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Wilfried Nancy will manage his first match in charge of Celtic this afternoon as Hearts come to Parkhead in a top-of-the-table clash in the Scottish Premiership.

It will be interesting to see what tactical changes he has been able to implement after only a few days on the training pitch, as his usual system with his former club is different from the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 shape that the Hoops have played this season.

Per FBRef, Nancy played with a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-3 system in 31 of his 43 matches with Columbus Crew this year in all competitions, often playing with two second strikers or number tens behind a main centre-forward.

If the French boss goes with his favoured 3-4-2-1 system, he could ruthlessly drop Luke McCowan from the team that started against Dundee last time out.

Why Wilfried Nancy should drop Luke McCowan

The Scottish midfielder has started the last two league matches on the right wing in Martin O’Neill’s 4-2-3-1 system, but he has been ineffective in a new role, lacking the dynamism and pace required to be effective in that area of the pitch.

McCowan, who has not scored since the opening day of the season, did not score a goal or create a ‘big chance’ for the team against Hibernian or Dundee as a winger, per Sofascore.

He also completed just two of his five attempted dribbles, per Sofascore, struggling with the explosive turn of pace that is often needed to make things happen on the wing, whilst he also lost seven of his 11 duels in total across both matches.

These statistics suggest that McCowan should be dropped irrespective of a change in formation, but a change in shape to a 3-4-2-1 would allow Nancy to ditch the Scotsman by unleashing Johnny Kenny in a new role.

The new role that Johnny Kenny could play for Celtic

It has been a rollercoaster couple of months for the Ireland international, who went from rarely playing under Brendan Rodgers to scoring four goals in O’Neill’s first four games, to now being on the bench behind Daizen Maeda.

Kenny has been an unused substitute in the last three matches, which means that he has still scored four goals in his last five appearances for the club, per Sofascore, and Nancy could bring him back into the fold as an attacking midfielder or second striker.

The two roles behind the striker in a 3-4-2-1 system are unique because it can be a very fluid front three with a lot of movement, and that could suit both Kenny and Maeda, the former of whom has been praised for his “top-drawer” mentality by his former Sligo Rovers coach Conor O’Grady.

Celtic’s Irish striker has shown that he can score goals for the club, with his four-goal burst under O’Neill, but Nancy’s job is to find the best way to fit him into the system to get the best out of him.

Per Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old star has never played as a second striker or as an attacking midfielder in his career to date. It is a role that could suit him quite nicely, though.

How Celtic could line up in a 3-4-2-1

Position

Player

GK

Kasper Schmeichel

CB

Dane Murray

CB

Auston Trusty

CB

Liam Scales

RWB

Colby Donovan

CM

Callum McGregor

CM

Reo Hatate

LWB

Kieran Tierney

AM

Hyun-jun Yang

AM

Johnny Kenny

ST

Daizen Maeda

As you can see in the XI above, Kenny could play as one of two players behind Maeda, who is a relentless pressing forward who can also play deeper or out wide, and could rotate across all three positions.

This fluidity could suit the Irishman because of his mobility and desire to run beyond the last line to create chances for himself, without being the focal point who has to bring physicality and hold up play, because it will be Maeda in that position.

Of course, it is hard to judge how the system will look until Nancy has had a few games to test things out and more time on the training pitch to coach the players, but Kenny seems like a player who could benefit from a 3-4-2-1 formation.

That change in shape, whilst helping the striker, would also allow the manager to drop an underperforming player, McCowan, from the starting line-up to provide the young forward with a chance to shine in a brand-new role in his career.

Related Better than Maeda: Celtic star is going to be undroppable under Nancy

This Celtic star who was even better than Daizen Maeda against Dundee should be Wilfried Nancy’s first undroppable star.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Dec 4, 2025

انتقدت قناة ريال مدريد، حكم مباراة الفريق أمام سيلتا فيجو، بعد الهزيمة مساء الأحد ببطولة الدوري الإسباني، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

وتعرض ريال مدريد للهزيمة بهدفين دون رد أمام سيلتا فيجو، وتلقى فريق تشابي ألونسو، ثلاث بطاقات حمراء، اثنتان خلال اللقاء لفران جونزاليس وألفارو كاريراس، وأخرى لإندريك على مقاعد البدلاء.

وعاد تلفزيون ريال مدريد ليوجه سهامه مجددًا إلى الأداء التحكيمي، وقال: “رغم أن قرارات كوينتيرو جونزاليس لم تكن مؤثرة بشكل مباشر في نتيجة اللقاء، فإن ما قدمه كان مخيبًا ومؤسفًا، لقد ترشّح، كما كان يحدث في عهد نيجريرا، لنيل الجوائز التي يستحقها، سواء بأن يصبح حكمًا دوليًا أو بإدارة أهم المباريات على المستوى الوطني”.

