giants have agreed a £5m deal with Royal Antwerp for winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha to bolster the manager’s options on the wing.

The Belgian whiz is not the only incoming signing on the left flank, though, as Anthony Joseph claims that the club have agreed a deal to sign left-back Marcelo Saracchi on loan from Boca Juniors.

However, journalist Stephen McGowan has revealed that there is even more to come from Celtic, who want to sign another striker to compete at the top end of the pitch.

This means that current Hoops number nine Adam Idah could be in danger of losing his place in the starting XI beyond the end of the current transfer window.

Why Adam Idah's place in the XI is in danger

The Scottish giants splashed the cash last summer when the board sanctioned a deal worth up to £9.5m to sign the Ireland international on a permanent move from Norwich City.

Idah has yet to justify that significant outlay from the Hoops, though, because he has failed to establish himself as a player who can start week-in-week-out as the main number nine.

The 24-year-old centre-forward scored 20 goals in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, which is far from a horrendous return at face value.

However, Idah was often more impactful when coming off the bench to make an impact as a substitute against tired defences, than as a starter ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi or Daizen Maeda, particularly in the Premiership.

As you can see in the table above, the Irish forward scored more goals in roughly 1,000 fewer minutes as a substitute than he did as a starter in the league last season.

Unfortunately, Idah’s performances in the Premiership at the start of the current campaign do not suggest that he has gotten over those issues and is now ready to be the main man for the Hoops.

The former Norwich star, as shown in the graphic above, missed three ‘big chances’ and failed to score against St Mirren on the opening day. He then failed to score or assist a goal in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen as a starter in his most recent league outing.

Celtic preparing move for new striker

With Idah’s poor form as a starter last season and at the start of this term, supporters may be pleased to learn that the club are looking to sign a new marksman.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Football Insider, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Lorient centre-forward Sambou Soumano before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Scottish giants are preparing to make a formal offer to bring the Senegalese number nine to Parkhead before next Monday’s deadline.

It states that they have already registered their interest in the 24-year-old marksman, and that a formal approach is now expected in the coming days.

Meanwhile, journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, claims that English Championship side Blackburn Rovers are already in talks with Lorient, who want £5m for their star forward, which means that Celtic may have to move quickly to get a deal done for Soumano.

Why Celtic should sign Sambou Soumano

The Premiership champions should be pushing for a deal to get done for the Ligue 1 marksman because he is an exciting talent who could come in as an upgrade on Idah for Rodgers in the number nine position.

The Lorient attacker caught the eye with his performances for the French side in the second tier last season, helping them to earn promotion back up to Ligue 1 with his goalscoring exploits.

Soumano provided a lethal presence in the centre-forward position in Ligue 2 by finishing the chances that came his way in front of goal at an impressively high conversion rate of 33%, per Sofascore.

As you can see in the table above, Soumano scored more goals and missed 13 fewer ‘big chances’ at league level in comparison to Idah in the 2024/25 campaign.

This suggests that the Senegalese striker, who was once dubbed “incredibly prolific” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is significantly better than the Celtic man when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net with the chances that he gets, which is the most important attribute a striker can have.

As you can see in the clip above, the £5m-rated marksman has also made a fast start to life in Ligue 1. He showed incredible composure to score a brilliant goal in a 4-0 win for Lorient against Rennes on Sunday.

This shows that he can also make an impact in a major European league, rather than his talents being confined to the second division, and that he could step up against high-quality opposition for Celtic.

With this in mind, Celtic should be looking to beat Blackburn to Soumano’s signature before the deadline on Monday because he has the track record in front of goal, at a decent level, to suggest that he could be an upgrade on Idah in the number nine position.

Even better than Breum: Celtic set to make offer for "flamboyant" £5m star

Celtic are reportedly set to make an offer for a star who could be an even better signing than Jakob Breum.

By
Dan Emery

Aug 26, 2025

His arrival at Parkhead would also allow the Ireland international to go back to his role as an impact substitute, which the statistics suggest is his most effective role for the Scottish giants.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has claimed one player is “not good enough” and part of a “massive problem” after the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

Man Utd fall to 14th after Manchester derby defeat

It was always going to be a difficult task for Man United to get something from Sunday’s game, but the manner of the defeat is likely to be particularly concerning, with Ruben Amorim’s side suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Manchester City.

Speaking after the game, Paul Scholes suggested a simple lack of quality on United’s behalf was the difference between the two sides, with the club legend particularly critical of the midfield.

Scholes said: “I don’t think the quality is there. “Whatever two out of the four or five they have got in [midfield] – Casemiro, Bruno [Fernandes], [Kobbie] Mainoo – whatever combination he seems to try doesn’t seem to work.

“That’s a big issue. I thought all summer the absolute priority was a centre midfield player with legs, who can play and can control a game.”

