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New Zealand, who are playing a Test for the first time this year, are without Latham, Williamson, Phillips and Jamieson

Hemant Brar29-Jul-2025

Big picture: Zimbabwe eye first win against NZWelcome back to Test cricket, New Zealand. The last time they played a Test was in December 2024, against England in Hamilton. Given that this two-match series against Zimbabwe doesn’t count towards the World Test Championship, they can take their time to reacquaint themselves with the flow and rhythm of red-ball cricket.On the other hand, Zimbabwe have played seven Tests this year, the joint-most with Australia. But with six losses and just one win, they have the worst record for any team. Moreover, they are yet to beat New Zealand in Test cricket. Of the 17 Tests against New Zealand, they have lost 11 and drawn six.Having said that, this is a slightly weakened New Zealand side. They are without captain Tom Latham, former captain Kane Williamson and allrounders Glenn Phillips and Kyle Jamieson. Williamson is unavailable for the series, having signed a deal with Middlesex, which includes playing for London Spirit in the Hundred; Jamieson is at home, awaiting the birth of his first child; Latham is yet to recover from a shoulder injury he picked up during the Vitality Blast; and Phillips is sidelined with a groin injury he picked up during the MLC.Related

From net bowler to 'X factor' – Fisher on cusp of potential debut

Bracewell replaces Phillips for the first Test

Latham out of first Test, Santner to lead

In Latham’s absence, Mitchell Santner will lead the side. He has plenty of experience captaining New Zealand in ODIs and T20Is, but this will be a first for him in first-class cricket, let alone Test cricket.Recently, an understrength South Africa proved to be too good for Zimbabwe. But for this series, they are bolstered by the returns of allrounder Sikandar Raza and opener Ben Curran. Raza lends the much-needed balance and experience, and Curran should add the solidity at the top. Brendan Taylor’s ban has also ended but he has not been named in the squad yet.Form guideZimbabwe LLLLW (last five Tests, most recent first)
New Zealand WLLWWIn the spotlight: Williams and HenrySean Williams has been easily the best Zimbabwe batter this year. In seven Tests, he has scored 577 at an average of 52.45 and a strike rate of 76.83. Only Shubman Gill (755) and Rishabh Pant (580) have scored more Test runs than him in 2025. One thing he would like to improve, though, is his conversion rate. Of his five 50-plus scores this year, he converted only one into a hundred.Sean Williams averages 52.45 in Tests this year•Zimbabwe Cricket

Matt Henry’s overall Test record – 120 wickets at an average of 29.84 – does not scream elite. But scratch beneath that and you realise why Henry is rated so highly. When he opens the bowling, his record becomes 105 wickets at 24.11. Last year, he picked up 48 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 18.58 and a strike rate of 33.97. Among the top ten wicket-takers of 2024, only Jasprit Bumrah had a better average (14.92) and a strike rate (30.1). Don’t be surprised if Henry continues from where he left off.Team news: Fisher might debutBlessing Muzarabani is the only fast bowler in the Zimbabwe squad to have played at least ten Tests. He will be supported by Tanaka Chivanga, with Newman Nyamhuri likely to be the third seamer.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brian Bennett, 2 Ben Curran, 3 Nick Welch, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Craig Ervine (captain), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), 8 Wellington Masakadza, 9 Newman Nyamhuri, 10 Blessing Muzarabani, 11 Tanaka ChivangaWith Latham and Phillips out injured, Henry Nicholls and Michael Bracewell are expected to play. Matt Fisher, who can hit 140kph, could make his debut.New Zealand (probable): 1 Will Young, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Will O’Rourke, 11 Matt FisherPitch and conditionsIn the five Tests Bulawayo has hosted since December 2024, there have been three totals in excess of 580, including South Africa’s 625 for 6 declared that featured Wiaan Mulder’s unbeaten 367. Fast bowlers have done much better in those games, averaging 29.63 and striking every 50.5 balls, as compared to spinners, who average 38.62 with a strike rate of 62.9. The forecast is for cool and dry weather.Stats and trivia New Zealand have won each of their last six Tests against Zimbabwe, four of them by an innings and another by 254 runs. Santner will become New Zealand’s 32nd Test captain. Three of Williams’ six Test hundreds have come at the Queens Sports Club. Williams is 125 away from 2000 Test runs, and Craig Ervine 159. Nicholls needs 27 runs to reach the 3000 mark in Test cricket.

Celtic dropped some shocking, yet also unsurprising, news on Monday night when they confirmed that Brendan Rodgers had tendered his resignation.

The Northern Irish head coach has stepped down as manager of the Scottish Premiership champions, shortly after his side lost 3-1 to Hearts on Sunday.

The timing of the decision came as a shock, as there had not been any prior indication that he was likely to step down from his position, at least in the public domain.

