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Claudio Echeverri’s loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen has taken a difficult turn, with the Manchester City teenager struggling for minutes and growing increasingly frustrated with his situation in Germany. Pep Guardiola, when asked about the Argentine’s lack of game time and the possibility of a January recall, offered a blunt response, leaving the player’s future wide open amid rising uncertainty.

Pep’s response sparks questions over Echeverri’s future

Guardiola did little to hide his frustration or confusion when questioned about Echeverri’s stagnating loan at Leverkusen. The 19-year-old has barely featured this season, and when asked whether City might bring him back in January, Guardiola cut straight to the point: “It’s a question for his agent.”

He added that City want their loanees to play regularly, but emphasised he has “no idea” what is happening at Leverkusen.

"Always we love that the players on loan play a lot of minutes. We have an incredible appreciation about him as a football player. What's happening at Leverkusen, you have to ask. I don't know but you speak with him, his agent will know everything," said Guardiola in a press-conference.

Echeverri's future has become a growing concern at the club which is further highlighted by Pep's stance on his situation. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEcheverri's career momentarily stuck

Echeverri arrived in Europe with enormous expectations. After exploding onto the scene with River Plate, from nine goals in a youth tournament in Venice to becoming one of the club’s youngest Copa Libertadores scorers, City secured him on a six-year deal in January 2024, viewing him as a long-term project.

He remained at River until the end of that year, then made brief appearances for City in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, scoring at the Club World Cup before being sent on loan to Leverkusen for the current campaign. The move was meant to be a crucial step in adapting him to European football’s pace and tactical demands.

Instead, he has struggled to break into Leverkusen’s team that has itself been struggling on the managerial front this season. Echeverri has made just eight appearances, only three of them starts, and in the last five matches he hasn’t left the bench. He is yet to record a goal or assist this season.

The lack of continuity has fed mounting frustration. According to reports in Argentina, Echeverri has already told City he wants to return to River Plate, a desire he hinted at with a viral photo kissing the River badge, captioned with a heart and hourglass emoji.

Man City plans for Echeverri

Echeverri’s emotional post reignited speculation about his unhappiness. Fans immediately interpreted it as a message of longing, a young player far from home, yearning for the place where he first felt valued. Sources in Argentina claim discussions have already begun between his camp and City about a possible return.

From City’s perspective, however, a move back to South America is not being considered. The club believes exposure to European football is essential for his tactical and physical evolution. Instead, they are exploring the possibility of redirecting him to another European club in January if his situation at Leverkusen doesn’t improve.

The problem is now two-fold: Echeverri wants trust and minutes, while City want his development to stay on schedule. Leverkusen, meanwhile, are competing at the highest level in the Bundesliga and Champions League, making it difficult for Kasper Hjulmand to offer opportunities without clear match readiness.

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Getty ImagesEcheverri at a critical crossroad

For all the noise surrounding him, Echeverri remains one of South America’s brightest prospects. His journey, from River’s academy to becoming a Club World Cup scorer with City, is evidence of his ceiling. But at 19, game time matters more than potential, and the stagnation in Germany risks slowing the rapid trajectory he was once on.

City still view him as a long-term asset, but Guardiola’s comments reveal a clear truth that the club cannot guide his next step alone. His agent must now help broker the right solution, whether that means pushing Leverkusen for more minutes, securing a mid-season loan switch, or recalibrating expectations for his development path.

India added 327 runs for the loss of just three wickets on the third day against West Indies in Ahmedabad

Alagappan Muthu03-Oct-20252:08

Chopra: Jadeja’s game against fast bowling ‘has improved leaps and bounds’

