Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has admitted that he was 'on his knees' to join Manchester City before completing his move to Stamford Bridge. The Spanish full-back left Brighton to join the Blues in the summer of 2022 as Chelsea beat the Cityzens to secure his transfer for a whopping £55 million (€65m/$67m) plus a potential £7m in add-ons.
Broadcaster unveils plans for hybrid commentary model ahead of next month’s five-Test series
Matt Roller14-Oct-2025TNT Sports will rely on rugby union and cycling specialists to lead their Ashes coverage from the UK in an unusual hybrid commentary model which will also involve a team of pundits in Australia.The subscription broadcaster, formerly BT Sport, also covered the 2021-22 Ashes but, on that occasion, it relied primarily on the world feed provided by Fox Sports, supplemented by a studio team in the UK. This time, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann will work as on-site pundits in Australia but Alastair Eykyn and Rob Hatch, two TNT regulars, will lead commentary from home.TNT will also send presenter Becky Ives to Australia for the duration of the series, while Ebony Rainford-Brent will be part of their commentary team from the UK. Their coverage will also include daily highlights shows and a review programme called after each Test in a primetime slot.Scott Young, executive vice president at Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe (which owns TNT), said that Eykyn and Hatch are “huge cricket fans” despite their limited professional experience in the sport. “They will not try to pretend they are part of cricket history,” Young said. “They are great commentators in their own right… who can really drive a narrative.”He added that WDB ruled out the prospect of using the world feed commentary soon after securing the rights, and said that TNT’s coverage should appeal to more general sports fans: “The Ashes is a step above that. TNT Sports is a step above that… Nothing against the world feed, which will be a great production. But we needed to talk about what the Ashes meant to our audience, to TNT Sports.Related
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“That’s why we’re bringing many of our sports broadcasters into the fold. It’s about bringing the football, rugby, even fight-sports fan-base, and making them aware of the Ashes as a moment in time. This is not just a cricket Test, it’s the Ashes. If we can get people who are not normally going to watch cricket for a day or a Test, then that’s very much part of the TNT Sports ethos.”Last year, TNT sent Cook, Finn and presenter Kate Mason to Sweden to cover England’s Test series in India remotely, citing a lack of availability of studio space in London. The unusual arrangement came after they secured the UK rights at such short notice that Matt Floyd presented their coverage on his own for the first Test, without studio guests.TNT has gradually expanded its rights portfolio to the extent that it will broadcast all three England men’s bilateral tours this winter, with white-ball series in New Zealand and Sri Lanka either side of the Ashes. However, Sky Sports remains the exclusive UK rights-holder to broadcast England’s home internationals and ICC events.Young also claimed that viewers “won’t know” where commentators are during live action, even if they are 10,000 miles away from one another. “There are different ways we will do it,” he said. “Our play-by-play team will be here. The pundits will be here, or on-site. The way it works is that you won’t know where they are, the way the commentary booths are set up.”Graeme Swann commentates at the 2025 IPL•R Param/BCCICook and Finn are both regulars on the BBC’s but have signed exclusive deals with TNT for the series, so will not appear on radio coverage. At the launch of TNT’s coverage at The Oval on Tuesday, Cook said that England have “a really good chance” of winning the series if “a few things” go their way.”Certainly, they’ve got more chance than sides previously going down,” he said. “I think we’d all be naive to say that Australia aren’t favourites, just with the history of the sides and the fact that [England] haven’t won a Test match [in Australia] since 2011. However, you start looking at the way this England side play, and you actually think, ‘Yeah, they’ve got a really good chance.'”I won’t say they’re fearful of England, but everyone who plays England now knows that if you’re not on it for every minute, this side has the ability – which not many other sides have – to change games in an hour or two, and make such a big impact. That’s the way that [Ben] Stokes and [Brendon] McCullum want to play, and they’ve got the players which are capable of doing it.”Cook believes that England’s hopes rest on making a strong start to the series, citing their resilience in the drawn Brisbane Test during their 2010-11 triumph in Australia. “[The fans] started respecting how we played cricket and how good that team was and it definitely helped, and they put Australia under pressure.”Remember, Australia don’t lose many Ashes series at home. If England can be in this series after three games, that pressure switches massively onto Australia… The challenge is can they stay in it well enough, and play good enough early on, that they start making Australia doubt their style, and getting their public to doubt their team?”The traditional media phoney war has stepped up in recent days. David Warner joked on Monday that England are playing for “a moral victory” and predicted a 4-0 Australia win, to which his old nemesis Stuart Broad responded that Australia’s side is the weakest it has been since England’s victory in 2010-11.Watch TNT Sports’ live exclusive coverage of the Ashes on TNT Sports and discovery+.