وأضاف: “حتى هو نفسه لا يعرف ماذا يحتسب، إنه من الحكام الجدد، لكنه… سيئ، ولنقل ذلك مؤقتًا فقط، ما يقدمه الحكم أمرًا فادحًا، وفوضويًا للغاية، هو جديد، لكن يبدو أنه تلقى التعليمات جيدًا”.

وخلال بث المباراة انتقدوا قرارات التحكيم فيما يتعلق بإضاعة الوقت، قائلين: “لم يطبّق المعيار نفسه على الطرفين، وكان متساهلًا جدًا مع تضييع الوقت من جانب سيلتا فيجو، قاعدة الثماني ثوانٍ أصبحت مهزلة، إنها صفعة على وجه المشجعين واللاعبين والجميع”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ماركا تكشف كواليس الفوضى أمام سيلتا فيجو.. فينيسيوس يتنبأ بقرار الحكم وطرد ثالث في ريال مدريد

وتواصلت التعليقات طوال المباراة: “سيلتا يجيد إضاعة الوقت، لكن حكم دوري نيجريرا، وهو سيء للغاية، يجب أن يمنع ذلك، نتوقع أي شيء من دوري نيجريرا، وتفاصيل نيجريرا”.

وتتابعت التعليقات: “هذا ليس يومًا نتحدث فيه عن ركلات الجزاء أو التسلل، لقد كان يومًا مليئًا بالبطاقات الصفراء وإضاعة الوقت؛ كل ذلك يُرهقك، ليس هذا سبب الهزيمة، لكن التحكيم لم يُفاجئنا، لأنه كان أداءً مؤسفًا آخر في مباراة سيئة للفريق”.

كانت هناك أيضًا شكوى بشأن طرد فران حارسيا لتراكم البطاقات الصفراء: “لم يُظهر البث المباشر تدخل فران حارسيا بالتفصيل من أفضل زاوية، لذلك لم نتمكن من تحديد ما إذا كانتا مخالفتين”.

وفيما يتعلق بالبطاقة الحمراء الثانية، التي شُهرت لـ كاريراس، قالوا: “شيء مذهل مدى سرعة مهاجمته لكاريراس عندما وُجه إليه اللوم، من السهل جدًا مهاجمة لاعب واحد وغض الطرف عن الآخرين، كانت هناك احتجاجات طوال المباراة، احتج سيلتا، واحتج جيرالديز؛ اللقطات موجودة، حتى لو لم تُعرض”.

وفي الختام، جاء ذكر فران سوتو، الرئيس الحالي للجنة الحكام: “هذا ليس تحكيمًا يليق بدوري يدّعي أنه من بين الأفضل في العالم، أريد أن أرى ماذا سيقول فران سوتو، وماذا سيُقال في برنامج (زمن المراجعة)، إن كانوا سيعرضون اللقطات أصلًا”.

India opener did not come out to begin the chase with Smriti Mandhana

Sruthi Ravindranath26-Oct-2025

Pratika Rawal walks off the field after hurting her ankle•Getty Images

Pratika Rawal did not open India’s chase against Bangladesh after hurting her knee and ankle while fielding during the first innings of their final league game of the Women’s World Cup in Navi Mumbai.”The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring her progress,” the board said in a statement.The injury occurred off the final ball of the 21st over in a rain-hit game in Navi Mumbai, when Bangladesh batter Sharmin Akter swiped Deepti Sharma across the line. As Rawal ran towards her left from cow corner, her foot appeared to get stuck in the turf and her ankle twisted as she fell to the ground. While the ball went to the boundary, Rawal winced in pain and held her ankle. Though a stretcher was sent out for her, she got up with the physio’s help and hobbled off the field. Amanjot Kaur filled in as Smriti Mandhana’s opening partner in Rawal’s absence.The match between India and Bangladesh began two hours after the scheduled time due to rain and was initially reduced to 43 overs a side. But another spell of rain delayed play for two more hours with Bangladesh on 39 for 2 in 12.2 overs. The match eventually resumed at 8.05 pm local time as a 27-overs-a-side contest. However, there was a drizzle even minutes before the restart.Bangladesh dragged themselves to 119 for 9 in their 27, and India – with a revised target of 126 – were cruising at 57 for no loss when another spell of rain forced a washout.Rawal, 25, is the second highest run-scorer at the World Cup, behind Mandhana, with 308 runs at an average of 51.33 in six innings. She had scored a century in the previous game against New Zealand, which India won by 53 runs to seal their spot in the semi-finals.Shortly after the Rawal injury, her team-mate Radha Yadav also seemed to get her foot stuck trying to stop the ball at point in the 25th over. But she gathered herself up and bowled the next over.India were going to finish fourth in the league stage irrespective of the result against Bangladesh and will play table toppers Australia in the second semi-final on Thursday in Navi Mumbai.

Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd have been rested for the Nepal series, while Shimron Hetmyer had made himself unavailable

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2025The West Indies team management is looking to expand the bowlers’ pool ahead of the T20 World Cup early next year in India and Sri Lanka.Their next T20I assignment is against Nepal at the end of this month for which the selectors have picked five uncapped players, including legspinner Zishan Motara, left-arm quick Ramon Simmonds and legspin-bowling allrounder Navin Bidaisee, apart from batters Ackeem Auguste and Karima Gore, who played international cricket for USA until 2021 but is yet to get his West Indies cap.They have also picked a support staff heavily stacked with former bowlers to accompany the 15-man squad to Sharjah, with Rayon Griffith as the head coach, Ottis Gibson as fast-bowling consultant, and Nikita Miller and Jerome Taylor as assistant coaches.Related

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Nepal, WI to play first bilateral T20I series in September

Five uncapped players in Akeal Hosein-led WI T20I squad against Nepal

“The tour of Nepal is quite strategic for us,” CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe said in a press meet. “We have recognised that probably over the last few years, our bowling has been a little bit of the Achilles’ heel in our white-ball team. So we have tried to bolster the support for the bowling group.”After touring the UAE, West Indies will tour Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in October and then fly to New Zealand for five T20Is and three ODIs.Full-time head coach Daren Sammy explained that some of the first-choice players like Gudakesh Motie, the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing CPL, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd had been rested for the games in Nepal to manage their workloads. Except Shimron Hetmyer, who blew hot and blew cold this CPL and was unavailable for the tour.Ottis Gibson’s presence raises the profile of the West Indies support staff•Getty Images”If you look at the workload of these guys, Rovman for sure, he has been battling a wrist injury that prevented him from playing in the Pakistan series,” Sammy said. “I mean, he pushed it through this CPL. He requested a time off for him to further look at it. Motie and Shepherd, because of their workload over the last few months, we gave them a time off for that. Sherfane was also [rested] because of his workload.”Hetmyer also requested that he was unavailable for that Nepal trip. So again, like I said, it’s not always a bed of roses. Some things we don’t see, but it’s always a challenge. I’ve said that when I call somebody and tell them, ‘you’ve been selected for some of the series’, and I have to ask to everyone, do you accept the selection to play for West Indies? It’s something that I must do because we don’t own the players. We could only select from what’s available to us. Hettie has been one of our promising, talented players from the Under-19 level. However, the scope of things that now… we could only select and hope guys accept this selection. But he’s always available for selection from our side.”Sammy further said that the selectors and coaches also looked at the performers from the inaugural Breakout League – a new T20 league launched earlier this year to spot talent from across the Caribbean – and the CPL to pick fresh players for the upcoming T20Is.Nathan Edward is a rare left-arm quick in West Indies cricket•ICC/Getty Images”You look at the Breakout [League] and again, I will emphasise the need for continued avenues for us to showcase and unearth talent,” he said. “And the Breakout, maybe some people were against it because it was a T20 format, but if you see this year, the amount of players that came through – Bidaisee was one of them that came through and show his skillset in the Breakout. And, he reminds me of Samuel Badree, who probably could bowl in the powerplay, bowl in the middle, very consistent around that good-length area that brings challenges to batsmen.”And two areas that I’ve spoken about in our bowling department in T20s is the need for a wristspinner. And every single team I could remember in World Cup T20 cricket, has had a left-arm seamer. Just the angle they bring and the difficulty, especially in the back-end of an innings, or whether the ability to swing. I don’t think in the history of West Indies cricket we’ve actually even had two left-arm seamers playing together, much less three. And we also, from the Breakout, you see a young Nathan Edward, who’s been quite quality as well. So again, you put that and you’re hoping that one or two will graduate so quickly that they could be into the senior team.”We gave Jediah [Blades] the exposure, but the way Ramon Simmonds has been bowling in all phases of the game gives me, and I’m pretty sure the selection group, confidence. It makes us excited about the prospects, the promise he’s shown. And then to top that, having somebody like an Ottis Gibson working with them, it’s a win-win situation for us. And hopefully that experience that they will gain or learn from getting the skillsets and the technical aspects of fast bowling or seam bowling from Ottis on that short trip could be a step…”Matthew Forde was still not fit to be considered for selection after he dislocated his shoulder in August, which made him miss the ODIs against Pakistan. CWI is, however, hoping he will be “up and running again” by the Bangladesh series.

Leeds United are now reportedly prioritising a deal to sign a South American defender ahead of Italian giants Juventus in the January transfer window.