India’s batting riches put them in consummate control of the first Test of their home season, with KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel scoring important centuries. It was Rahul’s first at home since 2016 and it was Jurel’s first one ever. They now have a lead of 286, which is large enough to potentially shrink this down from a five-day game.Ravindra Jadeja had an equal part to play on a day where India made 327 runs for just three wickets. There was a point when the pitch started crumbling and West Indies’ spinners were able to get the ball to turn sharply out of the rough. India collectively decided to attack them, hoping to throw them off the lengths where they could access the worn out parts of the pitch. Jadeja did this the best. His idea was to charge at the bowler, and every time he did, he was looking to hit a boundary. Seven of the 11 he ended up with were the result of this ruthless approach, including a six that helped him breeze through the nervous nineties.Jomel Warrican, Roston Chase and Khary Pierre, in helpful conditions, were left nursing combined figures of 4 for 283 from 82 overs. Jadeja, meanwhile, helped India reprise a feature of their England tour earlier this year, becoming the third centurion of the innings. The last time that happened at home was 2018, during West Indies’ last visit to the country. Jadeja connected that trio to this trio.Related

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West Indies could have helped themselves had they begun their day’s work with a bit more hope. Instead the captain Chase welcomed the two overnight batters with a sparsely populated slip cordon. The focus, it seemed, was run-saving instead of wicket-taking. Jayden Seales, who has a lovely outswinger, snagged Rahul’s edge in the very first over of play but regulation first slip was missing. He had been pushed wide and so this ball just skipped to the boundary.Rahul survived on 57 and went on to score 100. He celebrated it by raising his bat in one hand and sticking two fingers of the other in his mouth, a little tribute for his new-born daughter.1:41

Chopra: WI should’ve taken the new ball earlier

The next man to three-figures was Jurel. It is clear from the way he bats that he is set up to be consistent. He has good judgment of what to play and what to leave. He’s comfortable in attack and defence. Some of his back foot shots against pace were chef’s kiss, so that, along with the way he played out the second new ball, suggests he should be able to adapt to overseas conditions. Jurel has a high floor. Rishabh Pant beats him with a high ceiling. Maybe India might find a way for both players to be part of the XI; trust Jurel to be a specialist batter. His century celebration was a tribute to his father, who was with the Indian army.West Indies had set themselves up for damage control but in doing so really early, they let India dictate terms. Seales bowled manfully, his pace up around the 140kph mark even at the back end of a very hot day that forced him off the field for a little bit for what looked like cramps.Warrican was good too, slowing the ball down and inviting India to attack him if they could. It was strange that he only bowled two overs before lunch, but did make up for that by bowling 12 back-to-back after the break and picked up Rahul’s wicket. Jadeja negated the effect he could have on the game. He made 86 runs against spin, including 41 off 15 when he chose to come down the track.Shubman Gill’s efforts were cut short on 50 in the middle of that tricky period where India decided to attack spin. He brought out a reverse sweep against Chase and got caught at slip.The second day in Ahmedabad meandered to a close with Pierre enjoying a high that he had chased all his life. Having been part of the domestic system from the age-group level, after making his first-class debut 10 years ago, he finally took a Test wicket at the age of 34 and his smile lit up the place.

England seamer shows she belongs after four-year wait to make her England debut

Valkerie Baynes23-May-2025Em Arlott’s player-of-the-match performance in just her second game for England felt like a long time coming, but the two well-documented false starts to her international career are just part of the story.Arlott took 3 for 14 in a remarkable four-over spell at Hove, including 18 dot-balls that helped reduce West Indies to 81 for 9 in the second T20I. After their nine-wicket victory, however, she revealed that she had been battling anxiety for years. So much so that, had she been handed her cap on either of the two previous occasions she was called into the England squad, she wasn’t sure how she would have handled it.”Everything’s kind of happened at the right time,” Arlott said. “With where I was at before, it’s probably not quite a publicly known thing, but I’ve struggled with anxiety in the past and probably, if I played before, I think I would have been a different person and player on the pitch. Whereas now I feel like I’ve really worked on that away from the game. I am coming into this with a lot more confidence and actually believing that I’m good enough to be here.”Arlott made her international debut aged 27 on Wednesday, taking 1 for 28 in the first T20I in Canterbury.In her latest match, she accounted for West Indies’ strongest batters, Hayley Matthews – who scored 100 of her side’s 146 in that opening game – and former captain Stafanie Taylor, returning from injury to bolster the line-up. At one point in her spell, Arlott had three wickets for seven runs in the space of 14 balls, with the two big names falling either side of Zaida James, well caught by Sophia Dunkley at short midwicket.Arlott also took a catch off spinner Charlie Dean to remove Shemaine Campbelle, who was also returning from injury as West Indies tried to find support for Matthews with the bat.Her debut had come after call-ups to England’s squads to face India in 2021 and South Africa the following year, when she had to leave the camp before the series began because she was suffering the after-effects of Covid. That last near-miss left her fearing that the chance to play for her country might have passed her by.Arlott’s latest call-up came off the back of a strong start to the domestic 50-over competition. Her 14 wickets for Warwickshire has her joint-second on the Metro Bank One Day Cup wicket-takers list, while her pivotal 130 against Essex didn’t go unnoticed by Charlotte Edwards, the new England Women’s head coach who has placed increased emphasis on domestic form as a selection tool. Personally, Arlott said a stint with Western Australia in the WNCL over the winter had also played a key role in getting her to this point, along with a lot of work to manage her anxiety.Related

