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On a flat pitch in Harare, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a demonstration of what a modern T20 opening stand looks like with their clean swings of the bat and ruthless targeting of the bowlers. Their 159-run partnership lifted Afghanistan to 210 for 3 and, despite a spirited chase led by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, Brian Bennett, and Ryan Burl, the visitors closed out the game to complete a 3-0 series sweep.Afghanistan’s nine-run win on Sunday without Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai – both rested – completed a superb turnaround on the tour after going down by an innings and 73 runs in the one-off Test last month. They have now won 19 out of the 21 T20Is played between the two sides.

A menacing powerplay

The first over delivered by Wellington Masakadza set the tone for the innings. He conceded 19 to Gurbaz’s bat. First, Gurbaz bent low, rolled the wrists, and paddled one fine for four. The next ball, Gurbaz stepped down the track to launch it straight back over the sightscreen and into the trees. When Masakadza corrected his line, Gurbaz stayed deep and carved him past point for another boundary, before pre-empting a straighter one and paddling again past short fine leg.From there, every bowler faced the same problem. Richard Ngarava’s short ball sat up to be pulled while Brad Evans induced a mis-hit that he himself spilled. There really was no stopping Gurbaz.In the fourth over, Tinotenda Maposa met Ibrahim in full rhythm and four consecutive boundaries followed: a smack through midwicket, a punch past mid-off, a square cut off the back foot, and a fluent drive through cover. By the time the powerplay ended, Afghanistan were 73 for 0, their third-highest total after the first six overs.Ibrahim Zadran struck his third successive T20I fifty on Sunday•Zimbabwe Cricket

The stand swells; Afghanistan post 210

The next phase was about control without risk. Raza turned to himself and bowled with discipline (4-0-20-0). But from the other end, the runs kept coming. Burl, in particular, was taken for 30 runs in the 14th over. Gurbaz started with a paddle over fine leg, followed by a drive drilled straight back past the bowler. When Burl went wide, Gurbaz stepped out and sent it sailing over long-off; the next, he picked up and deposited over cow corner. The fifth ball was sliced through extra-cover, and the last was lifted flat over long-on.At 155 for 0 after 15 overs, Afghanistan had broken the game. Zimbabwe needed something special and it came from Raza himself – sprinting back from extra cover to grab a running, diving catch off Ngarava’s slower ball. Gurbaz, the dismissed man, made 92 off 48 and hit eight fours and five sixes. Ibrahim, whose fifty had arrived in a quieter fashion, was next to go, beaten by Evans’ slower delivery and bowled for 60. Sediqullah Atal finished the job, clearing the ropes three times in an unbeaten, 15-ball 35 to help the visitors post 210 for 3.

Raza, Bennett spark hope

Zimbabwe’s reply started poorly. Dion Myers’ lazy run-out and Brendan Taylor’s chip to mid-on inside the powerplay left them at 19 for 2, but then came the counterattack. Raza and Bennett turned the evening into a contest again.Raza was characteristically dismissive of length. He pulled anything short, carving Fazalhaq Farooqi over square leg and slicing Fareed Ahmad through cover point. Bennett played some audacious shots too — a ramp over fine leg off Fareed and a checked drive past mid-off. Their 85-run stand off 48 balls had Harare clapping again.Sikandar Raza made 51 in 29 balls•Zimbabwe Cricket

Raza’s fifty arrived in 28 balls but his innings ended in a fluke when a sweep shot off Mohammad Nabi rolled off his glove, then his pad and onto the stumps. Bennett carried on for 47 before mistiming to mid-off. At that point, Zimbabwe were 126 for 4 in 12.5 overs.

Fareed, Ahmadzai take Afghanistan home

That could have been the end, but Tashinga Musekiwa and Burl kept the chase alive. Burl’s three sixes rekindled belief, while Musekiwa’s shots through mid-off and midwicket kept Zimbabwe within touching distance. Even after Burl’s exit for 37 off 15 balls, there was hope.With three overs to go, Zimbabwe needed 39, but Fareed’s double strike in the 18th over — bowling Clive Madande and having Evans brilliantly caught by Gurbaz — broke the chase once and for all. Farooqi conceded only 10 in the 19th, leaving Abdollah Ahmadzai with 18 to defend off the final over.Ahmadzai’s first ball was a yorker, his second uprooted Maposa with an inswinger that tailed late, and off the last ball, Ngarava’s flick hung in the air at square leg. Mujeeb Ur Rahman juggled and held on to bowl Zimbabwe out.