Leeds still plotting Farke replacement despite Chelsea win

The Premier League is a harsh world, isn’t it? The pressure was increasing on Daniel Farke ahead of the Chelsea game, but you wouldn’t have known it after his side swept past Chelsea in a stunning 3-1 victory.

Reports in the build-up to the game claimed the German had to avoid defeat against the Blues and Liverpool this weekend to ensure that his job remains safe. It seemed an impossible task. Chelsea had just pushed Premier League leaders Arsenal all the way with 10 men and Liverpool, even in a difficult moment, remain the champions.

Come Wednesday night, however, there were no complaints from Farke. Instead, there was tactical genius. His 5-3-2 sytem physically outmatched Chelsea and Leeds, against the odds, secured a stunning 3-1 victory at Elland Road.

It would now be easy to assume that Farke’s job is safe. Yet, according to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, those at Elland Road are still preparing for the worst-case scenario.

The reporter revealed: “Sources have told BBC Sport that the process of identifying potential candidates to replace Farke has begun. It is not unusual practice for clubs to plot a succession plan for their managerial position regardless of the incumbent’s job security.

“But Leeds’ poor form, which left them in the relegation zone before Wednesday’s win, has placed significant pressure on Farke – serving to amplify the club’s movement towards pinpointing possible successors to the German.”

It would be a ruthless decision by the 49ers, but that may not be the only change on the way. With the January transfer window approaching, Leeds have already set their sights on Real Betis star Natan.

Leeds prioritising Natan deal

According to reports in Spain, Leeds are now prioritising a deal to sign Natan from Real Betis in the January transfer window. The Brazilian defender is valued at around €40m (£35m) by the Spanish club and has also attracted the interest of Serie A giants Juventus.

Leeds star was looking "bang average" this season, now he's undroppable

This Leeds star has shone in their last two games

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 5, 2025

It’s clear to see why both Leeds and Juventus have set their sights on the 24-year-old. He’s enjoyed an impressive start to the current campaign and could now secure a move, be it in the new year or next summer.

Minutes

1,260

1,260

Ball Recoveries

41

50

Tackles Won

10

3

Successful Aerial Duels

41

42

Statistically speaking, Natan would have no trouble getting into Farke’s best side. Compared to Joe Rodon, the South American has thrived out of possession and particularly impressed in the air.

The big question that remains is whether Leeds will be willing to splash out £35m for his signature. Their record signing still sits at £35.5m for Georginio Rutter and it would take some doing to break that as early as the January transfer window.

Best signing since Raphinha: Leeds star is one of "the best" players in PL

Newcastle United fans will be growing extremely restless with how poor their beloved side’s away form continues to be.

The inconsistent Magpies must wish they could play in front of their passionate St James’ Park masses every week, with another away day loss in the Champions League against Marseille meaning the Toon have lost their last four matches on the road.

In stark contrast, Eddie Howe’s men have won their last six matches in a row back on home soil.

Of course, home advantage is a common phrase uttered in football – hence the labelling of certain home grounds as fortresses – but this Jekyll and Hyde form will seriously be worrying Howe, with TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole saying “there’s too much of a gap” between the strugglers at their very best and their very worst, after the defeat in France.

Anthony Gordon is seriously letting his side down wherever they’re lining up at the moment, though, with a regret now possibly in the air that PIF didn’t cash in on the up-and-down performer when they could’ve.

Latest on Gordon's future at Newcastle

Indeed, during the summer of 2024, Liverpool were reportedly keen to tempt the England international to Anfield, with last summer also seeing them come back with more interest, as he was touted to have a bumper £100m price-tag above his head.

Gordon warranted all this fervent interest, too, with 37 goals and assists coming his way across two campaigns for Howe’s men.

His confidence was so sky-high that the Liverpool-born forward even labelled himself a “nightmare” for defenders to contain, amid interest also coming from top-flight rivals Arsenal.

Now, however, he has thudded back to reality, with zero goals or assists coming his way from seven Premier League games so far this season, with just 40% of his dribbles accurately completed, as per Sofascore, as he continues to look a worrying shadow of his former self.

Consequently, Liverpool have moved on to another batch of high-profile targets in attack in the form of Michael Olise and Antoine Semenyo, with writer Thomas Hammond stating that a forthcoming sale of Gordon would be “favourable”, just to get him off the books, concerning his ongoing no-shows.

While he has contributed massively to his own downfall, his Newcastle career could be in even more tatters by the emergence of this promising star on Tyneside, who PIF signed on a free transfer earlier this year.

The "explosive" star who can end Gordon's career

Howe could soon have to be bold with what he does in the St James’ Park hot seat, with the current state of affairs unfolding, leading him down the unwanted path of a dismissal.

