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Richard Thompson insists 100-ball format will not change before end of current rights cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025The tight turnaround between England’s international and the Hundred is a “short-term issue” which ECB chairman Richard Thompson has pledged will be solved for the next TV rights cycle.England’s men played one day before the start and two days after the end of the Hundred this year, leaving all-format players short on relevant preparation for the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. The same scenario will play out in 2026, with the Hundred expected to start two days after an ODI series against India and three days before the first Test against Pakistan.New investors in the Hundred will expect their England players to be available throughout the tournament. Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton and Ollie Pope missed London Spirit’s first game of this season, the day after the fifth Test at The Oval, which their incoming co-owner Nikesh Arora described as “disappointing” while calling for “better planning” by the ECB.Thompson acknowledged that the schedule is too crammed, speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society during England’s third ODI against South Africa on Sunday. “There are no easy answers, but the reality is we can’t have our cake and eat it,” Thompson told Sky Sports.”We want England players to play. This is our premium white-ball competition and we want England players to play in it. What we have to do is find a way of ensuring the schedule before and after the tournament [is better]. Take this year: the gap was a day or two days… That can’t be right.Related

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“If we’re going to get this level of investment, we’ve got to commit to ensuring our England players are available. We don’t want that to be at the expense of the success of England. We need to find a balance, and ultimately we can look at the schedule and we can try and free up time.”We’ve done this deal in the middle of a rights schedule. Come ’28, when we then cut the next deal for the next four years, we can cut this in a different way. We might have a short-term issue here, but we can overcome that.”Ultimately, if a player feels they’re injured, they’re going to rest themselves. They won’t want to play on an injury. England is still everything here. But we are not prepared to accept that you can’t find a halfway house and work with the owners to ensure that the owner will get what they need, and England will get what it needs.”Thompson also said that the tournament’s format will not change from 100-balls-a-side to T20 during the current broadcast cycle, which runs to the end of the 2028 summer, and denied that the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises equates to selling the month of August to private investors.”I can categorically tell you it’s 100 balls next year,” he said. “I don’t think anything will change in this rights cycle. Sky [the Hundred’s main broadcaster] have bought 100 [balls a side]. Sky are not going to want to change that. It’s up to the owners and the ECB to decide what that might be in the future.”This is not English cricket selling off the family silver. This is English cricket bringing in investors to enable us to have a tournament that could challenge the IPL.”

A man has pleaded guilty to stalking Liverpool star Marie Hobinger after sending her inappropriate and sexualised messages. Mangal Dalal, from London, sent the midfielder a string of messages via Instagram, which included his mobile number and postcode, as well as asking her to visit him. The 42-year-old was also charged with stalking as a result of the electronic communications between January and February this year.

• Liverpool star fears for her safety

  According to the Crime Prosecution Service, Dalal sent messages to Hobinger between January 27 and February 16, 2025. The messages were 'often sexually explicit,' and he also implied he would come to football games to see her. The Austrian became 'increasingly concerned' and blocked him on the social media platform before telling her club. Despite that, the Hyde Park Gardens resident travelled to the Reds' clash at Manchester City's Joie Stadium on February 16, where the 24-year-old played the whole game. A safety officer travelled to the match, which City won 4-0, and after they discovered that Dalal was waiting for her pitchside, action was taken, with the Westminster local later being questioned by police. 

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  Accused pleads guilty

  The report adds that when he was questioned by police, Dalal owned up to what he had done but said he was mentally unwell at the time. The CPS authorised a charge of stalking and last Thursday (December 4), he plead guilty at Liverpool Magistrates' Court. He will be sentenced on January 20, 2026, at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

• 'Dalal’s behaviour was criminal'

  At the magistrates' court, senior crown prosecutor Sarah McInerney said Dalal treated Hobinger "as an object" he could use to "air his fantasies". She added that his actions were "totally inappropriate" and his behaviour was "criminal".

  She told the court: "Marie Hobinger is a talented professional sportswoman at the top of her game. Mangal Dalal targeted her and treated her as an object that he could use to air his fantasies. His messaging was intense, continual, and totally inappropriate. It had a serious impact on the player who was simply trying to play to the best of her ability in a sport and team that she loves. Dalal’s behaviour was criminal and will not be tolerated in a fair and equal society. We would like to thank Ms Hobinger and Liverpool FC for their help in bringing Dalal to justice."