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“I had to reflect a lot on what I could control in my life,” she said. “The last time I came into this environment, I don’t think I believed I was good enough so I didn’t really expect anybody else to believe that I was good enough. I’ve always struggled going into newer teams and not knowing people and having to adjust. The teams that I’ve played for at regional level have both been based in Birmingham, so I’ve been quite fortunate that I haven’t really gone anywhere else.”I just challenged myself. In the winter, I went to Perth and I didn’t know anybody and just made myself have to do something uncomfortable. Actually it’s been really nice that a lot of people have come up to me being like, ‘you’re a different person than you were 12 months ago’, I think in terms of confidence and – not necessarily cricket, but just as a person – I think I’m more content with who I am, and not really caring how people take that.”I’m really proud of myself getting to this point. It has been a long old journey to get here and it was never promised that I would even get here. I’ve just tried to control what I can in my life, my career. I felt like if I just kept working hard, then hopefully when I got that break I would take it with both hands, and run with it and not look back.”Arlott paid tribute to her team-mates for their support, as well as Edwards after a slightly awkward phone call to confirm her selection to both the T20I and ODI squads for West Indies’ visit .”I’ve just bought a puppy and he was being a nightmare, and bit me two minutes before she called me, so I was a bit flustered,” she said. “I’m not going to lie, I cried because he bit me really hard. So he was being a nightmare and then she obviously popped up on my phone and I was like, ‘what the hell is this about?’ She said some really nice things about how I’ve been going. I didn’t really respond, I was a bit flustered because of the dog, but I didn’t want to tell her that. It was all just a wild five minutes.”But she’s been great and it was nice that I’ve been rewarded for being consistent. I just kept chipping away at regional level because, for a long time, I felt like it went unnoticed no matter how well I did or didn’t do it. It was really nice that she’s come in and I’ve had a couple of years to almost prove myself and actually be able to sit there and go, that’s enough, which is nice.”Arlott said the focus on domestic form was a marked turnaround under Edwards’ leadership.”It makes people feel like, ‘why can’t it be me?’,” she said. “It’s always been contracted players and you can guess the squad that’s going to get picked and probably one or two extras that are doing well. It just means that people are getting picked that are in form, rather than necessarily contracted, which can only be good for us. Maybe squads look different from series to series, but I think that’s great and it shows how far we’ve come.”The true test of how far England have come since the Ashes defeat that sparked so many changes – including Edwards’ appointment as Jon Lewis’s successor – might have to wait until India arrive later in the season. But the distance Arlott has travelled is now clear to see.

West Ham chiefs are looking to back new manager Nuno Espírito Santo with key additions in January as they attempt to stave off the looming threat of relegation.

The Hammers were gifted a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dismal start to the Premier League season just before this international break, winning back-to-back home games for the first time since October last year against Newcastle and Burnley.

While the two wins provide plenty of encouragement for Nuno after inheriting a squad bereft of confidence and form, reports suggest that the east Londoners will look to January for much-needed reinforcements to bolster their head coach’s squad.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

According to Sky Sports, Nuno has been told that funds will be available for West Ham to spend when the window reopens, and it is believed they’d ideally like a new defender, midfielder and forward.

With Niclas Fullkrug poised to leave West Ham in January, following a lacklustre spell marred by injuries and underwhelming form when available, it is more likely than not that a striker will be arriving at Rush Green, with Fabrizio Romano confirming their intention to sign one.