For the tie at the Orange Velodrome, Howe did bravely decide to gift 16-year-old Sam Alabi a chance from the substitutes bench, with Antonio Cordero another promising star that might be in line for some first team chances soon, partcularly if Gordon continues to frustrate.

For the time being, the former Malaga winger is out on loan in Belgium with KVC Westerlo, but when he returns, he will have even more senior action under his belt, as he attempts to unsettle Gordon, with his standout time in the senior squad at Malaga, leading to one analyst page hailing him as an “explosive” talent.

Despite only being 19, Cordero – who has also been labelled as “exciting” by former Magpies sporting director Paul Mitchell – managed to tally up a weighty 60 appearances for the senior side, with goals and assists aplenty also coming his way.

LW

33

5 + 6

RW

16

2 + 3

AM

2

0

RM

1

0

Looking at the table above, Cordero would manage to tally up a blistering 11 goal contributions for his former employers down Gordon’s usual left-hand side from just 33 appearances.

The hope will be that Newcastle landing the teenage sensation for nothing proves to be a masterstroke in time, with Cordero further capable of also playing as a right winger, or as a number ten if needed.

The promising youngster has even been noted as being “like Gordon” by analyst Ben Mattinson, with Newcastle perhaps better served now to look to the future and put their energy into the Spaniard, than persisting with Gordon to come good.

In a few years, he might well be a household name on Tyneside, with the ex-Everton attacker off the Magpies roster, subsequently.

Alongside Pope: Howe must bin Newcastle hero who won 0 duels vs Marseille

Eddie Howe must now ditch this Newcastle United defender alongside a woeful Nick Pope.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 26, 2025

Ruben Amorim has singled-out one key star for criticism, claiming their performances for their country are better than the shifts they put in for Manchester United. The United boss has also claimed he can "feel the anxiety" every time his player receives the ball in a damaging analysis ahead of the clash with Crystal Palace.

• Youngster's struggles since joining United

  Dorgu has faced some initial problems since becoming Amorim’s first signing at Man Utd, primarily due to being played as an attacking wing-back when he is a more natural full-back. Pundits and fans have described some of his performances as "dreadful," pointing out defensive lapses and poor decision-making in the final third. He has also yet to register a goal or assist for the club. 

  However, Dorgu is still only 21 years old and arrived mid-season from Lecce in Serie A, and was thrown into an unstable team under a new system. His struggles are often viewed as a result of being played out of position and mis-used by the current system rather than a lack of talent. But his boss has pointed out that Dorgu's instincts when playing for United are completely different to when he plays for his native Denmark. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Amorim: 'He has time to improve'

  Ahead of the clash with Palace, Amorim said: "You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touches the ball. I can feel the anxiety. When I see Patrick playing for the national team, he scored a great goal against Scotland and the decision that he made under pressure was completely different than the decision he's making in our team. I think it's the decision, he needs to be calmer playing the game."

  He added: "I remember the shot against Everton. That was easier than the decision he had to make when a guy from Scotland was there. I saw it when he played in Italy. But again, here is different and sometimes the pressure is hard for them in the beginning. He has time to improve. I just need to understand the context in trying to help them (Dorgu and Dalot). They are far from their best, and they know it. Like a lot of players in our team, like myself. I just look at them, and think they have so much more to give. So let’s see this week if we can improve that." 

• Away day woes for Amorim

  Manchester United have won just three of their last 26 Premier League away games against London sides and just one game away from home this season. And the United boss has acknowledged that his side’s form away from home is a problem he needs fix quickly. Amorim said:  "I felt during this year that when we played at home, the intensity was higher. And I felt in this game at home (against Everton) the intensity was not at the same level. So I think it's something that we need to work on. It's hard to point one thing why we are not winning away. There's a lot of issues. We are improving but we need to know how to finish the games in order to win."

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  Palace test awaits United

  Palace are unbeaten in their last four meetings with the United, winning three, and have only lost one home game all season. United, winless in their last three Premier League matches and struggling away from home and are also hampered by injuries to key attackers Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, along with defender Harry Maguire.

  Ahead of the match Amorim has conceded his team needs to defend better. The Portuguese said: “We are being really soft near the box. So we need to improve that in the last games, especially against Nottingham (Forest, the 2-2 draw). We allowed a lot of crosses, we didn’t press well [in] moments. Against Everton, they were with 10 men and we suffered the goal (Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s winner) with the only shot on target."

