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Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance made up for Indian errors, while providing a reminder that he cannot do it all on his own

Sidharth Monga22-Jun-20252:53

Aaron: ‘Jasprit Bumrah as good, if not better than Wasim Akram’

India will hopefully learn lessons of relentlessness in Test cricket from the experience of this match. By the time they have to play without Jasprit Bumrah, likely the third Test at Lord’s, they will hope to put up a much more efficient performance in all three departments of the game. Until then, though, they have Bumrah to keep them alive. Even though they really did test his patience with their catching and the areas that the third and fourth seamers bowled.Without Bumrah, the mistakes made by India on the last two days – with bat, ball and in the field – would have played them out of the match. It will be a rotten feeling in the change room given Bumrah is not going to be available for all the Tests. That shouldn’t keep anyone from relishing another masterclass of seam and swing bowling.Not just in the India side, Bumrah has been streets ahead of everyone on show in this Test. For somebody who must have a bit of self-preservation on his mind, Bumrah was the sharpest in pace: consistently the fastest bowler on display despite having to bowl slower balls on this relatively unyielding pitch and also among the three fastest deliveries in the first two innings of the match.Related

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Bumrah draws level with Kapil; Brook gets lucky again

At the same time, Bumrah was also the best line-and-length bowler: bowling 53.33% of his deliveries in the 6-8m zone. Nobody else hit the 50% mark. It is as if magically he knows what lengths to bowl. Not that it needs a scientist to tell you that 6-8m is the best length to bowl on most pitches, but more so at Headingley, which is not a hit-the-deck surface.While we can make it sound simple that Test cricket is all about hitting good lengths at good pace, not everyone can do that so effortlessly. Only Mohammed Siraj and Chris Woakes came close to Bumrah’s accuracy in this Test. Neither of them did so immediately. Landing the ball is the basic skill. Moving it is what makes it threatening. The combination produces chances. Bumrah created 44 false shots. Only Siraj did more, but he also bowled more.Then there is the build-up to wickets because you can’t just keep bowling good ball after good ball, especially in what seemed essentially like a 2.5-man attack. More so when you need to watch how much you bowl. The Zak Crawley wicket at the end of the first over of the innings was the most beautiful. That was the widest Bumrah went in that over, about a couple of feet wider than the previous ball, but bowled an outswinger that moved 2.394 degrees. As it is, Bumrah has the widest average release of the bowlers in this match, which makes you play at more deliveries than you should, but this, released wider, was wicked. On top of the swing, it seamed away 1.583 degrees, making Crawley’s closed bat face look silly.

“You understand that you can’t really sit down and cry. You have to move forward with the game. So that’s what I look to do. Not to take it too far in my head and try and quickly forget it, because all of them are also new to the game, first time over here, sometimes the ball is difficult to sight”Jasprit Bumran on the dropped catches

The Ben Duckett played-on was the result of over after over of good bowling. It is what Bumrah calls money in the bank for all the good balls that don’t go to hand. Like the one he bowled to Ollie Pope early: even more wicked than the one that got Crawley, released from wider, swinging and seaming away, but also kicking at him.Just before he faced what turned out to be the last ball of his innings, Joe Root asked Pope if the 46-over-old ball was tailing. A little, he was told. Usually such lateral movement is used to swing the ball in. Bumrah flipped the darker side outside, and Root – possibly conscious of the tail – committed to playing it. This ball didn’t swing at all, Root had it tracked, but it seamed away half-a-degree to take the edge.Mark Wood, whom we would ideally have on the field rather than in the media box, just casually dropped a wonderful line on Sky Sports when Bumrah misfielded on day two. “He’s human,” Wood said. “I knew it.” Further signs of being human were on display when he bowled successive no-balls deep into the second day – one of them a wicket ball – and an indifferent spell with the second new ball.Bumrah admitted to not being used to bowling up or down the hill. He said that when you are tired, it can push you ahead of yourself. On the third morning, he was mindful to not let that happen. He maintained his pace when running downhill, and bowled no no-balls on day three.Jasprit Bumrah celebrates his fifth wicket•Getty ImagesStill, Bumrah couldn’t do anything about the fielding errors. In all, three catches went down off his bowling. All three batters hurt India. Famously, with the 2019 IPL final on a knife’s edge, Bumrah went and consoled Quinton de Kock after he let through four byes off a regulation take. Here, he displayed frustration ever so slightly.”Yeah, just for a second, but you know, you understand that you can’t really sit down and cry,” Bumrah said. “You have to move forward with the game. So that’s what I look to do. Not to take it too far in my head and try and quickly forget it, because all of them are also new to the game, first time over here, sometimes the ball is difficult to sight. And nobody is dropping the catches purposely. Everybody’s trying really hard. It does happen. So I don’t want to create a scene or put more pressure on the fielder that, you know, I’m angry, I’m kicking the box, or I’m doing something.”Scenes can be created with the ball in hand as well. Having bowled just four overs with the second new ball, often slipping down leg, Bumrah came back to end the late charge of Woakes with a full ball. Immediately he dropped back to good length, and bowled Josh Tongue.Just in the nick of time, Bumrah had completed a five-for to give India a slender lead. It is quite something to announce beforehand that you will be playing only a certain number of matches and then go out and inflict maximum damage in those matches.Bumrah was asked if it made these three matches more urgent for him. He replied that adding extra importance to these matches would mean extra baggage. “That’s very difficult to carry,” he said. Given the carry job he has been doing of late, are you sure, Jasprit?