However, it was also not a surprise because talkSPORT’s Alex Crook recently explained that the manager was likely to leave next summer, saying: “I have just been hearing a lot of whispers that maybe Brendan Rodgers could decide at the end of the season not to renew his deal, and that the time is right to leave Celtic for a second time.”

Instead of waiting until his contract expired next summer, though, the former Leicester City and Liverpool boss decided to walk away from it at the start of this week.

Only Rodgers will be able to give his full reasoning behind the decision, if he decides to speak about it publicly, but it could be the right decision for the club.

Why Brendan Rodgers leaving may be the right decision

The former Hoops manager won four Premiership titles, three SFA Cups, and four League Cups across two spells with the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he had a lot of success at Parkhead.

There can be no denying that Rodgers will go down as a great Celtic manager, given his achievements, but all things come to an end, and the team’s form this season suggested that it was the end of an era in Glasgow.

The Hoops lost their last two Premiership matches under Rodgers and currently find themselves eight points adrift of Hearts in the league table, which is not a position that the ex-Bhoys manager was used to being in.

Brendan Rodgers’ Premiership career

Season

Matches

Points per game

25/26

9

1.89

24/25

38

2.39

23/24

38

2.45

18/19

27

2.33

17/18

38

2.16

16/17

38

2.79

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers ends his second Celtic spell with only one Premiership season averaging below 2.16 points per game, which is the current campaign.

Of course, the head coach may have turned things around and gotten over that two points per game mark later in the season, but the side’s current form shows that they were on a downward trajectory under the Northern Irishman, which is why his exit from Parkhead may be a good call for all parties.

Martin O’Neill is back in interim charge, for now, but the attention will turn to who the club are going to appoint as their next manager, and a former player has told them who to go for.

Celtic plot approach for new manager

It looks as though O’Neill will be in charge for the club’s clash with Falkirk at Parkhead on Wednesday night, but they will need a longer-term solution in the dugout.

Former Celtic centre-forward and current Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton has urged the Premiership champions to go and bring Ange Postecoglou back to Glasgow.

The Australian boss, who left Celtic in the summer of 2023, was recently sacked by Premier League side Nottingham Forest and that means that he is available and potentially ready to step into a new job.

In fact, Football Insider reports that the Hoops may make contact with the former Tottenham Hotspur head coach to discuss a sensational return to Parkhead.

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However, Football Insider does not reveal whether or not the former Celtic manager wants to make such a quick return to the game, or if he wants to return to Glasgow for a second spell at the club.

They do appear to be planning to make an approach to speak with the Europa League winner, though, which shows that they are interested in appointing him as Rodgers’ replacement.

Why Celtic should push for Ange Postecoglou to return

The Hoops board should be pushing to bring Ange Postecoglou back to Parkhead in the coming days because he could return to Scotland as an upgrade on Rodgers.

In his two seasons in charge in Glasgow, the Australian boss, whose football was hailed as “breathtaking” by Gary Neville, racked up a whopping 192 points in 76 Premiership matches, per Transfermarkt, which works out at 2.52 points per game.

Whereas, Rodgers won 453 points in 188 games in charge of the club across two spells at Parkhead, per Transfermarkt, which is an average of around 2.41 points per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Spurs boss got even more out of the team domestically, despite both managers winning titles in all of their full seasons in charge, as his sides won more points per game on average.

Hamish Carton, in the clip above, explains how impressive Postecoglou’s achievements at Celtic were off the back of the situation that he inherited when he first arrived, as Rangers had run away with the league title in the previous season.

This means that his dominance at Celtic was even more impressive than Rodgers’ was, because the 4-3-3 boss had to turn a bad situation around, whilst Rodgers came into a club that had just won the domestic treble in the summer of 2023, and he was able to build from that.

Postecoglou’s domestic treble in the 2022/23 campaign was not repeated by the Northern Irish boss in the 2023/24 or the 2024/25 seasons, which also shows that he had more success, in terms of trophies, than the recently departed manager.

Therefore, pushing to bring Postecoglou, who Carton also described as a “better manager” than Rodgers, back to Celtic could result in the club having an upgrade in the dugout for the rest of this season, and beyond, which is why they should take Sutton’s advice and make a serious move for his services.

Featuring stamps from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico and more, Jess Carter’s passport looks more like one belonging to a gap-year student than an England international as of late. Throw in all the flying that comes with playing your club football in the United States, for Gotham FC, and the two-time European champion must have more air miles than she knows what to do with. “I feel like you get used to it and then all of a sudden you don't,” Carter tells GOAL of all the travelling, just days before boarding her umpteenth flight of the year to report for Lionesses duty. “Everything you've then learned about how to manage yourself kind of goes out the window when you end up being on the west coast for 12 days.”