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  What comes next for Hobinger?

  The former FC Zurich player, who joined Liverpool in 2023 and has since gone on to play 59 times for the Women's Super League side, is currently out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. She has been doing her rehab since sustaining the setback in October. 

Tottenham’s first transfer window with their new-look, reshuffled boardroom will be a very intriguing one, and a striker is believed to be at the very top of their priority list.

Ever since replacing Ange Postecoglou in the summer, new manager Thomas Frank has been starved of a reliable focal point up front.

Dominic Solanke, who Spurs signed for a club-record £65 million fee last year, has struggled with injury problems that have limited his involvement to just 49 minutes so far this campaign. The Englishman suffered a ‘minor’ ankle problem at the beginning of 25/26, which eventually required surgery, and he’s still on the comeback trail.

Solanke is set to miss this weekend’s pivotal North London derby against Arsenal and won’t be available for their crunch Champions League tie against PSG either, with Frank forced to rely on the out-of-form Richarlison, who’s attracted criticism for his inconsistency.

The Brazilian is a shoo-in to start against PSG next week given Mathys Tel wasn’t named in Frank’s 22-man Champions League squad. Tel, according to some reports, is said to be ‘unhappy’ in London and keen to leave Spurs in January, with Roma taking a serious interest in the Frenchman (La Gazzetta dello Sport).

Solanke’s fitness woes, Tel’s dissatisfaction and Richarlison’s form have fueled speculation that a new striker could arrive at the turn of the year, and Spurs are being linked with a few interesting names.

Chief among them is Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who scored 20 Premier League goals in his best campaign at Brentford whilst working under Frank.

The tactician has apparently held ‘direct’ talks with Toney about a January move to Spurs, according to some reports, while others believe that the Lilywhites are in pole position to sign him at the turn of the year after ‘preliminary’ negotiations (TEAMtalk).

While links to the 29-year-old are rife given his obvious connection to Tottenham’s manager, co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange are considering other options.

Tottenham eye 'dream' move for FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa

As per TEAMtalk, FC Porto talisman Samu Aghehowa is a ‘dream’ target for the club.

Sources believe the 21-year-old, who’s bagged nine goals in 14 appearances already this season, fits perfectly into Frank’s long-term vision. Spurs’ boss is also said to have ‘repeatedly’ emphasised his desire for a physically imposing, mobile striker capable of pressing aggressively and connecting play.

Insiders within Tottenham’s recruitment structure apparently think of Aghehowa as the “younger, longer-term” striker successor they genuinely desire, despite ongoing interest in Toney as a potential 2026 alternative.

Standing at a lofty 6 foot 4 with surprising pace for his height, the Spaniard has even been compared to former Chelsea star Diego Costa during his prime years, thankfully not the version we saw at Wolves.

However, this all being said, a January move appears very unlikely.

Portuguese sources state that Porto are refusing to entertain winter offers, especially as they pursue a first Primeira Liga title in six years. President Andre Villas-Boas has reportedly informed intermediaries that Samu is not for sale “at any price in the winter”, casting major doubt on Spurs’ ability to prise him away mid-season.

Porto have also set an £71 million asking price for Aghehowa, meaning the north Londoners may have to fork out a new club-record fee. With that in mind, Frank and Lange will apparently continue to monitor Aghehowa’s development whilst maintaining Toney as a backup option.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Chelsea once came ‘very close’ to signing the forward, and he’s a player with ‘huge potential’.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has done very well to navigate the club’s list of injury problems this campaign, particularly in attack.

Arsenal are currently sweating over the fitness of Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres as they prepare for the North London derby against Tottenham right after the international break.

Arteta, depending on developments, faces another potential selection headache in the final third, but makeshift number nine Mikel Merino has once again done well to fill the void left by Gyokeres since his injury against Burnley.

Most of the aforementioned stars are racing to be fit for their clash with Tottenham on November 23, with Havertz and Madueke believed to have impressed Arsenal rehab staff in their recoveries from knee problems.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

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Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

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Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

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Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Unfortunately for Jesus, the derby comes too soon for him, despite returning to full training, and he’ll be the last Arsenal star to make his comeback after rupturing his ACL against Man United in January (Simon Collings).

Even without a large number of their attacking contingent, Arsenal have still marked themselves out as the team to beat — thanks largely to their imperious defence and set-piece dominance.