Fans queued up for tickets with Gill training not far from home and all four teams assembling for the playoffs

Shashank Kishore28-May-20259:02

Moody: ‘Two in-form teams, we’re in for an absolute cracker’

A long line, spanning the entire stretch of the IS Bindra Stadium’s outer boundary around the main entrance, stood to buy tickets for Thursday’s Qualifier 1 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). But as Gujarat Titans (GT) entered the venue for a training session, the noise level went up manyfold.The cheer intensified further when Shubman Gill emerged. The fanfare when teams train isn’t new, but this one carried extra warmth. It was an ode to Gill, the local boy who has grown up playing here in Mohali, from his mid-teens after arriving in the city from Fazilka, a hamlet some 300km away, in Punjab.Wednesday’s appearance was his first in the region since he had been named the India Test captain. So there was this obvious interest around the prodigal son, even though the real home team – PBKS – were in the midst of their own training session about 30km away in New Chandigarh, which houses the new stadium.Related

• IPL playoffs: How the four teams stack up

• Evenly matched Punjab Kings and RCB fight for ticket to finale

Several police personnel manning the main entrance also queued up to click pictures, but their hero had given them the slip as he made his way into the main block, and to the nets behind the stadium, where he watched GT’s young batters go through their drills.Gill stood there observing, giving them words of encouragement, while gently warming up himself. He shadow-batted, and then faced some throwdowns – checking if his feet movement, bat follow-through, and everything else was in order. Ten minutes later, he was out and saw the rest of the session with his pads on, playing the role of a senior figure, as some of the others trained at the centre wicket.There was no sign of some of the other big stars, among them Rashid Khan and B Sai Sudharsan. Ishant Sharma huffed and puffed his way through an intense 40-minute spell, head coach Ashish Nehra conducted a catching drill, and the team’s physios made Instagram reels for players who came up to them requesting to time their sprints.The intense net session was done away with following the one they had on Tuesday night in New Chandigarh. This seemed like a quiet stroll in the park – just to get the body moving, give players the feel, and get them adjusted to fielding in the evening heat.Fans queue up outside the IS Bindra Stadium for tickets to the playoff matches•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo LtdA few hours prior to GT’s training, it took a good 30 minutes to drive over from central Chandigarh to the new stadium, where queues for tickets seemed even longer, with fans calling online tickets “inconvenient” because of the need to exchange them for physical ones at the venue later. Even worse, the exercise had to be completed on a non-match day. Good luck if you’re turning up on match day looking for the physical version of the tickets you had already bought.Inside, Mumbai Indians (MI) went through their drills exactly like GT did. Except, some of the big boys were in attendance. Among them, Jasprit Bumrah the most excitable – as he challenged his mates, bowling his heart out for a good 45 minutes in near 40-degree afternoon heat. Bumrah and Trent Boult competed with each other with cranked-up intensity, troubling K Shrijith, Robin Minz and new recruit Jonny Bairstow. Then Mitchell Santner arrived and smacked the ball around.All this as the ground staff carefully cordoned off the main squares and covered it with two layers of hessian, making the process of taking a peek at the deck virtually impossible.1:46

‘This is the new Punjab’

The evening seemed like a blockbuster if you’re a keen nets-watcher. Arshdeep Singh swung it sideways; Priyansh Arya gave scant respect to seniority as he bashed the ball; the PBKS coaches stood there applauding, while also engaging in some quiet chats with players by the side after their respective sessions.While all of this happened, RCB were blissfully mid-air, recovering from a late-night finish, and only arriving on Wednesday evening. They will need to hit the ground running on match day, banking on intel from their analysts and their own experience of having played and won in New Chandigarh when they last played PBKS.Come Thursday, the mood is unlikely to be this relaxed and friendly. The IPL is bracing for a full house, and hope it will be a spectacle. PBKS are playing a playoff match at their home venue for the first time. Never before have they had the kind of fanatical support like they do this year. Even during their peak year in 2014, Mohali didn’t always sell out. But their exceptional season has led to a turnaround.Over to the playoffs then. From all of this being a non-starter two weeks ago, here we are, this close to seeing if the IPL throws up a new champion. The next two days will give us some sort of an inkling.

Australia head coach Shelley Nitschke is prepared to face some “tough” selection calls ahead of the team’s opening ODI World Cup match against New Zealand on Wednesday.The defending champions completed their preparations with a four-wicket defeat against England in Bengaluru, but Nitschke was not too concerned by the result as Australia utilised a rejigged batting order. At 127 for 2 in the 16th over, they were on course for a huge total. But when Ashleigh Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield, who raced to 71 off 48 balls, fell in the space of four balls to legspinner Sarah Glenn, the middle order stumbled.The match saw left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux in action for the first time since last December after she sat out the series against India to complete the final stages of her recovery from knee surgery. She made 5 off 10 balls and claimed 1 for 37, but prior to heading to India captain Alyssa Healy had indicated that Molineux would be a first-choice pick if she proved her fitness.Related