Romano also said recently that West Ham are in the mix to sign Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo amid his links to Napoli, so a new midfielder remains on the cards, but there are now suggestions that a winger could come in too.

West Ham could strike 'cut-price' January move for Adama Traoré

Indeed, according to Football Insider and journalist Pete O’Rourke, West Ham have been handed the opportunity to secure Adama Traoré on a bargain deal in January, with Fulham willing to accept a cut-price offer rather than lose the winger for free next summer.

Traore is in the final year of his contract and is not going to agree a new deal at Fulham, meaning January is their last chance to cash in if they sell him. The 29-year-old’s contract situation leaves the Cottagers vulnerable to low-ball bids, with Nuno apparently keen to reunite with a player he previously transformed at Wolves.

Before Nuno joined the Hammers, he tried to reunite with Traore at Nottingham Forest too, highlighting his long-standing admiration for the Spain international.

That being said, the forward has never quite reached the same heights he once hit under Nuno’s tutelage at Molineux, which included a failed spell at Barcelona.

During his best Premier League campaign to date, Traore bagged 13 goal contributions in 37 appearances for Wolves back in 2019/2020, finishing that campaign as their best-performing player on average whilst completing a seismic five successful take-ons per 90 (WhoScored).

Traore has enjoyed flashes of brilliant form at Craven Cottage too, with Marco Silva calling him an “almost unstoppable” player on his day.

The Phillies saw their postseason run end in truly horrific fashion on Thursday night when relief pitcher Orion Kerkering misplayed a grounder and decided to throw home rather than to first base in the bottom of the 11th inning, resulting in a walk-off error that sent the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series.

Not only did the loss end this year’s run, but it very well may have ended this current iteration of the Phillies, as several key players are set for free agency in the coming offseason.

Headlining that set of potential stars on the outs in Philadelphia is slugger Kyle Schwarber. After the devastating loss, Schwarber was clearly emotional while discussing the year coming to a close, knowing it was very possible he had played his last game as a Phillie.

“Doesn’t feel good. You just make a lot of different relationships in the clubhouse, and you never know how it’s going to work out," Schwarber said. "You make so many personal relationships with guys, you spend how much time with these guys throughout the course of the year. They become family.”

Schwarber went on to note that the Phillies were a team that was trying to win every year, with a fan base and ownership that cared about the team, which is something not every team in the majors can say for themselves.

The Phillies signed Schwarber in March 2022, and he has been a key part of the team’s lineup since his first day at the plate. In four seasons in Philly, Schwarber has averaged more than 44 home runs and 108 RBIs a year, including career highs of 56 dingers and 132 RBIs this past year.

With those numbers, Schwarber, 32, has undoubtedly earned a massive deal in the coming offseason, but with the Phillies already on the books with mega-contracts out to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and several other stars, it’s fair to wonder whether or not the team will be willing to keep writing monster checks that can match what offers Schwarber is going to rightfully command on the open market.

Earlier in the year, Schwarber hinted that playing for the Reds, the team he grew up rooting for, would undoubtedly be appealing if he weren’t to stay in Philadelphia. Cincinnati is in the bottom third of the league when it comes to payroll on the books for 2026 at just over $60 million. The Phillies, meanwhile, are already down for more than $192 million in 2026 payroll, and that’s before whatever massive contract Schwarber would potentially land.

If it is the last time Schwarber is with the Phillies, it will have been a remarkable run for him. In just four seasons, Schwarber put himself at 12th on the team’s all-time home run list, and would have almost certainly hopped into the top eight with one more year. He also became just the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game with an astounding show of power earlier this year.

While the emotions of the loss are still too fresh, the Phillies and Schwarber both have big decisions to make in the coming months.

