Category Uncategorized

England’s white-ball coach on his first year in the job: winning a World Cup, losing bilaterals, and not getting his best XI at all times

Matt Roller01-Jun-2023″It’s weird,” Matthew Mott says. “It’s not like I’ve never had time off before – but it’s usually been in the winter.”Mott is speaking to this writer in a Cardiff bakery, grappling with the bizarre nature of his job as England men’s white-ball coach. Outside, the city is soaked in early-summer sunshine and during our conversation, a handful of Glamorgan players wander in for coffees on a rare day off for them, two months into the county season.But while the rest of English cricket is gearing up for mid-summer, Mott’s main goal is “to try and stay connected”. His team’s next fixture is a T20I against New Zealand on August 30, five and a half months after their most recent one, a long-forgotten 16-run defeat to Bangladesh on March 14.He has been driving around the country to watch his players in the T20 Blast, and has kept a close eye on their progress at the IPL. “We have meetings quite regularly, and there’s a bit of admin to do. But the physical nature of throwing balls to people isn’t there, and I miss that. It’s about trying to keep yourself busy without creating work for the sake of work.”A year has passed since Mott took the job after seven years with the Australia women’s team. He and his family are settled in Cardiff, where he spent three years as Glamorgan coach from 2011. Mott has spent many hours watching his 14-year-old son Jai playing cricket locally and his six-year-old daughter Milla has just enrolled on the ECB’s All Stars programme.They have recently bought a house, and Mott gives the impression of a man who is in for the long haul: “It’s been a great adventure for us all so far. We’ve really enjoyed the lifestyle and have some great friends here. We haven’t set any time frame but I signed for four years. I’d love to, at least, fulfil that – if they’ll have me.”Related

'England have created a new set of rules in white-ball cricket'

England's grit, depth and brilliance shows success is no flash in the pan

England hopeful of tempting Ben Stokes out of ODI retirement for World Cup defence

Mott hits right notes with Buttler as coach lifts second World Cup at the MCG

Sam Curran eager to state World Cup case as competition ramps up

Mott’s first year in charge has been a mixed bag in terms of bilateral series results: four series wins (two each in ODIs and T20Is), one drawn series and six defeats (three each in ODIs and T20Is). Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket and Mott’s boss, made it clear to him early on that his success would be defined by silverware, and so far he is one from one at World Cups.”I don’t think any of us are completely happy with the overall year that we’ve had,” he says. “We’re definitely trying to get a lot better. But if you’d said to me, ‘You’re a year into the job, the results are what they are but you’ve won a World Cup?’ I’d have said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take that any day.'”It has taken some time to get used to. With Australia, Mott was “so consumed… I’d been working pretty much ten to 11 months of the year and when we weren’t with the team, we were doing camps and so on. In this one, there’s more of a balance – and an opportunity to put your head up and look further along the line.”He plays down the contrast between working in the women’s and men’s game: “I don’t think there’s too much change. I really don’t. The mindset is pretty similar; both teams are very confident in their ability and they back themselves a lot. I haven’t found too much different at all.”The one thing about this role, which I probably hadn’t expected, what just how blocked it would be…”And I probably hadn’t prepared enough for not having all your best players available all the time. That’s something new to me. But as long as everyone’s on the same page and the communication is good, I think we can all get through it pretty well.”

“We want our dressing room to be everyone’s favourite, where people turn up and are excited to be there. Financially, sometimes, it’s not going to be as good as some of these franchises”Matthew Mott

There were moments last year when Mott must have wondered what he had got himself into – none more so than in the aftermath of a 90-run defeat to South Africa in a T20I at the Ageas Bowl. After an initial “honeymoon period” in the Netherlands, England played a dozen white-ball games in 25 days in July and won only four of them, with one no-result and seven defeats.Mott suffered by comparison to Brendon McCullum, whose red-ball team was in red-hot form at the start of his tenure. He also found himself blooding a new leader in Jos Buttler. Eoin Morgan, England’s long-serving captain, announced his retirement a matter of weeks after Mott took the job.”It wasn’t a huge shock,” Mott says. “I knew he wasn’t going to be around for a heap of time. Even during the [recruitment] process, he asked questions like, ‘What happens if I’m not around?'”He blames me! We had a conversation in London before we went off to Holland, and he was saying then, ‘I’m not sure when the right time is.’ I said, ‘You’ll wake up one day and just know you’re done.’ And he felt that after the second game in Holland.”On the non-stop schedule last July, he says: “It all seemed to come thick and fast. We came up against some really good teams [India and South Africa] in a bit of a rush, and we were all trying to find our feet: new captain, new coach, some players that hadn’t played together for a while.”Over the following six weeks, Mott had a watching brief. A number of players went down injured at various stages: Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan and Liam Livingstone would miss the seven-match series in Pakistan, Jofra Archer’s absence for the T20 World Cup was confirmed, and Jonny Bairstow broke his leg on the golf course.England with the ODI series trophy in Bangladesh: injuries, player rotation, and franchise commitments have meant Mott hasn’t always had full-strength squads to work with. And this year, England have no white-ball cricket between March and the end of August•Getty ImagesBut as England boarded the plane to Karachi in mid-September – with a recalled Alex Hales in the touring party – Mott sensed a shift: “That was probably the turning point,” he says. “It was a moment where we galvanised together and played some tough cricket – and in some tough conditions as well.”Sometimes in home series, you can go your separate ways a little bit. But in Pakistan we were locked down, and the group seemed to really grow. Apart from players getting out for golf, it was pretty much a case of getting around each other in the hotel. That had a huge impact on me getting to know the players, them getting to know me, and all the coaching staff and management really bonded there as well.”One such relationship formed between David Saker, who Mott brought in as bowling coach, and Sam Curran. “Halfway through the summer, we dropped him [at Trent Bridge],” Mott says, “and to his credit, he asked for some conversations with me and Jos. He just wanted some clarity on what he needed to do to get back in there.”When Sakes came in, they clicked straightaway. I remember him saying to me from the start, ‘He’s going to be one of the best bowlers in the world in this format.’ He was adamant about it: every time we would throw around names for teams, he was like, ‘Sammy Curran, first pick.’ And Sam was a revelation for us.”Curran was named Player of the Final and the tournament for the T20 World Cup, but to get there, England had to overcome a surprise early defeat to Ireland. On a damp Thursday afternoon, their performance was as flat as the MCG was empty, and they succumbed to a five-run defeat via DLS.For Mott, it was familiar territory. “Over my seven years with the women’s team, a lot of people talked about the dominance but during World Cups, we often dropped a game early and were under the pump. Those experiences helped me a lot – to maintain that balance. It was like, ‘Okay, that was pretty bad. Let’s not play like that again.’