It's one of many new things the 27-year-old has had to adapt to since making the switch from Chelsea to Gotham in the summer of 2024. Be it the emphasis in American sports of winning in the play-offs rather than coming out on top in the regular season, the incredible top-to-bottom parity the NWSL has in comparison to England’s Women’s Super League or the misalignment of the U.S. and European seasons, and how that impacts her on some of the Lionesses’ camps, there are a lot of differences between what Carter is experiencing now and what she had been exclusively exposed to before.

But as she talks through each of those factors with a huge smile on her face, it’s clear that the England defender has taken it all in her stride. “I think it’s the happiest I’ve been in football in a long time,” she admits, even if, having been part of the Lionesses’ two European Championship triumphs and their run to the Women’s World Cup final in between, she misses how big a deal the women’s game is back home, compared to in the U.S.

Getty Images'Women's football deserves to be on a higher pedestal in the U.S.'

It's a point Carter makes right towards the end of her chat with GOAL, when delving into the off-pitch experiences she’s had in her 15 months or so Stateside. Talk of enjoying the beaches on the west coast, the variety of cuisines across the country and the NFL has gone by when the England star is asked if there is anything she misses about the country she calls home. “I wouldn't say I miss home,” she responds. “I do really love it here. Of course, I miss my family and my close friends that are in the UK still.”

There is then barely a pause before Carter delves into a particular difference between the two countries that she has observed. “I do think there's still a long way for the women's game to go in the U.S,” she says. “It's not at the level that it needs to be yet, from off the pitch stuff, not even just the football. It's away from that. I could walk around here wearing a Gotham top and people still don't know who Gotham are. Women's football deserves to be on a higher pedestal than what it is here in the U.S.”

There are cultural reasons that play a part in those differences, ones Carter notes herself. After all, women’s football “has many other sports to be competing with” in the U.S, whereas in England “football is the biggest sport”. But there’s clearly still a desire from Carter to play her part in growing the game even further in a country that has incredible history in it.

Indeed, for almost 23 years, the 90,185 attendance for the 1999 Women's World Cup final at the Rose Bowl, in Los Angeles, stood as a world-record for the women's game and the U.S – a four-time world champion – has spawned some of the biggest names the sport has ever known, be it Mia Hamm, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan or any of its current crop, such as Trinity Rodman. Throw in the massive off-pitch impact those USWNT stars have had and the country is a monumental player in the sport – it just has a stature within its own borders that can still grow. 

“I do miss how big women's football is in the UK, but I definitely think the U.S. has the ability to get to that level,” Carter adds.

AdvertisementRole model

It’s part of the reason she was keen to get involved with e.l.f. Beauty, too, despite describing herself as “not really a make-up girlie”.

“Once I saw the brief and I saw what they wanted to do, I think I felt like I couldn't say no to it, because I think that it gave me an opportunity to just show who I am. It was a really authentic piece,” she explains. “The fact that they wanted to work with me, someone who doesn't really wear make-up, shows that they wanted to be authentic. Rather than it being all about image it’s about showing who you are and being a really good representation for younger people that may look like me, which I didn't have growing up.”

Partaking in different initiatives with Gotham that engage with and encourage young girls at local teams is another area where Carter is trying to do her bit for the game as a whole, with it no surprise how passionate she is to see the sport grow given what she has experienced back home in England.

As part of a Lionesses team which has become the pride of a nation, she’s seen attendances skyrocket, interest go through the roof and, as a consequence, the desire among young girls to try and emulate their heroes grow with it.

“I never really thought about being a role model,” she says. “I was just kicking a ball around and it gradually happened. The more I speak to people and I see more young girls that say that I'm their role model, I think that's a pretty incredible thing to be able to just show exactly who I am and that being okay and good enough for the little girls to see that they can be what they want to be, really.”

Imagn ImagesStraight back to work

That passion to help take the game forward in the U.S. also clearly comes from how much Carter is enjoying her time there, so much so that she flew back to Gotham, based in New York and New Jersey, straight after England’s Euro 2025 triumph, missing a chunk of the Lionesses’ celebrations. “The girls were like, 'Why are you here? Why are you not in England celebrating?'” she recalls with a laugh. “I think that's a really nice thing that they wanted me to go.

“To be honest, I didn't feel comfortable missing out on another game. I feel like we were under-performing a little bit at Gotham and I wanted to be back to try and help get those points. I love being here, I love playing for Gotham and I'm really happy here.”

Carter has more than played her part in helping the team get back on track, too, with Gotham losing just twice since the Euros ended. “I think everyone feels like we're doing better but there's still a lot of things that we need to improve on if we want to be successful in the play-offs,” she says. “We're just taking each day as it comes and trying to work hard in training to fix those things that we want to improve on.”