Whether hearing the team news over the tannoy in the stadium or seeing the line-up graphics revealed on their television screens, there are likely to be many England fans who encounter some unfamiliar names when watching the Lionesses play their final two matches of 2025 over the course of this next week – and they can certainly be forgiven.

With household names such as Leah Williamson, Hannah Hampton, Alex Greenwood and Lauren James all missing from Sarina Wiegman's squad for friendlies against China and Ghana, the England boss has been forced to continue what she also had to do for  November games with Brazil and Australia and call upon some fresh and inexperienced faces. It means there are five uncapped players involved in this camp, on top of the five players still in single digits for senior international appearances, all of whom will be hoping to impress as attention begins to turn towards the 2027 Women's World Cup.

Of course, stars like Lucy Bronze, Ella Toone and Alessia Russo remain in the fold, while Lauren Hemp's return from injury is great news as England close out a monumental year that saw them retain their European Championship title. But who are the lesser known members of this Lionesses' squad who could get a chance this week?

Let GOAL introduce you to those hoping to take advantage of this opportunity and force their way into Wiegman's plans before World Cup qualifying starts in the New Year…

Getty ImagesSophie Baggaley

For dedicated followers of the Women's Super League, Sophie Baggaley won't be a new name. The 28-year-old has racked up over 100 appearances in the English top-flight over the course of the last decade, holding starting gigs with Birmingham, Bristol City and Brighton, while also occupying a back-up role at Manchester United when Mary Earps was the Red Devils' No.1.

During that time, Baggaley has earned a few England call-ups, too, with her first coming back in 2016 when she was a 19-year-old impressing in the youth national teams. Still uncapped, Baggaley has dropped down the pecking order in the years since, but is clearly seen by Wiegman as a trusty option to have in the squad when necessary, as evidenced by her role as a standby player for Euro 2025.

When Hampton had to miss last month's clash with Brazil, Wiegman again turned to Baggaley to restock the goalkeeping department, and with the Lionesses' undisputed No.1 absent for this camp, it is the Brighton shot-stopper who again has an opportunity to impress. However, given she is spending this season as the Seagulls' second-choice, following Chiamaka Nnadozie's summer arrival, it's hard to see Baggaley winning that elusive England cap right now, with Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse more likely to get an opportunity apiece this week.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTaylor Hinds

Left-back has been a problem position for England for almost all of Wiegman's time in charge but, last month, she turned to an unexpected option to potentially help solve that issue.

After coming up through the Lionesses' youth teams but never earning senior recognition, Taylor Hinds won her first cap for Jamaica last year. Yet, she was still eligible to switch allegiances back, something Wiegman persuaded her to do when she called the Arsenal defender up ahead of the October international break. In the second game of that window, a friendly against Australia, Hinds made her senior England debut.

Though she had not broken into the Lionesses' fold until just recently, Hinds has carved out a very solid club career to date. After coming through the ranks at Arsenal, she joined Everton in search of senior minutes and swapped the blue side of Merseyside for red three years later, signing for Liverpool. It was there that she would really establish herself in the WSL, playing as a wing-back as well as an orthodox full-back while also emerging as a real leader, regularly wearing the armband for the Reds having become their vice-captain.

This summer, Hinds went back to where it all started, joining Arsenal on a free transfer. She struggled for game time at first, battling with Katie McCabe for opportunities on the left, but has began to accrue more minutes as of late. That will be music to the ears of Wiegman and an England side that would be helped massively if Hinds can mark herself out as a strong option for the European champions at left-back. There is a real opportunity for her to become an important player for the Lionesses, if she can take it.

