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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed his seventh home run of this year's MLB playoffs on Tuesday night during Game 4 of the World Series.

Guerrero hit a 395-foot two-run homer in the third inning to put the Blue Jays up 2–1 over the Dodgers. This was a huge moment for Toronto, and it was also a huge career moment for Guerrero.

With his seven career homers, Guerrero officially surpassed Blue Jays legends Joe Carter and José Bautista for the most home runs hit in the postseason by a Toronto player, per Sarah Langs. Carter and Bautista each had six homers during their postseason careers with the Blue Jays. It took Guerrero 21 career playoff games to hit this milestone and make franchise history—though all seven home runs have come during this playoff run.

There will at least be one more World Series game (maybe more if Toronto wins Game 4 to tie the series), so Guerrero has the opportunity to continue adding to his record.

On Monday night, Guerrero and Alejandro Kirk made Blue Jays history by both having at least five home runs in a single postseason for the first time in team history. This year marks the most homers the Blue Jays have hit in a single postseason with 25 so far in 15 games. That total will likely continue increasing. Will Toronto be able to win its first World Series title since 1993, too?

While the hosts look their most settled heading into the tournament, England, South Africa and Bangladesh will be in pursuit

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-20253:00

Is this India’s best chance to win a World Cup?

India

This is the most settled Indian team to head into an ODI Women’s World Cup. That was only highlighted when they ran Australia, the reigning world champions, close in the ODI series decider in Delhi on Saturday.Pratika Rawal has added stability to the opening partnership, even if her scoring rate is under the spotlight. Harleen Deol has been given a long-enough run at No. 3 with Jemimah Rodrigues settling in a now-familiar spot at No. 5.Their talisman and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is among the runs and captain Harmanpreet Kaur is in good form, too. The bowling group of Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, N Shree Charani, Arundhati Reddy and Kranti Goud have got games together under their belt.One of their concerns, apart from blowing hot and cold with their fielding and catching, would be how Amanjot Kaur returns from injury. She was sidelined during India’s successful tour to England in July and missed the three-ODI series against Australia at home. Her seam-bowling ability, combined with her batting, fit just right for India, especially in situations like the third match against Australia.Renuka Singh Thakur’s showing through the series after returning from a stress injury will help India breathe easy. She highlighted her importance to the bowling attack, especially with the new ball.Whisper it, but this could be India’s best chance of winning their first senior women’s World Cup.

Squad

Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh, Kranti Goud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, N Shree Charani, Sneh Rana, Uma Chetry

Key player

Smriti Mandhana has been in fine form•Getty ImagesNumbers alone can make a case for Smriti Mandhana being one of the key players for India at the World Cup: 2100 runs with eight centuries at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 99.15 since the 2022 edition. No other batter has more than 1800 in this period. Statistics aside, Mandhana has effortlessly slid into the role of the aggressor in her opening pairing with Rawal, with Shafali Verma not part of the ODI setup. The clarity in her shot selection has helped in this regard and twin hundreds in the last series before the World Cup only show her hunger.

Predicted finish

At least runners-up.

England

1:07

‘England have incredible talent in the squad’

New coach, new captain, this tournament poses the first big-stage test of England since the dire T20 World Cup and Ashes campaigns that prompted these changes. That said, there have only been a couple of tweaks to the make-up of the squad, making it incumbent on head coach Charlotte Edwards and skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt to extract the best from the enviable talent at their disposal and succeed where no one has since their 2017 triumph.Eight of the XI who finished runners-up to Australia in 2022 remain, while continued investment and growth in the women’s game in England has increased their depth since. But it’s early days yet – the new regime only began in April – and a clean sweep of both home white-ball series with West Indies, who failed to qualify for this World Cup, was tempered by series defeats to India in both formats.The success of a reprised opening partnership between Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones against West Indies was more measured against India and England have recalled the vastly experienced Danni Wyatt-Hodge to bolster the middle order. After those series, Edwards said “getting to the final would be a real success for us” and, at this stage, that rings true.Seamer Lauren Bell was the leading wicket-taker in the women’s Hundred and spearheads a seam attack without the retired Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Anya Shrubsole and the overlooked Kate Cross. England will rely on a four-pronged spin department of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Linsey Smith and Sarah Glenn.

