John Campbell returns to West Indies ODI squad; Layne, Springer called up

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

Healy: Batting collapses 'not a worry' but it's 'something we'd like to rectify'

Australia captain also pointed to how other teams have been struggling with poor starts and collapses

Vishal Dikshit11-Oct-2025Scores of 128 for 5 and 76 for 7. There was also the 190 all out against India just before the World Cup. Australia captain Alyssa Healy brushed those collapses aside with her trademark half-a-smile and stated those scores were not a concern, but something they would like to “rectify” against India and for the rest of the World Cup.Healy also pointed to how other teams have been struggling with poor starts and collapses. India have struggled up front in their three games, South Africa were bowled out for 69, England stuttered their way to the 179 target against Bangladesh, while Australia, on their part, had recovered well from their own collapses with centuries from Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney to top the table at the time.”I mean, we’re allowed to lose games of cricket and we’re allowed to be put under pressure at times, in particular in World Cups,” Healy said a day before their India game on Sunday. “I think you’re going to be put under the pump in unfamiliar conditions, against unfamiliar sides at times. I think that’s the nature of the game, and like I’ve said all along, I really back our depth in our side and also in our squad that the 11 that we put out on the park are going to be able to get the job done for us. And we’re fortunate that it’s been a different person every time that stuck their hand up and said, ‘yep, I’ve got this, I can get us to a total or I can take the wickets to restrict the team’. I wouldn’t say it’s a worry, it’s something we’d like to rectify and I think there’s a lot of teams that are probably wanting to rectify that as well.”The low scores in this World Cup – with 300 breached just once – are down to the nature of the pitches. Guwahati and Colombo, which have hosted four games each so far, have offered purchase for the slower bowlers, some turn and grip. The moisture, because of the rain, has also not made run-scoring straightforward. Indore was among the flatter venues where Australia put on 326 against New Zealand and in the other South Africa chased down 232 in the 41st over without much trouble. Visakhapatnam, where India and Australia play on Sunday in front of a sell-out crowd, also had runs on offer for both teams, but also some help for the bowlers.Related

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“I think the wickets have still been good,” Healy said. “I think probably maybe a little bit of pressure has come into play at times and teams have got themselves into a little bit of a pickle. Obviously, Colombo was slightly different conditions than what we faced over here. So having to adapt really quickly is going to be really important. And I still remain that – obviously we’re here at a new destination, a fresh wicket, fresh outfield, fresh everything against a really good side – so we’re just going to have to pick up on that really quickly. And yeah, on the sort of collapse sort of situation, I think it’s on our top order to make the bulk of the runs and I think we can speak on that from both sides.”The varying conditions and facing oppositions they often don’t “makes this World Cup so unique” and “really challenging to win,” which makes adapting to the conditions quickly the key. Their collapses and a new ground in Visakhapatnam, where Australia have never played before, will, however, not deter Australia from going hard at the top, when Healy and Litchfield open the innings on Sunday.Phoebe Litchfield fine-tunes her reverse-hit•ICC via Getty Images”I actually still think the powerplay plays a crucial role in this World Cup,” Healy said. “I think if you can get off to a pretty decent start, it seems to be throughout the middle overs that some sides have been managing to squeeze oppositions, but I still think if you can get off to a good start and set a platform, that’s going to be really important to putting a good total out there or chasing something down. There’s a little bit of a fine balance in that regard, but I think both of us at the top of the order are quite aggressive players, so we’re not exactly going to curb that at any point. It’s just probably making a few better decisions and taking a few smarter options, knowing and feeling the conditions out there at that moment in time, and hopefully that’ll lay the platform for what is a really dominant middle order of ours to set a big total or, like I said, chase it down.”There have been memorable India-Australia games in the last few World Cups, both T20 and ODI. It’s also been one of the fiercest rivalries in the game. Australia took down India by six wickets in the last ODI World Cup, in 2022, but in the one before that Harmanpreet Kaur had played one of the most jaw-dropping knocks in World Cup history, an unbeaten 171 in a rain-shortened game.”Yeah, I think the rivalry continues to grow,” Healy said. “I think I’ve said it previously that I feel like they’ve been a really, almost a sleeping giant in the women’s game for a long period of time. It’s probably since the WPL has come into play that they’ve realised the depth they’ve got and they’ve figured out a style of play that they want to use, especially in this format, and they’re really sticking to that, which I think has been really impressive to see. So, in their home conditions they’re obviously going to play really well and be a real threat. But as we’ve seen throughout this World Cup so far, there’s lots of teams that are pushing everybody.”

