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وصل ثلاثة من أفراد فريق ليفربول لكرة القدم إلى مقر حفل جائزة الكرة الذهبية، لأفضل لاعب في العالم لعام 2025، في العاصمة الفرنسية باريس، من أجل حضور المراسم.

وتُقام مساء يوم الإثنين مراسم حفل توزيع جوائز الأفضل في العالم، المُقدمة من مجلة “فرانس فوتبول” الشهيرة، وعلى رأسها الكرة الذهبية (لمتابعة البث المباشر من هنا).

ويتواجد محمد صلاح ضمن قائمة المرشحين التي تضم 30 لاعبًا للتنافس على جائزة الكرة الذهبية لأفضل لاعب في العالم لذلك العام.

وظهر ثلاثي ليفربول، المدرب آرني سلوت والمدافع فيرجيل فان دايك والحارس أليسون بيكر، على السجادة الحمراء منذ قليل لحضور حفل “فرانس فوتبول”.

هذا، ويتواجد آرني سلوت ضمن المرشحين لجائزة كرويف لأفضل مدرب في العالم لعام 2025، في حين أن أليسون بيكر يتواجد ضمن المرشحين لجائزة ياشين لأفضل حارس مرمى.

وكان فيرجيل فان دايك يتواجد ضمن المرشحين لجائزة الكرة الذهبية للعام الحالي، ولكنه احتل المركز الثامن والعشرين من أصل 30.

ولم يظهر محمد صلاح ضمن وفد ليفربول الذي يتواجد في الوقت الحالي في مقر حفل الكرة الذهبية، مع العلم أنه لن يشارك في مباراة الغد ضد ساوثهامبتون في دور الـ32 من كأس كاراباو.

.@LFC is in the house! Welcome to Paris!#ballondor pic.twitter.com/SNOgODooR5 — Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) September 22, 2025

Tilak Varma became India’s second centurion in the space of six days and ensured they cannot lose the four-match T20I series. They lead 2-1 with the final match to be played on Friday, and the hosts left with only the option of a draw. South Africa have not won a bilateral T20I series since beating Ireland 2-0 in August 2022 and have lost five and drawn two series in that time.At a time when the next major tournament is 15 months away, and with the knowledge they reached this year’s T20 World Cup final, that may not worry South Africa much. But there will be questions over their depth and some of their strategies after they conceded heavily and stumbled in the chase for the second time this series.South Africa’s seam strength without Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje, is, as expected, inexperienced. It showed in a messy display at Supersport Park which included 10 wides and three no-balls. Those numbers pale in comparison to that of Tilak, who, at 22 years and five days old, became India’s second youngest centurion after Yashasvi Jaiswal, and took just 51 balls to get to his hundred. He shared a 107-run second-wicket stand with Abhishek Sharma, and a 58-run fifth-wicket partnership with Rinku Singh, in which Tilak contributed 45. Though India were set for a total above 240, after bringing up 100 in the ninth over, Tilak still made sure they had enough.Related

• India look to add more shine to already glowing T20 credentials

• Tilak asks Suryakumar for No. 3 spot and owns it with dazzling century

With an asking rate of 11 needed, South Africa fell behind early on. They needed close to 12 runs an over by the end of the powerplay and as much as 17 an over in the last five. At that stage, they had their two biggest hitters, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller at the crease and their partnership had reached 58 off 35 balls. In an eerie reminder of Suryakumar Yadav’s catch on the long-off boundary in the T20 World Cup final in June, Axar Patel timed his jump at deep mid-wicket boundary to perfection and Miller had to depart.Tilak Varma leaps in celebration after bringing up his first international century•AFP/Getty Images

Marco Jansen kept South Africa in it until the last over and ensured the result flattered them. He scored his first T20I half-century and blitzed four four and five sixes, three down the ground, to threaten a coup. But South Africa had left themselves with too much to do. Jansen was dismissed lbw to Arshdeep Singh with three balls left in the innings and 18 to get. South Africa lost by 11 runs.

South Africa strike early; India strike back

Jansen got South Africa off to a perfect start when his second ball scythed through Sanju Samson. Samson’s all-or-bust time continued, with his last four T20I scores reading 111, 107, 0, 0 but India did not spend too much time dwelling on that. They promoted Tilak to No. 3 with astonishing results. He hit the second ball he faced through backward point for four and then smashed Jansen over third for six. Abhishek, who was dismissed for single-figure scores at both coastal venues, quickly rectified that when he took 14 runs off Gerald Coetzee’s opening over, and he showed the full range of his repertoire.Abhishek went through midwicket, over point and then through the covers. Coetzee was swiftly replaced by Lutho Sipamla, who Tilak pulled behind square, and Jansen by Andile Simelane, who bore the brunt of Abhishek’s aggression. He struck back-to-back sixes to opposite corners of the ground and India were running away with the powerplay. They were 70 for 1 after six overs, and South Africa were yet to bring on the spinners.Andile Simelane celebrates with his team-mates after removing Suryakumar Yadav•AFP/Getty Images