The Gunners have scored eight goals from corners in their opening 11 top flight games this season, the most ever recorded by any team at this stage of a Premier League campaign. Their 36 corner goals since the start of last season tops all of Europe too, with set-piece coach Nicolas Jover largely credited for Arsenal’s superb dead ball threat.

They also recorded eight consecutive clean sheets before the 2-2 draw with Sunderland last weekend, equalling a club record that had stood for 122 years since 1903, and they still boast the best defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues, having conceded just five in all competitions so far.

While Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have taken a lot of the credit for being two of world football’s best centre-backs right now, you cannot underestimate the impact of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori in the full-back areas.

Ray Parlour has described them as two of Arsenal’s players of the season so far, with Calafiori’s form even prompting reports that Myles Lewis-Skelly could leave in January due to a lack of game time.

The last thing Arteta needs is an injury concern for the Italian, but according to TUTTOmercatoWEB, that’s exactly what he’s got.

Riccardo Calafiori nursing hip injury as Arsenal learn recovery timeline

According to the Italian news outlet, Calafiori is managing a hip problem on international duty, raising concerns ahead of Tottenham.

The Italian national team are preparing for two critical World Cup 2026 qualifying matches against Moldova and Norway, but the versatile defender’s availability has been called into question.

During Italy’s training session under manager Gennaro Gattuso, Calafiori was spotted completing individual work away from the main group due to discomfort in his hip.

The 22-year-old is being carefully managed by the medical staff as they assess the severity of the issue and determine the best course of action, but there is optimism for Arsenal, as Arteta learns his expected recovery timeline.

Calafiori remains with the Italy squad rather than being sent home, suggesting the injury is not considered serious enough to warrant an immediate return to Arsenal. While the former Bologna star is expected to miss their clash with Moldova, Azzurri officials are targeting a return for Calafiori against Norway instead — allowing him time to recover.

Arsenal will be praying this doesn’t turn out to be more serious and he can in fact feature against Spurs, but all the signs appear good so far.

Arteta will be monitoring the situation closely, hoping Calafiori can avoid aggravating the injury during Italy’s fixtures. With the North London derby looming, Arsenal cannot afford to lose the key defender, particularly given the importance of maintaining their excellent defensive record that has underpinned their phenomenal start to the season.

He achieved this wish on his 35th birthday, helping India seal a dominant win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-20251:13

Wahab: Kuldeep always one step ahead of batters

Three spinners, and just the one frontline quick. This has been India’s way at this Asia Cup, and their captain Suryakumar Yadav said the template had been set earlier this year during their run to the Champions Trophy title. That was an ODI tournament, but India played all their matches in the UAE, which is also hosting this Asia Cup.The spinners played a crucial role in India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan on Sunday, with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy sharing six wickets between them. In all, India’s spinners conceded just 65 runs in 13 overs, including one from part-timer Abhishek Sharma.Related

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“That’s what happened a few months back – our team that won the Champions Trophy, they set the tone,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation. “But I am always a fan of spinners, because they control the game in the middle and post-powerplay [overs], and I think all the spinners were amazing.”India’s victory was particularly sweet for Suryakumar since it came on the day he turned 35. He celebrated his birthday by scoring an unbeaten 47 and hitting the winning six as India chased down their target of 128 with 25 balls to spare.”It’s a great feeling and it’s a perfect return gift for India,” Suryakumar said. “This is one box I always wanted to tick, stay there till the end, and it was the need of the hour today. And love to stay not out till the end.”The win left India with a 11-3 T20I head-to-head over their arch-rivals. Asked about this, Suryakumar said India don’t treat games against Pakistan any differently to other matches.”For me, and for my boys, and for the whole team, I feel it’s just another game,” he said. “We come on the ground, we prepare for all the oppositions, and that’s how we go about it.”Kuldeep Yadav sent Mohammad Nawaz back first ball•Associated Press

Kuldeep won his second Player-of-the-Match award in a row, returning figures of 3 for 18 to follow up on his four-wicket haul against UAE.”You just have to think who is batting on the crease and react to what they are doing, what their strength is and what they like to play,” Kuldeep said when asked about his plans. “Just follow that, and obviously I had my plans and just executed them.”As he did against UAE, Kuldeep struck with back-to-back deliveries against Pakistan. Having bagged two ODI hat-tricks in his career so far, Kuldeep said he wants his first ball to any batter to be a wicket-taking delivery.”First ball is always wicket-taking ball, you know, you just have to go with that mindset and try to execute that wicket-taking ball,” Kuldeep said. “Because whoever is batting is obviously new on the crease or maybe set, but yeah, he’s facing you the first time in the game and probably you have the chance to get on top of him.”Despite being in terrific form, and leading the tournament’s wicket charts, Kuldeep said he still had areas of improvement in his game.”I still think I need to really work on my bowling as well. Sometimes I feel that I try too many variations, but I have to learn day by day and game by game. I still think there’s a lot of room to improve in.”