With the Red Devils falling to 14th after the heavy defeat, Neville was also left unimpressed, and the former right-back singled out a midfielder for criticism on his podcast after the match (via GiveMeSport).

The Sky Sports pundit said: “The midfield is a massive problem, and we’ve known that. United fans know that. Ugarte And Fernandes today, I think you mentioned it early, about an hour before the game, that Ugarte and Fernandes played in this fixture last year from start to finish, and United won the game, but Ugarte is not good enough.”

It's not Sesko: £25m Man Utd flop is quickly becoming Amorim's new Hojlund

Manchester United were thrashed by their city rivals to increase the pressure on Ruben Amorim.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 15, 2025 Ugarte fails to impress once again

Unfortunately for Amorim, Ugarte seems to be yet another player who has failed to adapt to life at Man United, despite exhibiting very promising signs before making the move to Old Trafford.

In fairness, the Uruguayan wasn’t one of the worst performers for Amorim’s side on Sunday, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 6.8, but he struggled to have any real impact on the match, being dribbled past on one occasion and losing possession eight times.

Neville is not the only person to have called out the £120k-a-week midfielder this season either, with football writer Muhammad Butt very critical of the 24-year-old’s performance in the embarrassing EFL Cup defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town.

As such, it is little wonder Man United are looking to strengthen their midfield in January, with Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba among the targets.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians realizou mais um treino no CT Joaquim Grava nesta sexta-feira (30), visando a partida contra o Bragantino, no domingo (2), pela 13ª rodada do Brasileirão.

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+ IMPERDÍVEL! Transmissão ao vivo dos jogos do Timão na Liberta por apenas R$1,00!

O técnico Vanderlei Luxemburgo chamou três atletas do Sub-17 para participarem das atividades com o elenco profissional: o zagueiro Teixeirão e os meias Molina e Vitinho. O goleiro Cadu, do Sub-20, também participou do trabalho.

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

Os atletas realizaram uma ativação física antes de seguirem ao aquecimento no gramado. Luxemburgo organizou um treinamento tático com foco no posicionamento e movimentação dos jogadores visando o Bragantino.

continua após a publicidade

Após o trabalho do dia, os laterais Fagner e Matheus Bidu, os meias Biro e Ruan Oliveira, e o atacante Róger Guedes fizeram um complemento de cobranças de falta. O último gol de falta do Timão sair dos pés de Guedes, em junho do ano passado, contra o Athletico-PR.

+ Veja grupo do Timão e a situação dos brasileiros na Libertadores

Com 12 pontos, o Corinthians possui um ponto de vantagem para o Goiás, primeiro time dentro da zona do rebaixamento. Luxemburgo e a diretoria alvinegra chegaram em um acordo e traçaram como meta principal meta afastar o Timão do Z4 no Brasileirão.

continua após a publicidade

It’s almost the same squad that won the Asia Cup in Malaysia recently

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2024

Niki Prasad will lead almost the same squad that won the recent Under-19 Asia Cup for women at next month’s Under-19 World Cup, in Malaysia. The only change in the 15-member squad is the inclusion of Vaishnavi S in place of 15-year-old medium-pacer Nandhana S, who has been named among the stand-bys.The other standby players are Ira Jadhav and Anadi Tagde, who have replaced Hurley Gala, Happy Kumari, G Kavya Sree and Gayatri Survase from the standby list for the Asia Cup.The Under-19 women recently lifted the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur by beating Bangladesh by 41 runs in the final.Gongadi Trisha, the Player of the Match in the final, had top-scored with 52 off 47 balls while opening the batting with G Kamalini, who had bagged a WPL contract with Mumbai Indians on the same day she scored an unbeaten 44 off 29 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.The others from the squad to get their first WPL deals were Prasad (Delhi Capitals) and VJ Joshitha (RCB). Medium-pacer Shabnam Shakil was already with Gujarat Giants, and has the experience of playing four WPL games and a couple of white-ball games for India A in Australia in August.Trisha, Shakil and Sonam Yadav will be playing their second U-19 World Cups, having been part of the previous edition too.India’s win at the Asia Cup came after an unbeaten run (apart from a washed-out game against Nepal). They won their other league game, against Pakistan, and beat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Super Fours before winning the final.The upcoming World Cup will be the second such edition, to be played from January 18 to February 2. The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four each; India are the defending champions and in Group A along with Malaysia, West Indies and Sri Lanka. India will play all their league games at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur.India’s campaign will start against West Indies on January 19 before they play Malaysia on January 21 and Sri Lanka on January 23.After the league stage, three teams will progress from each group for the Super Sixes in which there will be two groups of six teams each. Every team will carry forward their wins, points and net run-rate, which is secured against their fellow Super Six qualifiers. The top two sides from each group will then play the semi-finals on January 31 before the final on February 2.India squad for Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025Niki Prasad (capt), Sanika Chalke (vice-capt), G Trisha, G Kamalini (wk), Bhavika Ahire (wk), Ishwari Awasare, Mithila Vinod, VJ Joshitha, Sonam Yadav, Parunika Sisodiya, Kesari Drithi, Aayushi Shukla, Anandita Kishor, MD Shabnam, Vaishnavi S
: Nandhana S, Ira Jadhav, Anadi Tagde