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That would leave a likely decision to be made between the two legspinners, Georgia Wareham and Alana King, when it comes to the final XI against New Zealand in Indore.”Just to see her [Molineux] out there was fantastic,” Nitschke said. “It’s been close on 12 months, but just to have her out there bowling again, that’s a really good thing for us and our squad.”I guess we’ll sit down in the next couple of days and assess everything and see how we line up. I think we’re going to be faced with some pretty tough calls throughout the whole tournament. We’ve got a really good squad here. You know, everyone’s sort of at some point played really well, so we’ve got some decisions to make for sure.”The selectors will also need to make a call on the make-up of the pace attack. Nitschke praised an “excellent” performance from Darcie Brown, who took 1 for 30 in six overs against England after returning from a back spasm, but Megan Schutt and Kim Garth would appear the first-choice pair.Georgia Voll, who is averaging 63.50 across her first five ODIs, appears likely to be the frontline batter to miss out. Allrounder Heather Graham, who has replaced the injured Grace Harris, neither batted or bowled against England.Georgia Voll might be the top-order batter to miss out•Getty Images

Nitschke conceded Australia had not played Glenn “particularly well” but that it was a question of shot selection rather than needing to temper the aggressive approach which has been a hallmark of the team’s recent ODI batting.Having faced India in three full ODIs earlier in the month, Nitschke believed Australia, who only opted for one extra warm-up match rather than the two they could have had, would go into the World Cup battle-hardened.”I think the bilateral series against India was a hard-fought series in some tough bowling conditions and a real challenge. So I thought that was excellent prep,” she said. “We come out here tonight, [in] slightly different conditions, a red-clay pitch as opposed to some black soil that we were playing on in the bilateral, so certainly have been exposed to some different conditions and learnt a lot and have to adapt to that.”I’d like to think that now we’re in a good place and had enough exposure. We’ve been here for long enough to acclimatise… and just looking forward to getting into it.”

Harry Kane has praised Luis Diaz and his wonderstrike in Bayern Munich's 2-2 draw with Union Berlin on Saturday afternoon. Diaz scored a goal of the season contender in the first half of the stalemate in the capital while Kane was on hand to rescue a late result to maintain Bayern's unbeaten start to the campaign. The striker also held his hands up and admitted his mistake in Union's second goal.

• AFP
  

  Diaz and Kane both net in stalemate

  Centre-back Danilho Doekhi put Union Berlin ahead midway through the second half against Bayern Munich on Saturday afternoon. However, Bayern were level shortly before the break as Diaz scored a stunning individual goal as the pair went in at the break all-square.

  Doekhi scored his, and Union Berlin's second in the 83rd minute, and they must have felt that was enough to secure a huge win in their bid to beat the drop. FC Hollywood levelled matters late on for the second time in the 93rd minute as Kane headed in his 13th league goal of the campaign.

  After the stalemate, Kane praised Diaz's strike, where he fired past Frederik Ronnow from an incredibly tight angle, as Bayern extended their lead at the top of the table to six points.

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• 'I reckon that's probably his best'

  On the Diaz goal, Kane told ESPN after the stalemate: "Incredible to be honest. The way he kept the ball in and got past his defender and then score was, just a special goal, a really, really special goal. He's been pulling stuff out like that all season but I reckon that's probably his best."

  Kane, meanwhile, admitted that he was at fault for Doekhi's second strike that almost cost Bayern the game. And the 32-year-old held his hands up and owned up to his mistake before he made amends deep into injury time, adding: "Obviously it was my mistake for the second goal. So I was itching to get the chance at the end there and put it away and thankfully Tom (Bischoff) put a great ball in and I snuck it past the keeper.

  "I've been playing football long enough to know, this is part of it, mistakes are going to happen. It's just nice to be able to help teams out."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Kane aimed dig at Union Berlin

  Post-match, Kane also aimed a dig at Union Berlin for their tactics in the stalemate. The capital side have proven tough to visit this season losing just the once at home. And while Kane admitted that Bayern were in for a tough game, the England captain took aim at the Iron Ones for the way they set up on home turf.

  On the match itself, the forward said: "It was a tough game. We expected a battle and a lot of long balls. Many decisions and small fouls went against us today. It wasn't our best game, but we stayed focused and managed to equalise. That's football, there are games like today where things go against you. We'll take the point."

  The result, though, ended Bayern's winning start to the campaign. Vincent Kompany had overseen nine successive league wins heading into Saturday's game at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei as they failed to fully capitalise upon both RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund dropping points.

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• What comes next?

  Even so, Bayern go into the international break top of the Bundesliga, and six points clear of RB Leipzig, who fell to a 3-1 loss at Hoffenheim on Saturday. Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, were forced to share the spoils with Hamburg after they conceded a 97th minute equaliser at Volksparkstadion.