Squad

Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

Key player

Nat Sciver-Brunt has been England’s spiritual leader at the World Cup, scoring two centuries in 2017 followed by a fifty in the final and twin unbeaten hundreds in losing causes against Australia, including the title decider, in 2022. Now she is their official leader too, captaining the side for the first time at a global tournament. Against India, during their recent ODI series, she was the leading run-scorer with 160, averaging 53.33. She bowled for the first time in six months during a warm-up with New Zealand just ten days out from the start of the event, putting her return as an allrounder on track, albeit on a tight schedule.

Predicted finish

Semi-final. Having had just 14 matches – only six of them ODIs – under the new leadership, reaching the knockouts would be a big achievement at this stage.

South Africa

4:28

‘South Africa have depth, but could feel Ismail’s absence’

The curse has been broken. South Africa earned a world title when their men’s team lifted the World Test Championship (WTC) mace in June and so, finally, they will enter a tournament without the pressure of ending a drought. Now, they can just play.South Africa go into the tournament after a period of inconsistent form over the last year, in which time they have also been under a new coach, but are quietly confident of what they’ve built. This will be Mandla Mashimbyi’s first major event as he hopes to make his mark at the highest level. The bulk of his squad are experienced at global competitions and were at the core of South Africa’s success in reaching the final of the last two T20 World Cups.In Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa have a captain who leads by example and holds the batting line-up together. They are stacked with allrounders in Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Sune Luus, Nadine de Klerk and have several spin options led by left-armer Nonkululekho Mlaba. What’s missing is a pace bowler in the mould of Shabim Ismail, who was at the last ODI World Cup. In her absence, South Africa will rely on the swing of Kapp and the accuracy of Ayabonga Khaka and Masabata Klaas. Even though Tumi Sekhukhune offers some pace, they may find themselves lacking a genuine strike bowler.

Squad

Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloé Tryon

Key player

As big scores and power-hitting become commonplace in the women’s game, Tazmin Brits could take centre stage with her brand of aggressive batting. Brits is in the form of her life and has scored four of her six ODI hundreds in 2025, including a career-best 171*. She’s also done all that quickly and has maintained a strike rate of 94.14 this year. While she has always been strong on the drive, she has also developed strong sweeps and slog-sweeps and can prove difficult to stop in the powerplay. Her style perfectly complements her opening partner and captain Wolvaardt and the value she adds in the field means if she has a good World Cup, South Africa could too.

Predicted finish

Semi-final.

Bangladesh

Nigar Sultana’s triple role of batter, wicketkeeper and captain does seem too much at times•ICC/Getty ImagesBangladesh have plans to win at least two matches in the World Cup. But to do that, they have to rely on a number of training camps at home, rather than any international cricket for the five months leading up to the tournament. It is being recognised as a massive factor before Bangladesh embark on their second 50-over World Cup campaign.Instead, Bangladesh played several matches against Bangladesh’s Under-15s, though they didn’t have a great time, winning just one game against the boys’ side.Bangladesh could take inspiration from their qualification tournament, where they made it through by 0.003, the squeakiest of margins. Sharmin Akhter and captain Nigar Sultana were the second and third-highest run-scorers in the qualifiers, while legspinner Rabeya Khan took eight wickets. They will, however, be without Jannatul Ferdus, the offspinner who was their highest wicket-taker in qualifying.

Squad

Nigar Sultana (capt), Nahida Akter, Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Sobhana Mostary, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Fariha Trisna, Sanjida Akter, Nishita Akter, Sumaiya Akter

Key player

Nigar Sultana’s triple role of batter, wicketkeeper and captain does seem too much at times but she has performed admirably in all three capacities. Nigar will have to put on all three caps at the World Cup too, as she looks to bring out the best in a squad that hasn’t seen top-class action in months. Articulate on and off the field, Nigar is an inspirational figure in Bangladesh and is regarded as one of the best captains in the country’s history.