“You’ve got to love the one you’re with. I work for the ECB, so definitely, I hope Baz and Stokesy and the boys get the win”Mott on who he will support in the men’s Ashes

“In some ways, it released a lot of that fear. We knew we could still control our own destiny, so we didn’t panic. There were a lot of key characters around that: Stokesy was very important; Moeen Ali, with the way he keeps everyone balanced; and then Jos’ sheer determination to get things right.”A washout against Australia and wins over New Zealand and Sri Lanka were sufficient to set up a semi-final against India in Adelaide; even with five first-choice players out injured, England thrashed them by ten wickets, then snuck home in a tricky chase against Pakistan in the final. “World Cups are pretty fickle,” Mott says, “but it felt like we achieved something special.”The six months since then have been very different. England stayed in Australia for three ODIs – “there’s no way we could have competed properly” – and have only played nine times since, losing an ODI series in South Africa and winning another in Bangladesh before being whitewashed in the T20Is. The tours epitomised the direction of travel.In South Africa, with the vast majority of their players arriving from franchise leagues, England scrapped their warm-up games and barely trained before the start of the series – which lasted only six days. In Bangladesh, they were proud to win the ODIs but by the end of the tour were fielding an imbalanced T20I team because their batters were either resting between a Test tour and the IPL, or had declined selection to play in the PSL instead.”There’s a good understanding among you guys in the press, commentators and our playing group around expectations,” Mott reflects. “We literally can’t put our best team on the park and we’ve just got to find a way to compete. The schedule is what it is, and it’s not going to change over the next couple of years.Mott on bowling coach David Saker (left) backing Sam Curran (right): “I remember him saying to me from the start, ‘He’s going to be one of the best bowlers in the world in this format’. And Sam was a revelation for us”•Munir uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images”It’s almost like football,” he says. Mott was recently invited to speak at a coaching seminar through the Football Association, and spoke to England manager Gareth Southgate before it started. “I asked him about access to players. He said, ‘I don’t really get it at all – it’s like two or three days before we go away, and that’s it.’ The days of having a lead-in and preparation are gone. There’s nothing we can do about that.”It’s very different to what I – and most coaches – have been used to. We just need to adapt. We have to be prepared – and it doesn’t feel right to say – to lose in order to win the long-term battles. When you’re in the moment, it doesn’t sit that well with you but sometimes you have to make decisions that are looking well ahead.”The root cause is simple: the recent trend of Indian investment in global franchise leagues has undermined the status and relevance of bilateral international cricket, offering players an alternative source of income to their national contracts. “In the last two or three years, they [franchise leagues] have expanded rapidly. Everyone is fighting for their little space,” Mott says.”We often talk about this, and Jos is big on it: we want our dressing room to be everyone’s favourite; the one that everyone wants to be in. We want to maintain that culture where people turn up and are excited to be there. Financially, sometimes, it’s not going to be as good as some of these franchises – and I’m not sure we can compete with that.”But what we can compete with is that it’s international cricket. Look at Sam Curran: a lot of his success [in leagues] is on the back of a great World Cup campaign. Players need to make a living, to look after their families, to pay their mortgages, but the lure of playing for World Cups is something that no franchise can compete with.

“You’re a year into the job, the results are what they are but you’ve won a World Cup? I’d have said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take that any day'”

“And we need to have a positive look at these franchises too. They provide a huge development opportunity for our players. The more we can work with them to find an equal balance – rather than saying, ‘We don’t like it’ – then we’ll create better cricketers in the long run.”Mott brings up the example of the T20 World Cup semi-final, when Moeen – who has just won his second IPL title after six seasons in the competition – was the driving force behind England’s decision to chase against India. “He was convinced. ‘No, we need them to have to set a score. We need them not to chase,'” Mott recalls. “Those are things that you don’t pick up unless you’re in those environments.”Key made clear when recruiting last year that he was open to England’s coaches working in franchise leagues, and Mott, who spent the first two IPL seasons as Kolkata Knight Riders’ assistant coach, admits it is “definitely a goal to get back there at some point”. He was approached by a WPL franchise but the dates clashed, and has turned down an offer from another league in recent weeks.But in the immediate term, Mott’s focus is on England’s preparations to defend their 50-over World Cup title in India later this year. “With an Ashes and a World Cup in the same year, there’s going to be some stress points, I’m sure. But I’ve got really great trust in Keysy and Baz [Brendon McCullum] to help have those conversations.”Ideally Mott would like to field his strongest 50-over team against New Zealand in September but accepts that might not be possible. “You have to keep a really open mind because there will be compounding impact from the Ashes,” he says. “We have to look at the World Cup, work our way backwards and manage individuals as best we can.”Mott is at Lord’s this week to watch England’s Test team play Ireland and is relishing a “fascinating” men’s Ashes series. “Like every cricket nuffy, I just can’t wait for it to happen. I don’t think there could be a better time for those two teams to come up against each other. At home, England are hard to beat even when they’re not at their best but they’re going in at the top of their game. But I think Australia are confident.”As for his allegiances, “I’ve got great friends in both camps, so it’s a tough one,” he says with a wry smile. “But I always said from the moment I took this job, you’ve got to love the one you’re with. I work for the ECB, so definitely, I hope Baz and Stokesy and the boys get the win.” And for the women’s Ashes? “I’ve got lifelong friendships with a number of those people in there,” he says of the Australia camp. “That’s a hard one for me…”In the meantime, it is just a question of staying busy. “I’m really enjoying the home time at the moment. My daughter was just starting to have a crack at me about being away too much but that’s settled down a bit; I think she’s pretty keen to get rid of me now.”