Rinku Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy were dropped from the T20I side

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-20252:14

Hardik back in T20I squad; Washington preferred over Rinku

Hardik Pandya has been named in India’s 15-member squad for the T20Is against South Africa after an injury layoff kept him out of action for over two months.India’s T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill, who has been recovering from a neck injury he sustained in the first Test in Kolkata, was also named in the squad, but his participation will depend on his fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (COE). Suryakumar Yadav will lead the squad for the five-match series starting on December 9.There was no place in the side for Rinku Singh and allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy who had toured Australia recently for the T20I series. Those were the only two omissions from India’s last T20I assignment.ESPNcricinfo LtdHardik returned to action on Tuesday in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), India’s domestic T20s, for Baroda. He opened the bowling for figures of 1 for 52 and then batted at No. 4 to smash an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls with four sixes and seven fours for a seven-wicket win over Punjab. That was his first match since the Asia Cup Super Fours match against Sri Lanka on September 26.Rinku didn’t bat at all on the Australia tour and was picked in the XI only for the last T20I of the series, in Brisbane, which was washed out after 4.5 overs. That was his only international outing since hitting the winning runs in the Asia Cup final and he is currently playing in the SMAT for Uttar Pradesh.Reddy also didn’t get any chances in the T20Is in Australia but his exclusion was expected once Hardik was fit again.If Gill doesn’t regain his fitness in time, Sanju Samson could open along with Abhishek Sharma, which he has been doing while leading Kerala in the ongoing domestic T20s. In Australia, Samson batted at No. 3 in the only chance he got, in the second T20I in Melbourne. He was also in the XI for the opening game but Suryakumar batted at No. 3 and the match was washed out after 9.4 overs.Jitesh Sharma is the second wicketkeeper in the side. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the fast-bowling attack along with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana. Hardik, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are the allrounders while Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the frontline spinners.The five matches will be played on December 9, 11, 14, 17 and 19 in Cuttack, New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad respectively. South Africa won the two-Test series 2-0 and India led the ODI series 1-0 when the T20I squad was announced during the second ODI in Raipur on Wednesday.India’s T20I squad for South Africa seriesSuryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar
*Subject to fitness clearance from BCCI CoE.

Enzo Maresca has singled out one Chelsea player following their dismal 3-1 loss to lowly Leeds United. The Blues came into the Elland Road clash off the back of a 3-0 win over Barcelona and a 1-1 draw with Arsenal – a game where they were a man down for more than 45 minutes. Although they were beaten by Daniel Farke's side in midweek, Maresca doesn't think their lack of experience had much to do with it.

Chelsea suffer Leeds horror show

Chelsea came to Leeds on Wednesday with Premier League title ambitions but they were sent homeward to think again after a chastening 3-1 loss. The Whites started the day in the relegation zone but were fully deserving of the three points as a disjointed and petulant Blues side were put to the sword. After the defeat, head coach Maresca admitted his team – who have the youngest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 23 years – didn't deserve to come away with anything from the encounter.

He told : "A very poor night, they [Leeds] deserved to win the game, they were better in all aspects. [We will] Just try to analyse and learn from this game and focus o the next one. It's not about possession, in possession you need a purpose. Today they were better in all aspects. Congratulations to them. After the goal we scored we had one or two clear chances, but the third goal killed the game completely, then it's much more difficult. It's reality, it's Premier League, you need to perform every game, no matter if you are at home or away or who the other team is. It's important to see where we are going to be in February or March, but most important is to understand what we did bad tonight and then try to improve."

AdvertisementGETTY/GOALChelsea man incurs Maresca's wrath

While nobody had a particularly good night for Chelsea, ahead of facing Bournemouth on Saturday, Maresca singled out centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo for his mistake that led to Leeds' third goal. The Italian was asked if the team's lack of experience hurt them in Yorkshire, with captain Reece James, the suspended Moises Caicedo and more not in the starting XI. But he pointed out that the former Fulham defender was their oldest player, and that didn't help him a great deal. 

He said, via : "Listen, we always talk about experience when we drop points. When we beat Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was mentioning about experienced players. So, again, I understand that when we don't win, we are always looking for the reason why, but I think the reason why we didn't win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it's because we were not good enough. But we have experienced players. Unfortunately, they were not inside the pitch. One because he was suspended, the other one because of injury. So, it's because in that moment, the ones that have more experience, they were out. Who is the oldest one for us in the pitch? Who was? Tosin. Did he play good? So, it's not about experience. It's about that 11 players, they were not good enough. I know that we are always looking for experience, but it was a bad game for all of us."