Premier League table by transfer spend per point 2025/26

The Premier League season is now starting to take shape as we head into a busy festive period, and there have already been plenty of surprises.

Whether it be Sunderland’s return or Liverpool’s struggles, there have been numerous talking points so far, and FootballBlog have transformed the top flight table to a cost per point basis.

Every current manager in the 2025/26 Premier League ranked

This table is made up of each of the 20 Premier League sides’ total summer transfer spend in 2025, divided by points they have earned in the first 11 games of the season.

Premier League table cost per point

Rank

Club

Summer spend

Cost per point

1

Aston Villa

£28m

£1.56m per point

2

Crystal Palace

£49.9m

£2.94m per point

3

Fulham

£35.1m

£3.19m per point

4

Brighton

£67.7m

£4.23m per point

5

Brentford

£92.8m

£5.8m per point

6

Bournemouth

£136.7m

£7.59m per point

7

Everton

£124m

£8.27m per point

8

Man City

£185.8m

£8.45m per point

9

Leeds

£103.1m

£9.37m per point

10

Tottenham

£171.2m

£9.51m per point

11

Sunderland

£183.4m

£9.65m per point

12

Burnley

£97.7m

£9.77m per point

13

Arsenal

£267m

£10.27m per point

14

Man Utd

£232.4m

£12.91m per point

15

West Ham

£131.3m

£13.13m per point

16

Chelsea

£296.5m

£14.83m per point

17

Nottingham Forest

£182.5m

£20.28m per point

18

Newcastle

£256.3m

£21.36m per point

19

Liverpool

£446.5m

£24.81m per point

20

Wolves

£105.6m

£52.8m per point

20 Wolves £52.8m per point

Based off the fact they only have two points from a possible 33, it is no surprise to see Wolves rock bottom of this table as well.

The Old Gold spent over £100m in the summer, so their cost per point so far is extortionate.

19 Liverpool £24.81m per point

Defending champions Liverpool were the biggest spenders by far over the summer, spending just under £450m on the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez.

Aside from Ekitike, the Reds’ new additions have struggled massively and as a result, every point Arne Slot’s side have picked up has cost them just shy of £25m.

18 Newcastle £21.36m per point

Pressure is building on Eddie Howe and Newcastle after a poor Premier League start, with the Magpies forking out more than £250m in the summer.

Record signing Nick Woltemade started brightly, but Newcastle are in the relegation zone in this cost per point table at more than £21m for each of their 12 points.

17 Nottingham Forest £20.28m per point

Now onto their third manager of the season, Nottingham Forest are showing positive signs under Sean Dyche and are out of the bottom three in this table.

The Reds spent just under £185m after qualifying for the Europa League, meaning Evangelos Marinakis has spent over £20m per point so far.

16 Chelsea £14.83m per point

Chelsea were the second-biggest spenders in England over the summer, with Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens their three most expensive additions.

The Blues have started in solid fashion after their Club World Cup triumph, so a cost of just under £15m per point so far isn’t terrible for Enzo Maresca’s side.

15 West Ham £13.13m per point

This could have been so much worse for West Ham if they hadn’t picked up back-to-back wins prior to the international break.

Now on 10 points from 11 games, the Hammers spent £131.3m over the summer under Graham Potter, but now have Nuno Espirito Santo in charge.