Predicted finish

Eighth.

Liverpool are reportedly ready to seek inspiration from a familiar face if Premier League title-winning manager Arne Slot is relieved of his coaching duties at Anfield. With the Reds struggling for consistency in the 2025-26 campaign, and Mohamed Salah cutting a frustrated figure, Steven Gerrard is seeing a stunning return to Merseyside speculated on.

• Klopp also being linked with Anfield return

  Jurgen Klopp has already seen an emotional retracing of steps to Liverpool mooted, with the German having stepped down as Reds boss in the summer of 2024. He saw his successor, Dutch tactician Slot, deliver title glory during a memorable debut campaign.

  The wheels have fallen off since then, though, with the Liverpool bandwagon not rolling as freely as it once was. A bright start to the current season saw a number of late goals recorded, with those efforts papering over some alarming cracks.

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• Getty/GOAL
  

  Points dropped & Salah strop: Why Slot is under pressure

  The Reds have suffered six defeats through 15 top-flight fixtures this season, while also enduring humbling reversals in Champions League competition against Galatasaray and PSV. Two more points were dropped from a commanding position last time out during a dramatic 3-3 draw at Leeds.

  After that contest, Egyptian superstar Salah – who has been named on the bench for Liverpool’s last three games and saw no minutes at Elland Road – came out and aimed a stunning blast at a club that he has represented with distinction across eight glittering years.

  Salah has accused the Reds of throwing him under the bus during a difficult season, while admitting that his working relationship with Slot has broken down. Transfer talk is now raging again around the 250-goal icon who only signed a new two-year contract back in April.

• Return of a legend: Gerrard considered as interim boss

  All was happy in the Liverpool camp back then, but Slot and hisunderperforming players are now facing some uncomfortable questions. The man calling the shots has maintained that he boasts the full support of his board.

  Slot has said when asked if he boasts backing there: “Yeah but not in the sense that they tell me every single minute ‘we support you’, ‘we support you’, ‘we support you’.” We talk a lot. If we are winning, last season, and if we are losing. And then they are helpful to me, to the team.

  “So yeah, we do have those conversations, but they don’t call me in every single minute of the day to tell me that they still trust me. We do have the normal conversations and in those conversations I feel the trust.”

  It remains to be seen whether the Liverpool hierarchy continue to support Slot or start to consider a change in the dugout. According to , some thought has been given to another fresh start.

  It is claimed that “Steven Gerrard is under consideration to step in on an interim basis if Arne Slot is sacked”. If such a move were to happen, then a stunning homecoming would be taken in by the legendary former Reds captain.

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• Getty
  

  Gerrard career: Anfield icon & mixed managerial record

  Merseyside native Gerrard took in 710 appearances for Liverpool in his playing days, scoring 186 goals while lifting Champions League and FA Cup honours. He is considered to be a GOAT by many at Anfield.

  The 45-year-old would be available to step in if required by the Reds to take their reins on an interim basis through to the end of the 2025-26 season. That is because his own managerial career is currently on hold.

  He started out in style when leading Rangers to Scottish Premiership title glory in 2020-21, but has since found the going tough at Premier League side Aston Villa and in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ettifaq.

  Gerrard’s spell in the Middle East came to a close in January. He has returned to punditry duty since then, while turning down the chance to head back to Ibrox. Any opportunity to return to his roots would be much tougher to snub, with Liverpool still mulling over whether an SOS call needs to be sounded.

The England captain attempted to reset the tone for the tour as the team begins preparations for the second Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Nov-20253:04

Should England fans be worried about Root?