Getty ImagesGrace Fisk

Centre-back is so often England's most well-stocked position, but it is significantly depleted this time around, with Williamson still injured, Millie Bright recently retired, Greenwood missing out with a knock and Jess Carter granted a period of rest following the NWSL play-offs. It leaves Esme Morgan, the 25-year-old with 18 caps, as the most established option, meaning there could be an opportunity for Grace Fisk to finally earn that elusive first England cap.

The Liverpool defender earned her first Lionesses call-up way back in February 2020, when Phil Neville included her in the squad for the SheBelieves Cup in the United States. However, it wasn't until last month that she returned to the fold – for the first time under Wiegman – amid the absences of Williamson, Bright and Lotte Wubben-Moy.

After making her senior breakthrough in England's second-tier, Fisk has been a regular in the WSL since returning home following her time in the U.S. college system. That was first with West Ham, whom she represented when she won that maiden Lionesses call-up, and is now with Liverpool. The Reds aren't having a great season, with two points from eight games putting them bottom of the table, but Fisk has been one of their better players and will hope to prove her quality in England colours this week.

Wiegman is expected to rotate, and given she only has four centre-backs to pick from, that could be good news for 27-year-old Fisk. Taking advantage of any chance she receives will be vital if she wants to remain in the mix ahead of the next World Cup, too, as she plays in a position that, when injuries are alleviated, is perhaps the most competitive in the whole squad.

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Getty ImagesAnouk Denton

After winning her first senior England call-up last month, Anouk Denton has retained her place in the squad. The 22-year-old moved from the Under-23s squad to the senior one midway through the last international break, amid some niggles and the rebuilding of fitness Bronze and Niamh Charles were undergoing. She didn't play in the Lionesses' game with Australia that followed, but Denton clearly did enough to impress Wiegman, having kept her spot this time around.

Denton has been a consistently impressive, though under-the-radar, performer for West Ham ever since she joined them on a permanent deal back in 2022, having spent time on loan from Arsenal before going to the United States for university. Able to play as a right-back or a left-back, Denton's effectiveness on both sides of the ball has caught the eye, as has her athleticism, which has also allowed her to be utilised as a wing-back.

Bronze has the right-back spot nailed down in this England XI, but there is a lack of natural options to back her up. If she can continue to impress, Denton can help to address that, while also offering a solution in that problematic left-back position. Her first chance to do that in match action could well come this week.

Batter’s maiden professional hundred caps England’s 415-run total, as he reaffirms his huge potential

Matt Roller07-Sep-2025Jacob Bethell declared himself ready to take a potential Ashes opportunity after experiencing the "addictive feeling” of scoring his first professional hundred in England’s record 342-run thrashing of South Africa.Bethell, who turns 22 next month, became England’s second-youngest centurion in men’s ODIs in Southampton on Sunday and has already played four Tests, scoring three half-centuries. Barring injury or a late change of heart, Bethell will head to Australia in November as England’s spare batter but hopes he can push his case for selection through his white-ball performances.His performances at No. 3 in his maiden Test series in New Zealand put serious pressure on Ollie Pope’s position ahead of the English summer, but he was unavailable to play Zimbabwe while at the IPL and Pope secured his spot with 171. However, Pope faded badly to finish with 304 runs at 34 against India, and could yet find his position under major pressure.”It’s obviously nearing,” Bethell said. “I’m hoping to be in the squad and if I’m in the squad, it’s only one thing that has to happen – in terms of an injury or something like that – and I’m in, and I’ve got to be ready to perform. I don’t know if these runs mean anything [towards selection] but I don’t think they can hurt. If the opportunity arises, I’ll hopefully be there to take it."Bethell was promoted from No. 6 to No. 4 at Lord’s on Thursday to take down South Africa’s spinners, scoring 58 off 40 balls, and was retained in the same role in Southampton. He made 110 off 82, dominating the scoring in a 182-run third-wicket partnership with Joe Root, and roared in celebration when reaching three figures with a cover drive off Nandre Burger.Bethell drives through the covers en route to his century•PA Photos/Getty Images”It was pretty special,” Bethell said. “Just goosebumps, to be honest. As soon as I laced it in the gap – it couldn’t have hit more the middle of my bat – and it just raced to the boundary. I didn’t really know what I did. It was a bit of a blur to be honest, but it was a great feeling… It was unbelievable. It feels like an addictive feeling, so hopefully there’s a few more of them to come."He does not anticipate a permanent move to No. 4, the position normally filled by captain Harry Brook. “I like coming in and facing spin to start. I feel like if I can get going, especially with the one [extra] fielder up, there’s always a gap to hit… I don’t think Brooky will be stepping down from No. 4 anytime soon, so I’ll just be looking to do that whenever the opportunity arises.”Bethell’s father Graham used to play club cricket at Sheffield Collegiate with Root’s dad Matt, and the pair have twice celebrated hundreds with one another this summer. “I was batting with him when he got his hundred at The Oval in the Thorpey Test match, and it was pretty special to be batting with him again when I got my first one,” Bethell said.Root, who went onto score 100 himself in England’s total of 414 for 5, described Bethell as "wise beyond his years”. He said: “He’s very clear on how he wants to play his cricket… I’ve known him for a long time – since he was eight years old – so for him to play an innings like that and get us in that position at the halfway stage was fantastic.”Related