In his capacity as a Fox Sports analyst, Alex Rodriguez had a front-row seat to the magical World Series that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays pushed to, and beyond, its limits. In the end it was the defending champions who were able to secure back-to-back titles by outlasting their Canadian hosts last Saturday night in a game that brought more eyeballs to baseball than any in the previous eight years. So he had plenty of time to take in the energy and atmosphere that only added to the drama fans at home were able to enjoy. And to compare it to all previous versions of the Fall Classic.

Asked by if we just watched the greatest World Series every played, Rodriguez explained why he believes so.

"Yes," he said. "Well, in my lifetime, I've never. You know, that's obviously very subjective, but in my lifetime, I've never seen a better one. It had all the elements of just the juiciest, most delicious, World Series."

Rodriguez is not alone in his assessment, as many have wondered if the sport just enjoyed a high-water mark that will be difficult, if not impossible to match. The way he processed the seven-game greatness, however, is unique. Seated next to David Ortiz, Derek Jeter and Kevin Burkhardt, the former player was able to witness all the ingredients that went into making things buzz.

"It had three S’s, right?" Rodriguez said. "It had, it had superstars, it had strategy and it had incredible storylines. And what's great about baseball."

Rodriguez also spoke about the episodic nature of a baseball playoff series as opposed to the immediacy and one-and-doneness of other sports.

"Super Bowl has one like Tom Cruise movie. Over 100 million people will watch. What's different and what I think more compelling about a seven-game World Series, which are very rare—we only had two prior to this one in the last eight years—is that is like a mini docuseries and there's seven episodes.

"And just like , if you watch all six now, you're invested. You're hooked. You're hooked in the characters, the storyline, the strategy. And then you must watch game seven. So it was just awesome. I'm so proud of the game."

While we’re still in the early stages of the season, so much has changed already. Two teams have already fired their managers. The Baltimore Orioles have the worst run differential in the American League. The Seattle Mariners suddenly have one of baseball’s best offenses. And the Colorado Rockies are on pace for (yes, you read that right).

Entering play Friday, all 30 clubs have played at least 42 games, meaning we’ve officially reached the end of the first quarter of the 2025 campaign. While we’ve still got a ways to go, it felt like the right time to check in on the major awards races and hand out some quarter pole accolades.

Some of the picks were pretty clear cut (you should check out this Aaron Judge guy, he’s pretty good). Others had a long list of deserving candidates that made picking just one at this point of the season a difficult task. And while the pecking order will undoubtedly change as spring turns to summer, it’s worthwhile to see where things stand from an individual perspective now.

So, without further ado, the envelopes, please:

American League

MVP: Aaron Judge, RF, New York Yankees

At this point, Judge’s mastery of hitting is well documented. Through the Yankees’ first 43 games, he’s on pace to: clear 50 homers for the third time in four years; reach the 150-mark in runs scored and driven in; and record 256 hits. He’s hitting over .400, has the lowest strikeout rate (21.5%) of his career and is putting up the highest single-season slugging percentage (.782) of the 21st century for anyone not named Barry Bonds. His 252 wRC+ would be the best for a full season in MLB history.

Can Judge keep up this historic pace? History and math tell us it’s unlikely, but the run Judge has been on these past four years give us little reason to doubt that, by season’s end, there will be no debating who baseball’s best hitter is.

Honorable mention: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals; Cal Raleigh, Mariners; Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox

Cy Young Award: Hunter Brown, Houston Astros

Now we get to the competitive races. The American League has seen several established aces get off to hot starts, but Brown has the slightest of edges so far. The 26-year-old has continued his stellar form over the second half of last season into 2025, and looks to be in the midst of a full-blown breakout.

Brown, a former top prospect, had an up-and-down rookie campaign in 2023 that portended brighter days in ‘24. That didn’t happen right away: through his first 10 games in ‘24 (nine starts), Brown was 1–5 with a 7.06 ERA and 24 walks in 44 ⅓ innings, briefly losing his spot in the rotation. From that point on, he was dominant, leading the AL with 2.27 ERA in 21 starts from May 28 through the end of the season.

The righthander has been a workhorse to begin 2025, ranking third in the AL in ERA (1.48) and first in FIP (1.85). He’s putting up a career-best 32% strikeout rate and his lowest walk rate (7.7%), allowing him to pitch deep into games: he’s gone at least six innings in seven of eight starts. The competition here is stiff, but Brown’s ability to log bulk innings, miss bats and prevent hard contact gives him the edge.

Honorable mention: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers; Max Fried, Yankees; Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers; Garrett Crochet, Red Sox; Kris Bubic, Royals 

Rookie of the Year: Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics

The A’s took Wilson with the sixth pick in the 2023 draft, then saw him hit .401 in 79 minor league games before making him the team’s starting shortstop. He kept his head above water in a 28-game cup of coffee in ‘24, but has been terrorizing opposing pitchers to begin ‘25.