  Bayern return to domestic duties later this month with the welcome of Freiburg before they take on Arsenal in a huge Champions League clash later this month. Both Bayern and Arsenal boast a 100% start to the Champions League campaign, while the pair were also held to 2-2 away draws in their respective leagues at the weekend.

Brendan Doggett put his case forward to be a reserve quick, but has any specialist opener done enough to be in the Test squad?

Andrew McGlashan01-Nov-20253:26

McGlashan: ‘Marnus has done everything asked of him’

Western Australia vs South Australia

At the WACA, there was almost as much interest in what Cameron Green didn’t do – at least in the match itself – than what he did. The full return to bowling was put on ice for another week as he was restricted to working through his loads around the game, including a bowl in the middle after the game was completed.Related

• 'I'll be ready' – Doggett waits on an Ashes call after six wickets on Shield return

• Webster hopeful he doesn't get 'squeezed out' of Australia's XI for Perth Test

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• Green helps Western Australia to safety, then gets into bowling work

Aside from that, Green spent useful time in the middle on the final day after his first-innings duck – a drive that he absolutely nailed, but straight to the fielder – and appeared disgruntled when given caught behind. Green has often said how he is better the more he bats in a certain format, so it will be worth watching how he starts the Ashes after somewhat disjointed preparation, although there is still a chance for a long innings in round four of the Shield.A significant performance in this game came from Brendan Doggett in his first Shield outing of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury. His 6 for 48 in the first innings could well have locked him into the squad as one of the reserve quicks. He travelled for the World Test Championship final earlier this year and was due to tour the West Indies before injury.”It’s just nice to see him come out and bowl like he did – he bowed quick [and] his body pulled up all right, which is good,” South Australia coach Ryan Harris said. “But timely to get six wickets, especially with that announcement coming up in the next few days. He’s got a bit of pace and it’s going to be a bit of a pace-off in this Ashes – England are bringing some serious pace. So he’ll fit in nicely… and if he gets the opportunity, he’ll be definitely ready for it.”Cameron Bancroft fitted into the issued-a-reminder category with a century in the first innings, but his chance of further Test cricket appears to have gone. That may not be the case for Nathan McSweeney, however, even if his next opportunity has to wait a little while. The South Australia captain put together an excellent century on the third day, and chipped in with handy wickets.Beau Webster got through a good workload with the ball on his return•Getty Images

Victoria vs Tasmania

Beau Webster has been assured of his place in the Test squad by chair of selectors George Bailey (the XI may be another matter) and the most important aspect of his outing against Victoria was the 23 overs he sent down after an ankle injury. However, he would have liked more time in the middle as he made just 11 and 6 in Tasmania’s defeat. But Webster will likely play the opening Test if there are any doubts over the volume of overs Green can send down.Jake Weatherald will be one of those hanging by the phone this week. He missed the opportunity to add further weight to his case for a maiden call-up although his two dismissals were against excellent deliveries. He may bemoan the life of an opener, having to twice come out with short periods to face before the close.Three half-centuries prior to this game, including his decisive 94 against Western Australia, arguably still makes him the most compelling option among the specialist openers, although Campbell Kellaway’s 147 further enhanced his reputation. It’s unlikely he’ll be in the frame yet, but the selectors went for Sam Konstas last season, so the precedent is set for picking a youngster.Fergus O’Neill probably won’t come into contention this home season, but he can’t do much more to push his claims than with four second-innings wickets to secure victory.Steven Smith looked in fine touch•Getty Images

Queensland vs New South Wales

Despite the selection race being tight, it’s unlikely a single innings will make a difference. However, Matt Renshaw missed a chance to build on a start against NSW to back up a strong week with the Australia ODI squad against India. Still, his versatility as a batter could work in his favour especially if the selectors want a player to cover a variety of positions in the squad. Renshaw’s dismissal came after Konstas had shouldered arms against Hayden Kerr to continue his tricky season.Usman Khawaja, who endorsed Renshaw for the opening role, put together an encouraging 87 to tune up for the first Test where the spotlight will be on him as the senior opener. If he starts poorly against England, there is a world where his position comes under scrutiny midway through the series.Marnus Labuschagne is certain of a recall, although where he bats may well not be answered until closer to the first Test. However, the manner of his dismissal at the Gabba may have caught the attention of England’s analysts. He flicked Liam Hatcher firmly off his hip to a well-placed deep leg gully. It was a well-timed shot, and he may be viewed as a little unfortunate, but it’s a manner in which he has fallen before.Steven Smith, who will captain Australia in Perth and perhaps beyond depending on Pat Cummins’ fitness, declared he was already ready for the Ashes before playing a game after arriving back from New York. After taking 20 balls to open his account, he looked in terrific order during a classy century, albeit against a much-weakened Queensland attack.Something that is worth keeping an eye on is the form of Nathan Lyon. He took 2 for 120 in this match, his wickets coming late in Queensland’s innings, leaving him with six at 45.66 so far this season, although conditions have favoured the quicks.