14 Man Utd £12.91m per point

Unbeaten since September, Man Utd are seemingly beginning to find some form under Ruben Amorim, with marquee signings Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha impressing.

The Red Devils spent more than £230m in the summer, and their haul of 18 points works out at just shy of £13m per point.

13 Arsenal £10.27m per point

Top of the Premier League table after a brilliant first 11 games, Arsenal are mid-table in this cost per point league after forking out £267m on new players as they aim to finally lift the title under Mikel Arteta.

Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres were the marquee additions in attack, although it has been the Gunners’ defence that has impressed.

12 Burnley £9.77m per point

Newly promoted Burnley are just above the relegation zone but sit clear of it in the cost per point table.

The Clarets brought in the likes of Kyle Walker over the summer, and he’s so far helped them to 10 points in 11 games.

11 Sunderland £9.65m per point

The big success story of the season so far has been Sunderland’s return to the Premier League. After eight years away, the Black Cats signed 13 new players at a cost of £183.4m, many of which have made an instant impact.

Sitting in the top four, Regis Le Bris’ side sit down in 11th here, but that won’t bother them one bit.

West Ham flop was compared to Pirlo, now he's "National League standard"

This might be the first international break in some time that West Ham United fans can’t wait for it to end.

The East Londoners are still in the Premier League relegation zone, but following back-to-back wins, there is a sense of optimism that they can avoid a protracted fight for survival this year.

After all, Nuno Espirtio Santo took Nottingham Forest from near the bottom of the table to Europa League football in a season and a half; why can’t he achieve something similar at the London Stadium?

However, before fans get carried away, there are still a number of players who need to be moved on from the squad, including one flop previously compared to Andrea Pirlo.

West Ham's biggest losers since Nuno arrived

After a slightly rocky start, Nuno does look to have finally stabilised and improved things at West Ham.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

However, while the team appears to be somewhat on the up, and the fans are starting to feel justifiably optimistic about what the rest of the campaign could bring, some players have lost out due to the appointment of the Portuguese coach.

For example, while James Ward-Prowse was a constant feature in Graham Potter’s midfield, he hasn’t played a minute under the new regime.

In fact, the former Southampton captain hasn’t even been named in a single squad, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise considering Nuno also froze him out when he was on loan at the City Ground last year.

Another Potter signing who has had no luck under the Sao-Tome-born boss is Igor Julio.

The Brazilian centre-back joined the Hammers on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day, and so far has played 13 minutes of football under his new boss, which came in three short appearances off the bench.

What makes this worse is the fact that Konstantinos Mavropanos has been out injured for almost a month, and even so, he has still been limited to a bit-part role at best.

Finally, although this may be a bit harsh, the manager appears to have lost faith in Soungoutou Magassa.

The Frenchman started his first two games in charge, but has since played just 30 minutes of action across the last four league games, thanks to two substitutions.

With that said, he’s still young and clearly talented, so there is every chance Nuno will eventually use him more often, which cannot be said for a West Ham flop who was once compared to Pirlo, but now needs to be sold as soon as possible.

The West Ham flop compared to Pirlo

The midfield pairing of Freddie Potts and Mateus Fernandes, which has worked so well in recent games, has made it evident that West Ham need to get rid of their other midfield options, who have looked way off it this season: Andrew Irving.

The Hammers signed the Scotsman in the summer of 2023 from Austrian outfit Klagenfurt, and while it wasn’t really a big deal at the time, there was a hope he’d prove to be a bargain buy, especially as he’d been compared to the legendary Pirlo in the past.

Yes, while it was certainly tongue-in-cheek, he was given the nickname ‘Portobello Pirlo’ by the fans during his time with Scottish outfit Hearts, where he made 61 appearances, scoring five goals and providing 13 assists.

Unfortunately, while he was probably deserving of the comparison north of the border, he hasn’t shown any Pirlo-esque quality in the capital.