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Getty ImagesSerial winner

It's a response that serves as a reminder of the six years Carter spent at Chelsea before moving to Gotham, because it is exactly the sort of thing that someone obsessed with winning would say. The 27-year-old lifted no fewer than 11 trophies before calling time on that chapter of her career, including five successive league titles, and the mentality that was required to be part of that winning machine has absolutely stuck with her. It's never more evident than when GOAL asks if it has sunk in that Carter is now a two-time European champion, after helping England defend their Euro 2022 title in Switzerland in July. “No, not really,” is her honest answer.

“I feel like I've just kind of got back into football and just got on with things. I think that maybe through playing with Chelsea – I don't know if it's a good or bad thing – I just learned it's like, 'Okay, great that you won, but now it's [what's] next. You've just got to go again and go again'. I guess that is what I learned from, luckily, being a bit of a serial winner at Chelsea, that kind of mentality. But Gotham is also teaching me to enjoy those celebrations, to enjoy those moments. They're great moments to have. I'm trying to do a little bit of both.”

Carter has already had a chance to do so after Gotham clinched the CONCACAF W Champions Cup back in May, beating Tigres in the final: “You have to start to create that winning mentality but to do that, you've got to win a trophy in the first place, in order to learn what you've got to do to be successful. I think that's a really good start to see what we have achieved, but also to see what we need to continue doing and improve on in order to be more successful going forward.”

Arne Slot, lauded as a tactical genius. And rightly so. The Liverpool coach’s smart-witted approach saw him lift the Premier League title in his first year last season, head and shoulders above his rivals.

But there’s no denying Liverpool look tactically imbalanced this year, and there are wrinkles to be ironed out. The Dutchman sprung a tactical surprise against Crystal Palace, but it didn’t work out and the Reds were ragdolled throughout a bleak first half at Selhurst Park.

They rallied, and Federico Chiesa’s late goal off the bench looked to have sealed a point. Maybe all three. Liverpool pushed and pushed and they huffed and puffed, but their late-hour charm ran out as Eddie Nketiah struck at the eleventh hour to hand the champions their first league loss of the term.

There’s a lot to unpick, but let’s dilute it down to just a few talking points here. Right-back has been a hot topic on Merseyside this summer, and Conor Bradley flattered to deceive on his return to the starting line-up.

Bradley's performance vs Palace

Bradley filled big boots this summer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold up and leaving for Real Madrid. The Northern Irish right-back has dazzled in the Premier League before, but suffered with injuries for much of Slot’s debut term.

Aged 22, Bradley has started Liverpool’s past two Premier League matches, and while he did a decent job against the in-form Jack Grealish in the Merseyside derby, he endured a game to forget against Oliver Glasner’s Eagles, hooked at half-time.

Lacking any semblance of clarity or creativity on the ball, Bradley failed with three of four attempted dribbles and lost possession 12 times, also losing four of his seven contested ground duels, as recorded by Sofascore.

However, with Ibrahima Konate producing another sloppy performance, laden with errors, Bradley was always going to be up against it.

And, moreover, Mohamed Salah was anonymous once again.

Slot should have axed Salah

Salah, 33, has been Liverpool’s all-inspiring superstar for so many years, and he ran roughshod over Premier League defences all through the 2024/25 campaign en route to the title.

He has posted three goals and three assists across the opening weeks of the season, but has also lacked much of his usual swagger and gusto, and that has not been more apparent than against Palace on Saturday afternoon.

The right winger missed a big chance and created two chances, but his moments of real joy were few and far between, losing all five of his ground duels, and this is not an outlier, with the metrics across the term, when collated against last year’s data, highlighting his regression.

Matches (starts)

38 (38)

6 (6)

Goals

29

2

Assists

18

2

Touches*

49.1

43.2

Shots (on target)*

3.4 (1.6)

1.7 (0.8)

Accurate passes*

22.4 (74%)

21.0 (75%)

Key passes*

2.4

1.3

Dribbles*

1.5

0.2

Ball recoveries*

2.7

3.3

Tackles*

0.6

0.0

Duels won*

3.3

1.7

We are still early in the season, but the underlying data is telling. Salah has fallen off a proverbial cliff in regard to his application and effectiveness.

Now playing a role with a greater emphasis on hugging the touchline and maintaining space for the reformed number nine squad, the veteran is toiling.

And Chiesa’s resurgence in red continues. The Italy international has now posted two goals and two assists apiece across all competitions since the summer, and he looks a different beast indeed, with observers anticipating a return to one-time elite form.

Analyst Josh Williams remarked that the 27-year-old “should’ve started today”, and that’s an accurate assessment. Liverpool risk become stagnant and predictable, reliant on late goals, and Chiesa’s form denotes his applicability for a starting berth in the Premier League going forward.

The Liverpool Echo branded him with a 4/10 match rating and wrote that Salah ‘struggled with the basics’ and provided non-existent defensive cover for Bradley, who had a poor game but was sandwiched between two of Liverpool’s biggest problems: Salah and Konate.