Sabina Park collapse symbolises West Indies’ Test malaise, but what is the way ahead?

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2025

AFP/Getty Images

There’s never a good time to be bowled out for 27. Monday at Sabina Park felt like a particularly bad one for West Indies.At 11 for 6, New Zealand’s 70-year record of 26 all out was under threat. When Scott Boland took his hat-trick, there was a realistic chance they would at least have someone to share it with. There won’t be many people across the Tasman shouting Sam Konstas a beer after his misfield.Less than 24 hours later, Cricket West Indies has called an emergency summit with invites to a host of former greats for help. But there will be skepticism about whether it will make any difference.Related

• West Indies 'hedging our bets' as fear over two-tier WTC grows

• Clive Lloyd: 'We have to examine all aspects of West Indies cricket'

• CWI calls for emergency meeting with legends after 'deeply hurting' loss

• Stats – WI post second-lowest Test total; Starc takes five in 15 balls

As impressive as Mitchell Starc and Boland were, it was a woeful display. They couldn’t even say it happened in the night session. There had been warning signs in the first two Tests when their second innings fell apart rapidly; their last performance of the series was the sum of all fears. Within six balls, there was the sense it could be a horror show.John Campbell can be excused somewhat as he edged a perfect outswinger from Starc. He had shown some gumption in earlier innings. You also need to have some sympathy for debutant Kevlon Anderson padding up to an inswinger and then reviewing, a clear sign of a frazzled mind. Brandon King, who had performed encouragingly, decided a booming drive was the best option despite having seen Starc curving the ball late.King made West Indies’ one half-century of the series – his 75 was also the highest individual score on either side – but no one else, barring Anderson Phillip who played a single match, averaged over 20. Batting was tough, for sure, and Australia weren’t immune from their own problems, but there were numerous techniques exposed. No doubt the game in West Indies needs help, but it also needs to help itself.Since February 2023, when Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul each score hundreds in a 336-run stand against Zimbabwe, West Indies have had two centuries: Kavem Hodge against England and Justin Greaves against Bangladesh. There have been some fallow periods in West Indies’ batting over the last 25 years – they started the 21st century by making totals of 54, 61 and 82 in 2000 – but this might be the lowest point, and not just statistically.This performance also comes at a time when the future structure of Test cricket is at the forefront of debates. Nothing is yet decided, although some plans may be outlined at the ICC’s annual conference in Singapore this week, and while it can be easy to be drawn into sweeping statements after events such as Sabina Park, the problems facing West Indies in the format are as acute as any of the Full Members.They have managed a couple of landmark victories in recent times – defeating Australia at the Gabba and Pakistan in Multan – but they look like outliers. The win in Brisbane persuaded administrators to add a third Test to this series, which became the Sabina Park day-nighter.Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph troubled Australia all series with the ball•AFP/Getty ImagesThat they competed with Australia for the first two days of each Test is worthy of note, but that was largely down to the fast bowlers. Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph and latterly Alzarri Joseph performed superbly, supported by Greaves’ brisk medium pace, and made life very uncomfortable for the visitors. They are carrying the team but are being asked to perform miracles.It needs to be questioned whether a factor they are taking advantage of – the pitches – has veered too far one way; although, with something of a grimace, Roston Chase said the Jamaica pitch was the best of all three.It’s all well and good playing to your strengths, the bowlers making the most of a ball zipping around, but when your weakness is so weak it makes everything futile. Since the start of 2023, the West Indies, as a venue for Tests, has the lowest collective batting average where more than a single match has been played. West Indies, themselves, average just 18.39 in that period, by far the lowest for a home side.Clearly, the problems in West Indies run deeper than the 22 yards but after the second Test in Grenada, coach Daren Sammy spoke about the surfaces around the Caribbean and how batters even at domestic level are unable to trust their games. Slightly counter to that, Chase said it was hard to judge players properly as each team had a couple of good bowlers.West Indies have away tours of India and New Zealand next where the batters are likely to be severely challenged again. Their other away series in this WTC cycle is in Bangladesh. Back at home they will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan, teams they may believe they can compete with.After the match had raced to its hasty conclusion and the presentations were completed, Starc delayed his return to the Australian celebrations to chat with uncapped West Indies quick Johann Layne who is highly regarded as part of the next generation. Layne appeared to be lapping up all the tips from one of the game’s greats. It can only be hoped that he has a viable Test team to be part of, and a chance to face Australia in the future.

While their performances last year and at the start of the season suggest otherwise, West Ham United do have a talented squad.