Maharaj and Simelane apply the brakes

India brought up 100 inside nine overs when Abhishek launched Keshav Maharaj over long-on but the spinner had the last laugh. Three balls later, he dragged a delivery wide of Abhishek, who reached out to try and send it through the leg side but missed and was stumped. In the next over, Simelane gave Suryakumar width and tempted him to cut but the India captain could only slice it to deep point. Maharaj’s second over cost 10 runs but he was kept on for a third, with success. Hardik Pandya missed a sweep, was hit on the pack pad and given out lbw. India lost 3 for 25 in 26 balls and South Africa pulled them back.

But there’s no stopping Tilak

Maharaj is known for his ability to slow things down but by his last over, Tilak had had enough. He used his crease well to go 4-6-4 over extra cover, deep square leg and deep mid-wicket and Maharaj finished with 36 off his four overs. That was the warning shot. Coetzee took a pasting in his next over, which also included three wides, with Tilak finding the long and short boundaries. Jansen bowled a boundary-less 17th over and Rinku was bowled by a Simelane yorker in the 18th. But by then Tilak was unstoppable. He brought up his hundred when he smoked Sipamla past mid-off for his seventh four. Tilak went on to hit one more four to add to his seven sixes and ended unbeaten on 107.

Flying ants stop play

We’ve had bees at the Wanderers but this is, to this amateur historian’s mind, the first time flying ants have stopped play. What, you may ask? Maybe you call them or or or but you probably know the ones. They come before the rain, are attracted to light and shed their wings upon landing, and there were so many of them at SuperSport Park, the umpires were concerned they would fly into the players’ eyes. The players were taken off after an over of South Africa’s chase and a light pylon at SuperSport Park was turned off in the hope the flying ants would go somewhere else. After 28 minutes, play could resume, with no overs lost. It’s wild out in Africa, they say, and so it was.India and South Africa players walked off the field due to flying ants•AFP/Getty Images

Varun the victor

Forget everything history says about spinners struggling on the Highveld and just look at Varun Chakravarthy. He came into this match as the leading wicket-taker in the series (with double the number of wickets as his nearest rival) and added another to his name with his most unplayable delivery. South Africa have had no idea about his googly and Reeza Hendricks was done for a second time. He advanced on Varun, slogged wildly, missed and was stumped. South Africa finished the powerplay on 55 for 2.South Africa may have thought they had the better of Varun when Aiden Markram hit him for two sixes over long-on in his third over but it was a case of the opposite. Markram should have put the last ball away over mid-wicket but hit it straight to debutant Ramandeep Singh and extended a miserable run for himself. He has gone 27 innings without a T20I fifty and has not gone past 30 in his last 12 innings. Klaasen was the only player who could take some bragging rights after he hit Varun for three successive sixes, including the biggest of the match at 109 meters, in an over that cost 23. Varun finished with his most expensive T20I analysis but made two crucial breakthroughs and in the end, that’s all that matters. South Africa needed 86 off the last five overs and it was a bridge too far.

Fast bowler to miss tours to Pakistan, New Zealand after problem picked up on routine scan

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2024Mark Wood, England’s fastest bowler, will miss the forthcoming Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand, after being ruled out for the rest of the year due to a bone-stress injury to his right elbow.Wood was withdrawn from the ongoing Sri Lanka series as a precaution, after suffering a right thigh strain while bowling during the first Test at Old Trafford. However, he subsequently underwent what he had hoped was a routine elbow scan, after feeling discomfort in the joint, and admitted in an Instagram post that he had received some “pretty rubbish news”.”During what I thought was routine check on a previously troublesome elbow, I was shocked to learn I’ve got some bone stress in my right elbow,” Wood wrote.As a result, he will miss England’s final six Tests of the year, three each against Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December.He will continue to work closely with the ECB medical team in the meantime, with the aim of returning to full fitness by early 2025, in time for England’s white-ball tour of India and the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, which is scheduled to begin in February 2025.Wood’s surprise at his diagnosis comes in the wake of some of the fastest bowling of his international career. During the Trent Bridge Test against West Indies in July, he hit a top speed of 97.1mph in an electrifying performance that culminated in a broken forearm for Kevin Sinclair, and had his captain, Ben Stokes, predicting he would break the 100mph before his career is done.Though he went relatively under-rewarded in that performance, he closed out the series with 5 for 40 at Edgbaston, his first five-wicket haul in a home Test. However, he bowled just 18.2 overs across two innings against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, before he was withdrawn from the action.”After the minor groin injury at Emirates Old Trafford, me and the medical team felt it was a good time to get my elbow looked at as it was a bit irritated,” Wood added in his Instagram post. “I’d put that down to the normal niggles every fast bowler gets and which I was playing through.”I’m especially surprised because I’ve been playing Test cricket and kept my speeds up.”I work incredibly hard on my fitness, putting in extra work with coaches and physios making this even more disappointing. However, I guess this is, ‘part of being a fast bowler’, like Stokesy says.”I will miss the rest of the year needing time to rest and build up, fully expecting to be back and firing in early 2025. I have been down this path before and will put in all the hard yards behind the scenes. I am very proud to represent my country and there is no better feeling. See you for some rockets in 2025!”In Wood’s absence, Olly Stone was recalled for last week’s Lord’s Test, his first Test since undergoing back surgery three years ago, with Josh Hull, the 20-year-old left-arm seamer, making his debut in the ongoing third Test at The Oval.