Salah is a Liverpool great, and he will continue to play a talismanic role for the club across the season. However, there’s no denying he has looked off the pace for much of the campaign so far.

He has played every minute in the Premier League since the opening whistle against Bournemouth in August, and his performances haven’t warranted that mark.

Chiesa convsersely, has looked very bright indeed, and yet the £150k-per-week ace continues to serve a peripheral role.

Now worth more than Guehi: Liverpool lost "superstar” for less than Quansah

Liverpool must regret parting ways with this iconic Jurgen Klopp talent.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 26, 2025

West Ham United have endured somewhat of a dilemma at centre-back in recent days, with Graham Potter yet to have an established partnership at the heart of his defence.

Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos started the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday – subsequently keeping their first clean sheet of the new Premier League season.

However, Nayef Aguerd looks set to depart the Hammers after refusing to travel with the squad for the trip to the East Midlands – with Marseille expected to land the Moroccan before the transfer deadline.

As a result, the manager and the hierarchy have been tirelessly targeting other options in the market to try and bolster the depth in such a department.

Numerous names have been mentioned throughout deadline day, with multiple players being frequently mentioned over a switch to the London Stadium.

West Ham’s hunt for a centre-back on deadline day

Earlier today, Braga star Bright Arrey-Mbi was seen as a viable option for West Ham – with a deal seemingly heading in the right direction before the 7pm deadline.

However, a deal has since gone quiet, which has seen the Hammers’ hierarchy pursue moves for various other targets – mainly in the Premier League.

The latest name mentioned is Chelsea’s Axel Disasi, with the Frenchman currently not part of Enzo Maresca’s first-team plans for the 2025/26 campaign.

It’s been reported by journalist Fabrice Hawkins that Potter’s side have made a late approach to the Blues to try and sign the 27-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Aston Villa.

It’s unclear if the deal is a permanent or temporary one, but the Hammers are making a last-ditch attempt to secure his signature before the window slams shut.

Why West Ham’s latest is better than Igor

Deadline day always springs up a surprise or two, with this year’s instalment being no different – with West Ham being involved in a saga to land Brighton star Igor Julio.

The Brazilian centre-back has been allowed to depart by manager Fabian Hürzeler, after dropping down the pecking order in recent months at the AMEX.

He looked set to complete a loan move to Crystal Palace, but Oliver Glasner’s side pulled the plug on the transfer – resulting in Potter’s men taking advantage in recent hours.

It’s been reported that the 27-year-old has since travelled to East London to complete a move to join the Irons – but the hierarchy face a race against time to complete the transfer.

However, despite the move for the Brazilian, they could still complete a transfer for Disasi in the closing stages of the window – further adding needed depth to the backline.

When comparing their respective stats from the Premier League last season, the Chelsea man managed to outperform him in key areas – subsequently making him a better addition for Potter and Co.

Disasi, who’s been dubbed “incredible” by one content creator, managed to win more tackles and came out on top in more aerial battles – offering a needed defensive presence given the Hammers’ tally of eight goals conceded in three league games.

His dominance over Igor defensively is further highlighted in his tally of clearances and interceptions made per 90 – further handing Frank the added quality he craves at the back.

In possession, the Frenchman has been just as impressive, completing more progressive carries per 90 – arguably being a great ball-playing option should the side want to play out from the back.

While both players could make the move to the London Stadium, it’s clear that Disasi would provide the side with the added quality they desperately crave in the defensive third.

The signings could play a huge part in the club’s future in the Premier League, with Potter’s side desperately needing to build on their recent triumph at the City Ground.

Shades of Isak: West Ham consider last-gasp move for "monster" £29m striker

The international goalscorer would be unreal for Graham Potter and West Ham United.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 1, 2025

Newcastle United have done some major business this summer, and their first Premier League game of the season allowed them to see their new winger, Anthony Elanga, in black and white, but they have to wait a little longer to see some of the other signings in action.

Monday’s clash with Liverpool could allow fans the opportunity to see their new defender, Malick Thiaw, and their new midfielder, Jacob Ramsey. It’s unlikely that their loanee goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale, will displace Nick Pope in any of the major Premier League fixtures, but fans could see him in action once Newcastle enter the domestic cups and the Champions League.

Ahead of the clash, Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, spoke of the attacking threat that Newcastle poses, even without Isak, and provided an injury update that will give the Magpies a confidence boost as he revealed that Jeremie Frimpong will be unavailable for the fixture.

Behind the scenes, the board are continuing to work on improving the attack that already causes concern for the Premier League-winning manager by approaching one of last season’s Champions League finalists about one of their up-and-coming talents.

Newcastle approach Inter over promising young striker

Newcastle United have “come forward” to Inter Milan to sign striker Francesco Pio Esposito. The 20-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan at Spezia and is yet to make his Inter debut. Atalanta are also said to have approached Inter about signing Pio Esposito, while Napoli have submitted a bid worth around £38.9 million.