Wilson doesn’t hit the ball hard and he doesn’t walk much, but he possesses Luis Arraez-like bat-to-ball skills that give him the league’s second-lowest strikeout rate at 5.4% (fittingly, trailing only Arraez). His ability to square the ball up despite lacking high exit velocities suppresses his power potential, but also allows him to have the league’s 10th-highest expected batting average (.319). The shortstop version of prime Luis Arraez at age 23 is a great foundational piece for an A’s team that’s managed to hover above .500 to this point.

Honorable mention: Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox; Kristian Campbell, Red Sox; Trey Sweeney, Tigers; Jasson Dominguez, Yankees; Tomoyuki Sugano, Baltimore Orioles

Comeback Player of the Year: Javier Báez, CF, Detroit Tigers

After years wandering the proverbial baseball wilderness, who could have believed that Báez had a stretch like this still in him? Through his first three years with the Tigers (2022 to ‘24), Báez had the second-lowest on-base percentage (.262) and fourth-worst wRC+ (70) of any hitter with at least 1,000 plate appearances. His six-year, $140 million contract was looking like a complete sunk cost, but the 32-year-old has found a renewed rhythm while rediscovering his role for a first-place Detroit squad that’s equipped to be a contender.

Báez has adapted remarkably quickly to playing center field, tying for fifth at the position in defensive runs saved. His .309/.346/.496 slash line isn’t exactly propped up by robust under-the-hood numbers, but anyone focusing on that aspect of his performance to date is missing the point. This is a player who, in his prime, was among the most fun and exciting to watch on a nightly basis. Having Báez back among MLB’s relevant characters on a winning team is good for everybody.

Honorable mention: Liam Hendriks, Red Sox; Tyler Mahle, Rangers

National League

MVP: Corbin Carroll, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks

As you can tell by the numerous honorable mentions, this is perhaps the most crowded field of the major awards. Carroll gets the pick now because we have to pick , but that’s not to say he hasn’t earned it.

The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year struggled during the first half of last season, posting a .619 OPS through the end of June. He was still hitting the ball hard, but not lifting it in the air enough to take advantage of his natural power. From Opening Day through June 30, Carroll had a 45.5% ground ball rate, translating to just two homers in 82 games.

Now, Carroll has fully embraced the pulled fly ball approach. He’s hitting the ball in the air 42.5% of the time this season, and pulling fly balls at a 28.1% clip—both career highs. As a result, he has the NL’s third-highest slugging percentage (.612) while ranking second among right fielders in Statcast’s Outs Above Average. Carroll will need to fend off a swarm of players who are more than qualified to contend for the hardware, but he has a leg up on the rest of the crowd for now.

Honorable mention: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers; Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres; Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs; Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies; Pete Alonso, New York Mets; Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks, Freddie Freeman, Dodgers

Cy Young Award: Zack Wheeler, Phillies

I think it’s a bridge slightly too far to call Wheeler underrated, but it’s hard to believe the veteran ace only has two All-Star appearances to his name. Since joining the Phillies in 2020, he leads all pitchers in fWAR (26.2), has the third-lowest ERA (2.96) among pitchers with at least 100 starts and has logged the second-most innings (887 1/3). He has two Cy Young runner-up finishes in that span, and 2025 is looking like it could be the year he finally secures the honor.

Wheeler leads the NL in innings (58), is third in strikeout rate (33.2%), second in K-BB% (28.3%), fifth in batting average against (.200) and second in WHIP (0.91). There are plenty of other pitchers who have similarly impressive stat lines, but this is a pick that’s partly betting on Wheeler’s consistency and durability giving him a better chance at maintaining this form over the next four months.

Honorable mention: Jesús Luzardo, Phillies; Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants; Michael King, Padres; Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds; Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers; Kodai Senga, Mets; Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Rookie of the Year: AJ Smith-Shawver, SP, Atlanta Braves

Smith-Shawver got a brief taste of life in the big leagues in 2023 and ‘24 before cracking Atlanta’s Opening Day roster this season. His start to the year was uneven: he struck out 17 hitters over his first three outings but walked eight and twice failed to make it through the fifth inning. Opposing hitters put up a .333/.415/.526 slash line against him, leading to his demotion back to Triple A.

In four starts since getting recalled, Smith-Shawver has looked like a new pitcher. He’s 3–0 and allowed just three earned runs during that stretch, with 23 strikeouts and nine walks in 25 frames. He’s pitched into the sixth inning in all four games, and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his May 5 outing against the Reds. Smith-Shawver’s emergence into a reliable starter, along with the presence of Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach and impending return of Spencer Strider, could once again give Atlanta a strong front-end of the rotation—and net the 22-year-old some serious hardware, too.

Honorable mention: Drake Baldwin, Braves; Luisangel Acuña, Mets; Agustîn Ramírez, Miami Marlins; Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers; Ben Casparius, Dodgers; Tim Tawa, Diamondbacks

Comeback Player of the Year: Jesús Luzardo, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Health has always been a concern for Luzardo. He had Tommy John surgery in high school before the Washington Nationals took him in the third round of the 2016 draft, and has spent much of his career on and off the injured list. When he’s been able to stay on the mound, though, there’s been little doubting his ability, and he put everything together for a breakout 2023 campaign for the Marlins in which he posted a 3.58 ERA with 208 strikeouts in 32 starts.

Last season, though, was another in which Luzardo couldn’t stay healthy. A lumbar stress reaction ended his season in mid-June after 12 underwhelming starts in which he put up a 5.00 ERA. Miami dealt him in December to Philadelphia, where he's enjoyed a resurgence and is now pitching better than ever. Luzardo is 4–0 with a 2.00 ERA and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his starts, pitching into the sixth inning in eight of them. Durability will always be a concern, but if he can stay on the mound, he’ll be in contention for a lot more than just Comeback Player of the Year by season’s end.