Ben Stokes is willing to accept criticism of England’s performance in the first Test as “rubbish” but feels labelling his side “arrogant” is a step too far.Australia’s victory in Perth has seen the tourists come under heavy fire, after succumbing to defeat inside two days. Despite holding a strong position on day two – 105 in front, with nine second innings wickets in hand – England capitulated, losing 9 for 99 through questionable shot selection, before Travis Head completed the rout for an eight-wicket victory.With an 11-day gap between the end of the first and the start of the second Test at The Gabba next Thursday, there has been ample space for postmortems, particularly in the Australian media. Publications and pundits have lined up to take shots at not just England’s approach in the match, but around it, too. Mitchell Johnson was the latest former Australian cricketer to seek his pound of flesh with his column on Friday. Such critiques have also come from the UK.Related

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• England are not panicking – yet

• The Khawaja debate: for and against his Test career continuing

A lack of an intense warm-up ahead of the series, with a three-day match against the Lions at Lilac Hill, has been followed by a decision for all but three unused squad members to miss the Prime Ministers’ XI match in Canberra this weekend – a two-day pink-ball fixture ahead of Brisbane’s day-night Test. Factor in paparazzi shots of the team playing golf and an unflattering picture has been painted of an unserious team not committing wholly to one of the most anticipated Ashes tours in recent history.Stokes, however, was keen to set the record straight in England’s first official media engagement since the end of the Perth Test. Prior to an additional training session at Allan Border Field on Saturday morning – the first of five ahead of the second Test – England’s Test captain ceded they must wear what comes their way, but stressed not all of it was valid.”Look, you can call us rubbish, call us whatever you want,” Stokes said. “We didn’t have the Test match that we wanted to. We were great in passages of that game… but I think arrogant might be a little bit too far.”But that’s okay. We’ll take the rough with the smooth. I’d rather words like ‘rubbish’, but ‘arrogant’, I’m not so sure about that.”Ben Stokes speaks to the media as England resume training•Getty Images

Stokes also defended England’s decision not to send more of their first-string to join the Lions for the PM’s XI match, which starts on Saturday afternoon. Only Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts are at Manuka Oval, with the remainder of the Ashes squad in situ in Brisbane since Wednesday.It left Lions captain Tom Haines in the uncomfortable position of fielding questions from local media on Friday at the captain’s press conferences, asking if England had disrespected the match – and by association – prime minister Anthony Albanese.”I do understand it,” said Stokes of the blowback to shunning the fixture. “We have a pink-ball match coming up in Brisbane, and we have an opportunity to play some pink-ball cricket. When you look at it just like that, I don’t want to say it makes sense, but I totally understand it [that view].”But there’s obviously a lot more to it than just that. There’s where it is, in Canberra, which is a different state from Brisbane. The conditions are going to be completely different to what we are going to have coming up.”You take all the factors into consideration, the pros and cons, whatever it may be. We then discuss that and decide what we think is the best preparation. We have a few more days off than we planned after that Test. We had to go away and ask how we use these next few days wisely in order to be prepared for what it will be like in Brisbane.”We schedule everything as if the Test match is going to go five days. It didn’t go five days, so we had three days planned of training, and that obviously had to change. That’s why now we have a longer build-up for this pink-ball game.”Saturday’s session lasted close to three hours before rain arrived in Brisbane. The week has been punctuated by thunderstorms, with more expected in the next few days that could hamper both team’s preparations and the Test itself although the forecast does become more settled.Pink ball in hand: Jofra Archer prepares for the day-night Test•Getty Images

Regardless of the weather, Australia will be seen as the dominant force coming into next week. They boast an impressive 13 wins from 14 in day-night Tests, suffering their first defeat against West Indies at the Gabba in 2024. Mitchell Starc, fresh from 10 wickets in the first Test, is the standout with the pink ball, with 81 dismissals at an average of 17.08.With the odds stacked against England, Stokes issued a rallying cry to his team – and supporters – as he seeks to right the wrongs of Perth.”We did some amazing things in that Test match,” he said. “The way we bowled in the first innings, and we were [effectively] 100 for 1, and put a score on the board that we felt was definitely defendable. We all know, and have looked back on it, that there were moments in that game where we could have been a lot better to help us gain even more of an advantage.”The important thing we need to do as a team and individuals is learn from it. We have identified those moments, spoken about them as a group, that’s what we need to do. In terms of execution, could we have been better at executing what we want to do, definitely. But again, we have a mindset of playing the game which is looking to put the opposition under pressure, but also absorbing pressure.”Sometimes when you go out there and make a decision, it doesn’t always pay off, or work the way you want it to. That’s the key for the rest of this tour, staying true to the beliefs of how we play our cricket. But also we do know we could have been a lot better in certain ways.”We know that there’ll be a lot of disappointed fans in England after that first defeat. But it’s a five-game series, we’ve got four games to go, we’ve lost the first one – we’re absolutely desperate to come home with that goal from before we even started the series, which is to win the Ashes.”