These reports come from Italy, via Sports Witness, and with Napoli’s bid rejected, Howe’s side are reportedly reluctant to pursue the transfer further unless Inter change their stance. The Italians are looking to move players on in the last few weeks of the window, but they would prefer to keep Pio Esposito, seeing him as a player for the future. They are more inclined to sell Mehdi Taremi, with Fulham reportedly interested in the Iranian striker.

Why Newcastle are considering a move for "terrorising" Pio Esposito

Newcastle look to be pushing to sign Brentford’s Yoanne Wissa as a replacement for Isak, but Pio Esposito would further add to their attacking depth.

The Italy under-20s star could also serve as a replacement for Callum Wilson, who left Tyneside for West Ham when his contract expired. The 33-year-old only scored once in 22 appearances for Newcastle last season, so Pio Esposito would likely be an immediate upgrade. Last season at Spezia, the youngster scored 19 Serie B goals, making him the league’s second-highest goalscorer. He was also the only teenager in the league’s top 125 goalscorers.

Italian football expert Siavoush Fallahi had previously shared on X his thoughts about the Italian youngster.

He continued: “Strong, big guy, who’ll strike if the ball falls to him. Terrorising for defenders because they’ll keep him quiet for all game but then he’ll turn up and score, useful for the team, I love that randomness of crosses into the box randomly ending at his feet. Stuff happens around him”.

If Newcastle can change Inter’s mind on selling Pio Esposito, then they will have a very talented player on their hands. Potentially, they could approach Inter to loan Pio Esposito, so the Italian side doesn’t lose him permanently, and Newcastle have a temporary replacement for Wilson.

First-season champions Mumbai Indians (MI) finished the league stage second behind Delhi Capitals for the third year in a row, after failing to chase down 200 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Brabourne Stadium. Needing a win to top the table and seal a direct final berth, MI put on a shoddy fielding display that gave RCB a competitive total. In their reply, Nat Sciver-Brunt was the only batter to cross 23 as the hosts fell to their first loss at Brabourne in six games.RCB’s 11-run win was the third victory in a row for the team batting first at WPL 2025 after the early trend was heavily in favour of teams chasing. Their win that helped them off the bottom of the table was set up by a half-century from Smriti Mandhana, free-flowing strokeplay from S Meghana, Ellyse Perry’s anchoring role, and boundary-laden cameos from Richa Ghosh and Georgia Wareham.For MI, Sciver-Brunt did the heavy lifting after the losses of Hayley Matthews and Harmanpreet Kaur, but once she fell for a stunning 69 off 35 in the 15th over, MI had too much to score (71 runs) in too little time (31 balls) with no big names to follow.

Meghana starts the engine, Mandhana changes gears

With nothing to lose in this campaign, RCB came out all guns blazing in their last game and they did it audaciously by targeting MI’s best bowlers. Meghana clubbed Sciver-Brunt for two fours in the second over before seeing Mandhana end the third over with a four followed by a glorious straight six against Shabnim Ismail. Meghana then welcomed Matthews with 4, 6 and 4 but Matthews’ riposte came in the form of a 102.8kmh bouncer which she top-edged to short fine leg for 26 off 13.Smriti Mandhana scored a breezy 37-ball 53, with six fours and three sixes•BCCI

RCB finished the powerplay on 53 for 1, and Perry made MI pay for gifting her three lives. The next bowler to be carted all around was Amelia Kerr. Once her first ball – a long hop – was pulled for four by Perry, Mandhana swept her for six, flicked for four and swung her down the ground for a 22-run over. Briefly after MI pulled the run rate down from 9.62 to under 8.50 an over, Mandhana collected two consecutive aerial fours to reach her fifty off 35 balls.

MI’s greasy fingers allow RCB to speed away

Kerr’s second over was even more dramatic. She gave Perry a life on 16 when she failed to hold on to the ball that was smashed back to her. Two balls later, Mandhana, on 52, skied a sweep but Sanskriti Gupta put down a sitter at midwicket. That didn’t cost MI much as Mandhana found long-off on her next ball.What did cost MI was Perry’s life. She gloriously lofted Ismail for a six next over and drilled Parunika Sisodia for four after Ghosh had already collected two fours in the 14th over. Ghosh was also living dangerously. She miscued a couple of swings before tearing Ismail apart. A reverse-scoop edged for four, a mighty straight six and a scoop right over the keeper fetched 15 from the over to give Ismail figures of 0 for 41. Ghosh miscued Matthews for 36 off 22 next over but Perry and Wareham piled on more boundaries.The duo went after Amanjot Kaur – whose tight lines saw her concede just nine off her first three overs – for four fours all around, which included the reliable Sciver-Brunt putting down a dolly at deep midwicket after being distracted by the spidercam. Perry was dropped on the first ball of the last over, bowled by Kerr, that went for four. Wareham swept and reverse-swept Kerr for 4, 2, 4 and 6 to give RCB 199 with her scintillating 31 not out off 10 that helped them collect 65 off the last four.