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Bethell admitted before the start of play on Sunday morning that he “probably should have played more" domestic cricket around England’s Test series against India, but said that he had rediscovered his rhythm when he felt something "click" during an innings for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred last month.”I didn’t feel like I was hitting the ball badly at all, just the performances didn’t show, which sometimes happens in white-ball cricket,” he explained. “It is pretty tough to be consistent and score fast at the same time. It is nice that I managed to put performances together – and also a match-winning performance in this situation.”It’s just rhythm, I guess. You can watch as much cricket as you want and do stuff like that, but it is different when you’re out in the middle and I think it just took me a couple of games to get that back… I felt something click and from that point, I felt like I’d been playing nicely, but hadn’t quite got the results. Today and the other day, it was definitely nice to be back in the runs.”Bethell will deputise for Brook during England’s T20I series in Ireland later this month, and said he feels ready to become their youngest-ever captain. “A lot of players in that team captain themselves, almost,” he said. “It’s just about a bit of man management and marshalling the troops for a couple of days up in Ireland, which should be great fun.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras venceu o Botafogo-SP por 1 a 0 neste sábado (9), na Arena Barueri, pela última rodada da primeira fase do Paulistão. O gol da partida foi marcado pelo atacante Rony.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

O Verdão teve um jogador a mais em todo o segundo tempo, pois o zagueiro Matheus Costa foi expulso na reta final na primeira etapa. Com o resultado, o time treinado por Abel Ferreira garantiu a melhor campanha do Campeonato Paulista, ficando na primeira posição da classificação geral.

⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?

O Botafogo-SP ameaçou o Palmeiras na primeira etapa, em contra-ataques rápidos, e obrigou Weverton a trabalhar. O Verdão demorou a se encontrar e, na reta final, Rony arrancava sozinho rumo à grande área e foi puxado pela camisa. O zagueiro Matheus Costa foi expulso e, com um a mais no segundo tempo, os comandados de Abel Ferreira tomaram conta do jogo e abriram o placar justamente com o camisa 10. Pintou notificação no seu telefone? É gol do Rony!

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➡️ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

Após vencer o Botafogo, o Palmeiras volta a jogar no domingo (17), e o adversário será a Ponte Preta ou o Água Santa.

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
Palmeiras 1 x 0 Botafogo-SP – Paulistão
12ª rodada – Primeira fase

🗓️ Data e horário: sábado, 9 de março de 2024, às 18h (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Arena Barueri, em Barueri (SP)
🟨 Arbitragem: João Vitor Gobi (árbitro); Leandro Matos Feitosa e Raphael de Albuquerque Lima (assistentes); Vinícius Furlan (VAR).
🟨 Cartões amarelos: Aníbal Moreno e Lázaro (Palmeiras); Jean e Felippe Soutto (Botafogo-SP)
🟥 Cartões vermelhos: Matheus Costa (Botafogo-SP)

⚽ Gols: Rony (Palmeiras)

⚽ ESCALAÇÕES

PALMEIRAS
Weverton, Mayke (Marcos Rocha), Murilo, Luan e Piquerez (Vanderlan); Aníbal Moreno, Richard Ríos e Raphael Veiga (Breno Lopes); Rony, Flaco López e Lázaro (Caio Paulista). Técnico: Abel Ferreira.

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BOTAFOGO-SP
Michael; Matheus Costa, Lucas Dias e Bernardo Schappo; Wallison, Matheus Barbosa (João Maranini), Fillipe Soutto (Carlos Manuel), Patrick Brey (Pedro Rodrigues) e Jean Victor; Alex Sandro (Leandro Pereira) e Emerson Negueba (Thássio). Técnico: Paulo Gomes.