Celtic enter the market with a clear idea of where they need to strengthen and could now turn to a recognisable name to solve their quest to land another centre-forward, according to a report.

Celtic's quest to add attacking firepower

Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda ended the campaign as Celtic’s only two senior centre-forward options, while Johnny Kenny came in from the cold to supplement their output from the bench.

Late attempts in January to secure a striker fell through, despite the Bhoys’ failed pursuit of Danny Ings from West Ham United following Kyogo Furuhashi’s departure to Rennes.

Nevertheless, the calculated decision to stick with what they had at the time has allowed more time to make sure the right man arrives to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ pool of attacking talent.

Youssef El Kachati was mooted as a Celtic target. However, the former Morocco Under-23 international looks set to join NEC Nijmegen under freedom of contract on a three-year deal from Telstar.

Rodgers could potentially be left with more work to do on that front if Fenerbache or Tottenham step up their interest in Japanese forward Maeda. Both clubs are keen to deal him in, though have been told a fee in excess of £21 million is required for his services.

Brentford set to go at Celtic with £60m Mbeumo windfall to sign "breathtaking" star

The Bhoys are set to witness movement in both directions this summer…

1

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Jun 6, 2025

Left-back, centre midfield and on the flanks have been mooted as areas of the field where Celtic could look to enact squad surgery, whetting the appetite for a summer of significance before they enter the Champions League qualifiers at the playoff phase.

Encountering a quick turnaround, the Bhoys may now look to a former player who is available on the market to add some expertise in front of goal.

Celtic hero Kyogo Furuhashi wants to return to Parkhead

According to reports in France, Celtic are ‘ready’ to offer an olive branch to former striker Furuhashi following his frustrating spell at Rennes, where he has yet to score in six appearances.

The Ligue 1 outfit are set to part ways with the 30-year-old this summer, and it is now said that the Bhoys icon is in favour of completing a sensational return to Parkhead. However, Bournemouth are also lurking in the distance and could submit an offer.

Rennes boss Habib Beye is set to omit Furuhashi from his pre-season plans and will put him up for sale after he failed to live up to expectations at Roazhon Park.

Labelled “excellent” by Rodgers, he made his move to France for roughly £10 million mid-season, though he has only completed 120 minutes of football, coming mostly as a substitute.

Truthfully, it did seem like a strange move in January for the Nara-born man in light of his new club’s close brush with relegation, but a swift exit would suit all parties, including the player and his desire to be considered for Japan’s 2026 World Cup squad.

Whether he could achieve that feat at Celtic remains to be seen. Either way, the prospect of Furuhashi returning to Glasgow’s east end could soon become a reality.

Well, if Arsenal didn’t already need a new striker, one look at their first six fixtures of the new Premier League season tells you they certainly do.

Andrea Berta has replaced Edu and he’d been completing negotiations on a number of targets but now is the time to strike and ensure the Gunners are ready to hit the ground running once the campaign commences in August.

17th Aug

Manchester United (A)

23rd Aug

Leeds United (H)

30th Aug

Liverpool (A)

13th Sept

Nottingham Forest (H)

20th Sept

Manchester City (H)

27th Sept

Newcastle United (A)

Truth be told, Mikel Arteta and Co couldn’t have been handed a much tougher start with away fixtures at United, Liverpool and Newcastle, while having to play newly-promoted Leeds and title rivals Man City.

So, this squad needs to be ready. It needs extra firepower. But, the age-old question, who will they sign?

The latest on Arsenal's striker hunt

Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko are the two names that feature most prominently on Arsenal’s summer wish list but both deals, at the moment, look complicated.