Kerr fails again, Rana lands the blows

MI’s opening woes continued as Kerr again failed to put on a decent score. While Matthews got going with spectacular hits off Perry, Kerr faced just nine balls in the first 30. Sneh Rana snared the two openers in consecutive overs when she had Matthews hole out to deep square leg and Kerr sky one towards cover for 9.Nat Sciver-Brunt struck a 29-ball fifty but received little support from others•BCCI

MI needed a big lift from 45 for 2 in the powerplay. Harmanpreet survived an lbw appeal and review from WPL debutant Heather Graham and found the gaps with two confident boundaries. But Mandhana brought back the wily Kim Garth and she foxed the MI captain with a back-of-the-hand legcutter that drew an edge which was pouched nicely by Ghosh.

Sciver-Brunt keeps the runs coming

Despite the captain’s fall, MI did not slow down, thanks to Sciver-Brunt. She often shuffled to off stump to target the slightly shorter boundary on one side and belted out one boundary after another. Wareham was dispatched straight down, Graham for consecutive fours, Rana was brought back and was given similar treatment in a 12-run over. But soon after Sciver-Brunt smoked Perry for a four and six in the 15th over, she miscued an offcutter which Perry settled under easily.

The Sajana scare for RCB

Needing 71 to get from 31 from there was a tall ask for MI but their lower order didn’t give up. The charge was led by the hard-hitting S Sajana mainly at the end after the wickets of Yastika Bhatia, Amanjot and G Kamalini. With 44 to win from 12, Sajana packed some power against Garth’s slower ones and then with 24 to get from five, she hammered Perry in the ‘V’ down the ground for two sixes. She missed the next ball and then miscued one to be dismissed for 23 off 12 and MI fell short.

The pair also put on the second-highest partnership in all men’s T20 cricket: 241

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2025

This morning, Litton Das was left out of Bangladesh’s squad for the Champion’s Trophy 2025. By the evening, he was taking his frustrations – if any – out on Durbar Rajshahi at the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He slammed his maiden T20 hundred and batted through the innings for Dhaka Capitals, finishing on 125 not out off 55 balls with ten fours and nine sixes and a strike rate of 227.27. At his side for most of this was Tanzid Hasan, who will be going to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The pair added 241 off 118 – the second-highest stand in all men’s T20 cricket – and Dhaka finished with 254 for 1, which is the highest total in the BPL.Related

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Litton got to his hundred off 44 balls, which makes it the second-fastest by a Bangladeshi player in men’s T20s, behind Parvez Hossain’s 42-ball hundred for Fortune Barishal in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in December 2020. He finished fourth on the list of highest scores at the BPL, behind two efforts from Chris Gayle and one from Tamim Iqbal.Rajshahi had elected to bowl in the game and it seemed like a sound decision when Dhaka got to 22 for 0 after four overs. But then Tanzid took 21 off a Sunzamul Islam over, and Dhaka never looked back. By the end of this over, the fifth, Litton was 10 off 9, but he got going in the next, the last of the Powerplay, hitting SM Meherob for 4, 6, 4 off consecutive deliveries.Litton Das got to his hundred off 44 balls, the second-fastest by a Bangladeshi in men’s T20s•Dhaka Capitals

Litton brought up his fifty in the ninth over, with a six off a no-ball. By the end of ten overs Dhaka were 115 for 0 and they just kept going. Tanzid also brought up his fifty with a six, off Ryan Burl to end the 11th. Litton continued the pair’s pattern of bringing up their landmarks with a boundary, getting to his hundred in the 16th with a four off Shafiul Islam.Tanzid completed the set in the final over, taking four first ball to bring up his hundred, before hitting Shafiul for six more and then holing out for 108 off 64 balls (six fours, eight sixes, strike rate 168.75).By then Dhaka already had the record for highest total in the BPL, and the wicket hardly slowed them down with Sabbir Rahman and Litton hitting one more six apiece to close out the innings on a dazzling 254 for 1.In response, Rajshahi quickly wilted, falling to 34 for 5 before an unbeaten 47 from Ryan Burl held off the inevitable. Eventually, they were bowled out for 105 in the 16th over, falling short of their target by 150 runs.

يخوض الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، مبارة قوية من العيار الثقيل أمام منافسه الزمالك، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع الزمالك، على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الجولة التاسعة من عمر مباريات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع | تشكيل الأهلي أمام الزمالك في الدوري المصري.. القوة الضاربة

يدخل الأهلي المباراة محتلاً المركز الثامن بجدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 12 نقطة، جمعها من 7 مباريات، حقق الفوز في 3 لقاءات، وتعادل في مثلها، بينما تلقى هزيمة واحدة.