Honorable mention: Jung Hoo Lee, Giants; Kodai Senga, Mets; Robbie Ray, Giants

Marufa and Fahima put the chase in jeopardy before Knight gritted through with Capsey and Dean

Valkerie Baynes07-Oct-2025

Charlie Dean and Heather Knight’s 79-run partnership was the biggest of the match•Getty Images

England 182 for 6 (Knight 79*, Fahima 3-16, Marufa 2-28) beat Bangladesh 178 (Mostary 60, Rabeya 43*, Ecclestone 3-24) by four wicketsA gritty comeback by Heather Knight pulled England out of danger and into top spot on the World Cup table with a battling four-wicket win against Bangladesh that was in sharp contrast to their ten-wicket romp over South Africa to open the tournament.Nigar Sultana, the Bangladesh captain, had implored her side to show what they’re capable of “so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us”, and they did that in only the second ODI between the sides.Two early wickets to Marufa Akter, followed by 3 for 2 in the space of 12 legitimate deliveries from Fahima Khatun had England 78 for 5 in pursuit of what had looked like a modest target after England’s spin department restricted Bangladesh to 178 all out with two balls remaining.Related

Shining Knight sweeps in to rescue England

'At first look, I thought it was out' – Knight on the catching reprieve

Sobhana Mostary’s maiden international half-century and a quickfire 43 not out off just 27 balls by Rabeya Khan had allowed Bangladesh to post a competitive total despite only two other batters reaching double figures.But Knight, playing her first international innings since tearing her hamstring from the bone during a T20I against West Indies in May, gritted her teeth, ground out the runs and rode her luck – overturning dismissals on 0, 8 and 13 – to lead England home. Her unbroken stand for the seventh wicket with Charlie Dean, worth 79 in 100 balls, sealed the result with 23 balls to spare.Marufa broke the game open with a stunning five-over opening spell in which she had England two wickets down – it could have been three – with just 29 runs on the board inside the first seven overs.DRS saved Heather Knight twice against Marufa Akter in the first seven overs•ICC/Getty Images

In an eventful start to the run chase, England lost opener Amy Jones lbw to Marufa at the end of the first over and, two balls later, saw Marufa drop a sitter at cover off Tammy Beaumont, on 2 at the time, off the bowling of Nahida Akter.There was more drama as Marufa sought to make amends with the first ball of her next over and thought she had Knight caught behind but Knight survived on review with TV umpire Gayathri Venugopalan initially saying there was inconclusive evidence that the bat made contact with the ball while another angle gave the hint of a gap.Marufa ultimately covered for her fielding error when she pinned Beaumont on the front pad, although it took a Bangladesh review this time to secure the dismissal with the batter on 13. Four balls later, Knight denied Marufa again when she overturned an lbw decision as replays showed that the ball going would be going over.With Knight looking far from fluent, Nat Sciver-Brunt, her successor as England captain, helped herself to three fours off Marufa’s next over.Knight continued to lead a charmed life, scratching her way to 13 off 38 balls when she spooned Fahima to Shorna Akter at cover and walked off, only to be recalled as TV umpire said there was “inconclusive” evidence that the fielder had her fingers under the ball.Marufa left the field with what appeared to be a calf problem and didn’t return, leaving Nigar without a seam option.Fahima Khatun’s loopy full toss got Nat-Sciver Brunt•ICC/Getty Images

Bangladesh stuck to their task and were rewarded when Fahima removed Sciver-Brunt and Sophia Dunkley in the space of four deliveries, the former chipping to midwicket and the latter trapped lbw as Clarie Polosak’s on-field decision was upheld in the face of England’s review.Emma Lamb managed just 1 off 12 deliveries before picking out Nahida Akter at mid-on, although Fahima and Bangladesh had to wait anxiously for confirmation of her third wicket as the TV umpire again checked the catch, which was eventually deemed clean.Sanjida Akter Meghla, the left-arm spinner brought to combat an England batting line-up stacked with right-handers, struck just as Alice Capsey threatened to dig them out of trouble, rapping the back leg in line with the top of leg stump. Capsey was so half-hearted in her call for the now-overworked DRS that her signal was deemed too late and it was just as well for England with replays showing that the ball was on target.Knight’s most productive shot in a laboured innings had been the sweep and she swept Shorna for four to move into the 30s before shimmying down the pitch and clubbing Meghla down the ground for four more.From that point, Knight looked settled, reaching her 50 in 86 deliveries, having been 15 off 50. She and Dean settled into a rhythm, Dean striking the winning runs with four off Mostary to finish 27 not out.Sobhana Mostary brought up her maiden ODI fifty•AFP/Getty Images

Collectively, England’s spinners kept a lid on the Bangladesh line-up, despite the best efforts of Nigar, who was extremely vocal from the dugout long after she was caught by Dean off the bowling of Linsey Smith for a second-ball duck.She had good reason to shout. By the 30-over mark, her side had faced 136 dot balls and they went 61 deliveries without a boundary before Mostary struck back-to-back fours off Sciver-Brunt in the 31st, punching through the covers and prodding through third.Sophie Ecclestone finished with three wickets while fellow left-arm spinner Smith, who had been England’s chief destroyer against South Africa, finished with 2 for 33.Offspinners Dean and Capsey bowled with good economy also to secure two wickets apiece, the latter accounting for Mostary for a 108-ball 60 in a double-wicket strike in the 47th over.That was after Mostary had become only the third Bangladesh player to score a Women’s World Cup half-century.It took an England review to remove Mostary after Capsey got one to spin back from just outside off and hit the pad high in line with middle stump as the batter sat back in her crease.Rabeya hit the first six of the match, off Smith in the final over, clearing the towering Bell just inside the boundary at long-on and followed up immediately with four through fine leg. But, having taken a single, Sanjida then chipped the next ball straight to Sciver-Brunt as Bangladesh narrowly failed to bat out their 50 overs.

كشفت تقارير صحفية رفض لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة المشاركة في مباراة إنتر ميلان بدوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم الماضي.