Gyokeres – the scorer of an enormous 54 goals in 2024/25 – is likely to leave Sporting but Portuguese reports revealed earlier this week that Arsenal have so far yet to meet the Lisbon club’s demands. As a result, they’ve put their pursuit of the Swede on hold.

That means that Sesko has become the number one target again. One report comes from journalist Graeme Bailey who now insists that ‘Sesko is still the furthest along in terms of a deal being done’.

That said, if a deal cannot be agreed, Bailey reveals that ‘it wouldn’t take an awful lot for Arsenal to divert’ their attention elsewhere.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Gyokeres is name-dropped, while Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike are also on the shortlist.

While Arsenal tried and failed to sign Watkins last January, Ekitike isn’t a name we’ve heard mentioned too often in Arsenal circles. Up to now, the race has been between Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

What Ekitike could bring to Arsenal

Arsenal need goals. In 2024/25, no player recorded double figures in the Premier League. Kai Havertz was the top scorer with just 15 – albeit with the caveat that he missed several months through injury – and Mikel Merino ended the campaign as the centre-forward.

To Merino’s credit, he did a fine job, scoring six goals in 12 games. Obviously, that wasn’t enough to help them reach the Champions League final and it served as evidence that the Gunners need a new striker. No ifs, no buts, no maybes, they simply have to sign one.

So, if it’s goals Arsenal require then surely Gyokeres must be the number one option? He scored more than any other player in Europe’s top leagues over the last season and is a rampant finisher. He’s even got experience of English football having played for Brighton and Coventry.

However, there have been doubts, some red flags, so to speak. Had the powerful Swede scored that many goals in a top-five league, you doubt there’d be question marks. However, he did it in the Portuguese top-flight.

We’re not trying to dismiss the quality of the division here but it does pale in comparison to the Premier League or LaLiga for instance.

Then you have the traits Gyokeres could bring. Competent in front of goal, of course, but as data analyst Ben Mattinson outlines, the Swede has a “heavy first touch” and “doesn’t anticipate contact or shield the ball well.”

So, is there a player out there with a better all-around package? In that regard, Ekitike’s your man.

Cast out by PSG despite being heralded as the “next Kylian Mbappe” in some quarters, he departed Paris having played just 33 games, scoring four goals in the French capital.

Luis Enrique and Co are unlikely to lose much sleep given their recent Champions League heroics, but the 22-year-old has become something of a phenomenon in the Bundesliga for Frankfurt.

The Frenchman ended 2024/25 with 22 goals and 12 assists to his name. Not mindblowing numbers, sure, but his electric play is seriously pleasing on the eye.

What should fill Arsenal fans with excitement is regular comparisons to their all-time leading goalscorer. Scout Jacek Kulig has suggested that his most similar player is the great Thierry Henry, while one PSG content creator went as far as to claim he is “the new Henry.” Fine praise indeed.

So, what makes them alike? Well, the goal below tells you all you need to know.

The similarities between Henry and Ekitike here are scary. He’s got the same languid but smooth and powerful running style, brushing defenders aside with ease and then sliding the ball home.

His movement is first class, he’s a phenomenal dribbler and unlike Gyokeres, there’s less chaos to his running style and first touch. Everything feels a bit neater and tidier in that regard.

Let’s throw another bonus in there for you. One of Ekitike’s most similar players in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year, according to FBRef, is Alexander Isak.

Now, we all know how much Arteta rates the Swede and for a fraction of the price, they could sign a player with the potential to be just as good.

Gyokeres might be the best goalscorer on the planet right now but doubts surrounding his playstyle continue to linger. Ekitike is a proper on the last shoulder of the defender striker, someone with pace, power and a Henry-likeness to boot. Arsenal should be all over this move.

He's a lot like Isak: Arsenal in talks to sign amazing upgrade on Sesko

Arsenal are turning their attention to a striker they tried to sign in the winter.

1 ByMatt Dawson Jun 17, 2025

Since winning the Premier League a few weeks ago, Liverpool have either been working aggressively behind the scenes to sign new players or quite literally, they have been on the beach, enjoying the party life in Ibiza and Dubai.

Well, set to enter that part over the summer is Jeremie Frimpong, who is due to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold as Arne Slot’s new right-back.

They could also welcome Bayer Leverkusen Florian Wirtz to Anfield with the German being headhunted by some of Europe’s heavyweights.

Valued at over £100m, Wirtz has attracted the interest of Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Bayern love signing domestic players while Man City are on the hunt to find a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.

So, with such a hotly contested race, perhaps FSG will turn their attention elsewhere.

Liverpool big admirers of Florian Wirtz alternative

According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Liverpool are currently working on a list of creative targets.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

While Wirtz is on that list, the Reds have carried out background checks on RB Leipzig’s Dutch midfielder, Xabi Simons, while if Morgan Gibbs-White is made available by Nottingham Forest, he is another player they could pursue.