The likes of Freddie Potts, Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters are all good to great players who will help move the East Londoners away from a Premier League relegation scrap as the season goes on.

However, one area of the team that the Hammers have consistently failed to address is up top, with neither Niclas Füllkrug nor Callum Wilson good enough to lead the line.

Fortunately, West Ham are now being linked with an inform number nine who could end their striker curse and was even linked to Harry Kane as a youngster.

West Ham target Füllkrug and Wilson upgrade

Before his injury, Füllkrug had made seven appearances for West Ham this season, in which he failed to score or assist a single goal, which makes news of his likely departure in January rather welcome to most fans.

Transfer Focus

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Wilson, on the other hand, has been able to find the back of the net twice, in fact, but even so, he has hardly blown anyone away in his nine appearances so far this season, and with his injury record being what it is, he cannot be relied upon.

So, with all that in mind, it’s clear that the East Londoners are in desperate need of a new striker once the window opens, and fortunately, that might happen.

According to a recent report from Turkey, West Ham are among several sides interested in man of the moment, Troy Parrott.

Alongside the Hammers, the report claims that Everton, Leeds United and Stuttgart are keen on signing the Irish international from AZ Alkmaar, who want at least €30m for him, which is about £26m.

It could be a tough transfer to get over the line, but with how well Parrott has played in recent years, and how much of an upgrade on Füllkrug and Wilson he’d be, it’s one worth fighting for.

Why Parrott would be massive upgrade on Wilson & Füllkrug

It’s the obvious place to start, but it’s also the most important: Parrott would be a huge upgrade on Wilson and Füllkrug because he’s simply the better goalscorer.

For example, while the two West Ham strikers have just two goals between them this season, the Irishman has already racked up an astounding tally of 13 goals and two assists in 14 appearances, totalling 928 minutes.

That comes out to a sensational average of 1.07 goal involvements every game, or one every 61.86 minutes.

Such an incredible rate of return makes the claim of one analyst, made over five years ago, that he was “reminiscent of Harry Kane” as a youngster look rather reasonable today.

It’s not just this season that the former Tottenham Hotspur gem has been on fire, though, as he ended last season with an excellent haul of 20 goals and five assists in 47 games.

With that said, the second reason he’d be an excellent upgrade on the Hammers’ ageing forwards is that he’s still just 23 years old, and therefore has plenty left in the tank.

Moreover, while he did have some injury problems early on in his career, he has not missed more than nine games for club and country in any of the last three campaigns.

Finally, as was made quite clear over the last week or so, the Dublin-born game-changer is someone for the big occasions.

For example, he scored both goals in Ireland’s 2-0 win over Portugal, and then followed that up with what is already a legendary hat-trick against Hungary, securing the country’s place in the World Cup play-offs.

Moreover, his third goal was practically the final kick of the game, suggesting he isn’t someone to flap under the most immense of pressure.

Ultimately, while it might be difficult to get ahead of the other interested parties, West Ham should be doing all they can to sign Parrott in January, as he might be the man to end their striker curse.

£67m spent & no Wilson or Fullkrug: Nuno's dream West Ham XI after January

This is the dream West Ham starting line-up that Nuno could build in the January window.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 15, 2025

Starc picked up his career-best T20 figures against SRH. Here are the fast bowler’s top five bowling performances in the IPL

Omkar Mankame31-Mar-20253 for 22 for RCB vs Rajasthan Royals, Ahmedabad, 2015In his second IPL season, Starc spearheaded RCB’s pace attack. He began with a disciplined run-a-ball spell against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and followed it up with a commanding performance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad. After conceding just 16 runs in his first two overs, Starc turned the game with a double strike in the same over, dismissing Steven Smith and Stuart Binny. He capped it off with another wicket, restricting RR to 130 for 9 after they had been 119 for 5. RCB cruised to a nine-wicket win.Related

