The RCB batter was a class above on a slow pitch and his pyrotechnics had a direct line to the Royals collapse
Alagappan Muthu14-May-20231:13
Bishop: We see growth and understanding in Maxwell’s game
In the 10th over, Glenn Maxwell saw an opportunity to collect six runs.Adam Zampa had gone flat and into the wicket, one which was slow and dry and hard to score on. In these conditions, the ball doesn’t come onto the bat. Except this one did, much faster than the batter expected. Zampa’s quick arm action and the revs he imparts – overspin instead of sidespin – often make it seem like he gains pace after pitching.By the time a batter – one who’s made the mistake of thinking there’s a pull shot on – realises this, he doesn’t really have the time to adjust.You know that scene at the end in where everything goes black, the music stops and all you hear is extreme foreshadowing.Swap the Rebels out. Stick the spinners in their place. Swap Darth Vader out, Stick Maxwell in his place.Because only the Force explains how he still hit that ball for four. It helps that Star Wars never really committed to how the thing works. It even became a running joke, the most memorable line associated with it is Han Solo saying “that’s not how the Force works.”Related
Samson: 'We go really hard in the powerplay, but today it didn't work'
In much the same way, it’s hard to figure out how Maxwell works. You see him happen. He’s right there in front of your eyes. And it still doesn’t make sense. His genius sometimes suspends reality.Like here, that original big backlift, horizontal bat shot turns – in no time at all – into something of a straight bat whip. Maxwell has the best hands in the business. If not for those, this wouldn’t have been possible.Because while other people might have made contact with the ball – it was by no means wicket-taking – very few would’ve been able to hit it to the boundary.This is probably what the experts mean by having two shots to the same ball. Maxwell had the pull ready at first glance. Then he realised it wasn’t quite on, and he still had a pretty good back up plan that fetched him four runs through wide long-on.This is the way: Maxwell appeared to be conjuring the force at will to hit boundaries•BCCIThe chaos of the chase, where Rajasthan Royals lost six wickets in the first seven overs, were a consequence of this going from a 140-odd game to a 170-odd game. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson all fell to the first risk they took – because they had to. They were batting in the powerplay. That was the best time they had to score quickly. They had no choice.Maxwell is the one who imposed that misery on them by playing the kind of innings that only he can play. Check this out. Every other batter in this match combined made 89 for 7 against spin at a run rate of 6.51. Then there’s this one guy with 42 for 0 at a run rate of 10.9.Maxwell is a natural against spin, but he doesn’t just rest on that. He works every little advantage he gets. In the 17th over, he saw that three of the five fielders on the boundary were on the off side. That gave him an indication of the line Yuzvendra Chahal would be bowling. Long-on and midwicket were in place too, lying in wait for the mis-hit slog.That left fine leg and square leg up. It was the only vulnerability in this system and Maxwell exploited it beautifully. A good portion of his big hits are the result of premeditation. But here he had to wait; he had to stay perfectly still until Chahal let the ball go. Then, when the spinner no longer had any control over proceedings, he moved across the crease and scooped a ball that was way outside off stump into the gap behind the wicket for six.Maxwell once made a public moan about Suryakumar Yadav making the rest of them look bad. Here, he was catching up to that level. If indeed he had ever left it.Since his IPL debut, way back in April 2012, only Chris Gayle (608) has hit more boundaries against spin than Maxwell (457). This is in all T20s.In just the IPL, his strike rate against slow bowling – 164.59 – is the highest among all specialist batters to have faced at least 100 balls.You’ll notice the contrivance of that stat – “specialist batters” – because there is one man who has a higher strike rate. Sunil Narine with 194.79, because he’s had the benefit of facing 627 balls fewer. If ever there was a cricket bat that matched the power of a lightsaber, its Maxwell’s. And Royals felt the full brunt of it on Sunday evening.