وكان برشلونة قد واجه إنتر ميلان في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم الماضي وخسر لقاء العودة بنتيجة 4/3 وحُرم من الذهاب إلى نهائي البطولة الغالية.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “سبورت” المقربة من نادي برشلونة، قد نقلت جزءًا من كتاب سيباستيان ستاشيفسكي، الخاص بالسيرة الذاتية لـ روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، الذي كشف أنه في آواخر دقائق المباراة أراد هانز فليك، مدرب برشلونة، أن يُشرك المدافع أندرياس كريستنسن بديلًا حتى يؤمن دفاعه لكن الأخير رفض.

رأي فليك أن لاعبي إنتر ميلان اندفعوا في الهجوم حتى يحرزون هدف التعادل ويلجأ الفريقان إلى الأشواط الإضافية، وقام الفريق الإيطالي بإرسال العديد من العرضيات، ولاحظ الألماني أنه يجب إدخال مدافع طويل ليمنع الكرات العالية من تشكيل أي خطورة على المرمى.

اقرأ أيضًا | بعد تكرار إصابة العانة.. برشلونة يجهز خطة قوية بشأن لامين يامال

لكن فليك لم يتمكن من تنفيذ الخطة، حيث أبلغ مساعد فليك كريستنسن أن يستعد للنزول لكن الأخير رفض بحجة أن ظهره يؤلمه، لم يكن فليك مقتنعًا بأن الدنماركي كان مصابًا حقًا لكنه لم يكن لديه وقت للتفكير، لأن إنتر كان يبذل كل ما في وسعه ويقاتل، كل ثانية كانت مهمة خاصةً وأن الدقيقة كانت 89 وكان التوتر في ذروته.

وأردفت أن فليك حافظ على هدوئه وبما أنه كان يعلم أن فريقه سيتعرض للكثير من العرضيات، وبعدما رفض كريستنسن المشاركة، أجرى تغييرًا آخر ليعالج مشكلة طول القامة في خط الدفاع، أدخل روبرت ليفاندوفسكي إلى الملعب بدلًا من فيران توريس في الدقيقة 90 بهدف زيادة القوة الدفاعية لكن في النهاية لم تسر الأمور على ما يرام.

أحرز أتشيربي الهدف الثالث لصالح إنتر في الدقيقة 93 من عمر اللقاء من عرضية مميزة، ثم تكرر الأمر وسجل فراتيزي الهدف الرابع في الأشواط الإضافية والذي صعد بإنتر إلى نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

MatériaMais Notícias

LaLiga, BundesLiga, Serie A do Calcio, EFL Championship, Premier Legue, Brasileirão e Brasileirão – Série B são os principais destaques desta sábado (4) de futebol. Confira com o Lance! onde assistir ao vivo e os horários das partidas.

Arne Slot believes he will be criticised whether or not he looks to rest players after Ibrahima Konate limped off with a hamstring injury in Liverpool’s last-gasp defeat to Chelsea.

The 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge, sealed in dramatic fashion in the fifth minute of stoppage time when substitute Estevao Willian slid in at the far post for his first Blues goal, was a third in eight days for the champions who slipped from the top of the table for the first time since August.

Slot brought back Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Alexander Isak, all of whom were on the bench for Wednesday’s defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul, but it was at the other end of the pitch where he was forced to make adjustments, sending on Curtis Jones for £70,000-a-week Konate in the 56th minute.

A high-octane game in west London culminated in a breathless finale. Chelsea – who had eight players missing through injury and suspension – ran Liverpool all over the pitch in the first half, taking the lead through a sublime long-range strike from Moises Caicedo.

Later on, after Cody Gakpo had pounced on Isak’s lovely controlled flick-on to equalise, they battled to close off avenues of attack as the champions found their confidence and their rhythm, before remarkable late drama.

Weekly wages: Liverpool FC 2025/26 highest-paid players

Football FanCast has gathered all the information on the richest players at Liverpool.

By
Charlie Smith

Sep 4, 2025

Marc Cucurella got in down the left channel and crossed low to the far post where the 18-year-old Brazil international Estevao slid in to squeeze it home and spark uproarious scenes.

“If you play the style we play, a high press, and with the style Chelsea play with a high press, it would be a complete surprise if neither team ever played through the press,” said Slot. “That would be unrealistic.

“We came to Stamford Bridge with them having eight injuries, we’re thinking this can be positive, they don’t have the options from the bench. But they did have a few good options from the bench to impact the game.”

There was plenty that Maresca needed here from his team after a difficult month. What they gave him was a fresh, gutsy display that brought resounding affirmation his work with this young squad is on track.

Most importantly, he got three points that hauled Chelsea to within one win of the top four and put momentum back into their season after successive league losses to Manchester United and Brighton.

“For a few weeks we’ve been holding our emotions,” said assistant coach Willy Caballero, who spoke to the media after Maresca was dismissed for his wild celebrations following the winner.

“We finished today with a back four of all full-backs. The players from the bench were ready to go and play. They didn’t ask questions, they just went on the pitch and did fantastic.

“The goal gave the emotions to Enzo to run. Today is a great victory. The whole crowd was living the game. That’s we want to create, an environment that is nasty for the away team.”

For the second successive game in the Premier League, Chelsea have been defeated. After last week’s defeat against Manchester United, Enzo Maresca’s side lost 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to South Coast outfit Brighton and Hove Albion.

The first half went the way of the home side. After plenty of early pressure, the Blues finally found the back of the net. Enzo Fernandes was the man to break the deadlock, firing his side into the lead with a header from inside the six-yard box.

However, things started to go wrong for Chelsea in the second half. Just eight minutes into the second 45 minutes, Trevoh Chalobah saw red. He was sent off for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity after he brought down Brighton attacker Diego Gomez.