Also name-checked is Aston Villa sensation, Morgan Rogers. The report states that Liverpool are big admirers’ of the playmaker but it will be difficult to prise him away from Villa Park.

Rogers signed last year for a tiny fee of just £8m, and as some reports claim, he is now valued at around £90m by the Villans.

Given Villa’s PSR situation, it’s unlikely they’d turn down a bid in that region.

Why Rogers would be such an exciting signing

The meteoric rise of Rogers in the last year has been quite extraordinary. In January 2024, he traded Middlesbrough for the Midlands and has only gone from strength to strength since.

During 2024/25, the creative midfielder has become a full England international, scored a hat-trick in the Champions League against Celtic and helped himself to 29 goal involvements (14 goals & 15 assists).

It feels like Liverpool have been trying to add a player of his profile for a while. They famously missed out on Jude Bellingham before he went to Real Madrid and instead signed Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai.

The attacking midfielder has impressed, but ultimately hasn’t been too great a goal threat, netting just seven times in all competitions this term.

That explains links to players like Rogers and Wirtz who beat the goalkeeper with greater regularity.

Similarities between the Villa midfielder and the aforementioned Bellingham are also eye-catching. Indeed, speaking back in August, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp acknowledged that “there are parts of what Jude Bellingham does” in Rogers’ game.

That comparison stems from not just the way they carry the ball – an “electric” trait of Rogers’ in the words of European football expert Zach Lowy – but primarily their final actions in the final third of the pitch.

Goals

0.24

0.30

Assists

0.30

0.30

Key passes

1.51

1.54

Progressive passes

3.62

7.11

Shot-creating actions

3.12

3.87

Successful take-ons

1.93

1.47

Progressive carries

3.38

2.71

Ball recoveries

3.41

3.50

Considering the former Borussia Dortmund star’s elite status, it’s interesting to note that of the metrics selected here, there aren’t too many differences between the two.

Villa’s star man doesn’t register as many progressive passes, but he is in the lead for progressive carrying, a particular highlight of the duo’s game.

It’s when it comes to creating chances and scoring goals where they are most similar, and if Liverpool are to miss out on Wirtz, Rogers would be a superb alternative.

What makes this comparison even more noteworthy is that the two are actually childhood friends, with Bellingham taking Rogers under his wing during his first training sessions with the Three Lions.

‌

So, while Liverpool fans might not be too keen on Bellingham right, good friends with Trent of course, they would love a player of his ilk in the squad.

There are not many in the game who perform quite as highly as the Madrid star does, but Rogers is well on the way to cementing himself as one of the most exciting English players about.

Arsenal could see £59m bid accepted for "monster" upgrade on Sesko

Arsenal have been handed the chance to sign an upgrade on Benjamin Sesko.

ByMatt Dawson May 18, 2025

What did we witness last night at Old Trafford? Manchester United reached the Europa League quarter-final in the most incredible circumstances, beating French side Olympique Lyon 5-4 on the night, and 7-6 on aggregate, in what will go down as an all-time classic at Old Trafford.

It’s hard to know where to begin describing the action, but United were 2-0 up at half-time, thanks to goals from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot. However, they let that lead slip in the second half, with Lyon clawing it back to 2-2 on the night, taking the game to extra time.

The French side, who were down to 10 men after Corentin Tolisso was sent off for a second bookable offence, went 4-2 up on the night in extra time. The impressive Rayan Cherki scored their third, and Alexandre Lacazette the fourth, from the penalty spot.

However, this is Man United; they are never down and out. With 114 minutes on the clock, Bruno Fernandes pulled one back for the Red Devils, also with a penalty, before Kobbie Mainoo equalised in the 120th minute of the game. Enter Harry Maguire, who gave United a 5-4 lead in the 121st minute. His fantastic header met Casemiro’s cross and rifled into the back of the net, winning the game for the Red Devils.

It was an extraordinary night, with Mainoo making a huge impact off the bench.

Mainoo’s stats vs. Lyon

United fans will always get behind their academy graduates, so for Mainoo to score the equaliser in an instant classic, it must have been special for the United midfielder, who actually played at centre-forward, and the fans. What a goal it was, too.

Getting on the end of a smart touch by Casemiro, the England international showed exceptional composure to bring the ball down with the outside of his right foot.

He then created space and took a couple more touches, shifting the ball into a favourable position to shoot, before he let fly. Mainoo’s strike nestled in the far right corner, a sublime goal in extraordinary circumstances.

Tyler Fell, a journalist for GiveMeSport, was incredibly complimentary of Mainoo, giving him a 7.5/10 for his efforts against Lyon. The journalist praised the United number 37 for his ‘phenomenal’ effort.