In fact, in the words of journalist Jordan Rushworth, he has looked more like a “National League standard” midfielder, adding that he “gets walked past every time an opposition midfielder has the ball.”

While harsh and probably a little over the top, the 25-year-old has looked miles off it in Claret and Blue, and was starting in the middle of the park during Nuno’s struggles against Brentford and Leeds United.

In fact, it was in the aftermath of the former that Jamie Carragher described the Hammers as “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history!”

This lack of dynamism in the middle of the park was largely down to the once-capped Scotsman, and his statistics from that game did not make for pleasant reading.

In his 61 minutes of inaction, he played a single key pass, misplaced four of five crosses, lost 100% of his tackles, didn’t make a single interception, clearance or block, and lost 100% of his aerial duels.

Irving vs Brentford

Minutes

61′

Expected Assists

0.02

Key Passes

1

Shots

0

Crosses (Accurate)

5 (1)

Ground Duels (Won)

4 (2)

Aerial Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Tackles (Won)

2 (0)

Clearances

0

Interceptions

0

Blocks

0

All Stats via Sofascore

Ultimately, Irving has been really quite poor for West Ham this season, and with far better options currently doing the business for Nuno, he should be sold in January.

£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
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Nov 15, 2025

Diageo mulls RCB sale, launches 'strategic review'

The review is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore05-Nov-2025

RCB won their first IPL title in 2025•Getty Images

Diageo, the multinational alcoholic beverage company and owner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and WPL, has taken the first steps towards divesting its stake in the franchise.In a filing with India’s market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on Wednesday, Diageo said it was conducting a “strategic review” of its investment in RCB through Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) – the parent company that owns the men’s and women’s teams.The review is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026, the end of India’s financial year. (RCSPL is a fully owned subsidiary of United Spirits Ltd. (USL) which in turn is owned by Diageo).”RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL; however, it is non-core to our alcobev (alcohol and beverages) business,” said Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director & CEO of United Spirits, in the SEBI filing.”This step reinforces USL and Diageo’s commitment to reviewing our India portfolio to ensure sustained long-term value for stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL’s best interests in mind.”The move comes amid Diageo’s struggles in its core global business, which has been under significant pressure in recent years. In a SEBI filing in June this year, the company had denied reports of RCB’s sale, with USL’s company secretary Mital Sanghvi calling them “speculative”.However, with Diageo now facing headwinds globally, that stance appears to have shifted.Speculation about a potential divestment had intensified after the fatal stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in June, a day after RCB won their maiden IPL title.Among the most popular IPL teams, RCB was the second most expensive franchise when the tournament was launched in 2008. Vijay Mallya, then chairman of USL bought the franchise for USD 111.6 million in 2007, before he stepped down as director in 2016, with Diageo becoming the sole owner of the company.ESPNcricinfo has reached out to Rajesh Menon, vice-president and head of RCB, for comment.The development, though, will not have any impact on RCB’s planning for the upcoming IPL and WPL seasons, including the auctions. Any new owner will also need to get clearance from the IPL and the process is likely to stretch beyond the 2026 IPL season.WPL 2026 is scheduled to start in January, while the IPL, which RCB will start as defending champions, is expected to start in March and run through May.

Tottenham looking to offload Spurs regular in January, Frank doesn't want him

Tottenham are looking to sell a Spurs regular who Thomas Frank no longer wants with the January transfer window looming, according to a new report today.

Tottenham's rumoured plans for the January transfer window

If there’s one thing the last month has taught us, it is that the Lilywhites are still far from the finished article.

Tepid London derby defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea in the last few weeks, where Spurs barely managed to threaten in either encounter, significantly highlight the need for more firepower in particular.

Striker Dominic Solanke remains out with an ankle injury that required minor surgery, while star playmakers James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are still working to come back from their respective long-term problems.