Allrounder Flora Devonshire, who is uncapped at ODI level, has been included in New Zealand’s squad for the upcoming women’s ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Polly Inglis, Bella James and Bree Illing, who have just eight ODIs between them, have also been included for their first World Cup campaigns.Devonshire, a 22-year-old left-arm spinner, made her T20I debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year and was part of the New Zealand A tour of England in June and July. Her inclusion in the 15-player squad meant that fellow left-arm spinner Fran Jonas, who has 26 ODIs to her name, was a notable omission.Related

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“It’s never easy when you have multiple players pushing for the same spot and that of course made for some tough selection calls,” head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Having to leave out the likes of Fran in favour of Flora was a tough decision. We know Fran is a quality player and at 21 we believe she still has her best years in front of her.”Left-arm seamer Illing took four wickets in her first ODI series against Sri Lanka, while James made her ODI debut against Australia late last year. Inglis, who hit an unbeaten 34 off 21 balls in her second outing against Sri Lanka in March, will also provide wicketkeeping back-up to first-choice Izzy Gaze.”I’d like to especially acknowledge the four players set for their first World Cup – they’ve all earned this opportunity and I’m excited to see what impact they can have on the tournament,” Sawyer said. “I’m really pleased with the balance of the squad. I think we’ve got the right mix to tackle what we’ll come up against in terms of conditions and opposition.””Bree puts batters under pressure early with her swing and has great ability with the new ball. Her and Flora have both shown they can consistently bring the stumps into play, which will be effective in the conditions we’re going to face.”Flora’s got an attacking mind and skillset with the bat, which is valuable down the order. Bella’s a versatile batter who can hit 360 degrees around the ground and can bat in most places in the line up.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Polly gives us another option with the gloves within the squad, and she possesses great grit and determination, which are qualities that will be important in trying conditions.”The experienced core of the squad includes captain Sophie Devine, who will retire from ODI cricket after the World Cup, Suzie Bates, Lea Tahuhu, Maddy Green and Amelia Kerr.”I can honestly say that in the four world events I’ve been part of with this group, we are the best prepared we’ve ever been,” Sawyer said. “Having no international cricket in our calendar since April has given us the ability to work really hard on our physical skills in particular, which is something that could be the difference in India.”The squad leaves for the UAE on September 13 for a pre-tournament camp, which includes two warm-up matches against England, before heading to India. Their opening World Cup match is against Australia on October 1 in Indore.

New Zealand for Women’s ODI World Cup

Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu

And who are the only players to appear in all 23 seasons of the T20 Blast?