After a performance like that, the 19-year-old surely has to become a more prominent starter under Ruben Amorim, especially now that he’s over his recent injury issue. The same can certainly be said for another of United’s top performers in the historic clash with Lyon.

The player who should be a key starter under Amorim

You might struggle to find a performance with as much character this season as the one Leny Yoro put in against Lyon. After scoring a crucial first goal in the first leg last week, he was sensational at Old Trafford on Thursday, putting his body on the line and showing excellent ability with the ball at his feet.

Fell clearly thought that Yoro was excellent against the French side. Just as he did for Mainoo, the GiveMeSport writer gave him a 7.5/10, exclaiming that he ‘defended heroically’ and ‘used his pace to bail his side out’ if Lyon found a way past United’s defensive line.

Indeed, the 19-year-old’s stats from the game show just how well he played. As per Sofascore, Yoro had 66 touches of the ball, made nine clearances and won four out of his five attempted tackles.

Yoro stats vs. Lyon

Stat

Number

Touches

66

Pass accuracy

93%

Passes completed

43/46

Clearances

9

Ground duels won

5/9

Tackles won

4/5

Interceptions

2

Chances created

1

Stats from Sofascore

Described as a “generational” player by writer Liam Canning, it felt like a statement performance from the United number 15 against Lyon. In high-pressure moments, he was there, throwing his body on the line to stop the opponents from finding a way through.

It was a colossal showing from the teen sensation, who showed once again why he should, and has, become such a key player under Amorim. United have made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they face a tough tie against Athletic Club.

It certainly feels like Yoro will be a pivotal part of this Red Devils side if they are to go all the way and lift the trophy in Bilbao at the end of the season.

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Fans in attendance were greeted by a notably jovial Kohli and Rohit, both happy to sign autographs and take selfies

Tristan Lavalette16-Oct-20252:16

What to expect from Rohit, Kohli in this phase of their careers?

With Optus Stadium – a favourite site of his – providing a magnificent backdrop, Virat Kohli looked sharp in the Perth nets in his return to the India team after a lengthy break since the Champions Trophy.There was intrigue over who would take part in India’s optional training session on the first day of their limited-overs tour of Australia. Much to the delight of the sprinkling of fans outside the ground, Kohli and Rohit Sharma – the latter set to play without the captain’s armband and under Shubman Gill’s leadership – decided to dust off the cobwebs to mark their return to the national setup ahead of the first ODI against Australia on Sunday.Quicks Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh also took part, while KL Rahul was the only member of India’s Test team against West Indies to train. While most of the squad arrived in Perth in the early hours of Thursday, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj and the coaching staff were on a later flight.Related

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As always, all eyes were on Kohli who has not played since the IPL and is almost surely starting his final Australian tour. Kohli looked locked in as he went through catching drills with great intensity during India’s 20-minute session on the turf where just under a year ago he scored his final Test century.Kohli then spent 40 minutes in the nets and mostly faced back of a length bowling from Rana, Arshdeep and several local bowlers. There were a few uncomfortable moments, but Kohli looked generally at ease as he prepared for a likely lively surface in an ODI game set to be played amid damp conditions – a notable change from the sunshine that has greeted India in Perth.Kohli’s fluency impressed as he aimed to get himself inside the ball’s line with Rana, in particular, bowling with zip. Next to Kohli in the nets was his long-time teammate Rohit, who also has not played since the IPL and looked rusty to begin with. While the lovely sound of ball hitting the middle of Kohli’s bat reverberated, Rohit struggled with his timing and his footwork was sluggish. Like Kohli, he has not represented India since the Champions Trophy and is also only playing ODI cricket internationally.Virat Kohli’s final Test ton also came in Perth•Getty ImagesStaying in the nets a little longer than Kohli, Rohit started to grow in confidence as he thumped several blows into the netting. While Kohli and Rohit were getting in work, Rahul’s time in the nets was brief before trudging off alongside a few support staff.In a far cry from India’s Test preparation in Perth last November, where the WACA ground’s nets were completely covered by black shade cloth, there was a much more relaxed vibe to this training session.While fans were unable to watch their heroes last year – apart from a hardy few who climbed trees – those who attended this time around were greeted by a notably jovial Kohli and Rohit, who were both happy to sign autographs and take selfies.Kohli’s presence has notably heightened the build-up for this three-match ODI series, no doubt helping lift ticket sales with more than 50,000 fans expected at Optus Stadium.It kick-starts a massive Australian summer, with the Ashes starting in Perth on November 21. Apart from the peak summer period of December and January, it’s usually hard for cricket in Perth to compete with the obsessively followed Australian Football League (AFL) which continually eats into cricket season.But at least for this summer, there is a real sense of anticipation with India and, especially, England touring. However, there wasn’t much fanfare earlier in the day during Australia’s optional training session at Optus Stadium.Most of the squad took part, with quick Mitchell Starc a standout in the nets with his speed as he hustled the batters. It was generally a laid back atmosphere before the intensity of the big summer really kicks-in, with plenty of banter over golf evident between the Australian players.Former Test quick Jhye Richardson was an encouraging sight in the nets as he makes his way back following shoulder surgery earlier in the year. A return to the field is still a little way off for Richardson, who has endured a wretched injury run, but he looked in good physical condition although did not appear to bowl at top speed.India and Australia will have their main training sessions on Friday.