This has left Spurs starved of attacking quality at times, with summer signing Xavi Simons largely failing to impress bar a player of the match display at home to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

25/26 Premier League

Spurs

League rank

xG

11.0

17th

Non-penalty xG

11.0

16th

Progressive passes

413

12th

Shots

110

19th

Shots on target

40

15th

Average shot distance

15.6 yards

17th

Stats via FBref

A silver lining for the north Londoners was Randal Kolo Muani’s exceptional outing against parent club PSG in Europe on Wednesday, where the Frenchman bagged a brace and an assist during the thrilling eight-goal thriller in Paris.

However, amid Solanke’s injury problems and the uncertainty surrounding Kolo Muani’s long-term future, considering he is only on a dry loan, reports suggest that Tottenham could look to sign a striker in January.

Co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange are also targeting a winger, with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo on their radar.

Semenyo, who has stood out as one of the Premier League’s finest attacking players this season, could leave for just £65 million during the early stages of January due to a release clause in his contract.

Ex-club chief now tips Tottenham to sign Man City star for £50m in January

A deal is apparently there to be done.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 28, 2025

Some media sources claim that Tottenham are prepared to shatter their winter transfer record by signing both Semenyo and FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, with the latter in excellent goalscoring form right now.

To fund such a big investment, player sales may be needed, and one man believed to be on the chopping block is striker Richarlison.

Tottenham looking to offload Richarlison in January

According to recent reports, despite selecting him 20 times this season, whether that be in the starting eleven or from the bench, Frank views Richarlison as ‘expendable’ heading into 2026.

Now, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told Football Insider that Tottenham are looking to sell Richarlison in January.

Amid concerns surrounding inconsistent form and the fact his contract expires in 2027, it is clear to see why.

The Brazil international has actually scored six goals and bagged a further two assists this term, including two stunning goal of the season contenders against Burnley and Arsenal respectively.

However, Richarlison has still come under criticism this season, and January represents an opportunity to offload for a significant fee before it is too late.

The 28-year-old cost £60 million to sign from Everton, and reports suggest that Richarlison could return to Goodison Park as one mooted destination.

De Kock reverses ODI retirement

Quinton de Kock has reversed his retirement from ODI cricket and has been included in both ODI and T20I squads for the Pakistan tour in October as well as a one-off T20I in Namibia before that.De Kock had retired from 50-over cricket after the 2023 ODI World Cup, and his last white-ball game for South Africa was the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados. While he never officially retired from T20Is, he was not included in any of South Africa’s squads and former coach Rob Walter was unsure of his long-term plans. In the meantime, he has been active in T20 leagues around the world, including the recently-concluded CPL.Shukri Conrad, the current head coach, has had a discussion with de Kock and said he has committed to the national team again.Related

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“Quinton’s return to the white-ball space is a major boost for us,” Conrad said. “When we spoke last month about his future, it was clear that he still has a strong ambition to represent his country. Everyone knows the quality he brings to the side, and having him back can only benefit the team.”At the time of his ODI retirement, de Kock had hinted that he might be convinced to come back, with South Africa’s home World Cup in 2027 on the horizon. “At this point, I don’t foresee it happening. But you never know. Strange things happen in life. It could be a possibility but I don’t think so,” he had said.De Kock has played 155 ODIs, in which he has 6770 runs at an average of 45.74 and a strike rate of 96.64. In 92 T20Is, he has 2584 runs at a strike rate of 138.32. He has played three ODI World Cups – 2015, 2019 and 2023 – and the only ICC tournament he missed after his retirement was the Champions Trophy earlier this year where South Africa were knocked out in the semi-final.