Tudo sobre

Botafogo-SPPalmeirasPaulistão

Saturday afternoon saw Leeds United suffer yet another defeat in the Premier League, condemning them to a spot in the relegation zone this week.

The Whites lost 3-2 away to Manchester City, after a late Phil Foden goal managed to secure the three points for Pep Guardiola’s side late on.

Despite the result, there were some positives to take from the game. Daniel Farke’s side defended with plenty of heart, with two of City’s goals coming inside the first minute and stoppage time. It was also good to see both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha on the scoresheet.

Yet, not all of their attackers shone. Daniel James did not put in his best performance, continuing his tough start to the season.

Dan James' season in numbers at Leeds

It was certainly a disappointing showing from James against Guardiola’s men. Normally such a direct presence in attack with his electric pace, the Welshman perhaps did not have the impact he or Farke may have hoped.

The former Manchester United star really struggled to get into the game, having just 12 touches of the ball, failing to create a chance and not having a shot. Journalist Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post gave him a 5/10 for his performance and said he did not “get to do too much” going forward.

Indeed, that has been the theme of this season for the former Manchester United winger who has not really managed to get a good run of games together. He’s featured ten times in the Premier League, but has only played 352 minutes, the equivalent of 3.9 full 90-minute games.

He is off the back of good form for Wales, too. In the November international break, he helped his country reach the World Cup playoffs, assisting against Liechtenstein and scoring against North Macedonia.

James’ future at Leeds is arguably up in the air, given his lack of game time this season and poor performance against City. Leeds have an attacker out on loan who could leapfrog him, too.

Leeds are brewing a Dan James replacement

This summer, the West Yorkshire side loaned out some good players, perhaps coinciding with their attacking additions of Nmecha, Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor. Largie Ramazani is one example of an attacker out on loan.

Another is currently plying his trade for Yorkshire rivals Hull City. It has been a superb season for a certain Joe Gelhardt, who has shone for the Tigers in the Championship. The versatile forward has played as a number 10 and on the right so far this term.

He’s done that to great success in the 2025/26 campaign. The Liverpool-born attacker has nine goals and two assists to his name in 18 second-tier appearances this term. The most recent one of those strikes was a winner away to Stoke City in the 90th minute this weekend.

Indeed, Gelhardt’s attacking numbers this season are impressive. He’s averaging 0.72 goals and assists and 0.53 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, which rank him in the top 6% and 19% of Championship forwards, respectively. He is extremely efficient in the final third.

Goals and assists

0.72

94th

Shots on target

1.58

99th

Goal-creating actions

0.53

81st

Take-ons completed

1.9

81st

Ball recoveries

4.99

82nd

This sort of form is surely pleasing to see for Farke and Leeds. A player like James has struggled to have an impact in the first team this term, and with Gelhardt’s form and output, it is easy to see how he could leapfrog the Welshman.

The former Wigan Athletic star has played senior football at Elland Road. Whilst he only has 10 goals and assists in 57 games, the signs of his talent are there. Jamie Carragher has even described the 23-year-old as a “special” player in the past while long-time Merseyside Boys’ manager Tim Wyatt even said that Gelhardt caught the eye just as much as Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney did when they were all 14 years of age.

Looking ahead to the future, it is easy to think that the forward could break into Leeds’ squad and have a real impact. James has underwhelmed this term, and it is quite conceivable that he could be overtaken by Gelhardt.

He’s not played a first-team game for the Whites since last October when he appeared as an eight minute substitute against Norwich in the Championship. It would be some turnaround if he could work his way back into Leeds’ plans.

Leeds eyeing move for 4-3-3 Farke successor who has admirers at Elland Road

The Whites are struggling for form in the Premier League and could now change tact in the dugout.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 28, 2025

Australian played key role in 2010-11 win in Australia and was also involved in 2023 campaign