“It wasn’t what I signed up for,” he says, “but this is one of those situations in which you just need to go with the flow”

Danyal Rasool24-Oct-2024

Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has admitted to “frustrations from time to time” over the reduced scope of his job, emphasising the need for clear communication. Gillespie, who, alongside captain Shan Masood, was recently removed from the selection panel, said his current role “wasn’t what he signed up for”, but one he was happy to adapt to.”I think there’s always frustrations from time to time,” Gillespie said, in an interview with . “For me, when I came on board with Pakistan cricket, I was told there was a long-term plan, and we need to make sure our communication’s spot on. I made that a real focus and so you can get frustrated if those things aren’t done how you would like.”It wasn’t what I signed up for, I’ll be completely honest. But this is one of those situations in which you just need to go with the flow. As I said, I’m in a different environment and things are done differently. One can agree or disagree with how things are done, but ultimately I’m here to help the Pakistan team do well, help the players get better, improve. So I’ve put all my focus and energy into that.”Related

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'Sometimes people need a break' – Masood backs Babar to make strong comeback

Kirsten resigns as Pakistan's white-ball coach

Gillespie had long-term ambitions when he took the role earlier this year. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, he had cautioned against the dangers of “people on one-or two-year contracts” prioritising self-preservation over long-term development. “If everyone has that approach,” he said at the time, “nothing long-term gets done.”The last fortnight has seen those fears play out with near-forensic accuracy. After a chastening innings defeat in the first Test against England, Pakistan announced a new selection panel that took the number of selectors involved with the side since 2021 past two dozen. Gillespie and Masood were not consulted over the squad for the second Test or the kind of pitch Pakistan prepared; they were formally taken off all selection duties, with Gillespie admitting his role was that of a “match-day strategist”.”A lot’s changed. Since I’ve been involved, we’re already on our third selection panel. These are the things you just got to take it all in your stride and understand that we’re in a different environment and go with the flow. I ask a lot of questions and ask for clarity, which as head coach I’m well within my rights to ask.Masood and Gillespie were not consulted over the squad for the second Test•Associated Press

“But I want to make it really clear that everyone in Pakistan wants what’s best and there’s a lot of very passionate people here. That’s driving me to continue to help the players, and it’s been a great experience so far working with them. I really excited about what the future holds and as a coach.”Gillespie also acknowledged there was a learning curve to his own experiences, and felt it was only natural it would take time for him to settle at the PCB.”Lots of things change in Pakistan at the drop of a hat. You just sort of take that in your stride and understand that this is the environment you’re in. I’ve got to always remember that I’m a foreigner in Pakistan and I’ve got to respect that and that things are probably done differently to what I’m used to or what I expect in the environment I’ve come from in Australia. So not saying one way is the right way or the wrong way or whatever, it’s just different and you just have to adjust and adapt.”Gillespie’s relationship with the players, though, has never really been in question. He praised captain Masood as “the epitome of calm”, and said he viewed taking care of the players as his primary role. It is a note he has struck through his brief tenure, and one he asked former Pakistan players to help him with.”I’m very protective of players and very protective of staff I work with and just want to make sure that the environment that we’re trying to create is a safe space for everyone and if that gets eroded then that can lead to a bit of frustration.”A lot of former players have their own space on social media, YouTube, whatever, and they’re paid to have an opinion. One thing that I have noticed here is that the players notice everything and if they get some positive feedback from former players they idolised as kids, that goes a long way when they get some positive reinforcement. But it can have the opposite effect, too if there’s a lot of criticism of by those former players.”Pakistan are currently in the midst of their busiest Test season this century. The ongoing Test is the fifth of the season, with four more to follow after this. Former captain Babar Azam’s involvement – or lack thereof – remains a point of contention, and though Gillespie pointed out he had no say in whether he would return, he threw his weight behind what he called “one of the best players in the world”.”What I will say is that Babar is a fine player. He’s had a bit of a lean patch, but I don’t think there’s many great players around that have never had a lean patch. I’m very confident Babar will be back scoring a lot of runs for Pakistan in all formats. He’s just too good a player, works really hard at his game, is very precise with his preparation. I fully expect him to have a huge role going forward in the next little while for Pakistan.”