Down to ten men for the second time in as many games in the top flight, the Blues needed to try and hold onto their lead. Unfortunately for Maresca’s side, they failed to do that. It was Danny Welbeck who equalised, also scoring a header from close range.

Maxim De Cuyper fired the Seagulls ahead in the 2nd minute of stoppage time, yet again heading home from inside the six-yard box. To cap it off, Welbeck slotted home from close range in the 100th minute.

It was a calamitous collapse from the Blues, with Chalobah one of the men who put in a disappointing performance.

Why Chalobah was one of Chelsea's worst performers

Normally one of Chelsea’s most consistent players, it was a day to forget for centre-back Chalobah. The England international made a costly mistake, which led to his side being reduced to ten men once again.

In terms of the foul, it was not great defending from Chalobah. The Cobham academy graduate brought down Gomez on the edge of the penalty box, which, after a review by the VAR officials, was deemed to be a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.

What is most frustrating is the fact that the centre-back had played well up until his sending off. Chalobah had once again shown great quality on the ball and had a 92% passing accuracy, completing 36 out of 39 attempted passes.

Yet, the red card put his side in trouble. Football London journalist Bobby Vincent gave the defender a 3/10 rating for his efforts, and admitted that it was a ‘clear foul’ by the Blues number 23.

However, the defender is not solely to blame for the defeat. There was another Chelsea player who performed below the level you might expect.

The Chelsea player who was as bad as Chalobah

Overall, Chelsea’s afternoon at Stamford Bridge was one to forget. Despite the control they had in the first half, largely thanks to Fernandez’s header, the Blues let things slip, and, from the 53rd minute, always had an uphill battle to hold onto their lead.

Well, another player who struggled against the Seagulls was 21-year-old Brazil international Andrey Santos. The former Strasbourg loanee was making his first start in the Premier League, but played a part in the red card.

Unfortunately, it was Santos’ poor pass back to Chalobah, which meant the England star was chasing Gomez back towards his own goal. Santos, under pressure, looked to play the ball back in the direction of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, but misplaced it and put Gomez in on goal, putting Chalobah in a position where he could only foul the attacker.

Like the Chelsea number 23, it was not the worst performance overall from the Brazilian wonderkid. He completed 94% of his passes, created one chance, and won 100% of both his duels and tackles.

Santos key stats vs. Brighton
Stat	Number
Touches	22
Pass accuracy	94%
Passes completed	16/17
Ground duels won	2/2
Tackles won	2/2
Number of times ball lost	2
Key passes	1
Stats from Sofascore

Vincent highlighted that good performance early on from Santos. Although he gave him a rating of 4/10 for his efforts, he said he “played well in the first half”, but did point out the “costly mistake” he made for the red card.

That moment showed his inexperience and perhaps suggests he is not ready to start in the top flight. There is no doubt that Santos is a wonderful talent, but perhaps the intensity of the Premier League got to him. Over time, he will surely become a key player at Stamford Bridge, but that may not be just yet.

Maresca has a bigger talent than George who's "the future of Chelsea"

The sensational youngster looks the real deal for Chelsea.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 26, 2025

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are out of the IPL 2025 playoffs race, leaving Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) fighting for the last remaining slot in the top four.LSG made a storming start to their 12th match, with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram putting on 115 at close to 11 runs an over. But Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)’s bowlers hit back with clever use of the old ball and limited them to 205, a total that proved inadequate in the face of a thrilling display of six-hitting from Abhishek Sharma.Related

• Moody: Pant, Pooran price tags left LSG light on their bowling

• Abhishek's over of fury: four sixes, one knockout blow

• Pant points to 'gaps' created by injuries after LSG's playoff hopes end

• Race to IPL playoffs: MI vs DC for final spot

SRH were already out of contention for the playoffs when this match began, but they showed – even without Travis Head, who missed out after a bout of Covid-19 delayed his return to India, that they remain a batting line-up with an immense ceiling, even if the vagaries of form have ensured that they have only reached it sporadically this season.Abhishek hit six sixes in a 20-ball 59, turning his team-mates’ task straightforward; with Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen and Kamindu Mendis also getting past 30, SRH reached their target with ten balls remaining.LSG’s batting, yet again, was over-reliant on their big three, with Nicholas Pooran scoring 45 off 26 balls on the back of the openers’ half-centuries, and no one else reaching double figures. Having scored 108 for no loss in the first ten overs, LSG only managed 97 for 7 in the back half, as SRH’s bowlers pulled them back with their changes of pace.It’s hard to say if conditions changed during the chase, making batting a little easier for SRH. But LSG’s attack certainly made it appear so; it was an indictment of their resources that the bowler they kept turning to in search of inspiration, Digvesh Rathi, is an uncapped player in his debut IPL season.1:42

Abhinav: Abhishek an unbelievable hitter of pace and spin

Rathi picked up the wickets of Abhishek and Kishan, but SRH were well in control by the time of those strikes. The match officially ended in the 19th over, but its symbolic end came in the 14th, when Kamindu hit Rathi for three clinical, back-to-back fours in his final over.

Marsh and Markram dominate the new ball

For the first half hour or so of LSG’s innings, after Pat Cummins sent them in, this appeared to be one of the flattest surfaces Ekana has yet produced. When Cummins aimed at a hard length and erred on the shorter side in the first over, the ball sat up for Marsh to slap and pull him for a four and a six. When the debutant left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey landed the ball a touch too close to Marsh’s hitting arc in the second over, there was no grip off the pitch to endanger the step-hit over long-on.LSG rushed to 69 for no loss in their first six overs, with both openers striking the ball authoritatively. If Marsh dominated the stand, it was only because he had more of the strike. At the six-over mark, he was on 41 off 22 balls, and Markram on 26 off 14.