Chelsea to continue rotating

Maresca was criticised after he made five changes from the Chelsea side that drew with Arsenal for the match at Leeds. But with the Blues regularly playing three games a week, due to Premier League and Champions League duties, the former Leicester City manager is conscious of not over-exerting his players – especially after their Club World Cup-winning exploits this summer. 

When asked about how difficult it is to keep tweaking his starting line-ups, he replied: "Yeah, it's the most difficult thing for me, personally, this season. Because, as I said, for many reasons, we need to make changes. Now, we played two days ago, we came back yesterday afternoon. We have just one session this morning. Most of them, they cannot take part of the session because they need to recover. So, we're going to try to prepare in the best way tomorrow."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Chelsea?

Chelsea, who are still fourth in the Premier League but are now nine points behind table-toppers Arsenal after 14 games, will hope to bounce back from their loss to Leeds when they travel to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. The Cherries have lost four of their last five fixtures, so this game presents a good opportunity for Maresca's side to return to winning ways.

Zak Foulkes made a huge impact in New Zealand’s 3-0 sweep of England and Peter Fulton expects him to be an all-format allrounder soon

Deivarayan Muthu04-Nov-2025The OG swing kings Trent Boult and Tim Southee are done with their New Zealand playing careers. Matt Henry is currently on the sidelines with an injury, and is approaching the wrong side of 30. But there’s a new swing bowler in New Zealand cricket. Meet 23-year-old Zak Foulkes, who is “almost Trent Boult-ish,” according to New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram.In his first ODI bowling innings in Mount Maunganui against England last month, Foulkes made the world sit up and take notice of his swing, more specifically his late swing, when he stormed through the defences of Joe Root with a hooping inswinger in his first over. It was full, but not a drive ball, and veered back in late to make a world-class batter look like an amateur. The wind was blowing from left to right and Foulkes harnessed it to his advantage like Southee and Boult used to do back in the day. Then, in the third ODI in Wellington, Foulkes bested Root with another booming inswinger, this one rapping his pads.Foulkes made a huge impact in New Zealand’s 3-0 sweep of England, coming away with seven wickets in three innings at an average of 14.42 and economy rate of 5.05. Only Blair Tickner took more wickets than Foulkes.Related

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Foulkes’ stock ball to the right-hand batter is the inswinger and to the left-hand batter, it’s the outswinger. After his 4 for 41 in the first ODI, Oram was so impressed with Foulkes that he likened his skills to Boult’s.”It’s his talent and composure,” Oram said. “We know he can swing it at a decent enough pace – mid-130s – and he’s got a bit of a funky release point, which is a bit different for batters to get used to. The fact that he swings it and swings it late is so handy and you saw that ball to Root that went late through the gate and also to left-handers. It’s tough to play, almost Trent Boult-ish with the swing away from the lefties to play and when he gets it right, it’s hard for batters to overcome.”Late swing is Foulkes’ forte, according to former New Zealand batter and current Canterbury head coach Peter Fulton, who has had a front-row seat to Foulkes’ rise from domestic cricket to the New Zealand team.

“His action is just a little bit unusual – he doesn’t quite bowl off the wrong foot, but I think just the nature of his action means he rushes on to guys a bit quicker than probably what the speed gun shows”Peter Fulton on Zak Foulkes