Member of the last successful men’s Ashes tour reflects on the harsh lessons he learned down under

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Nov-2025Steven Finn knows what it is like to find yourself in the goldfish bowl of an Ashes tour. The parochial crowds, the unrelenting media circus. Even the barbs of a single Western Australian punter stick with you.”We were playing this warm-up game in Perth, England versus Western Australia in the 2010-11 Ashes, and there was this one fella sledging us the whole time,” Finn tells ESPNcricinfo. “He was one of the few spectators in.”I didn’t bowl particularly well, and he singled me out for stick, screaming and shouting, telling us it was a long summer and that we were going to get pumped.”During the third Test in Perth at the WACA, I took wickets but didn’t bowl particularly well. We got [Mitchell] Johnson-ed in that game. And there he was again, still going.”I’d go down to fine leg and he’d be screaming: ‘you were rubbish then and you’re rubbish now’. I got Phil Hughes out in the second innings, caught in the slips by Colly [Paul Collingwood] and gave him a big shush.”Related

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It remains, to Finn’s mind, the only time he had reacted to someone in the crowd like that. “I imagine he’ll be waiting for me to tell me I’m a rubbish broadcaster in the first Test this time around.”It is 15 years since England’s last series victory in Australia, when Finn kept a daily tour diary. Though a diligent note taker, it was the first time he had regularly documented his thoughts, something which he reprised on the 2013-14 tour. “The Ashes is just that bit different to any other cricket you play as an English player. The fact that I only kept diaries on those tours is probably a nod towards that as well.”They were, on the face of it, contrasting series. England left Australia with the urn for the first time since 1986-87, and then returned to suffer an ignominious 5-0 defeat. For Finn, however, both were about unique struggles of mind and body.Having taken 14 wickets at 33.14 in the first three Tests of 2010-11, he was benched for Tim Bresnan. Unused in 2013-14, lost in his own battles with his bowling, one-day coach Ashley Giles sent him home from the limited-overs series that followed deeming him “not selectable”.As such, Finn’s autobiography , which leans on both diaries – and is cowritten by ESPNcricinfo’s Matt Roller – is about a 36-capped Test fast bowler revisiting those moments introspectively. A very personal journey back in time led by the Ghost of Ashes past.

“If I was back in that moment again, I would say to myself, even though I’d been dropped for those last two games, soak this up and embrace enjoying what you’ve achieved here and what the team’s achieved because it’s monumental”Steven Finn on memories of 2010-11