SRH strike back with the old ball

At the halfway point of their innings, LSG were 108 for no loss. But the last ball of the 10th over gave a clue as to how the last 10 overs would play out. This full ball from Harshal Patel didn’t quite come on to Marsh’s bat, and a low caught-and-bowled appeal ended up going in the batter’s favour because replays suggested the ball had been momentarily grounded.SRH were certainly finding more grip with the old ball than the new one. Marsh fell in the 11th over, with Dubey getting one to turn sharply and cause him to slice a catch to short third. In the next over, Rishabh Pant, who had promoted himself to No. 3, fell for another low score, chipping back a slower ball from Eshan Malinga, who took a superb return catch diving full-length to his left.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Malinga, Harshal and Cummins began to use the slower ball with greater frequency, and began getting telling results. The best of the lot didn’t even need the help of the surface: a dipping slower yorker bamboozled Markram in the 16th over and brought Harshal his 150th IPL wicket.The challenge of the conditions was evident in the fact that Pooran began the final over without having hit a single six despite having faced 24 balls. Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled the 20th over – his second, in his first bowling innings of the season – and it turned out to be an eventful one, with Pooran and Akash Deep hitting sixes either side of three wickets including two run-outs when LSG’s batters attempted to steal byes. In all, 20 came off that over, taking LSG past 200.

Abhishek puts SRH on their way

Atharva Taide, coming on as Impact Sub and making his SRH debut, gave his new team early impetus with three fours in his first eight balls. Two of them were straight out of the middle, and one off an edged swipe that raced to the deep-third boundary. A similarly-edged swipe ended his innings, giving LSG debutant Will O’Rourke his first IPL wicket.Then Kishan walked in and creamed his second ball for a gloriously-timed six over the covers. SRH were 23 for 1 in two overs, and Abhishek had only faced one ball.All that early excitement, however, would pale against Abhishek’s onslaught. He launched a six each off Akash Deep and O’Rourke – the second an open-faced loft over cover point – and moved to 35 off 15 by the end of the powerplay. By the end of the seventh over – the most expensive seventh over in IPL history – he was batting on 59 off 19.Abhishek only faced four balls in that over, and he hit all four over the boundary. Ravi Bishnoi is a terrific bowler against left-hand batters, using his angle across them and his wrong’un to hide the ball away from their hitting arc. But he could do nothing to stop Abhishek, who used his eye and reach to launch him for three successive sixes down the ground before pulling a short one just beyond reach of the leaping Pooran on the leg-side boundary.SRH were 98 for 1 in seven overs, and entirely in control of their chase.

Rathi strikes, but it’s all too late for LSG

The umpire separates Digvesh Rathi and Abhishek Sharma•BCCI

Abhishek’s attempt to go after Rathi in the eighth over cost him his wicket, as he ended up losing his shape while making too much room against a wrong’un. Rathi gave Abhishek an old-fashioned send-off, pointing him to the dressing room, before launching into his notebook celebration; all this sparked a confrontation that needed the umpires to pull Abhishek and Rathi apart.Three more overs went by before Rathi came back into the attack, and he struck in that over too, the 12th, bowling Kishan when he missed a reverse-sweep. Kishan fell for 35 off 28, having struggled for timing after hitting that early six.By this point, Klaasen was already up and running, having hit two fours and a six in getting to 24 off 11 balls. Kamindu joined him now, and the two put on 55 in 36 balls to shut LSG out of the game.There were a couple of nervy moments late on, with Klaasen feathering Shardul Thakur behind for 47, and Kamindu retiring hurt after appearing to tweak his hamstring while completing a single. SRH only needed nine at that point, however; they took just three of the remaining 13 balls to finish the job.

Manchester United scouts have now reportedly been spotted watching one of the most reliable defenders that Serie A has to offer ahead of a potential 2026 move.

Man Utd's early 2026 targets

There’s still a lot of work to be done at Manchester United even after spending around £200m on reinforcements in the summer. As highlighted by their poor start, Ruben Amorim’s side could particularly do with strengthening their backline and in midfield. Whether the January transfer window presents an ideal time to do exactly that is the big question.

To that end, several potential targets have already emerged. Reports earlier this week linked both Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde with moves to Old Trafford in what would be incredibly ambitious deals for the Red Devils to pull off. However, there’s no doubt that both would be instant upgrades on Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro.

There could also be change in the dugout if Ruben Amorim fails to turn things around sooner rather than later. Reports earlier this week claimed that INEOS are already looking at the likes of Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva as potential candidates to replace their struggling manager.

The manager, himself, has since reiterated that a meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe was nothing more than routine this week, but the pressure is certainly building.

If the former Sporting Club boss keeps hold of his position until 2026, then he could once again receive some much-needed investment from INEOS. With scouts already spotted watching one impressive defender in Italy too, it looks as though the Red Devils are ready to welcome more fresh faces when the time comes.

Man Utd send scouts to watch Bremer

According to TeamTalk, Man United scouts have been spotted watching Gleison Bremer ahead of a potential 2026 move. TeamTalk were full of praise for the Juventus defender, dubbing him one of the most reliable defenders that Serie A has to offer. If that is the case, then it’s hard to argue that United shouldn’t be going all in on the Brazilian.

Minutes

270

360

Progressive Passes

4

9

Tackles Won

0

5

Ball Recoveries

14

14

Whilst the immediate numbers reflect harshly on Bremer, it’s worth noting that Juventus have kept 46 clean sheets in Bremer’s 93 appearances. With a record of almost one clean sheet for every two games, the Brazilian’s reliability is there for all to see.

The 28-year-old has also earned plenty of praise during his time in Turin. Analyst Ben Mattinson even went as far as to describe the defender as a “monster” in 2023 and has watched on as he’s only improved ever since.

Man Utd keen to sign £70m Champions League star with same agent as Mainoo

He’s a man in-demand…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 20, 2025

With their scouts in place, Man United would be wise to fend off any competition and welcome the South American in 2026.