Cameron Ponsonby17-Oct-2025David Saker has been appointed as England’s fast-bowling coach for the upcoming Ashes series, reprising a role he has held regularly over the last 15 years.Saker’s appointment comes with confirmation that Tim Southee, England’s current fast-bowling coach, will leave the squad after the first Test in Perth to play in the ILT20.Saker and Southee will work together for the warm-up fixture against the Lions in Perth as well as the opening Test, before Saker will take on the role himself. It has also been confirmed that Paul Collingwood, who has been absent from the coaching staff across the summer due to personal reasons, will not be part of the touring party. The rest of the support staff remains unchanged.Saker has long been a coach that England have turned to. He was the fast-bowling coach from 2010 to 2015, and played a key role when England last won an away Ashes in 2010-11. More recently, he was brought back into the fold for their T20 World Cup victory in 2022 and for the Ashes and ODI World Cup in 2023.The Australian’s official title will be “Specialist Skills Consultant” but he has been brought in specifically to work with the fast-bowling group and to provide local knowledge of how to succeed Down Under.It continues a theme of English, and world wide, coaching appointments where teams opt to hire on a short term basis to provide specific insight into the conditions they are about to face. England themselves hired Mike Hussey and Kieron Pollard for the recent T20 World Cups in Australia and the Caribbean respectively, while earlier this year South Africa hired Stuart Broad as a consultant for their World Test Championship final at Lord’s.While Saker’s appointment comes at the eleventh hour, it is a continuation of England’s long-term plan to take a “battery” of fast bowlers to Australia in an effort to win only their second away Ashes since 1987.England will take arguably their fastest ever seam attack to Australia, with Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts in the squad. Furthermore, with the England Lions also touring at the same time, they will be able to call upon the likes of Sonny Baker, Josh Hull and Matt Fisher if they so wish.Josh Tongue chats to Saker during the 2023 Ashes•Philip Brown/Getty ImagesSpeaking in September, managing director Rob Key spoke of his excitement for a bowling group “on the up”, with, subject to any late fitness issues, England taking a full-strength attack.”We’ve worked so hard to get to this point,” Key said. “It is the last little step. So we get this bit right and hopefully we have every option available to us going into that First Test in Perth.”England also confirmed that Gilbert Enoka, the mental skills coach who is most famous for coining the All Blacks famous “no d*ckheads policy”, will work with the squad in the lead up to the first Test.Enoka, who lives in Christchurch, worked with the Test squad for the first time earlier this year, and is currently with the white-ball team as they prepare for their series against New Zealand.Related

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“He’s awesome,” white-ball captain Harry Brook said of Enoka. “He’s been around the Test side a little bit and he’s a great bloke. He brings a lot of knowledge to the mental side of the game which is a vital part of cricket and professional sport. To have him in the ranks, just to be able to pull for a chat for five or 10 minutes is awesome.”Ahead of this three-match T20 and ODI series, Brook also spoke of a desire to change his white-ball approach, saying that he’d been “disappointed” with his recent performances in the shorter formats.”I feel like I’ve been premeditating quite a lot,” Brook said to talkSPORT. “And there’s one goal for me this series is just to try and play on instinct as much as possible.”When I’m at my best, I’m hitting straight and then I’m adapting to line and length.”Brook made just one white-ball half century for England across the summer from 11 innings, although his average remained above 30 and his strike-rate was healthy across both formats.New Zealand cricket announced that Saturday’s opening T20 at Hagley Oval will be a sell-out. It is a coup for the series, given the cold evening weather in October and a clash with a domestic rugby final featuring Canterbury that had threatened to hurt ticket sales.”It’s pretty outstanding,” New Zealand’s captain Mitchell Santner said. “Hopefully we can put on a bit of a show and it’ll be a great contest.”Santner also announced his XI for the match, with himself and Rachin Ravindra returning, while Bevon Jacobs, Zak Foulkes and Devon Conway miss out from the squad of 14.New Zealand XI 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Mark Chapman, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Tim Robinson, 5 Michael Bracewell, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Jimmy Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Jacob Duffy

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been handed a major North London derby boost after an injury update from N5.

Arteta’s side welcome Tottenham to the Emirates on Sunday seeking to extend their remarkable dominance over their rivals.

The Gunners boast a formidable recent record in this fixture, even achieving something they had never previously done in the Premier League era earlier this year.

For the very first time since the division’s inception, Arsenal won three straight top-flight games against Tottenham, with victories in January (2-1) and September last year (1-0) following their 3-2 triumph in April 2024. The January win was enough for Arsenal to prolong their unbeaten run against Tottenham to six matches, having also done the double over Spurs in the 2022-23 campaign.

Since 1995, Arsenal have won 30 games to Tottenham’s 16 with 24 draws, highlighting their indisputable superiority in the modern era.

That being said, Spurs have been handed some encouragement by Sunderland’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal just before the international break — which ended their unbelievable winning run and proved they can in fact be broken down.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Some injury concerns also cloud Arsenal’s preparations.

Gabriel Magalhaes was injured during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal, since returning to London Colney, and it is likely that the centre-back misses at least a short stretch of games, including the North London Derby. The star centre-back is apparently a major doubt to face Tottenham this weekend, and his absence would be a real blow given his undoubted importance to the side.

The injury list extends beyond Gabriel too.

Captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli are all racing to be in contention to face Spurs after their own lay-offs, but the game comes too soon for Gabriel Jesus, who will be last to return to the field as he continues full recovery from an ACL injury (Simon Collings).

Arteta was also dealt a scare when Riccardo Calafiori nursed a hip problem on international duty with Italy, causing him to miss both of their World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Norway.

Mikel Arteta gifted Riccardo Calafiori boost with Arsenal star set to play against Tottenham

Following his return to London for assessments and checks on the problem, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed some positive news about the left-back.

Indeed, it is believed that Calafiori is set to be available for Arsenal’s clash against Tottenham this weekend, with no injury or overload.

Having the former Bologna star ready for selection is a major boost for Arteta.

He has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers this season, establishing himself as the undisputed starter at left-back ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly. The £42 million defender has transformed his fortunes after an injury-plagued debut campaign last season, when he was in and out of the starting 11 and struggled to build any consistent momentum.

Calafiori has completely turned around, becoming an absolutely crucial part of Arteta’s system, offering both defensive solidity and attacking threat from the left flank, chipping in with one goal and two assists from 11 games this season.

With Gabriel very likely to miss the derby, losing Calafiori, who’s been called one of their players of the season so far by Ray Parlour, would have left Arsenal dangerously exposed defensively.

However, the 23-year-old will instead return to the side for what is set to be a mouth-watering clash in the capital.

The international break is something of a blessing and a curse for Arsenal.

On the one hand, it gives the club respite from their current injury crisis, but on the other, they have to wait two weeks to make amends for the draw away to Sunderland.

However, even though they saw their lead cut on Sunday evening, Mikel Arteta’s side are in a great spot in the Premier League.

Moreover, despite injuries, the side is full to bursting with talent, including one player who’s starting to look like another Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The latest on Lewis-Skelly's future at Arsenal

It would be fair to say that, aside from their run in the Champions League, last season was something of a disappointment for Arsenal.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, there were at least a couple of positives to come from it, such as the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.

The latter was more of a surprise to most, and yet over the course of the campaign, he became a far more significant part of the side, effectively becoming Arteta’s first-choice left-back.

In fact, by the end of the season, the 19-year-old had made 39 first-team appearances, totalling 2306 minutes, and even made his full debut for England, during which he scored.

However, so far this season has been a totally different story for the youngster, as while he has still made 12 appearances, only four of those have been starts, and overall, he has played just 463 minutes of action.

During the last international break, Thomas Tuchel said that this lack of game time could result in him not picking the Islington-born ace.

Unfortunately, that’s what’s happened this international break.

Appearances

39

12

Starts

26

4

Minutes

2306′

463′

Goals

1

0

Assists

2

3

Unsurprisingly, this has led to reports that other Premier League clubs are now interested in signing the youngster in the winter transfer window.

However, the same reports make it clear that Arteta and Co are keen to keep the Hale Ender at the club, and that they expect him to play more minutes as the season progresses.

With that said, if Arsenal do decide to cash in, they do have another youngster in the side who is showing shades of Lewis-Skelly in his game.

Arsenal's new Lewis-Skelly

Even though Riccardo Calafiori and Pieiro Hincapie are his competition at left-back, the Arsenal player who is showing shades of Lewis-Skelly in his game this season is Cristhian Mosquera.

Now, that might sound like a leap to begin with, but “similarly to Lewis-Skelly,” per analyst Ben Mattinson, the Spaniard has shown an immense level of “physical maturity for his age.”

More than that, though, the 21-year-old has also shown a remarkable mental maturity, which was on full display when he came on and played almost the whole game away to Liverpool, and then started the club’s opening Champions League game against Athletic Bilbao.

While he may have been described as a “monster” by Gunners insider Hand of Arsenal, where most young defenders would need their hand held by a senior teammate or go crashing into ridiculous challenges, the former Valencia gem is thoughtful about when he goes in for a tackle or block.

However, that’s not to say he is adverse to the more physical side of the game, as, just like Lewis-Skelly, he is someone who “loves to battle with physical attackers,” according to Mattinson.

Moreover, while most fans and pundits alike expected the exciting youngster to play a minor role this season, the Valencia-born titan is following in the Hale Ender’s footsteps from last season and playing a far more significant role than most predicted.

For example, he has already made 12 appearances, five of which have been starts, totalling 597 minutes.

Finally, like the Englishman, he is not solely limited to playing a single position, as in addition to playing at centre-back, he can do a job at right-back.

Ultimately, there are some differences between them, but in terms of mentality, raw ability, and attitude, there are plenty of similarities between Mosquera and Lewis-Skelly.

After Dowman: Hale End has given Arsenal a future star who's "like Vieira"

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 12, 2025

The Yankees have had a tumultuous start following the trade deadline where they reworked their bullpen and acquired Ryan McMahon to help address their need at third base.

On Friday, new Yankees relievers gave up nine runs in three innings which led to a devastating 13–12 loss to the Marlins on a dribbler that brought in the walk-off run. Then, on Saturday, they were shutout by the Marlins 2–0 where they saw unfortunate mistakes on the base paths.

Major League Baseball held the Speedway Classic Saturday which pitted the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves in the middle of the track at Bristol Motor Speedway. The first-ever MLB game in the state of Tennessee started in a rain delay which allowed the Fox broadcast crew plenty of time to discuss the happenings across the league as they waited out the weather. As part of the broadcast crew, Yankees legend and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter didn't hold back on the team's recent struggles.

"They make way too many mistakes. Way too many mistakes," Jeter said Saturday. "And you can't get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams, it just doesn't happen. They had a baserunning mistake today, we saw the guy get thrown out at home plate.

"You can't continue to do it. You have to clean it up. I mean, it's that simple, there's no excuses. You have to play better. If you don't play better, you're not going to go very far."

Unfortunately for the Yankees, their AL East rival Red Sox won Saturday which moved them ahead of New York in the division standings by half of a game and into the AL's top wild-card spot. With many new deadline additions, it will take some time. After winning the final three games of their four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays during the week, the Yankees dropped the first two in Miami. They have a chance to avoid the sweep in a Sunday matinée at LoanDepot Park.

The England opener said that Ben Stokes had been training like a “beast” since arriving in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-20257:23

Will Joe Root finally score his first hundred in Australia?

Ben Duckett believes England will start the Ashes series without much “baggage” and said that the team’s aggressive approach to Test cricket is evolving beyond what has sometimes been perceived as reckless.Duckett is one of 11 players in England’s squad who have yet to play Test cricket in Australia while the average age is 28 compared to the home side’s 33. The players have been greeted in Perth by a series of comical headlines from the local newspaper but Duckett said they have been warmly welcomed.Related

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“This group we’ve got, I actually saw the other day I’m the fourth oldest, which was tough to see,” Duckett told the podcast. “So we’ve got quite a fresh group coming here where there’s not a lot of baggage, which I think will help us.”Since his Test recall in 2022, Duckett is the leading run-scorer among openers. In the 2023 Ashes he made 321 runs at 35.66. “I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said. “You know how tough it is for touring sides coming over here. I’m not expecting or setting myself any targets. I know I’m opening the batting against probably the best bowling attack in the world in their home conditions.”For the first Test, at least, that attack will be missing Pat Cummins as he continues to recover from a lumbar stress injury. There remains hope he will be available for the second Test and went through another solid workout at the SCG on Tuesday.Ben Duckett will have a vital role to play at the top of the order•Getty Images”You want to play against the best and you don’t want to have guys like that missing out in series like this,” Duckett said. “But on the flip side, I’m an opening batter and he’s probably one of the best bowlers in the world. So yeah, quietly, I hope it’s not too bad but obviously any game where he’s not playing is an advantage for us.”Much of the pre-series narrative is around how Bazball will go in Australian conditions, but Duckett said that both individually and collectively their approach was becoming more nuanced.”I think now it’s definitely about reading moments,” he said. “[Brendon McCullum] will come up to me and say, now you’re a better player than just getting 40 off 30 and getting us off to a good start.”There’s moments as an opening batsman, for example, it could be at Perth in a few weeks where we’ve got five overs to see at the end of the day. And I did it against India last summer where actually just get through it. I don’t care how many runs you’ve got, just be there in the morning.”I think that’s where we’re trying to go as a team now, it’s not just being this entertaining, reckless at times, side. And it’s something that I’ve got frustrated with myself in the past, where I might have got 80 off 60 and it looks great and stuff, but they’re going to put my side in a good position. So it’s realising moments and doing that and then kicking on and getting a big score. And I think that’s where we’re really wanting to go as a side now.”Duckett termed captain Ben Stokes “probably the most important man” in the team and had been taken aback by the intensity of his training. “I can only say we’ve been out here for a few days and he’s been in beast mode,” he said. “He has been running, bowling two spells, batting for two hours. The way he trains and stuff these days is something that I’ve never seen before.”He’s obviously probably the most important man in this side when he’s bowling. So hopefully he stays fit for all five tests and he’s bowling in all of them because he’s crucial for us.”