Finn ranks himself as his own worst critic, even now as a commentator and pundit for both BBC and TNT, who he will be working for this winter. “The way that my mind works, I’m very good at focusing on the things that I’m not doing well and that I’m not very good at. If I’m broadcasting and I stumble on one word I don’t quite make my point as succinctly as I’d like to.”He was especially unkind to himself both as a 21-year-old on that maiden Ashes tour, and at 24, in an unforgiving environment, succumbing to tears in the dressing room as he lost his love for the game. With the benefit of experience and hindsight, how would Finn, 36, have dealt his younger selves?”I think in ’10-11 I’d have tried to help myself see the bigger picture. I was really disappointed that I didn’t play the fourth and fifth Test, so I maybe didn’t feel as much a part of the team at that stage of the series.”When I look back on it now 15 years later, I’m so proud that I played three Tests in that series because we won the Ashes away for the first time in a long time. And it was the right decision by the way – to bring Bresnan in, he bowled amazingly. But if I was back in that moment again, I would say to myself, even though I’d been dropped for those last two games, soak this up and embrace enjoying what you’ve achieved here and what the team’s achieved because it’s monumental.”In 2013-14, I would encourage myself to take a step back, allow yourself to be removed from everything that you’re doing. Being so focused on trying your hardest, chasing something the whole time – it meant that all my bad habits and all my intrusive thoughts just compounded across that tour. I’d say to myself, it’s okay to just take a small step back and try and remember the good things that you’re doing as opposed to always remembering the bad things.”Finn has become a respected broadcaster post playing career•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesIt would take Finn a year to get back to his best. The labour of building himself back up with the help of his then Middlesex bowling coach Richard Johnson allowing him to return in the home 2015 Ashes. He took eight wickets in his comeback at Edgbaston, including 6 for 79 in the second innings, leading to 12 in the series at 22.50.Liberated by comfort, encouraged by those around him, it was no surprise he was back in the groove. Nor that he regards the current environment of the England Test team cultivated by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as one he would have thrived in.To that end, he sees parallels with his 2010-11 cohort and what this current set-up are looking to achieve when the first Ashes Test kicks off in Perth next week.”I think in 2010-11, and I reflect on it in the book, we went there and when you get off the plane, scrub your boots, get cameras in your face and it’s like, ‘oh my God, you’re gonna get hammered, you’re gonna get battered, we’re gonna smash you five-nil!’ But then when you stand up to Australia in that moment and push back like we did in the second innings of that first Test in Brisbane… it would’ve been easy for us to fall like a pack of cards and then we’re off on that negative cycle again. But in that second innings, we broke the cycle by puffing our chest out.”Collectively as a team, we stood there, and said, ‘we’re going nowhere’. We were clearly a fantastic team, but we looked to embrace being in Australia. We didn’t hide away; we’d go to restaurants, we’d go to a bar and have a drink. We just embraced being there and being in what is an amazing country. It’s the best tour.”I think that this England, led by Ben Stokes, will have that attitude going into this series. Even if Australia do try and blow the house down, I don’t think England will let it fall. I think they’ll have the mentality to come back from those tough moments within games, which is not something that we can say of the teams that have toured there since 2010-11.” by Steven Finn (Orion Publishing Co) is available to buy now geni.us/AshesFiles

South Africa smashed England by 125 runs to qualify for their maiden ODI World Cup final

Valkerie Baynes29-Oct-20258:30

Fire and ice take South Africa through to the final

South Africa 319 for 7 (Wolvaardt 169, Ecclestone 4-44) beat England 194 (Sciver-Brunt 64, Capsey 50, Kapp 5-20) by 125 runsLaura Wolvaardt’s batting masterclass and Marizanne Kapp’s five-for propelled South Africa into their maiden World Cup final, off the back of a 125-run victory over England.Wolvaardt’s breathtaking 169 in the first semi-final in Guwahati carried her side to 319 for 7 from their 50 overs, the second-highest score in World Cup knockout matches.Asked to stage the second-highest successful chase in women’s ODIs – behind Australia’s 331 to beat India earlier in this tournament – England fell short in the face of the brilliant bowling of Kapp, who took 5 for 20. Those wickets included two in the first over of the reply, as England lurched to 1 for 3, and the prize wicket of Nat Sciver-Brunt who had built a century stand with Alice Capsey. Later in the innings, Kapp took two more wickets in as many balls to put South Africa on the brink of victory.South Africa face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and India for the title on Sunday, which will be their third consecutive World Cup final, after they finished runners-up at the T20 events in 2023 and 2024.Wolvaardt was a class above in the South Africa batting line-up. Her innings was full of trademark elegant drives early on, followed by a brutal leg-side assault as she hit the accelerator in the closing stages. She was supported by Tazmin Brits, who scored 45, but later went off during England’s innings with what appeared to be a wrist injury after landing awkwardly in the field, followed by Kapp’s rapid 42 off just 33 balls. Wolvaardt shared a seventh-wicket stand worth 89 with Chloe Tryon, who finished unbeaten on 33 herself.Sophie Ecclestone overcame a shoulder injury suffered in the previous match against New Zealand on Sunday to finish with 4 for 44 but, apart from her bowling figures, and fifties for Sciver-Brunt and Capsey, there was little to celebrate for England. Only two others – Danni Wyatt-Hodge and tailender Linsey Smith – reached double figures.As if determined to model South Africa’s bowling performance on Wolvaardt’s batting masterclass, Kapp removed Amy Jones with a ball of the highest quality in the first over. A fuller delivery outside off stump jagged back in between bat and pad and clattered into off stump. Heather Knight was more complicit in her dismissal three balls later when, with leaden feet, she prodded at one that shaped away from outside off and edged onto her stumps. The dismissal gave Kapp figures of 2 for 0 from her first five balls.Ayabonga Khaka made it three England ducks in a row just two balls into the second over, when she drew a faint edge off Tammy Beaumont with one that straightened off the pitch for caught behind.South Africa let England off the hook somewhat, as Sciver-Brunt and Capsey took them from such a poor start to 108 for 4, when Capsey fell moments after reaching her maiden ODI half-century. Capsey had been dropped on 28 by substitute fielder Nondumiso Shangase at long on off the bowling of Sune Luus as South Africa struggled to make further inroads with Kapp off the field. Sciver-Brunt, meanwhile, narrowly avoided being run out as she retreated to the bowler’s end.Marizanne Kapp struck twice in the first over of the chase•ICC via Getty Images