“Look, he swings the ball late, which is a really good attribute to have,” Fulton tells ESPNcricinfo. “Probably, there’s not too many players in international cricket that swing it into the right-hander the way or as much as what he does. So I guess that gives him a little bit of an advantage because it’s not that common.”Foulkes usually operates in the lower 130-kph range, but has the tendency to get the ball to skid off the pitch and hit the bat hard.”Probably the other advantage he has is his action is just a little bit unusual – he doesn’t quite bowl off the wrong foot, but I think just the nature of his action means he rushes on to guys a bit quicker than probably what the speed gun shows,” Fulton says. “So yeah, he’s certainly a little bit quicker than probably what he appears to be.”There was a bit of a running gag that Foulkes could only dismiss left-hand batters – “[Mitchell] Santner was leading that charge,” Foulkes had joked at a press conference – but the twin dismissals of Root provided ample proof of his ability against right-hand batters.Zak Foulkes can bat too, but hasn’t got too many chances to prove that internationally yet•AFP/Getty Images”There’s strengths and weaknesses for every bowler,” Fulton says. “He’s been very, very dangerous to left-handers [in domestic cricket], especially with the ball swinging from around the wicket. But there’s no reason why he can’t be equally as threatening to right-handers. He’s got Joe Root twice now, who is obviously one of the top batsmen in the world. So, Zak is certainly not a one-trick pony.”In his first full Super Smash season, Foulkes was entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the difficult overs and he responded by emerging as Canterbury’s joint-highest wicket-taker, with 12 strikes at an economy rate of 7.36 in their run to the final. Two years on, he took a match haul of nine wickets on Test debut in Zimbabwe and made a striking impression against England in his first ODI innings.Club and T20 stints in England have contributed to his development as a bowler. Besides playing for Warwickshire and Durham in the T20 Blast, Foulkes has turned out for Lytham, a club that Fulton had also played for in the past, as an overseas professional.

“I have no doubt in the next two or three years, if he gets those opportunities with the bat, then hopefully he can be the guy that maybe bats at seven in all three forms for New Zealand”Peter Fulton on Zak Foulkes’ batting

“It [playing in England] definitely helped,” Foulkes said at his press conference after the first ODI against England. “Just being around the type of guys like… played a few games with Jacob Bethell a couple of years ago and played with Matt Potts at Durham. Familiar with a few players, which is cool, and you just learn as much as possible from those guys and hopefully holds me in good stead to go forward.”Foulkes hails from a cricketing family – his father Glen and his brothers Liam and Robbie have all represented Canterbury country. Robbie also played for New Zealand in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.Fulton reckons that Foulkes’ time away from his family in New Zealand and taking on the responsibility as an overseas professional in England have also shaped Foulkes as a person.”It was probably just a good life experience for him to be away from friends and family,” Fulton says. “I suppose, you have to sort of stand on your own two feet. I was happy to obviously send him to a club where I knew people and knew he was going to have a good experience. Then he picked up some county opportunities with Warwickshire and with the [Birmingham] Bears. So, those sorts of experiences have probably also helped him as a cricketer. I’m sure it’s definitely helped him as he’s made that transition to international cricket.”Foulkes is also a capable batter. He had slotted in at No. 3 for St Andrew’s College in the Gillette Cup, a one-day competition for secondary schools boys, before bowling became his primary skill. In the third ODI against England in Wellington, he showed his batting chops with an unbeaten 14 off 24 from No. 9, which helped seal New Zealand’s 3-0 series win. Fulton believes that Foulkes’ ceiling is so high that he can bat at No. 7 and become an all-format player for New Zealand in the future.Ben Foulkes’ emergence will give New Zealand’s selectors a happy headache when the likes of Will O’Rourke, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears and Adam Milne are back•Getty Images”I think all through age-group cricket and high school cricket, Zak was probably more of a batsman,” Fulton says. “He probably bowled medium pace. He finished school and maybe just got a little bit fitter and stronger and decided to run in a little bit harder and try to bowl a bit quicker. Yeah, the part about his game that really excites me is his batting; there’s a lot of potential there.”He’s shown glimpses of that at first-class level for Canterbury, but he just hasn’t had the opportunities in international cricket yet. I have no doubt in the next two or three years, if he gets those opportunities with the bat, then hopefully he can be the guy that maybe bats at seven in all three forms for New Zealand.”Foulkes’ immediate challenge is a five-match T20I series against West Indies, who are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Bangladesh in Bangladesh.”They [West Indies] are obviously a great team and they have been in Bangladesh recently,” Foulkes said on the eve of the first T20I in Auckland. “We know they’re going to come pretty hard with the bat, especially in this T20 stuff. Things I’m expecting as well, which is quite cool.”Foulkes’ emergence will give New Zealand’s selectors a happy headache when the likes of Will O’Rourke, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears and Adam Milne are fit. It’s also a reflection of New Zealand’s depth despite a limited talent pool.