After leaking ten runs off the first two balls of the 20th over, Fareed roared back to close out the game successfully
Alagappan Muthu05-Sep-202515:43
Can Afghanistan make the final of the Asia Cup?
Afghanistan had the game sewn up. They were playing a second-string side with even their captain Rashid Khan among six players sitting out. But Asif Khan threatened to rip it wide open. A dead rubber had burst to life. Fareed Ahmad started the final over with 16 to defend and was bashed for 4 and 6 off the first two deliveries. An upset was looming and the left-arm quick felt it. Asif felt it, batting on 40 off 25. It never came to be.Fareed had three chances to influence the outcome and he came up with the perfect option each time to close out the match: 4, 6, 2, dot, dot, wicket. And so, UAE ended the tri-series winless but they came so very close. The emotions at the end were excruciating, particularly for Asif and the captain Muhammad Waseem. They’re going to make the Asia Cup very interesting.
Ibrahim Zadran was captaining Afghanistan for the 10th time in his career. Four of those games were against UAE. It is easy to see why he was the stand-in. He was cool when the runs didn’t come – 5 off 9 – and resplendent when they did. He looks so technically correct that even the shots in anger carried a stamp of class.There was one moment when he looked totally out of place though. He was utterly deceived by left-arm spinner Haider Ali’s change of pace and trajectory – the flatter ball making the batter think he should play back when the length was fairly full. Ibrahim lost his stumps for 48 off 34. He might feel a lot better about his contributions in the pointy end of the chase, where soon after he went up to have an arm around Fareed, the bowler switched from bowling over the wicket to round the wicket and gave away no more runs.Sharafuddin Ashraf conceded 20 runs in four overs and took a wicket•Emirates Cricket Board
It was a slow pitch and it showed when Afghanistan lost three wickets in 3.1 overs after a 98-run opening partnership. Karim Janat was 10 off seven balls at the time. He hit the only boundary during this spell too – a six, which are sometimes easier to pull off in these conditions especially against a bowling attack that didn’t camp in the good length spot for long enough. Often, they were too full or too short and that allowed Janat and the rest of his team-mates down the order to get underneath the ball.So it didn’t matter that overs 13, 14 and 15 went for only 16 runs. The next three yielded 36. Afghanistan finished on a healthy 170 for 4. Haider (2 for 23) and Simranjeet Singh (1 for 24) were the pick of the bowlers. Left-arm quick Muhammad Rohid was desperately unlucky with both of UAE’s dropped catches coming off his bowling. Rahmanullah Gurbaz enjoyed his second life going from 14 off 16 to 40 off 38.
UAE took to the chase with gusto, scoring almost twice as many boundaries as Afghanistan did in the powerplay (7 vs 4). Waseem was enchanting, depositing Mujeeb Ur Rahman inside out over cover for six. He produced another lovely piece of innovation, upper-cutting the debutant Abdollah Ahmadzai over deep third as he stalks Rohit Sharma on top of the six-hitters’ table in T20Is and it was looking like UAE had the firepower to earn the consolation win that they desperately wanted.However, in trying the same shot, Waseem feathered an edge behind and the greenest member of a side that was saving most of its firepower for the final had punched through an opening. Afghanistan rallied to turn an equation that read 67 off 48 balls into a rather more troubling 43 off 18. Mujeeb and Noor Ahmad, bowling in tandem from the 14th to the 17th overs, were virtually unhittable. Then it was the debutant’s turn but Abdollah leaked 16 runs all to Asif and the UAE bench started to stir.Four more boundaries – one of them a dropped catch – across the last two overs kept the contest alive and created tension among the Afghanistan coaching staff but in the end, they just about squeezed through.
A draw with ten men aside, this has been a phenomenal little period for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Following an intense week in which they faced Spurs, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, they didn’t lose any of those fixtures. Subsequently, they top the Premier League and Champions League heading into the early stages of December.
They’ve managed to do so all with injuries plaguing the squad again. Ben White and Bukayo Saka were asked after the 2-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday if they have the best squad depth in the league.
White, ever the joker, simply replied, “I dunno.” Well, Ben, we’ll answer it for you. Arsenal’s depth is elite and it could well win them the league.
Andrea Berta worked hard to bolster the squad over the summer and it’s just as well considering the fitness issues that have ravaged Arteta’s team again throughout 2025/26.
At the moment they are missing their senior leaders at the back in Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
Before last week they were also missing all three strikers. Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres are now back in the matchday squad but it means that emergency centre-forward, Mikel Merino, has had to lead the line again. He’s done it superbly well.
Mikel Merino: Arsenal's elite number 9
Nearly a year ago, all of the chatter as the January transfer window opened was about Arsenal’s need for a new striker.
While Kai Havertz’s importance was being elevated and Jesus had enjoyed a fabulous festive period, scoring that hat-trick against Crystal Palace, there was a sense that for the Gunners to win the league, they needed an elite goalscorer.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Jesus then suffered an ACL injury and Arsenal’s need for a new forward was exacerbated. They did not sign one. What happened next? Havertz suffered a hamstring injury. Of course, he did.
As a result, Arteta sought a solution that was outside of the box. Could Merino become the emergency number 9 that Arsenal craved?
Remarkably, he could. It all started with that brace against Leicester City. The Londoners were struggling to find a goal but the Spaniard appeared from the bench to rescue his side.
Since then, he’s not looked back. He ended 2024/25 with nine goals, scoring against Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool along the way. While we jest, he genuinely looks like an elite striker now.
The arrival of Gyokeres should have ensured Merino was never needed as a striker again but when the Swede hobbled off against Burnley last month, the former Real Sociedad was back in the limelight.
Well, is he now the number one option to lead the line? Quite possibly. Some of Arsenal’s best displays of the season, chiefly those wins over Spurs and Bayern, have come with Merino up top.
While he didn’t net in those contests, he’s knitted the play together beautifully, linking up with teammates and improving Arsenal’s all-around attacking play.
He has still been around the goals, scoring twice in Europe against Slavia Prague, while finding the net in back-to-back Premier League games, the wins over Chelsea and Brentford. Both of those goals were excellent headers.
So, with Gyokeres and Jesus back on the bench, who deserves the role as Arsenal’s leading man?
What Merino's form means for Gyokeres and Jesus
Arsenal’s big-money summer signing has been electric over the last two campaigns. During 2024/25, Gyokeres bagged 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting but hasn’t hit similar heights after his move back to England.
The Swede has been improving all the time and it was typical that he suffered an injury blow against Burnley, a game he actually scored in.
Gyokeres was beginning to find his feet in the top-flight but it would be a lie if we said Arsenal weren’t a better team at the moment with Merino in it.
So, for the time being, it’s likely the former Coventry City man will have to be patient as he searches for a way back into the side.
The same could be said for £45m man, Jesus, although his time in red and white sadly looks pretty bleak.
The Brazilian has been missing since picking up that ACL injury in the FA Cup 11 months ago and it’s a delight to see him back. Prior to that injury, he was arguably in the form of his Arsenal career, scoring six goals in six games across the festive period.
That injury meant that Arsenal simply had to strengthen in the summer. Gyokeres was a necessity. Jesus has been bumped down the picking order already because of that.
However, the emergence of Merino as a striker and the fact he’s now a genuine option in that position means that Jesus’ Arsenal career looks done.
Havertz is not miles away from returning to the fold and with Merino, Gyokeres and the German all set to battle it out for a place as the central forward, Jesus is unlikely to start another game for the club.
24/25
335 days
48
23/24
89 days
17
22/23
100 days
17
20/21
60 days
14
19/20
34 days
5
18/19
26 days
6
17/18
76 days
13
16/17
68 days
15
There are plenty of games to comes over the forthcoming weeks but such is the strength of Arsenal’s depth that the former Manchester City striker looks set to pay the ultimate price of leaving the Emirates Stadium.
It’s not the way he or the supporters will have wanted his career in England to end. He’s a cult hero, a joyful player to watch when he’s at his peak. However, Arsenal simply have better options now and options who are in form.
Merino’s impact has only rubbed further salt into the wounds. At the moment, he looks like Arsenal’s best centre-forward. How remarkable is that?
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The role of a central defender has changed over time, with those at the very top now not just world-class in the air and in a tackle, but also brilliant in possession with the ball at their feet.
The new generation of centre-backs are crucial to their team’s build-up play and, in some cases, pass more than most midfielders, but who is the best in the world at the back at this moment in time?
Ranking factors
To help rank the centre-backs in order, we have considered the following criteria:
Current form – how well a player has been performing Importance to their teams – how influential they are to their team Role – how unique their skillset is Reputation – what others are saying about them 15 Willian Pacho PSG and Ecuador
Willian Pacho has gone from strength to strength after joining PSG from Frankfurt in 2024 and now appears to be a regular at the Parc des Princes.
The Ecuador international is still only 23 years of age and has been described as the ‘wall nobody saw coming’ next to Marquinhos.
The €40m fee PSG paid for Pacho is now looking like a smart piece of business, with the player’s market value already increasing to €65m.
Champions League
2025
Ligue 1
2025
UEFA Super Cup
2025
French Cup
2025
French Super Cup
2025
Belgian Pro League
2023
Belgian Cup
2023
Belgian Super Cup
2023
Copa Sudamericana
2019
Ecuadorian Serie A
2021
14 Antonio Rudiger Real Madrid and Germany
Antonio Rudiger has gone from strength to strength after joining Real Madrid from Chelsea back in 2022, so much so that he was linked with a return to Stamford Bridge.
Over the last 18 months, Rudiger has been praised by Carlo Ancelotti and Mesut Ozil, who have said the German “is playing at his best” and in his “prime”.
However, he has missed the majority of the 2025/26 season so far with a hamstring injury which has dropped him down the rankings.
La Liga
2024
Champions League
2021, 2024
Europa League
2019
FA Cup
2018
Copa del Rey
2023
FIFA Club World Cup
2022, 2023
UEFA Super Cup
2021, 2022, 2024
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
2024
Spanish Super Cup
2024
Confederations Cup
2017
13 Eder Militao Real Madrid and Brazil
Dropping down the list due to serious injuries in recent years is Real Madrid’s Eder Militao. The Brazilian was dubbed the “best in the world” at the back by Carlo Ancelotti in 2023 and has won multiple honours at the Bernabeu since 2019.
At the age of 27, Militao should still have plenty of high-level years ahead of him and will be looking to remain fit over the coming seasons.
Champions League
2022, 2024
La Liga
2020, 2022, 2024
Copa America
2019
Copa del Rey
2023
FIFA Club World Cup
2023
UEFA Super Cup
2022, 2024
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
2024
Spanish Super Cup
2020, 2022, 2024
12 Dayot Upamecano Bayern Munich and France
Transformed into Bayern Munich’s Mr. Reliable under Vincent Kompany has been Dayot Upamecano, who has partnered Kim Min-jae at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund has said in 2025 that the Frenchman “has become a leader” who “plays strongly and consistently at a high level.” At the age of 26, Upamecano appears to be entering his prime.
Nations League
2021
Bundesliga
2022, 2023, 2025
Austrian Bundesliga
2016, 2017
Austrian Cup
2016, 2017
German Super Cup
2021, 2022
11 Josko Gvardiol Man City and Croatia
Josko Gvardiol stars as a centre-back and sometimes as a left-back for Man City and Croatia.
Used as a centre-back in the Nations League for his country, Gvardiol turned out centrally under Pep Guardiola in the latter stages of the 2024/25 season, with City winning five out of six Premier League games with the 23-year-old at the heart of the defence.
Premier League
2024
HNL
2020, 2021
FIFA Club World Cup
2024
UEFA Super Cup
2023
DFB-Pokal
2021, 2022
Community Shield
2024
Croatian Cup
2021
Croatian Super Cup
2019
10 Alessandro Buongiorno Napoli and Italy
At the top of his game with a career-high €45m Transfermarkt valuation is Napoli and Italy’s Alessandro Buongiorno.
The 25-year-old is “extraordinary in one-on-one situations” and has been key for Napoli under Antonio Conte, winning the Serie A title in 24/25. Should his rapid rise continue, Buongiorno could climb up this list in years to come.
9 Dean Huijsen Real Madrid and Spain
One of the most in-demand defenders of the 2025 summer transfer window was Dean Huijsen, with Real Madrid winning the race to sign the Spaniard from AFC Bournemouth.
Wanted all across Europe, Huijsen starred in the Premier League after leaving Juventus and Tiago Pinto even said he “will be the best central defender in the world in two years”.
Coppa Italia
2024
8 Marquinhos PSG and Brazil
Paris Saint-Germain icon Marquinhos has been leading a new generation of stars at the Parc des Princes under Luis Enrique and has still remained at an extremely high level himself.
Now 31, Marquinhos continues to be a regular in a young PSG side and even became the first player in the club’s history to start 100 matches for PSG in the Champions League.
Ligue 1
2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Copa America
2019
Champions League
2025
Coupe de France
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024
Coupe de la Ligue
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020
French Super Cup
2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
Copa Libertadores
2012
7 Ruben Dias Man City and Portugal
Ruben Dias is coming up to five years as a Man City player and continues to be a regular under Pep Guardiola, with Transfermarkt having the Portugal starvalued at €65m.
Rated as good as Virgil van Dijk by Jamie Carragher 12 months ago, Dias’ displays have dipped slightly at the Etihad in 2024/25, however, there is no denying his quality.
Premier League
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Nations League
2019
Champions League
2023
FA Cup
2023
League Cup
2021
UEFA Super Cup
2023
Community Shield
2024
FIFA Club World Cup
2024
Liga Portugal
2019
Portuguese Super Cup
2020
6 Marc Guehi Crystal Palace and England
Marc Guehi is becoming one of the most in-demand centre-backs in world football after his move to Liverpool from Crystal Palace collapsed in the summer of 2025.
Now a regular for England and starring at Selhurst Park, Guehi is on course to become a free agent in 2026 and is being linked with the biggest clubs in Europe.
It shows just how good Guehi has been under Oliver Glasner, lifting the FA Cup and Community Shield with Palace in 2025.
FA Cup
2025
Community Shield
2025
Where the Yankees go, calamity seems to follow.
While New York is still battling to get back atop the AL East standings, they have displayed some mental mistakes over recent games that have fans shaking their heads in dismay. Manager Aaron Boone has been doing what he can to keep things together, especially regarding Anthony Volpe’s recent spat of fielding errors, but after Austin Wells’s miscue on Wednesday night, it’s going to be a tough post-game press conference.
Wells was on first base with one out in the bottom of the ninth and the Yankees tied up with the Rays, 3–3. The Yanks’ tying run had come courtesy of a Volpe homer earlier in the inning, and the team was on the verge of walking the night off in feel-good fashion and hopefully turning the page to brighter days.
At the plate, Trent Grisham laid down a bunt as well as you can do it, advancing Wells to second base with two outs, and putting the Yankees just one hit away from taking the win.
But Wells didn’t stay on second. Instead, he wandered off the base, appearing to believe that Grisham’s out at first had ended the inning. He was caught in a run-down, clearly confused, and the inning was mercifully over.
Wells’s mistake is just an indictment of the Yankees’ fundamentals. You simply always have to know how many outs there are in the inning. Further, if your team had two outs and a man on first base, THEY WOULD NOT BE BUNTING TO GET YOU OVER TO SECOND BASE!!!
Fans online expressed their disbelief at Wells’s lack of awareness.
Luckily for the Yankees, this time they escaped, pulling out the win with a walk-off in the 11th inning.
But while leaving with the W makes for a good night, it’s clear New York has to figure something out and get these small mistakes out of their system if they want to make a run in the postseason.
While the draw on Sunday was less than ideal, this season is shaping up to be a special one for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side have looked imperious in the Champions League, winning all five games, and are far and away the best team in the Premier League.
While the whole squad has played a role in the Gunners’ incredible form, one player who has been one of the most important has undoubtedly been Declan Rice.
In the words of creator Jamie Kent, the Englishman is looking like “the best midfielder in Europe,” and therefore, fans should be excited about reports linking Arsenal to someone who could be their new Rice.
Arsenal target their new Rice
The transfer window is now less than a month away, and, as a result, Arsenal are starting to be linked with a host of tremendously exciting players.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Real Madrid’s incredible £70m Rodrygo, for example, has once again been touted for a move to the Emirates, as has Bayern Munich’s £100m+ Michael Olise.
However, while both of these wingers would help to raise the Gunners’ ceiling, neither could really be described as being Rice-esque, unlike Eduardo Camavinga.
Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in signing the Real Madrid monster.
Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Chelsea and Liverpool are keen on the French international, who is valued at €80m by the Spanish giants, which is about £70m.
It could therefore be a costly and rather complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Camavinga’s immense ability, Arsenal should be pursuing him, especially as he could be another Rice.
Why Camavinga would be another Rice for Arsenal
So, the first and most obvious similarity between Rice and Camavinga is the fact that they are midfielders who can and have played as a six and an eight in recent years.
Moreover, the pair of them are currently plying their trade at two huge clubs, and while Real Madrid is less important to his team than the Englishman, he’s still racked up 194 appearances for them in which he’s provided 16 goal involvements.
The last clear comparison between them at this point is that they’re both regulars for a top international team as well.
For example, the former Stade Rennes star has now won 28 senior caps for France and featured in the last Euros and World Cup.
Now, it’s all of these reasons that the 23-year-old could become another Rice-type player for the Gunners, in addition to the fact that, when playing, he is a sensational talent and someone who could massively improve the team’s midfield options in a way the former West Ham United captain did when he arrived in 2023.
Don’t just take our word for it, though; Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has described the versatile international as someone with “enormous potential”, and his underlying numbers back that opinion up.
According to FBref, the Cabinda-born “war machine,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles and tackles won, the top 4% for blocks, the top 8% for progressive carrying distance and more, all per 90.
Camavinga’s Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Tackles
4.19
Top 1%
Tackles Won
2.72
Top 1%
Tkl+Int
5.44
Top 1%
Blocks
1.87
Top 4%
Goals/Shot on Target
0.67
Top 5%
Passes Blocked
1.42
Top 6%
Pass Completion %
90.8%
Top 6%
Progressive Carrying Distance
122.51
Top 8%
Passes into Final Third
6.40
Top 12%
Successful Take-Ons
1.13
Top 12%
All Stats via FBref
Add to that the fact he has helped Los Blancos win two La Liga titles, two Champions League titles and a smattering of other cups, and it’s hard to disagree with the notion he’s one of the best midfielders in Europe.
Ultimately, Camavinga already shares plenty of similarities with Rice, and were Arsenal to sign him, he could have a similar transformational impact on the midfield.
Their next Eze: Berta agrees deal to sign "exciting" new star for Arsenal
The hugely promising teenage talent could one day become Arsenal’s heir to Eberechi Eze.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 2, 2025
Smriti Mandhana has taken the blame for India’s batting collapse against England on Sunday night at their women’s World Cup match in Indore, where they went from needing a-run-a-ball 57 with seven wickets in hand to a four-run defeat.Chasing 289 for a win, Mandhana was dismissed for 88 off 94 balls in the 42nd over, and from there they slipped to 262 for 6 by the 47th and just couldn’t get the final impetus with left-arm spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith bowling six of the last nine overs.”We could have done better with our shot selection,” a subdued-looking Mandhana said at the press conference. “It started from me, so I will take it on myself that the shot selection should have been better. We just needed six runs per over. Maybe we should have taken the game deeper. I’ll take it [upon] myself because the collapse started from me.”Related
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Smith bowled to Mandhana from around the wicket with deep square-leg, deep midwicket, long-on and long-off in place. Mandhana looked to go inside out over the covers but the ball drifted away a little, making Mandhana mistime it straight down long-off’s throat.”I thought I could take her on, I was trying to aim more over covers,” Mandhana said. “I mistimed that shot. Maybe the shot wasn’t needed at that time. I just needed to be more patient because throughout the innings I was trying to tell myself to be patient and not to play aerial shots.”The emotions took over for that one, which never helps in cricket. But walking back, I was pretty confident that we’ll be able to get the win. But it’s cricket, you can’t ever think too far ahead. If you lose, I don’t think [a good innings] means anything. I had to be a little more patient than I’ve been in the last two-three months.”Four overs after Mandhana fell, Richa Ghosh tried to hit Nat Sciver-Brunt over the off-side infield but chipped a catch to Heather Knight at cover. In the next over, Deepti Sharma slog-swept Ecclestone straight to deep midwicket.3:15
Review: How did India lose this game?
“Richa has been good for us, but I wouldn’t say that it’s only dependent on her,” Mandhana said. “We just needed 6.5 runs per over; it’s not like we needed nine per over that the finishing part was a lot to ask. We have seen Aman [Amanjot Kaur] do that in WPL and Sneh [Rana] has been brilliant in the last four-five overs with the bat for us in the first three-four matches. So, I wouldn’t say that, especially this one, that it was only dependent on one player. We’ll take it upon ourselves that we could have actually done better in the last six-odd overs.”
India had played each of the previous four matches with five bowlers, and they ended up having to defend targets on each occasion, failing twice, against South Africa and Australia. Against England, they benched Jemimah Rodrigues for an extra bowler in Renuka Singh. As it happened, India were asked to chase and the move to change the team balance came under the spotlight.Renuka, though, was India’s least expensive bowler, conceding runs at 4.62 in her eight overs. In fact, the bowling unit pulled their weight, conceding just 36 runs in the last five overs to stop England at 288 when 300 looked on the cards. But the batting later came unstuck despite half-centuries from Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti.Deepti Sharma’s dismissal was the last nail in India’s coffin•Getty Images
“In the last two matches, we thought that five bowling options were not good enough, especially on a flat track like Indore or [the way] the second game in Visakhapatnam played out,” Mandhana said. “We are not privileged enough to have batters who could bowl a few overs, which a lot of other teams can do. So on a flatter track, we thought that five bowling options could cost us, especially if one bowler has a bad day.”It was definitely a very tough call to drop a player like Jemi. But sometimes you need to do those sorts of things to get the balance right. It is not like this [combination] is going to be there [for the rest of the tournament]. We’ll have to see how the situation is, how the wicket will play and then we’ll take a call.”Mandhana heaped praise on Deepti, who returned 4 for 51, her best at World Cups, and triggered a collapse of 6 for 77. In the process, Deepti also became only the second India woman to take 150 ODI wickets after Jhulan Goswami.”Deepti has been brilliant for us in the last ten-odd years she has played. Today was her 150th ODI wicket. It’s becoming a habit for her to play every match and break some records,” Mandhana said. “Her all-round capacity, especially in one-day cricket, the way she can bat and also bowl, and read the situation has been amazing. I feel she’s done a good job for us in the World Cup and I hope it keeps continuing.”
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Ederson saiu lesionado da partida entre Liverpool e Manchester City no último domingo (10) e deve virar dor de cabeça para Dorival Jr. A lesão do goleiro do City tem consequências diretas para a Seleção Brasileira, que tem compromissos ao final de março.
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O brasileiro se chocou com o Darwin Nunes, atacante do Liverpool, e precisou ser substituído logo no início do segundo tempo. Foi constatada uma lesão no músculo reto femoral da perna direita e a previsão de recuperação é de três a quatro semanas. Com isso, Ederson ficaria de fora dos amistosos entre Espanha e Inglaterra, nos dias 23 e 26 de março, segundo a ESPN.
O clube inglês comunicou a CBF sobre a lesão do goleiro após exames feitos nesta segunda-feira (11), o que deixa Dorival Jr com problemas na defesa. Além de Ederson, o técnico da Seleção Brasileira também não pode contar com Alisson, titular na última Copa do Mundo, que também está fora por lesão.
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O goleiro deve ser avaliado ao longo da semana, recebendo um diagnóstico mais preciso para o restante da temporada e para confirmar ausência ou presença nos amistosos.
Caso seja confirmado o corte, será a segunda vez em quatro meses que o jogador terá de se ausentar de seu compromisso junto ao Brasil. Em novembro de 2023, sob o comando de Fernando Diniz, uma lesão no pé esquerdo do brasileiro o tirou dos jogos contra a Colômbia e a Argentina pelas Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2026.
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Liverpool have now received the green light to make their move for a defensive reinforcement in the January transfer window, according to reports.
Slot: Teams "think they can get a result" against Liverpool
It wasn’t a disaster at Anfield as Liverpool came from behind to rescue a draw against Sunderland, but it was hardly an inspiring performance from the Premier League champions yet again.
Despite breaking their transfer record to sign Alexander Isak in the summer, the Swede was back to his subdued ways just days after netting his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham United. And whilst Florian Wirtz at least played a part in the equaliser and looked bright throughout, Liverpool’s attack was a far cry from their scintillating best of past campaigns.
What should concern Arne Slot the most is his own admission that teams now believe they can “get a result” against his Liverpool side. That should never be the case at the home of the champions, but the Dutchman also denied that Anfield’s fear factor has evaporated this season.
He told reporters: “No, not Anfield. For sure. But it’s clear that teams that play us now think they can get a result. Not only think, because that has been shown this season.
“And even in the games we’ve won, they also fuelled the confidence for other teams like, ‘Hmm, something is possible’ because the wins we had at the beginning of the season weren’t easy ones as well.”
The only positive for Slot to take from the Sunderland game is that his side, whilst found wanting in attack, were harder to break down defensively. With fixtures coming thick and fast, that defensive foundation will be important but so will any depth that Liverpool add in that area in January, especially if they sign Joel Ordonez.
Liverpool receive green light to make Ordonez move
As reported by TeamTalk, Liverpool have received a green light to make their move for Ordonez after maintaining contact with the defender’s camp. Racing alongside Tottenham Hotspur in pursuit of the Club Brugge defender, the Reds could land an ideal alternative for Marc Guehi.
Fewer touches than Alisson & only 2 passes: Liverpool flop must be dropped
Arne Slot has a huge call to make about one player after his showing for Liverpool last night.
2 ByEthan Lamb Dec 4, 2025
Despite reportedly reopening talks to sign the Crystal Palace man, Liverpool may be forced to wait until next summer when his contract expires to secure his signature. If that does prove to be the case, then those at Anfield should turn to Ordonez.
Although Como scout Ben Mattinson aired caution around Ordonez’s “aggressive” nature last year, it’s the exact trait that Liverpool have been lacking this season. The Reds have been physically outmatched and the arrival of the 21-year-old would go a long way towards solving that problem.
Jamie Carragher slams £280k-p/w Liverpool star who had no "excuses" vs Sunderland