No sooner had Capsey reached fifty, that she picked out Nadine de Klerk at mid-off with Luus the bowler once more. Either side of her dismissal, Sciver-Brunt reached her own half-century, powering Luus over long-off for six, while Brits put down a difficult chance leaping to her right at midwicket. She fell heavily, forcing her off the field in pain and clutching her arm.Kapp struck in the second over of her return spell to remove Sciver-Brunt, caught behind after she was enticed to drive at a length ball, which wobbled away ever so slightly off the seam and brushed the outside edge. In her next over, Kapp had Sophia Dunkley and Charlie Dean caught behind off successive deliveries. The energy with which she roared to celebrate her last wicket matched that of her first.Wyatt-Hodge, playing just her second match of the tournament after being brought in for Emma Lamb to bolster a struggling middle-order, faced just seven deliveries for 2 not out against New Zealand. With more time in the middle here, she managed 34 off 31. When she and Smith fell to Nadine de Klerk, however, it was all over for England.South Africa’s resounding victory was a result of their ability to get out of trouble. They fell from 116 without loss to 119 for 3, as Ecclestone took a sledgehammer to the excellent structure laid down by Wolvaardt and Brits, with two wickets in the space of four balls.Brits could have been out for 1 off what would have been the sharpest of return catches by Lauren Bell. She had attempted a reverse-sweep off Ecclestone’s fellow left-arm spinner, Linsey Smith, before ending up in an awkward heap as the ball struck her front pad well outside off stump. When Brits tried it again, it was her undoing, as Ecclestone speared one in full on middle and leg and drew a bottom edge onto the stumps.Anneke Bosch, brought into the starting XI to boost the batting which had failed so miserably against England last time these sides met, lost her off stump as she charged at Ecclestone, yorked herself, and departed for a three-ball duck.Bell put down another tough chance leaping to her left at short fine leg off Kapp, on 36 at the time. But Kapp added just a handful more runs before Ecclestone returned with immediate impact, with Kapp skying a fuller ball outside off stump high over mid-on where Dean ran back and settled underneath it.Another cluster of South Africa wickets fell when Annerie Dercksen, apparently having failed to learn from Brits’ downfall, tried to reverse-sweep Ecclestone. She hit the ball into the pitch outside off, then again through her swing. The second impact ricocheted into the stumps.Having lumped Dean for a massive 82 metre six over wide long-on, Wolvaardt bided her time through Ecclestone’s final over. She then helped herself to 13 of the 15 runs to come off the next, by Sciver-Brunt, including another six over long-on, followed by a pulled four through backward square.Sciver-Brunt conceded 14 off her next over, which also included Wolvaardt’s third maximum. This time, the shot was over deep midwicket, and she raised her 150 with a similar effort off Smith, who leaked 20 off the over, all but one of them to Wolvaardt.When Wolvaardt finally holed out to Capsey as she launched Bell down the ground, she walked off to warm congratulations from her opponents, as well as the gratitude of her team and the rapture of the crowd, who knew they had witnessed something special.