Steven Lynch16-Sep-2025Tsepo Ndwandwa took 7 for 206 in an A-team Test the other day. What’s the highest amount of runs conceded when taking seven – and eight or nine or ten – wickets in a first-class innings? asked Kieran Nash from England
The South Africa A slow left-armer Tsepo Ndwandwa took seven wickets against New Zealand A in Potchefstroom last week – but they cost him 206 runs, in a total of 607 for 7 declared. Eight bowlers have conceded more while taking seven in an innings: the most expensive was offspinner Pankaj Thakur’s 7 for 254 for Haryana against Bombay (718) in Faridabad in 1994. By coincidence, the Test record is also held by a Haryana player: Kapil Dev collected 7 for 220 for India against Pakistan (652) in Faisalabad in 1983.George Giffen holds the first-class record for the most expensive eight-for, conceding no fewer than 287 runs for South Australia in New South Wales’ total of 807 in Adelaide in 1899, when he was 40. Giffen shared the new ball with another Australian Test player, Ernie Jones, who finished with 1 for 210. Another Australian holds the Test record: offspinner Jason Krejza took 8 for 215 on debut against India in Nagpur in 2008.The South Australia legspinner Clarrie Grimmett took 9 for 180 – the most expensive nine-for in first-class cricket – against Queensland in Adelaide in 1934. The Test record is 9 for 129, by Keshav Maharaj for South Africa vs Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2018.The most runs conceded while taking all ten wickets in first-class cricket is 175, by the England offspinner Eddie Hemmings for an International XI against a West Indies XI in Kingston in 1982. Hemmings wasn’t sure this was a first-class game: “The ten-wicket haul had little significance at the time; after all we had only been playing a Festival game. It was only months later, back in England during the 1983 season, that I learned that the match had been granted first-class status and that my achievement would enter the record books.”Of the three bowlers who have taken all ten in a Test innings, New Zealand’s slow left-armer Ajaz Patel conceded the most runs – 119, against India in Mumbai in 2021.I was looking at the scores of England’s tour of South Africa in 1905-06, and noticed there was a big gap of slightly more than two months between the first and second Tests. Was this the longest gap between Tests in a series, and what was the reason for it? asked Richard Treacy from Australia
England’s 1905-06 tour of South Africa certainly had a strange itinerary. There were indeed more than two months between the first Test (at the old Wanderers ground in Johannesburg from January 2-4) and the second, also in Jo’burg (March 6-8). The reason was a crowded and lopsided itinerary: only the four first-class matches are shown on our series page (linked above), but there were also nine other games, many against odds (teams of more than 11), all around the country.Once the team returned to Johannesburg, the tour concluded with the last four Tests, broken up only by a non-first-class game in Bloemfontein against a 15-man side from Orange Free State. Those accustomed to today’s whistle-stop tours with few, if any, non-internationals will probably be shocked by the summary of Pelham Warner, England’s captain: “A very heavy programme was arranged. Between December 2 and April 2 we played 26 matches – which meant 66 days’ cricket – and travelled 5348 miles by railway, in addition to a sea journey between Durban and East London. No fewer than 22 nights were spent in the train… Exactly half the matches were against odds, varying from 22 to 15 men, who, however, fielded 13, and in one case 11.”Surprisingly, though, there have been two longer mid-series gaps between Test. The longest is ten months, between India’s fourth Test in England at The Oval in September 2021, and the fifth, which was postponed after Covid problems and rearranged for the following July at Edgbaston.The other longer gap came during England’s tour of the subcontinent in 1961-62. Ted Dexter’s side started with a Test against Pakistan in Lahore in October, but then played a full five-Test series in India before returning after nearly three months for two more Tests in Pakistan, in Dacca (January 19-24) and in Karachi (February 2-7).There was a gap of 50 days between the second and third Tests of the 1891-92 Ashes series, during which time the tourists had nine matches, only two of them first-class. During this gap an entirely different England team played a match against South Africa, now recognised as a Test, in Cape Town (March 19-22).I heard on the commentary that Ravi Bopara was one of two people who have played in every season of the English T20 competition. Who’s the other one? Is it James Anderson? asked Bill Lawson from England
You’re right that Ravi Bopara has played in all 23 seasons of the English T20 competition (now the Blast) since the first in 2003. Now 40, Bopara hit 105 not out from 46 balls for Northamptonshire in the quarter-final against Surrey at The Oval earlier this month.Mainly thanks to international duties, Jimmy Anderson has only appeared in nine domestic T20 seasons – his ten matches this year were his first since 2014. The other 23-season man is Samit Patel, also 40, who’s now playing for Derbyshire after many seasons with Nottinghamshire. Joe Denly has featured in 21 seasons, and Gareth Batty, Rikki Clarke, Steven Croft, James Hildreth and Luke Wright in 19.Samit Patel is the only other player to appear in all 23 seasons of the T20 Blast so far, alongside Ravi Bopara•Getty ImagesIs there anyone who’s played just one Test, one ODI and one T20 international? And how many have played Tests and T20s but not ODIs? asked Kaustubh from India
The only player who fits the bill here at the moment is the wonderfully named Nonkhululeko Peaceful Thabethe, whose three appearances for South Africa’s women all came in India in 2014.There are five men who have played just four international matches, including one in all three formats: the Indian pair of Naman Ojha (one Test, one ODI and two T20Is) and Karn Sharma (1-2-1), England’s Scott Borthwick (1-2-1), Charlton Tshuma of Zimbabwe (1-2-1) and Afghanistan’s Mohammad Saleem (1-2-1),There are currently 23 men and nine women who appeared in one Test and one ODI, about half of them dating from before the inaugural T20 international in Auckland in February 2005.And as I write there are 28 men and one woman (England’s Kirstie Gordon) who have played Tests and T20Is, but no ODIs. Some are current players who may yet break their 50-over duck, such as Lhuan-dre Pretorius (South Africa), Bangladesh’s Mahmudul Hasan and the Indians Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy.Who has scored the most successive half-centuries in ODIs? asked Muhammad Azfar from England
The record for consecutive 50-plus scores in one-day internationals is nine, by Pakistan’s Javed Miandad during 1987. This run included two hundreds. Another Pakistani is second: Imam-ul-Haq made seven 50-plus scores in a row in 2021 and 2022.There are ten more men who managed six consecutive ODI half-centuries.In women’s ODIs, Mithali Raj of India had seven consecutive 50-plus scores in 2017, while a distinguished trio in Lindsay Reeler (Australia), Charlotte Edwards (England) and Ellyse Perry (Australia) all had runs of six.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Australia thumped 13 sixes to two against South Africa despite slumping to 75 for 6 after batting first for the first time in their new power-based era