Here’s how the six teams look after the two mini replacement drafts ahead of the second leg
Umar Farooq08-Jun-2021The Pakistan Super League (PSL) had two mini replacement drafts for the six franchises to complete their teams ahead of the second leg of the 2021 edition of the tournament, which had been suspended after 14 matches in March following a spate of Covid-19 cases among players and support staff in Karachi. It will resume on June 9 in Abu Dhabi, with Lahore Qalandars set to take on Islamabad United.If it hadn’t been paused, PSL 2021 would have ended with the final in Lahore on March 22. Between then and now, several overseas players – who were part of the first leg – have withdrawn from the tournament due to various reasons.Where the teams stand on the points tableAmid the logistical challenges, all six franchises were allowed to pick two additional players in their original squads, with at least one overseas player, increasing squad sizes from 18 to 20. The earlier playing conditions had stated that each team had to feature at least three or a maximum of four overseas players in their XIs, but given the growing obstacles around the Covid-19 pandemic, the number has been reduced to minimum of two overseas players and maximum of four in the XI for each team. Here’s a look at all the changes in the squads ahead of the second leg.Karachi KingsForm guide: WLWLW (most recent first)OUT: Colin Ingram, Mohammad Nabi, Dan Christian, Joe Clarke, Liton DasIN: Thisara Perera, Najibullah Zadran, Martin Guptill, Mohammad HarisPlaying XI (before postponement): Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Joe Clarke, Colin Ingram, Dan Christian, Imad Wasim (capt), Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood, Arshad IqbalESPNcricinfo LtdRelated
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Peshawar ZalmiForm guide: LWWWL (most recent first)OUT: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ravi BoparaIN: Fabian Allen, Fidel Edwards, Rovman Powell, Waqar Salamkheil, Hazratullah ZazaiPlaying XI (before postponement): Kamran Akmal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shoaib Malik (capt), Haider Ali, Ravi Bopara/David Miller, Sherfane Rutherford, Amad Butt, Umaid Asif, Saqib Mahmood, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad IrfanESPNcricinfo LtdIslamabad UnitedForm guide: WLWW (most recent first)OUT: Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory, Phil Salt, Janneman MalanIN: Mohammad Akhlaq, Usman Khawaja, Umar Amin, Brandon KingPlaying XI (before postponement): Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Shadab Khan (capt), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Zafar GoharESPNcricinfo LtdLahore QalandarsForm guide: WLWW (most recent first)OUT: David Wiese, Joe Denly, Tom Abell, Samit Patel, Shakib Al HasanIN: Rashid Khan, James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson, Seekkuge Prasanna, Tim David, Sultan AhmedPlaying XI (before postponement): Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (capt), Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Zeeshan Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Haris RaufESPNcricinfo LtdMultan SultansForm guide: LLWLL (most recent first)OUT: Chris Lynn, James Vince, Adam Lyth, Carlos Brathwaite, Obed McCoy, Shahid Afridi, MahmudullahIN: Blessing Muzarabani, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asif Afridi, Hammad Azam, Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Waseem MuhammadPlaying XI (before postponement): Chris Lynn, Mohammad Rizwan (capt), James Vince, Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Shahid Afridi, Carlos Brathwaite, Sohail Khan, Usman Qadir, Shahnawaz DhaniESPNcricinfo LtdQuetta GladiatorsForm guide: WLLLL (most recent first)OUT: Tom Banton, Dale Steyn, Anwar Ali, Chris Gayle, Ben CuttingIN: Andre Russell, Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald, Khurram Shehzad, Zahir KhanPlaying XI (before postponement): Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Faf du Plessis, Azam Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt), Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Qais Ahmad, Zahid Mahmood, Dale Steyn, Mohammad HasnainGetty Images
TORONTO — When it was over, when after 162 regular-season games and another 15 in the playoffs and now two excruciating innings, the Dodgers won Game 7, 5–4, to repeat as World Series champions, the man who won the game raced to the mound to grab the man who saved it.
It was Will Smith, the catcher, who launched the 11th-inning home run that stunned the sellout crowd of 44,713 at the Rogers Centre and gave the Dodgers their first lead of the night. But it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Game 6 starter who got eight outs in Game 7 on no days’ rest, who gave him the chance. Twenty-five hours after he threw 96 pitches in Game 6, an outing that followed back-to-back complete games, Yamamoto all but forced his way into the game and threw 34 devastating pitches.
Manager Dave Roberts had tried not to use him at all, and then he tried to remove him after his second inning on Saturday. “Daijoubu,” Yamamoto said.
“It’s unheard of,” said Roberts, who struggled to explain how Yamamoto could possibly have done this. “I think that there’s a mind component, there’s a delivery, which is a flawless delivery, and there’s just an unwavering will. I just haven’t seen it [elsewhere]. I really haven’t.”
So the manager let him go back out and close the door for a team that just kept propping it open. The Blue Jays were two outs away from ending a 32-year World Series drought when an unlikely hero emerged. In a game that featured Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it was Dodgers glove-first second baseman Miguel Rojas, playing in his second game in three weeks, who lined a solo home run over the left field wall to tie the game.
Each team loaded the bases with one out—the Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers in the top of the 10th—and failed to score. Smith, dragging himself around the field after catching all 72 innings of this epic World Series, dragged the Dodgers ahead.
It almost wasn’t enough. Guerrero, the face of a franchise and the face of a nation, doubled to lead off the bottom of the 11th. Isiah Kiner-Falefa sacrificed him to third. Addison Barger worked a walk. But Yamamoto broke Alejandro Kirk’s bat with one of his signature splitters, and Betts, the shortstop snagged the easy chopper, stepped on second base and fired to first for the double play. The Dodgers, who became the first team since the 2000 Yankees to repeat, were on the field almost before the Blue Jays understood what had just happened to them.
Smith tackled Yamamoto from behind. Their teammates raced in from the dugout and the bullpen to join them. They jumped up and down on exhausted legs and hugged one another with spent arms and screamed with hoarse throats.
Of course this World Series came down to extra innings in Game 7. It could not be contained by the laws of physics, the columns of scorebooks or even, at times, by the customs of human decency. At one point in Game 7, the only daylight between the teams came when the umpires pushed the players apart. Counting the 18-inning Game 3, this was the first Fall Classic that featured more than eight games’ worth of baseball. Only three of the games were truly close—Games 1, 2, 4 and 5 were decided by an average of five runs—but neither team ever seemed overmatched.
Still this one was loopier than most. The Dodgers used all four of their World Series starting pitchers, two—Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow—on no days’ rest. The Blue Jays used three of theirs. The fourth, Kevin Gausman, said he would have been available had the game continued.
And for a while it appeared it might go forever. The Blue Jays never seemed to go away. Twice the Dodgers won in what should have been backbreaking fashion—the 18-inning Game 3, and then the wild double play to snuff out a rally in Game 6—but Toronto just kept fighting. It won Game 4, and it nearly won this one.
Los Angeles’s roster boasts 44 All-Star Game appearances and 22 World Series rings. For the Blue Jays, those figures are 29 and three. The Dodgers’ record $328 million payroll has made some observers question whether they are ruining baseball. The Blue Jays were not interested in narratives, just in wins.
Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after his game-tying home run in the ninth inning. / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Game 7 pitted two Hall of Famers against one another, one who had been preparing for this start all series and one who learned for sure he would get it after Game 6.
When manager John Schneider told Max Scherzer he would start Game 3, Scherzer said, “O.K., so 3 and 7.” The assignment made him, at 41 years and 97 days, the oldest pitcher to start a winner-take-all World Series game. When Schneider walked by him after Game 6, which the Blue Jays lost on a brutal game-ending double play, he said, Scherzer looked “ready to kill somebody.” Schneider added, “So you trust him to be ready for this environment.”
The Dodgers trust Shohei Ohtani as well, although they were not sure what to expect from him. After Game 6, they reviewed their options. Glasnow, the Game 3 starter, had gotten the final three outs that night. Blake Snell, who started Games 1 and 5, would be on short rest; Yamamoto, who started Games 2 and 6, would be on even shorter rest. Despite playing 18 innings—and reaching base a postseason record nine times—in Game 3, then receiving IV fluids and pitching six innings 17 hours later in Game 4, Ohtani assured them that he was available on the mound for Game 6. (This is a man who, offered the chance to come out of Game 3 in the 11th due to leg cramps that had him hobbling around the bases, declined, and who, asked in the sixth inning of Game 4 how many more frames he could go, said three.)
He might have been a more traditional option in relief. But there is nothing traditional about Ohtani. The Dodgers chose to start him largely because of the rule that allows him to remain in the game as the DH once he comes off the mound—but only if he starts the game. If he relieves, when he exits as a hitter, he exits as a pitcher. Between that regulation and the logistical nightmare of getting him to the bullpen to warm up in between at-bats, this pathway was the obvious choice. But Ohtani, still recovering from surgery to repair his left elbow, had only started on three days’ rest once in his career, and that came when rain cut the first outing to two innings and 30 pitches.
“This is Game 7,” Roberts said. “There’s a lot of things that people haven’t done, and you’ve just got to trust your players and try to win a baseball game.”
Ohtani opened the game with a single, took second on a grounder to first and took third on a deep fly ball to center field. Betts grounded out to end the frame, which gave Ohtani two and a half minutes to dart into the dugout, remove his batting armor, grab his glove, huddle with pitching coach Mark Prior and bench coach Danny Lehman, and take the mound for his six warm-up pitches. Just under five minutes—and, it must be said, two and a half minutes after the rules stipulate—after he ran out Betts’s grounder, Ohtani threw ball one to George Springer. Springer, visibly wincing on every swing as he managed a right-side injury that cost him two games, singled but was retired on a strike-’im-out-throw-’im-out double play to end the inning.
Ohtani caught a break in the second inning. His secondary command was spotty, so he had to lean on his fastball. He walked Bo Bichette to lead off the frame and allowed a single to Addison Barger. With two outs, Ernie Clement knocked a single to right field, but the hobbled Bichette had to hold at third. Andrés Giménez waved at an inside fastball to end the threat.
Springer led off the next inning with another single. When Nathan Lukes bunted him over and he took third on a wild pitch, the Dodgers elected to walk Guerrero intentionally. That brought up Bichette. The first pitch he saw was a slider that slid right into the middle of the zone. As 44,713 roaring fans shook the Rogers Centre, Springer and Guerrero each raised their hands and jogged home. Bichette slowly limped after them.
Bichette knew he would be a free agent after the World Series ended. He knew aggravating the injury could hurt his long-term earning potential. He did not care. “It’s the World Series,” he said. “So none of that stuff really matters.”
The homer ended Ohtani’s night on the mound after 2 ⅓ innings pitched. The Dodgers manufactured a run in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, 194-pound floppy-haired lefty Justin Wrobleski buzzed 5’ 11” shortstop Andrés Giménez with an inside fastball. On the next pitch, he hit him. The benches—and the bullpens—cleared. The umpires issued warnings. The Dodgers scored another run in the top of the sixth; the Blue Jays did the same in the bottom of the frame. With his sixth-inning single, Clement set a record with his 10th multi-hit game this postseason; with his eighth-inning double, he set a record with his 30th hit.
To cap one of the finest offensive postseasons of all time—he had more hits this postseason (28) than swings and misses (25) and more homers (eight) than strikeouts (seven)—Guerrero dazzled with his glove. He made a diving stop and flipped to first in the first; snared a rope just beyond the foul line to end the fourth; and started a nifty double play to end the seventh. He roared after each one as if he’d hit the game-winning homer.
Both pitching staffs were topsy-turvy after such a grind of a series. Snell got four outs. The Blue Jays threw Louis Varland, presumably pitching in long sleeves to keep his right arm attached to his body, who set a postseason record by appearing in his 15th game (Toronto played 18); Chris Bassitt, the starter turned relief ace; and Trey Yesavage, the 22-year-old pitching on two days’ rest after yet another postseason masterpiece in Game 5, who allowed a home run to Max Muncy in the eighth inning that brought the game within one. Then came Rojas, and then came Smith.
And most of all, then came Yamamoto, who was named World Series MVP. The Dodgers did not, as it turned out, ruin baseball. In fact, they gave us more of it.
It has become somewhat of a custom for MLB teams to announce the final result of a game via social media, even if that result is a loss. The Chicago White Sox, who were bested 5-4 by the Los Angeles Dodgers via a walk-off on Wednesday night, put the result of the game to the side for a moment in light of the historic achievement by one Dodgers player. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw joined an exclusive club on Wednesday night in Los Angeles: the 3,000 strikeout club.
And the White Sox, instead of posting the result of the game on X, found a creative way to congratulate Kershaw.
Classy.
Kershaw notched strikeout No. 3000 with a sixth inning punch out of White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra. The Dodgers later won the game on a walk-off single by first baseman Freddie Freeman.
Azmatullah Omarzai’s allround performance took Afghanistan to a five-wicket win against Bangladesh in the first ODI in Abu Dhabi. Omarzai picked up three wickets before he contributed with an aggressive 40 when Afghanistan lost set batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah in their 222-run chase.Afghanistan completed the win in the 48th over, with captain Hashmatullah Shahidi unbeaten on 34, while the veteran Mohammad Nabi struck the winning runs with a six off Saif Hassan.It turned out to be a day of milestones for the Afghanistan side. After Rashid Khan became the first from his team to reach 200 wickets in ODIs, Rahmat also became the first from Afghanistan to reach 4,000 runs in the format. Rashid is the second fastest spinner to reach 200 wickets, having taken 115 matches.Rashid also took three wickets in the match, removing top-scorer captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan at a crucial stage in the Bangladesh innings. When Afghanistan bowled them out for 221 runs in 48.5 overs, it gave them the momentum going into the chase.Afghanistan began their reply brightly too. Ibrahim Zadran struck the first three boundaries, before Rahmanullah Gurbaz blasted Taskin Ahmed down the ground for a six. The opening pair raised their 50-run stand in the ninth over, before Tanvir Islam broke through with an excellent delivery. The left-arm spinner got the ball to turn well away from Zadran who walked past the delivery, before Nurul Hasan completed the stumping.Tanzim Hasan then got one to rear at Sediqullah Atal, who tried to move away from the line of the ball, but it took his outside edge, to nestle into Tanzid Hasan’s grasp in the slips.Similar to how Mehidy and Hridoy batted for Bangladesh after they lost three quick wickets, Rahmat Shah and Gurbaz lowered their run-rate significantly. When Rahmat smashed Tanvir inside-out for a boundary in the 21st over, it was their first for 73 deliveries.He struck one more boundary in the next ten overs, before Tanzim had him caught at midwicket for exactly 50. Four balls after the 78-run third wicket stand was broken, Mehidy got one to spin through Gurbaz, who also fell for 50.Afghanistan however landed in the safe hands of their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Omarzai. The pair added 59 runs for the fifth wicket, with Omarzai picking apart two Bangladesh bowlers at a crucial stage. He blazed Mehidy in his last over, for a four and a six, before spanking Tanzim for three fours in a row in the 43rd over.Omarzai fell later in the same over, caught at short midwicket for 40 off 44 balls, with six fours and a six. Afghanistan though had turned the corner in the chase, as Omarzai left with the team needing 27 runs to win in the last seven overs. Shahidi and Nabi turned it into a cakewalk, as they won with 17 balls to spare.Bangladesh though couldn’t get going with the bat despite a 101-run fourth wicket stand between captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Towhid Hridoy. Both reached fifties but fell shortly afterwards too. Mehidy and Hridoy had rescued Bangladesh after they lost three wickets in the first 11.5 overs. Saif Hassan was striking the ball cleanly for his five boundaries, but when he fell for 26, Bangladesh had to rebuild.Mehidy and Hridoy batted out nine overs with just one boundary, before hitting three sixes in consecutive overs. Hridoy however was run out after a mix-up with Mehidy, having made 56. When Mehidy fell lbw to Rashid Khan for 60, Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan followed him back to the pavilion in the same way, to the same bowler. Omarzai also took three wickets, having given Afghanistan the early breakthroughs.
يخوض منتخب عمان لكرة القدم مواجهة مهمة أمام نظيره الصومال، اليوم الأربعاء، في إطار مباريات الملحق المؤهل لمرحلة المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب 2025.
وتقام المباراة بين عمان والصومال على ملعب جاسم بن حمد، في العاصمة القطرية الدوحة، حيث يسعى كلا المنتخبين لانتزاع بطاقة التأهل إلى نهائيات بطولة كأس العرب.
طالع|مواعيد مباريات فلسطين في كأس العرب 2025
وتستضيف قطر فعاليات بطولة كأس العرب 2025، خلال الفترة من 1 حتى 18 ديسمبر المقبل، وذلك بمشاركة 16 منتخبًا.
وتنطلق بطولة كأس العرب يوم الإثنين 1 ديسمبر المقبل بمواجهة منتخب تونس أمام نظيره منتخب سوريا. موعد مباراة عمان والصومال اليوم في كأس العرب
تقام المباراة اليوم الأربعاء الموافق 26 نوفمبر 2025، وتنطلق صافرة البداية في تمام الساعة الثالثة عصرا بتوقيت القاهرة، الساعة الرابعة عصرا بتوقيت والسعودية. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة عمان والصومال اليوم في كأس العرب
تنقل المباراة بين منتخبي عمان والصومال، عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS HD” بالإضافة إلى قناة “الكأس 1”.
ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا
Jasprit Bumrah has taken only three wickets – with an economy rate of 8.36 – in three games in the 2025 Asia Cup, but the India team management is satisfied with his performances, considering the “exceptionally tough job” he’s been given in the UAE.Bumrah has bowled three overs in the powerplay – and his fourth at the death – in every game so far. Before India’s tournament opener against UAE, the previous time he bowled three out of the first six overs of a T20I was in 2019.”He’s doing a very tough task,” India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on the eve of the Super Four game against Bangladesh. “You don’t see many bowlers in this format bowling all three overs in the powerplay. So it’s quite strenuous as well. But we feel it’s the right amount of work going into the Test match [against West Indies] and obviously the importance of this competition as well.”Related
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After taking 1 for 19 against UAE and 2 for 28 in the group game against Pakistan, Bumrah went wicketless and conceded 45 in the Super Four game against Pakistan. “It wasn’t his most polished performance against Pakistan the other night,” ten Doeschate said. “But we also understand that he’s doing an exceptionally tough job to bowl the first three overs, the two [fielders] out, and the last over and the second last over where guys are going as well.”There’s going to be days where he doesn’t get wickets and he’s going to go for runs. But in terms of how we set up the team, obviously with two seamers and going spin-heavy, we feel at the moment that’s the best job.”Bumrah has bowled 11 overs in the Asia Cup so far – he was rested for India’s final group game against Oman – and is likely to bowl another 12 if India get to the final. Ten Doeschate indicated he was unlikely to be rested for another game in this tournament.”It’s very unlikely that you [India] go into the last game knowing you’ve qualified,” ten Doeschate said. “So I’d say it’s unlikely that he’ll get a rest. Also bearing in mind we have a Test match starting [next] Thursday. So it’s actually quite good preparation in terms of workload management … So if we have the luxury to have that option [of resting Bumrah] in the last game, we can look at it. But I’d say we’re going to pick our best team for every game. He obviously fits into that picture.”Sanju Samson is getting used to life at No.5•Associated Press
‘Samson still figuring out how to play at No. 5’
The other player with an unfamiliar role at the Asia Cup is Sanju Samson, who’s batting in the middle order despite having had most of his success for India – and in the IPL – in the top three.Samson didn’t get to bat in India’s first two matches. He was sent in at No. 3 in the dead rubber against Oman in Abu Dhabi, where he top-scored with 56 off 45 balls on a pitch that most Indian batters struggled to get going. He was back down at No. 5 in the Super Four game against Pakistan, and made 13 off 17 before he was bowled attempting to pull Haris Rauf.”There’s two outings now, two decent chances and he’s still figuring out how to play that role,” ten Doeschate said of Samson in the middle order. “I think the wicket was a little bit tired in the Pakistan game. But certainly with the way Shubman [Gill] and Abhi [Abhishek Sharma] are going at the top and you’ve got your captain batting at three and the way Tilak’s [Verma] played, we’re really looking for a No. 5. So we believe Sanju is the best man for that job and we’ve got no doubt that he’ll figure out how to play that role in the future.”Ten Doeschate said the format of the Asia Cup with little room for error also meant there was little room for giving chances to the bench strength – Jitesh Sharma and Rinku Singh haven’t played a game yet. “The boys are doing excellent work with training and you probably have to look at bilateral series more realistically as a chance to get guys in to show what they can do and also to give guys a chance to show how flexible they are with their positions.”But certainly now with the format of this competition, four games, two wins doesn’t even guarantee you going through. So it’s not like you can take your foot off the pedal at any time and that’s been an unfortunate consequence of what we’re trying to achieve by trying guys in different positions.”India go into Wednesday’s game against Bangladesh as favourites. Both teams won their first Super Four game, and whoever picks up two points will be primed to make the final. “Our general principle is – respect everyone, fear no one,” ten Doeschate said. “It’s more about our process and what we’re trying to achieve. We actually thought we were a bit scrappy against Pakistan. We weren’t happy with that performance. We just had a team meeting now and as we always do, we try to address the things we feel we can be better at and more clinical at.”We respect Bangladesh. I think they’re a side on the rise. They’ve kind of adapted their cricket as well to the new style of T20. Some nice attacking players up front and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
When Chelsea raced into a three-goal lead away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night during a frantic first half, it looked as if Enzo Maresca’s men had the easiest passage through to the next round of the EFL Cup.
Nobody told Vitor Pereira’s hosts to just roll over in the second half, though, as a spirited fight-back from the bottom-of-the-table Premier League side shocked the complacent Blues, who just about got over the line in the end to reach the quarter finals with a surprisingly slim 4-3 victory.
It was very much a night where the attackers shone at Molineux for both sides, with Jamie Gittens sticking out as one of Chelsea’s brightest performers, as the ex-Borussia Dortmund attacker continues to show Maresca why he is deserving of more consistent first-team minutes.
Gittens' standout night versus Wolves
Indeed, the £48.5m summer recruit has just started just two Premier League games so far this season for the Italian.
Yet, he is definitely banging down the door now to be a common starter under the ex-Leicester City boss, with an assist picked up against Ajax in the Champions League earlier in the month, being followed up now by the exciting number 11 sealing a crucial fourth goal for the under-pressure Blues in the West Midlands.
Gittens wasn’t fazed by the strain of a Wolves comeback, though, as he rifled home this fierce effort to gift the under-the-cosh visitors a 4-2 lead, and himself his first ever Chelsea strike, which was well needed in both respects, considering David Møller Wolfe clinched a brace late on.
The 21-year-old’s creative flair was also on full display again in the EFL Cup, with two assists picked up right at the start of the match by the electric left winger, setting the tone for what would become an enthralling contest under the Molineux floodlights.
He will surely be retained in Maresca’s starting XI when Chelsea return to Premier League action, but one of Gittens’ teammates on the night won’t be so lucky, as his feeble defending – in particular – nearly cost his away side dear in their bid to lift the EFL Cup.
Maresca must now axe 5/10 Chelsea star
Heading into this mid-week clash against the Old Gold, the Chelsea manager will have been looking for a response from his troops after they slipped to a late defeat to Sunderland in the league.
Maresca would have been keeping a close eye on how Tosin Adarabioyo fared at the back, after the Chelsea number four was far too lax with Black Cats striker Brian Brobbey in the late stages of that 2-1 loss, which led to Chemsdine Talbi then hammering home a killer blow.
Adarabioyo vs Wolves
Stat
Adarabioyo
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
89
Accurate passes
66/73 (90%)
Tackles won
0/2
Interceptions
3
Clearances
6
Blocked shots
0
Ball recoveries
3
Total duels won
7/12
Stats by Sofascore
Safe to say, when looking at the table above, the 45-year-old would have been, once again, let down by his captain’s weak efforts, with the 6-foot-5 centre-back only managing to win three of his seven aerial duels during the 4-3 win.
Moreover, Adarabioyo would also struggle when going in for tackles, with zero tackles actually won – from two attempted – no doubt boosting the confidence of the hosts to go far more gung-ho in the second half to try and pull off a shock comeback.
Adarabioyo has also looked visibly shaky in the Premier League in recent matches, too, with possession being given away 19 times against Manchester United at the tail-end of September, resulting in the London-born centre-back being given limited minutes off the substitutes bench in the following league matches.
With Trevoh Chalobah also being scrutinised at the back as of late, it will be interesting to see who Maresca plays in the heart of defence as Chelsea clash with near-London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the start of November, with Adarabioyo no doubt targeted by Thomas Frank’s set-piece-heavy side, based on his unassertive showing at Molineux.
The leaky 28-year-old would, subsequently, be handed a low 5/10 rating post-match by Football London’s Bobby Vincent, who stated that the lofty number four looked very shoddy when ‘called into action a lot more’ in the second half.
Thankfully, as much as the match will be remembered for some ropey defending, it will also be remembered, rightly, for some top-drawer attacking prowess, with Gittens – who was gifted a 9/10 rating by Vincent – ready to become a Chelsea first-teamer now, while his ex-Fulham teammate prepares for a spot on the bench against Spurs.
Maresca handed Vlahovic boost amid renewed stance with Chelsea "offered" January deal
Manchester United moved up to ninth in the Premier League table and within two points of the Champions League places with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
The Red Devils claimed all three points at Anfield for the first time since January 2016 after a late header from Harry Maguire sealed the victory for the away side.
Bruno Fernandes volleyed a brilliant ball to the back stick for the England international to nod the ball back the other way into the far corner, just six minutes after Cody Gakpo’s equaliser.
Whilst it was Maguire who scored the winning goal, United had Senne Lammens to thank for the three points because of his performance in goal.
Why Senne Lammens won Man Utd the game against Liverpool
United have had their fair share of troubles with goalkeepers in recent seasons. Altay Bayindir conceded 0.84 more than expected and made one error that led to a goal in the first six matches of the Premier League season, per Sofascore.
Lammens, however, has come in from Royal Antwerp and looks to be a safe pair of hands. After a clean sheet against Sunderland, the Belgian giant made four saves and prevented 1.25 goals, per Sofascore, against Liverpool.
The pick of the saves came in the first half when he prevented British-record signing Alexander Isak from scoring by smartly sticking a foot out to keep the shot out of his net.
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Without his shot-stopping and calmness behind the defence, Man United may have only come away from Anfield with a point, or none, given how poorly Altay performed at the start of the season.
Whilst Lammens was a shining light in goal and should be considered undroppable, Mason Mount should be ditched from the starting XI by Ruben Amorim.
Why Man Utd should drop Mason Mount
The England international, who scored against Sunderland before the break, started as part of a fluid front three alongside Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, with Benjamin Sesko dropped to the bench.
It was a tactic that worked, to a point, as the movement across the front confused the Liverpool defence and created some promising moments, including Mbeumo’s goal.
Mount’s individual performance, though, suggests that the £66.4m signing from RB Leipzig should be brought back in to lead the line against Brighton next weekend.
Vs Liverpool
Mason Mount
Benjamin Sesko
Minutes
61
29
Shots
2
1
Big chances missed
1
0
Touches
19
19
Pass accuracy
58%
62%
Key passes
0
1
Big chances created
0
0
Successful dribbles
0
1
Duels won
1/3
4/6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Sesko created more chances, completed more dribbles, and won four times as many duels, in roughly half as much time on the pitch.
The Slovenia international, who has scored two Premier League goals this season, offers a physical presence at the top end of the pitch that allows Mbeumo and Cunha to play off him, which they did not have when Mount and Cunha were rotating in the number nine role.
Mount played the role that was asked of him by Amorim and provided energy in the win over Liverpool, but his end product in and out possession was simply not good enough, as he had even fewer touches of the ball (19) than Lammens in goal (55), per Sofascore.
This is why the head coach should ruthlessly drop him from the starting XI in order to bring Sesko back in to lead the line against Brighton next time out, as the former Leipzig man is a natural number nine who can offer a greater threat in front of goal.
Forget Mainoo: Amorim has the next Pogba in "generational" Man Utd talent
Manchester United appear to have another elite-level star already within Ruben Amorim’s ranks.
Manchester City are now circling to sign a £70m Premier League forward, who has made a fantastic start to the new season.
Haaland setting the pace in the goal-scoring charts
Erling Haaland will have his sights set on winning the Premier League Golden Boot for the third time, after finishing top of the goal-scoring charts in each of his first two seasons, and the Man City star is setting the pace in the early stages of the campaign.
Remarkably, the Norway international is averaging 1.42 goals per 90, having found the back of the net eight times in his opening six games, which places the centre-forward way out in front as the leading goalscorer.
Pep Guardiola has a number of top-quality attacking options to choose from, with Phil Foden proving he may be getting back to his best by picking up two goals and two assists in all competitions this season, while Jeremy Doku also has four goal contributions to his name.
However, according to a report from The Boot Room, Pep could now look to enhance his forward options even further, with Man City circling to sign AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, after the winger’s fantastic start to the campaign.
Previously, Semenyo has been valued at £70m by the Cherries, and the forward’s stock is only likely to have risen after amassing six goal contributions in his opening six Premier League games this season.
In light of his performances, the Ghana international has now attracted the attention of a number of English clubs, namely Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, with Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Atlético Madrid also keen.
The 25-year-old has admitted that his dream is to play for a Champions League club, which means a move to the Etihad Stadium should appeal, although Bournemouth are reluctant to sanction a winter departure.
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By
Sean Markus Clifford
Sep 29, 2025
"Unbelievable" Semenyo could excel at the Etihad
Lauded as “unbelievable” by reporter Lewis Cox, the Bournemouth star has established himself as one of the best forwards in the Premier League over the past three seasons, having shown consistent signs of improvement.
Season
PL appearances
Goal contributions
2023-24
33
11
2024-25
37
17
2025-26
6
6
Perhaps the former Bristol City man’s most impressive individual performance this term came against Liverpool, scoring a brace to claw his side back into the game, although they did eventually go on to lose the game 4-2.
The Ghanaian is clearly a talented player, given his exploits across the past three seasons, but there are doubts whether he would be a necessary signing for Man City, with Savinho in line for a new contract.
Pep already has plenty of options in wide areas, with Doku and Omar Marmoush also on the books, so it may not be wise to shell out around £70m on Semenyo.