Motie, Hope and Pretorius combine to keep Royals winless

The win helped Amazon Warriors get their campaign back on track after two losses in a row

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2025Barbados Royals continued their winless run in CPL 2025, sliding to their fourth defeat in five games thanks to Shai Hope and Dwaine Pretorius in the main, as Guyana Amazon Warriors bounced back from successive losses to register their third win in five games in a rain-hit contest in Bridgetown.Asked to bat at home, Royals didn’t have a great start, losing Quinton de Kock in the fourth over and Kadeem Alleyne in the seventh, but Brandon King ensured they had a decent powerplay on the whole, reaching 43. But he was gone by the eighth over for a 27-ball 39, and then it was over to Rassie van der Dussen to keep things on course with Eathan Bosch and Sherfane Rutherford following King back to the dugout quickly.Royals needed a partnership, and got it from van der Dussen and captain Rovman Powell.

Van der Dussen, unfortunately, could never quite speed up, finishing with a 37-ball 45, but Powell did, smashing an unbeaten 28-ball 50 with six sixes, which pushed Royals to a competitive 165. Gudakesh Motie, with the wickets of Alleyne and Bosch, was the standout Amazon Warriors bowler, returning 2 for 16 from his four overs.Amazon Warriors’ chase started terribly, raising fears of a third successive loss, as they slid to 30 for 4 inside the fifth over. Ben McDermott, Moeen Ali, Shimron Hetmyer and Hassan Khan were all gone, Bosch and Ramon Simmonds picking up two wickets apiece at the start.But that’s where Royals’ fight ended. Hope, who had opened the innings, was still there, and Pretorius joined ranks with him from No. 6, and the two put on an 89-run stand in 60 balls amid the rain – which was a near-constant presence – to put Amazon Warriors on top.They were separated when Pretorius fell for a 34-ball 53 to Chris Green, and the target was still some distance away with the scoreboard reading 119 for 5. Hope and Quentin Sampson ensured that there were no further hiccups, getting to the target with a six and with two balls remaining.

McSweeney's century gives defending champions chance to pressure WA

The South Australia captain made 103 as the home side were only able to pick up four wickets on the third day

Tristan Lavalette30-Oct-2025On the opposite bank of the Swan River from where he made his Test debut nearly 12 months ago, South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney returned to form with a classy century to set up an intriguing final day at the WACA where Cameron Green and Brendan Doggett loom large.Trailing by 92 runs on the first innings, South Australia dominated day three on a flattening surface with McSweeney, batting at No. 3, making 103 off 168 balls and sharing a 153-run second-wicket partnership with Henry Hunt.Having scored just 73 runs from his previous four Shield innings, McSweeney is not deemed to be in the Ashes selection mix on the back of a tough start to his Test career last summer.After receiving a life early in his innings, McSweeney was in complete command and showed why he is so highly rated among Australia’s hierarchy.”Any cricketer wants to play for Australia and playing in that Baggy Green is an awesome feeling,” McSweeney said. “For me, it’s just about trying to play my best cricket, win games for South Australia, make hundreds and hopefully one day I get another crack.”Whether it be this series [Ashes], or whenever the time comes, I’ll be ready to go.”McSweeney and Hunt put South Australia in a position where they can dictate with a declaration likely early on day four. There will be spotlight on Doggett and Green as selectors mull over Australia’s Ashes squad.Returning from a hamstring injury, Doggett overcame a rusty start to finish with six wickets in WA’s first innings, including dismissing Green for a duck. Green is playing this match as a specialist batter with a return to bowling likely during WA’s next Shield game against Queensland starting on November 11.There is the threat of damp weather spoiling the finish of this match, with rain forecast on Friday afternoon.The third day finished in sunshine after the start was delayed by 45 minutes due to rain. Hunt and Conor McInerney dug in against a WA pace attack that had run rampant in the first innings.McInerney had started to find his rhythm with a couple of lovely boundaries down the ground. Having toughed out the first 18 overs, McInerney fell in tame fashion after being knocked over having not offered a shot to a straight delivery from offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli bowling around the wicket.While WA’s quicks struggled to penetrate, Rocchiccioli caused problems with his trademark bounce as he tried to once again be the talismanic figure of the attack.But he was thwarted by McSweeney, who started to lift the intensity with sharp footwork as the game went through a lull towards lunch. Out of nowhere, McSweeney on 19 lost concentration and hit quick Cameron Gannon to mid-on but Liam Haskett spilt the catch.The game went back in its shell after lunch until the unusual sight of a swarm of bees hovering over the field caused a five-minute delay. Having reached his 50 off 128 balls, Hunt decided to up the ante on resumption and whacked Rocchiccioli for a towering six into the part of the ground undergoing major redevelopment.McSweeney was in fluent touch and drove superbly, trusting the surface which had shown little of the sharp bounce from earlier in the match. WA captain Sam Whiteman resorted to left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly, whose only two wickets of his first-class career had come during Australia A’s recent tour of India.But Connolly has a knack of making things happen and claimed his maiden Shield wicket when he had Hunt caught behind with a lovely flighted delivery that bounced sharply off the surface.There was no stopping McSweeney, who reached his first century this season with a six over mid-on but he fell shortly after when wicketkeeper Joel Curtis claimed a superb catch diving to his left.WA players wore black armbands as a mark of respect for Ben Austin, a 17-year-old club cricketer in Melbourne who died after being struck on the neck by a ball at training on Tuesday.