Alex Malcolm11-Aug-2025

Tim David launched eight sixes in his 83•AFP

. It hasn’t been an edict that has been formally declared either internally or publicly by Australia’s T20I team, but the actions of their batters are speaking loudly at the moment. No matter the scenario, no matter the number in the wickets column, Australia’s batters are trying to hit their way to victory with spectacular results so far.On Sunday in Darwin, Australia’s foot-to-the-floor method was put to its sternest test to date, having not batted first in any of the games in the Caribbean.Mitchell Marsh, with a moon shot that might as well have been a bat signal, launched the first ball of the match for six over mid-off to set the agenda for the night.When they lost two wickets in three balls across the second and third overs, Marsh kept going. When Marsh fell to leave Australia 30 for 3 after 3.1 overs, Cameron Green and Tim David showed no sign of slowing. David skipped down the track to his second ball from Kagiso Rabada and lofted him straight for six. Green smashed four fours and three sixes in a 13-ball 35. When he skied one, Australia were 70 for 4 after 5.5 overs.Related

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Mitch Owen tried to launch his fourth ball out of Darwin. Glenn Maxwell tried to do the same with his fifth. Australia were 75 for 6 in the eighth over and in danger of being bowled out for under 100.David got a little more selective as the lone specialist batter left standing when he was joined by Ben Dwarshuis. But with Dwarshuis good enough to feed him the strike with minimal risk, David was able pick his match-ups and club eight sixes in total to score 83 from 52 and help Australia post a match-winning total of 178.”It’s obviously not the team plan to be four down within six overs, but that happens at times,” David said post-game. “We’ve got what we believe is a great calibre of batters in our batting order, and we back each guy to make the right decisions.”We’ve been playing together as a group now for a while, so there’s not a great deal of instruction from the coaches. They trust the players. We trust ourselves to go out there and we understand the game situation and we make decisions on the fly, because that’s the nature of T20 cricket.”I think if you’d watched our guys bat over the last period, wherever they bat around the world and when they play for the Australian team, it’s close to all guns blazing. So, yeah, you can probably expect to see that a little bit from our team. That’s how we think we play best.”Start as you mean to go on: Mitchell Marsh hit the first ball of the match for six•Getty ImagesThe sight of David turning down singles with plenty of balls left in the innings, and a capable batter at the other end just as he had done in the Caribbean, might have looked odd at the time. But there is a clear method to it. David believes that even two sixes, three dots and a single off the last ball in an over where he faces all six deliveries is a better use of his talent and a better mathematical outcome than five singles and one six in the over.Australia struck 13 sixes in total to South Africa’s two on Sunday. And while South Africa faced 13 fewer dot balls during their chase – 46 to Australia’s 59 – the net outcome was a 17-run win to the home side. In the Caribbean, they hit 64 sixes to West Indies’ 53 across the series to win 5-0. They hit more sixes in three of the five games, were level in one and one short in another, but also never faced the full allotment of overs compared to West Indies given they chased in every game.This is not a new method of playing T20 cricket. Australia aren’t proclaiming to have reinvented the wheel. But it is a different method for a team that has been traditionally quite conservative in the shortest form and it’s led them to nine-straight T20I wins, a record for Australia in the format.They took lessons from the most recent T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, where the batting fell well short of the mark. The retirement of David Warner, who had become a T20 anchor in his latter years, and the non-selection of Steven Smith have led to a clear shift in method. There was once a desire to have a left-hander, like the retired Matthew Wade, permanently positioned in the middle-order for fear of being exposed by a legspinner or a left-arm orthodox, and that conservative thinking has also been shelved.Cameron Green has shown his power in the middle order•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty ImagesPacking the middle order with long levers and brute power to the point where Maxwell was listed at No. 7 on Sunday has been eye-opening. Green’s intent at No. 4 has been jaw-dropping. David has made his two highest T20I scores for Australia in his last three matches since moving to No. 5, including a 37-ball century and facing the most balls he ever has in a T20 game against South Africa. Owen has applied his successful powerplay hitting from the BBL into a new role at No. 6 without changing a thing.It is no coincidence too that the style is similar to what Sunrisers Hyderabad have done in the two recent IPLs, given Australia’s bowling coach Daniel Vettori is Sunrisers head coach, Pat Cummins is their captain and Head is their opening batter. Vettori is not with Australia in this series as he is coaching Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, another team that has pushed to be a higher boundary percentage batting unit than their opponents at various stages in recent years.If the coming T20 World Cup were to be played on Australia’s bouncy pitches and huge boundaries, it might be a method that could leave them vulnerable more often as it did last night. But Australia are looking at the conditions in India and believing this is a method that will bring them the success they crave. The 2021 T20 World Cup title currently sits as a one-off. Australia did not advance beyond the group stage or the Super Eights in the two editions since.The major question, as it was with Sunrisers and Phoenix in 2024, is can it stand up in knock-out finals? The other question that Australia are keen to find an answer to is whether it translates to lower-scoring spinning surfaces in Sri Lanka, given they could be drawn to play there more often in the World Cup compared to some of the pristine batting surfaces in India.They’ll find out at some point. In the meantime, it’s all guns blazing.