• Explosive SRH fizzle out against Starc and Kuldeep

• Starc's 'out of the box' ways prove too good for Head

3 for 24 for RCB vs CSK, Chennai, 2015Starc gave RCB the perfect start with a wicket-maiden, leaving Dwayne Smith clueless before uprooting his off stump on the final ball of the opening over. Though he went for runs in his second over, he bounced back at the death, striking twice in the final over. He carried that momentum into the next game, dismantling Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in Bengaluru with 4 for 15.Mitchell Starc in RCB colours•BCCI4 for 33 for KKR vs Mumbai Indians (MI), Mumbai, 2024Returning to the IPL after nine years, Starc carried the weight of being the most expensive player in auction history. His start, however, was far from ideal – just seven wickets at an economy of 11.78 in his first eight games, with three outings conceding over 50 runs. But against MI, he rediscovered his rhythm. He set the tone by removing Ishan Kishan early and then ran through the lower order with three wickets in the final over, registering his best IPL figures at the time.3 for 34 and 2 for 14 for KKR vs SRH, 2024Starc had endured a mixed season, but in the playoffs, he delivered. In Qualifier 1 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he set the tone by castling the dangerous Travis Head for a duck with his second ball and later dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy. In the final, he once again struck early, breaching Abhishek Sharma’s defence before sending back Rahul Tripathi. With match-winning spells in both encounters, Starc was named Player of the Match in both games.Mitchell Starc played a crucial role in KKR’s title win in 2024•AFP/Getty Images5 for 25 for DC vs SRH, Visakhapatnam, 2025Starc found a new home in IPL 2025, but his knack for dismantling Sunrisers Hyderabad remained unchanged. He struck twice in the same over, removing Ishan Kishan and Reddy to put SRH on the back foot. DC banked on him to take out Head once again, and Starc delivered, dismissing his fellow Australian to leave SRH reeling at 37 for 4. He returned at the death to wrap up his maiden five-wicket haul in T20s.

Chelsea got back to winning ways against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t the perfect performance from the Blues, far from it, but they were certainly the better team and scored some wonderful goals.

Moreover, had Liam Delap not got himself sent off, Enzo Maresca’s side would likely have had a far easier time of things.

The former Ipswich Town star hasn’t had an easy start to life at Chelsea, and now it looks like he could soon have more competition coming from Cobham.

Liam Delap's Premier League record

Chelsea paid Ipswich Town around £30m for Delap in the summer, and while his stock isn’t exactly high at the moment, that was still a brilliant deal.

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After all, during his time at Manchester City, he was regarded as one of the next big things, scoring 35 goals and providing nine assists in 36 appearances for their Under-23 side.

Moreover, once he got his first move to the Tractor Boys last summer, he quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young forwards in the Premier League.

For example, despite playing for a team destined for relegation, the Winchester-born poacher was still able to rack up an impressive tally of 12 goals and two assists in 37 appearances, totalling 2616 minutes.

In other words, the Englishman was able to average a goal involvement every 2.64 games, or every 186.85 minutes for the Suffolk side, which is not bad going considering he’d made just ten appearances in the competition for City in the years before.

However, he has not been so lucky this season.

Prior to his hamstring injury, the summer signing made just three appearances in the competition for the Blues, two of which came off the bench, in which he failed to score or assist a goal.

He won’t even have the chance to open his account this weekend either, as his second yellow against Wolves means he’s suspended for the game against Tottenham Hotspur.

In all, Delap is a player with plenty of promise, but at a club like Chelsea, forwards aren’t always allowed a great deal of time, especially when there is a particularly exciting forward making his way through the academy at the moment.

The Cobham star who could replace Delap

As is the case every season, Chelsea have an abundance of incredibly exciting players at Cobham this season, with Chizaram Ezenwata being one of the most notable.

The 17-year-old phenom, whom U23 scout Antonio Mango claims fans should “get excited for”, joined the Blues from Charlton Athletic and has already become one of the star players for the club’s U18 side.

For example, in 20 appearances last season, totalling just 1279 minutes, the dynamic gem managed to score 12 goals and provide three assists, which works out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games, or every 91.93 minutes.

Impressively, the youngster has become even more of an attacking threat this season.

In just six appearances for the U18s, totalling 534 minutes, he has scored seven goals and provided one assist, which comes out to an average of 1.33 goal involvements per game, or one every 66.75 minutes.

In fact, the teenage goal machine has done such an incredible job in the U18s, that he has now made six appearances for the U21s.

It’s not just the output that should excite fans, though, as he looks to be a complete package.

According to one analyst, he “has a strong physique that allows him to shield and hold up the ball effectively”, and his “off-ball movement is outstanding.”

Ultimately, it is still very early in his career, but Ezenwata appears to be a seriously impressive prospect and someone who could rival Delap for gametime in the coming years.

Enzo Maresca responds to Juventus approach as Chelsea demand mammoth compensation fee

The Old Lady are searching for a new boss after sacking Igor Tudor.

By
Emilio Galantini

Oct 30, 2025

This Sunday’s Women’s Super League clash between Brighton and London City Lionesses should have produced an enticing showdown between two of England’s most exciting young strikers, with Euro 2025 hero Michelle Agyemang in the Seagulls’ corner and rising star Isobel Goodwin representing the newly-promoted big spenders.

Agyemang’s profile has blown up in 2025, a process which began back in April when, as a teenage prospect who was relatively unknown to the general audience, she scored a wonderful goal just 41 seconds into her Lionesses debut. That rise only continued through the summer, as the Arsenal academy product took centre stage on several occasions at Euro 2025 to help England complete escape act after escape act, on their way to a second successive continental crown.

Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing the talented teen perform heroics like that again for a while. After being stretchered off in England's win over Australia in October, Agyemang was dealt the devastating diagnosis of an ACL injury, ending her 2025-26 season before it really got going.

On Sunday, then, when it comes to exciting prospects for the Lionesses, attention will be centred on Goodwin, a player only out-scored by Alessia Russo and Aggie Beever-Jones among English centre-forwards in the WSL this season, and a player who Sarina Wiegman could turn to in order to bolster her options in that position in the New Year amid Agyemang’s absence.

Getty ImagesCompetition aplenty

It says a lot about Goodwin that despite London City’s spending after promotion to the WSL this year, she has been one of their stand-out performers. Backed by the billions of Michele Kang, the club from the capital broke the women’s transfer record when they signed Grace Geyoro on deadline day, while the addition of Barcelona youth product Lucia Corrales also cost a fee that ranks among the top 10 in the sport’s history.

They were just two of the 17 signings London City made in the summer, with England international Nikita Parris another notable one when it comes to Goodwin. Could her arrival, or that of experienced Finland forward Sanni Franssi, put the 22-year-old's spot in the team under threat?

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRising to the challenge

It's to her immense credit, then, that Goodwin has started all nine of the club's WSL games so far this season. Make no mistake, she came into the campaign with plenty of hype and status of her own. After all, it was only in September of last year that London City paid a fee that could rise up to £150,000 ($200,000) – a record for Women's Super League 2, the English second tier – to sign Goodwin from Sheffield United. But she has worked incredibly hard to earn, and maintain, the reputation that led to such a switch.

It's not been easy at times, either. Goodwin has dealt with some frustrating injuries in her short career to date, starting back when she was at Aston Villa. Aged 19, despite those setbacks, she signed her first professional deal with the club whose youth set-up she had come through, but wouldn't get the first-team opportunities she was after. As such, in January 2023, Goodwin made the brave decision to mutually terminate her contract and join Coventry United, the club rooted to the bottom of the second tier.

Unsurprisingly, Coventry would be relegated at the end of the season, but Goodwin wouldn't leave the division. After scoring four goals in 10 outings for a team that managed just seven points from 22 games, Sheffield United were happy to pick up the towering striker, who delivered 15 goals in 19 league games in her one and only season in South Yorkshire. 

It was then that London City came in with a record-breaking fee for the young forward and she more than justified it, netting 16 times in 18 outings the following year to help fire the Lionesses to the second-tier title and, with it, promotion.

Getty ImagesMaking the leap

This season, then, perfectly fits in with Goodwin's track record of rising to the next challenge. Over the last two-and-a-half years, the difficulty has increased bit by bit for the 22-year-old, with her always seeming to take the right-sized step forward in order to learn, develop and improve.

Despite coming into this campaign with essentially no WSL experience, having made only three late substitute appearances in the top-flight while at Villa, she has adapted impressively to lead the London City line in one of the best leagues in the world. "It's a pretty big jump but it's an exciting one," Goodwin said last week. "Any little mistake you make, you're going to be challenged for it."

"The question we asked her at the end of last year is, 'Okay, you've had a really good year in [WSL 2]. What does it look like at the next level?'" Emma Coates, Goodwin's coach for England's Under-23s until her departure from the Football Association this week, recalled. "There's more decisions [to make], you're playing against more experienced players and maybe she can't rely on her physical profile as much, which I thought she could do in the [second tier]. The challenge that she's rising to is contributing to her development as a player."

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Getty ImagesAdjusting and improving

That's not to say Goodwin has arrived in the WSL as one of the best strikers in the division. She's still only 22, she's playing against a quality of opponent greater than she's ever faced and there are games where, because London City are still adjusting to the league as a group, she isn't getting much service or as many touches on the ball as she'd like. For example, with only 249 touches in the WSL this season, Goodwin is averaging fewer than 28 per 90 minutes, the fourth-fewest in the entire division.

Despite that, the 22-year-old has still made a serious impression. Her two-goal display at Everton in September, to secure a 2-1 win for her team, has been the highlight so far, with her goal-scoring display at former club Villa and her all-round excellent centre-forward performance at home to West Ham other stand-outs.

"For me, Isobel is a perfect example of what I explained at the beginning of the season," Jocelyn Precheur, the London City boss, said after the win over Everton. "We know the biggest challenge for us will be to adapt to the intensity and rhythm of this league. We have the capacity to do it and the players are talented enough to adapt to this league. It’s just a matter of time."

Goodwin has shown her qualities with England as well. After scoring on her first start for the U23s back in February, she has four goals in her last seven games for the Young Lionesses, with her unlucky not to have a greater total having also hit the woodwork a few times in that period.