طالع أيضاً.. على رأسهم زيزو.. 6 غيابات عن الأهلي أمام الزمالك في الدوري المصري

على الجانب الأخر، يحتل الزمالك صدارة ترتيب جدول الدوري المصري برصيد 17 نقطة من 8 مباريات، فاز في 5، وتعادل في 2، وتلقى هزيمة.

وأظهرت تدريبات الأخير ملامح التشكيل المتوقع للأهلي الذي سيخوض به عماد النحاس مباراة الزمالك. تشكيل الأهلي المتوقع أمام الزمالك في الدوري

حراسة المرمى: محمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: أحمد نبيل كوكا – ياسر إبراهيم – أحمد رمضان بيكهام – محمد هاني.

خط الوسط: مروان عطية – أليو ديانج – محمد علي بن رمضان – محمود حسن تريزيجيه – طاهر محمد طاهر.

خط الهجوم: محمد شريف.

Leeds United were very much the entertainers in the Championship last season as they romped home to the title in style.

In total, the free-flowing Whites would fire home an emphatic 95 strikes across the 46-game campaign, with Joel Piroe also winning the second-tier’s top goalscorer accolade when contributing to a sizeable 19 of that high amount.

Still, the newly promoted side will know the Premier League is a different kettle of fish altogether, resulting in some proven top-flight attackers now appearing on their ever-growing shopping list, as their goalscoring heroics in the EFL are pushed to the side.

Leeds consider move for new number ten

At one end of the pitch, Farke and co appear to have finally sealed a replacement for Illan Meslier, in the form of Lyon’s Lucas Perri, with the 27-year-old set to sign for a fee of around £13m from the Ligue 1 outfit.

At the other end, Leeds have already added Lucas Nmecha to their forward options, with the German attacker already helping himself to a pre-season goal for his brand new team.

But, with his sketchy injury record, it would be foolish to halt the striker additions there, as Rodrigo Muniz continues to be talked about as one of the Whites’ priorities up top in winning themselves a Premier League-ready performer.

Muniz does have a respectable 17 goals next to his name in the tough division for Fulham, but it remains to be seen what amount Farke and Co. would be willing to fork out to land the clinical Brazilian, with £50m coming in as his reported, eye-watering valuation.

Alongside securing a fresh striker, Leeds will also be on the hunt for an exciting number ten to complement the striker makeover, with Bilal El Khannouss an option they’re now considering in this department from recently relegated Leicester City.

Leeds-centric journalist Beren Cross has revealed that development amid interest in the Moroccan playmaker also coming from Sunderland and Aston Villa in the Premier League.

This level of interest in the £22.5m ace’s services might make it hard for Leeds to sneak a deal over the line, but if they want a promising attacking talent that could set up Muniz with even more chances, they should persist in trying to bring the up-and-coming youngster to West Yorkshire.

Why El Khannouss could be a dream for Muniz

Muniz’s 17 strikes for the Cottagers in total look like a reasonable amount of goals for a striker to have next to his name on first inspection.

However, that amount suddenly holds more weight when you consider eight of those strikes were hammered in Premier League action last season from just eight starts, with one of his Fulham teammates in Willian, even declaring him as “one of the best strikers in the Premier League” off the back of this blistering form.

An extended run in the team under Daniel Farke could well help Muniz become even more potent, with the likes of Daniel James no doubt chomping at the bit to supply him with golden opportunities, alongside El Khannouss if he ditches the King Power Stadium for Elland Road.

Even as Leicester fell through the relegation trapdoor last season, El Khannouss still managed to stand out as a thorn in the side of many top-flight outfits, with his promising output of two goals and three assists only telling the basic, surface-level story of an impressive individual campaign.

El Khannouss’ league numbers (24/25)

Stat

El Khannouss

Games played

32

Goals scored

2

Assists

3

Touches per game

42.5

Accurate passes per game

42.5 (80%)

Key passes per game

1.3

Big chances created

8

Stats by Sofascore

Indeed, if the 21-year-old had the potency of Muniz next to him in the Midlands, his assist count would be sitting at a far heftier amount, with a steep eight big chances created by the “sensational” El Khannouss – as he was glowingly labelled by football analyst Ben Mattinson – when donning Foxes blue.

Four goals and 14 assists would also come the slick midfielder’s way when performing out of his skin for Genk before Leicester came calling, culminating in Miguel Ribeiro – who coached the Moroccan sensation in Belgium – further lauding the 21-year-old for possessing “eyes in his back” regarding his split-second ability to carve out an opening.

Both signings – as well as that of Perri – could be key, therefore, as Leeds attempt to play with confidence and swagger in the attacking areas in the Premier League, over receding into their shell as relegation candidates.

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