Southampton face 'complex' Tonda Eckert visa issues as permission granted

Southampton have been granted permission following a managerial application ahead of Championship action returning, it has been revealed.

Southampton fan pundit calls for “experienced” manager

The Saints and Sport Republic have taken their time in regards to appointing Will Still’s permanent successor after sacking him at the beginning of the month.

A number of bosses have been linked with the St Mary’s vacancy, but it is interim manager Tonda Eckert who has been catching the eye after back-to-back wins against QPR and Sheffield Wednesday prior to the international break.

There have been suggestions the 32-year-old is in line to receive the permanent Southampton manager job, however, the pressure is on Sport Republic after a number of failures in recent times. Southampton fan pundit Ray Hunt even stated that supporters “want to see an experienced manager” come in.

“Sport Republic have appointed five permanent mangers in their three full seasons in charge. During that period, they have overseen two relegations from the Premier League, and one promotion with their only success, Russell Martin, but failed to give him the tools needed to succeed in the top flight.

“Moving forward, fans will want to see an experienced manager, who’s widely respected with a clear structure. We cannot repeat mistakes from the past. It is a huge task they simply have to get right. Take your time, give Tonda time in that interim, but ultimately make the right decision. The fans won’t tolerate another failure.”

Meanwhile, it has been added that Eckert is set to get the next three Championship fixtures to increase his chances of landing the role.

Now, it has been revealed the lengths the Saints have had to go to for Eckert to be in the dugout over the coming weeks despite already being employed as U23 coach.

Southampton apply for new visa to keep Eckert in charge

According to Sport 1, ‘Southampton applied for a work visa for Eckert for the upcoming matches so they could continue working with him’. It is claimed that the Saints ‘already received this visa for the next few games – meaning Eckert can continue’.

Tonda Eckert’s coaching career

Role

Years

1.FC Koln U17

Assistant manager

2013-2016

RB Salzburg YL

Assistant manager

2016-2017

RB Leipzig YL

Assistant manager

2017-2019

FC Bayern U17

Assistant manager

2019-2020

Barnsley

Assistant manager

2020-2022

Genoa

Assistant manager

2022-2025

Southampton U23

Manager

2025

Southampton

Interim manager

2025 – present

Eckert had a different visa as U23 coach, with the situation labelled ‘complex’ as ‘England’s employment law is extremely complicated, especially in football’, with clubs needing to ‘provide detailed justifications to the authorities as to why they prefer a foreign coach to an English candidate’.

Should Eckert get another positive result at The Valley this weekend and then again at home to Leicetser City and away to Millwall, then the speculation surrounding him landing the job on a long-term basis will only increase.

Southampton told to appoint new manager over Eckert who "ticks every box"

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