Foot fracture may delay first-class debut, but Smeed targets trophies after club’s triple near-miss last year

Valkerie Baynes29-Mar-2025Will Smeed’s plans for a first-class debut – three years after his retirement from red-ball cricket – have taken a minor stumble, but that has done nothing to deter him from targeting a major role in Somerset’s Championship campaign this year.A foot fracture suffered in South Africa, where he played four games for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 at the start of the year, could rule him out of the first match of the Division One season, home to Worcestershire from Friday.”I got it scanned when I got back and I’m just trying to make sure it heals properly before we up the workloads,” Smeed told ESPNcricinfo during Somerset’s pre-season media day. “I should be back playing in no time. I might miss the first week, but it should be fine.”It feels fine. I managed to play on it in South Africa so it’s a case of it would be fine to play on, but they just want to make sure I don’t do any proper damage though.”Related

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• Will Smeed signs groundbreaking white-ball deal with Somerset

• Will Smeed signs new deal to play red-ball cricket for Somerset

Those workloads are indeed set to increase after it was revealed earlier this month that Smeed had backflipped on his fledgling career move to become a white-ball specialist.Smeed announced in 2022 that he would play only white-ball cricket as franchise opportunities beckoned, a move considered groundbreaking given that he had just turned 21 at the time. But after a hamstring injury ruled him out of last year’s Hundred, he found himself playing for Somerset in the Second XI County Championship and enjoyed it which, along with opening the door to more cricket, made a reversal “a bit of a no-brainer”.An explosive batter, who became the first player to score a century in the Hundred three years ago, Smeed doesn’t want to smother that part of his game too much when he finally makes his first-class debut. So far, he has played 105 T20s and just one List A game.Smeed is set for a first-class debut this summer•Getty Images”I definitely think keeping [aggression] as part of your game, but you probably have to be a bit smarter with how you use it and when you use it and obviously then tightening up my defence and things like that,” Smeed said. “A lot of red-ball cricket is about adapting to the ebbs and flows, figuring out when to put your foot down, when to hold back and soak up a bit of pressure. So there needs to be a big learning experience this year, but I’m really looking forward to it.”From a mindset, I’m just more keen to score runs now. I’m just desperate to spend time in the middle and I think that’s why the games at the end of last summer went okay. I think I just put more value on my wicket. I’m still figuring out my game in white-ball stuff, so that’ll be even more prevalent in the red-ball stuff. There might be a technical tweak here or there, but I think a lot of it’s just going to be the way I approach it and the mindset and the options I take and figuring out what works for me.”Somerset came close to a trophy in all three competitions in 2024, but ended up with none. Their loss to Lancashire in the penultimate round of the Championship ensured Surrey finished top of Division One and then Hampshire won their final-round game to seal second place, leaving Somerset in third.On Blast Finals Day, Somerset beat Surrey in the semi-finals but then lost to Gloucestershire in the final, with Smeed scoring a duck and 8 in those games respectively. Somerset also lost the final of the One-Day Cup to Glamorgan.Smeed was the first batter to make a hundred in the Hundred•ECB/Getty ImagesNow, Smeed says his main aim is to win trophies with Somerset, with their 2023 Blast title “still the highlight of my career”, while scoring plenty of runs, with four-day cricket offering ample opportunity for that.”It means I’m here all summer,” Smeed said. “That was a big thing I made clear to Somerset, that I wanted to commit to the whole summer here and I wasn’t going to flip off somewhere if the opportunity came about. I’m here now and it means I can just get stuck into the English summer and really get my head down and try and win some games for Somerset.”The last couple of years with my contract, I’ve been able to take anything that came my way, whereas now, having just fully committed to the summer with Somerset takes that distraction away I guess – or it’s one more decision that I don’t have to make should something come up.”It’s just going to be I’m here with Somerset and that’s me for the summer. Then in the winter hopefully there’s opportunities to go away again and play some stuff overseas.”And if the Blast doesn’t fully satisfy those white-ball urges, there is always the Hundred window in August, when Smeed will return to Birmingham Phoenix, who are still searching for their first title.Having gone all-or-nothing down one career path, perhaps now Smeed really can have it all.

After yet another international break, the Premier League returns this weekend, and Arsenal can continue their title charge.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit four points clear atop the table and will be desperate to make up for dropping points away to Sunderland last time out.

The Gunners weren’t necessarily poor at the Stadium of Light, but aside from a few players, they certainly weren’t at their best.

With that said, one of the starters who played well was Leandro Trossard, although if reports are to be believed, Arsenal might be set to sign someone who could be an upgrade on him.

Arsenal target Trossard upgrade

If you were to ask Arsenal fans who their best players have been this season, you would likely get a lot of the usual suspects, like Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber.

Transfer Focus

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

However, one player who has at least entered that conversation as of late is Trossard, who, unlike last year, is starting to influence games on a more regular basis.