Chelmsford new boy talks about his busy winter, learning from the best and adding a “fourth string” to his bow

Andrew Miller02-Apr-2024What does it take to build a career in professional cricket’s modern, itinerant era? In this fragmenting landscape, the days of biding one’s time and awaiting that international call are receding, and in their place a new generation of go-getter cricketer is emerging, with a restless curiosity and an increasingly clear understanding of how to cash in on their athletic prime.Players such as Jordan Cox, for instance, a 23-year-old whose seemingly inevitable England debut remains, for now, just beyond his reach, but who isn’t about to let that circumstantial setback restrict his career progression.Midway through last summer, Cox secured a high-profile and not-uncontroversial move from Kent to Essex, a club he describes as being “best suited for what I want at this moment in time”, which hardly smacks of the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.Related

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And little wonder, given the winter he’s just had. With apologies to his new county, and with no sense whatsoever that he’ll be stinting on his efforts as Essex’s season begins, next week’s County Championship opener against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge will be Cox’s fifth professional debut of the past five months.His string of new beginnings began back in November, when Cox stepped out for Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10, where his six matches produced 265 runs, two half-centuries and a strike-rate of 232, including a ferocious 90 not out from 36 balls against the eventual finalists, Deccan Gladiators.By the time that final took place, however, Cox had already swapped continents for what became a four-match stint with Melbourne Renegades in Australia’s Big Bash League, which then gave way to a return to the UAE in January to play for Gulf Giants in the ILT20.And, having previously sampled the SA20 and the Lanka Premier League in the 2022-23 winter, Cox then capped this year’s travels by making his first appearances in the Pakistan Super League, with six matches for Islamabad United in February and March prior to his link-up with his newest new squad for Essex’s pre-season in Abu Dhabi.”I left on November 10, and I was back 10 days ago, so I’ve been aware a fair chunk,” Cox says during Essex’s pre-season media day in Chelmsford. “I love it. I went to private school, I was a boarder. So my parents were like, ‘have fun at school, see you at Easter holidays, see you at Christmas’. So I’d only go home like three times a year, so I’m pretty used to being away from home.”That sense of adventure is palpable as Cox lifts the curtain on the touring lifestyle to reveal a glimpse of what this new world is really like. The SA20, he says, is “carnage … the flights are full on … fly, rest day, game, everywhere.” The ILT20, by contrast, was just 40-minute bus rides between Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. “It was the first time I’ve ever unpacked in a franchise environment.”The Eagle has landed: Cox arrived in Chelmsford after a busy winter on the franchise circuit•Getty ImagesAs for the PSL, on one extended break between matches, Cox and his Islamabad team-mate Alex Hales took a leaf out of England’s book from their recent tour of India, and decamped to Abu Dhabi for “99 holes of golf”. “People think that’s crazy,” he says. “But for us, that’s actually paradise.”Hales is just one of a host of world-class contemporaries with whom Cox has been rubbing shoulders all winter long, be it team-mates at his various franchises, such as David Miller, Aaron Finch and Shimron Hetmyer or opponents such as Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis from whom he’s eager to soak up as much knowledge as possible.”It’s a lot better than sitting in the indoor school practising skills,” Cox says. “Watching Andre Russell hitting a cricket ball is fascinating. I was keeping in one of the practice T10 games, and he hit this monster six. And I was like, ‘cor, that’s a big hit’, and he was like, ‘I didn’t even catch that’.”It’s so interesting watching Faf too, he has a different technique, but he still scores runs. Even if you’re not playing, you learn to learn off the people that have done it for years. If you train hard, you realise that you don’t have to be like someone else, you be yourself and you’ll naturally score runs.”Quite apart from his ball-striking abilities, however, Cox is making quite the name for himself as an explosive boundary-riding fielder. This was perhaps best epitomised in the T20 Blast final at Edgbaston in 2021, when he stretched over the rope at midwicket to palm back a crucial relay catch off Somerset’s Lewis Gregory, as Kent surged to their first silverware for 12 years.Since then, he’s become quite the fixture in the outfield for his various franchises, becoming something of a cult figure during his PSL stint in particular.Cox was in fine touch for Oval Invincibles in 2023 until a broken finger ended his season•ECB via Getty Images”I think once you do those catches over the ropes, you learn different things like where you think your stride is going to be,” he says. “You work on it, so that when you see the ball come in, you look at the boundary rope and know roughly [where it is].”I’ve always been lucky in the fielding sense, I seem to read the play pretty well. When batters are trying to run two, you know roughly where the ball’s going to be, so I’m looking at them before the ball comes, and then I zone back in on the ball. It’s about not being lazy, and making sure that every single ball that comes to you, you’re going to make an impact.”Quite apart from his desire to be as involved in the action as possible, there’s a quiet pragmatism at play in Cox’s attempts to make himself more valuable to the teams that are bidding for his services, not least because, at Kent, his wicketkeeping opportunities were restricted by the presence of both Sam Billings and Ollie Robinson.”I think my batting gets in most [franchises] because I can bat one to six in T20 cricket,” he says. “The only problem with that is, if you don’t do as well, you’re the first one to get dropped because you’re not an allrounder, you’re just a batter. So there’s definitely downsides to it. But to have strings to your bow should definitely help you.”It’s quite handy for owners if you’re able to keep and field. They don’t go, ‘he’s a liability’, instead it’s ‘let’s get him in because he’s got those three strings’. I do work pretty hard at my fielding, probably harder than I do with my keeping. Because I know that, in T20 cricket, I can change the game. When you come to the ground I’ll be the last person out catching balls, trying different things, being stupid in a way. But no, that’s definitely not luck.”

“If I’m learning to bowl, that’s four strings to my bow. Why wouldn’t a team want me? It’s tough because I’ll have to show people I’m good enough to bowl but hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to hold an end in T20 cricket”

But why stop at three strings? Cox is already working on a fourth, “farting about” as he puts it with Azhar Mahmood, his bowling coach at Islamabad and with Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, to develop a range of cutters, spinners and carrom balls that could one way offer another cutting edge to his game.”Why can’t I be like Glenn Phillips?” Cox says, recalling how New Zealand’s unlikely allrounder went from keeping wicket in the early months of his international career to playing a pivotal role with the ball across formats. “Everyone thought three years ago, ‘what is this?’ Now he’s got a Test five-for!”I’m giving it the Liam Livingstone-style, off-spin to left-handers, leg-spin to righties, and I’m trying this new carrom ball which is tough … in Pakistan, [Azhar said to get] a tennis ball, I was flicking it against the wall, and in one of the games, you’d have seen me bowling 20 sets from one end.”But why not? If I’m learning to bowl now and practising these stupid little balls, that’s four strings to my bow,” he adds. “Why wouldn’t a team want me? It’s tough because I’ll have to show people I’m good enough to bowl but hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to hold an end in T20 cricket.”It was also in Pakistan two winters ago that Cox had his first taste of the international lifestyle, as an unused squad member during England’s T20I tour. Since then, he suffered an untimely finger injury that arguably denied him a home debut against New Zealand last summer, but his hunger to get the recognition he feels he deserves is undeniable.”I’ve thought about [Pakistan] plenty of times. I was picked for England when I was 20. I’m 23 now, I still haven’t played for England, what am I doing wrong? But actually if you think about it, my finger put me out for 14 weeks – though for a finger I’d rather just chop it off and carry on, you know? But I can’t see why I won’t get any more [chances].”But seriously, add those strings to your bow. It’s good for franchise cricket, it’s good for Test cricket. If they need an allrounder, and then potentially a back-up keeper. It’s like okay, well, I can do that.”

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, remained without a win in India, having lost 13 of their 22 Tests here

Sampath Bandarupalli14-Mar-20221:43

How can visiting teams look to challenge India?

22 Test matches played by Sri Lanka in India, the most by a team in a country without winning even one. Sri Lanka lost 13 of the 22 while another nine matches ended in a draw. They have not bowled India out twice in any of those 22 Tests.5.87 Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling average in this match, the third-best for any Indian bowler in a Test match (min: 8 wickets). Venkatapathy Raju took 8 for 37 against Sri Lanka at an average of 4.62 in 1990, while R Ashwin’s eight wickets came at 5.25 in the 2016 Indore Test against New Zealand. Bumrah’s average of 9.00 in this series is also the second-best for India in a Test series (min: 10 wickets).22 Instances of R Ashwin claiming the match-finishing wicket in a Test win. These are the joint-most instances for a bowler. Shane Warne also has taken the match-winning scalp on 22 occasions, while Muthiah Muralidaran did it 18 times.