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is facing a potentially defining week in his career at the club ahead of Premier League clashes with Chelsea and Liverpool at Elland Road.

The Guardian reported on Monday that Farke’s job may be on the line in these next two matches, because senior figures at the club believe that two losses could lead to his dismissal.

It added that his position in West Yorkshire could be ‘untenable’ if he does not pick up at least one point, as the report states that his job hangs ‘in the balance’.

The Guardian, though, also revealed that some sources have expressed sympathy for the German manager because the results have not been as positive as the performances have been.

Leeds exploring move for English head coach

Whilst a final decision has not been made on the former Norwich City head coach’s future at the club, a fresh report has named one of the managers already in the frame to take his place.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

According to Football Insider, Leeds United are exploring the possibility of a move to appoint former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil as Farke’s replacement at Elland Road.

The report claims that the English tactician is ‘firmly’ in the running to be the next Whites manager if they decide to part ways with the German this week.

It adds that Farke will be in the dugout for the clash with Chelsea on Wednesday night, as the earlier report from The Guardian backs up, but his future beyond these next two games remains in doubt.

However, the 49ers should change their mind and avoid a deal to appoint O’Neil as their next manager if they opt to move on from Farke, because he could be a Javi Gracia repeat for the club.

Why Gary O'Neil could be a Javi Gracia repeat for Leeds

The Whites appointed Gracia to replace Jesse Marsch in February 2022 in an attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League, and it seemed to be a shrewd move on paper.

Prior to joining Leeds, the Spaniard had finished 14th and 11th in the Premier League with Watford in his first two seasons with the Hornets, per Transfermarkt, before losing his job after three defeats in four games at the start of his third campaign.

He, therefore, arrived as a ‘proven’ Premier League manager, but that did not stop him from losing six of his 11 games in charge before being sacked by the Whites, who then brought in Sam Allardyce.

O’Neil would arrive at Elland Road with a similar reputation because he finished 15th and 14th with Bournemouth and Wolves in his first two seasons in the division, before being sacked after a run of 11 losses in 16 games in his third top-flight campaign, per Transfermarkt.

The English boss, who typically deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation, per Transfermarkt, lost his job with the Old Gold for a run of form that was even worse than Farke’s current performance at Leeds.

As you can see in the table above, Farke would still have a better record than O’Neil did last season if he loses these next two games against Chelsea and Liverpool.

These statistics suggest that there is no guarantee that the ex-Wolves manager would be an upgrade on the German in the dugout, as Gracia wasn’t, despite his Premier League experience, when they sacked Marsch in 2022.

With this in mind, the 49ers should avoid moving for the out-of-work head coach if they decide to sack Farke, because it could be a repeat of the mistake that former sporting director Victor Orta once made with Gracia.

Instead, they should look to appoint a manager who is a clear upgrade on the German boss, whether they have Premier League experience or not, to help them in their battle against relegation.

Leeds lining up January spending spree for "phenomenal" Farke replacement

Daniel Farke will reportedly be sacked if Leeds lose their next two matches.

By
Ben Goodwin

Dec 1, 2025

Of course, it would be remiss of us to ignore the possibility that Farke can turn things around in these next two games to save his job, which would alleviate any need for the board to step in and make a decision on a replacement for him in the coming weeks.