For example, if he didn’t score that thunderbolt against the Black Cats, there is every chance the Gunners might’ve gone into the international break on the back of a defeat.

However, even though the Belgian has been a key contributor in the last month or so, the club appear keen on signing someone to compete with, or possibly replace him.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal have maintained their interest in Antoine Semenyo.

The report has revealed that, alongside the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, the Gunners are vying for the Bournemouth star.

While the competition is far from ideal, the good news is that, according to another story from The Athletic, the Cherries star has a £65m release clause in his new contract, which will be active for part of January.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Semenyo’s immense talent, one worth fighting for, especially as he could be an upgrade on Trossard.

How Semenyo compares to Trossard

As they still produced the best defence in the league last season, Arsenal’s biggest problem, at least domestically, was their diminished goal threat.

Therefore, the first thing to compare between Trossard and Semenyo should be their output, as that is ultimately what a winger is judged on these days.

For his efforts so far this year, the Bournemouth star has scored six goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games, and helps to justify Chris Waddle’s claim that he’s currently “the best winger in the country.”

The Belgian, on the other hand, has racked up four goals and four assists in 14 appearances, which works out to a less impressive tally of a goal involvement every 1.75 games.

Unfortunately for the former Brighton & Hove Albion star, he still comes out as a distant second best when looking at their output last season.

For example, he produced 20 goal involvements in 56 games for a far better team, while the Cherries star produced as many goal involvements in just 42 games.

Okay, what about when you take a look under the hood, which winger has the better underlying numbers?

Expected G+As

0.46

0.36

Non-Penalty G+As

0.73

0.56

Progressive Passes

3.55

3.38

Progressive Carries

3.18

2.82

Shots on Target

1.09

0.56

Shot-Creating Actions

3.28

2.94

Goal-Creating Actions

0.64

0.28

Tackles Won

1.00

0.42

Successful Take-Ons

1.91

0.99

Unsurprisingly, it’s the Ghanaian international who once again emerges victorious, coming out on top in key metrics like expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, successful take-ons, shot and goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Finally, there is also the simple fact that, at 25, the Bournemouth star has a lot more to offer compared to the 30-year-old, and would therefore be the smarter long-term option.

Ultimately, Trossard has been far better this season than last, but even so, it’s clear that Semenyo would be an upgrade on him, and therefore, Arsenal should go all out to sign the Cherries star in January.

Arsenal can forget Eze by unleashing the "biggest talent in England"

The sensational gem could be a huge star for England and Arsenal as he replaces Eze.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

Brandon King dropped; Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jediah Blades sidelined by injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2025Six years after he last played an ODI, West Indies opener John Campbell has earned a recall for the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Sunday. Fast bowler Johann Layne and seam-bowling allrounder Shamar Springer received their maiden call-ups to the ODI side, while quick Matthew Forde, who returned from a shoulder dislocation for the T20Is against New Zealand, also returned.The trio replaced spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, and left-arm quick Ramon Simmonds, who was injured, from the squad that played Bangladesh last month. Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jediah Blades also were sidelined by injuries.Campbell replaced fellow opener Brandon King from the Bangladesh series. King returned scores of 44, 0 and 18 in the series West Indies lost 2-1. His T20I form has also tapered off, with four single-digit scores in his last five outings across the Bangladesh and New Zealand series.Campbell was recalled following his strong performances in red-ball cricket, including an impressive century in the second Test against India in Delhi last month. He was Jamaica’s leading run-scorer in the Super50 Cup last season, with 278 runs in seven outings at a strike rate of 102.20. Notably, none of the top ten run-getters in that competition scored at a faster pace.Layne’s call-up follows his Test debut on the tour of India last month. While he has impressed in red-ball cricket, he has only 12 List-A appearances and 13 wickets to show in the format. Against New Zealand, Layne will complete the seam attack that features Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd apart from Springer, Forde and Justin Greaves.Ackeem Auguste, who made his ODI debut in Bangladesh, kept his spot alongside Keacy Carty and Alick Athanaze in the 15-member squad led by Shai Hope.New Zealand and West Indies play the opening ODI in Christchurch on Sunday followed by the second and third matches in Napier and Hamilton, respectively.

West Indies squad for ODIs against New Zealand

Shai Hope (capt), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Johann Layne, Khary Pierre, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer