Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras didn't like a called third strike while he was at the plate against the Pirates on Monday night.

As he faced an 0-2 count in the bottom of the seventh inning in a tight game, he was called out on strikes following a pitch that landed down in the zone. From the replay, the pitch appeared to be a strike, clipping the bottom of the zone, but Contreras still took exception.

He looked back at home plate umpire Derek Thomas and was ejected from the game, which caused him to get incredibly heated as the Cardinals coaching staff tried to hold him back. As he was pushed back toward the dugout, Contreras tossed his bat toward the field as he continued to yell at Thomas, and the lumber hit one of his own coaches.

When he eventually got into the dugout, an entire bucket of Hi-Chew was thrown onto the field, creating a messy scene the team's batboys had to clean up. It's unclear if Contreras tossed the bucket of candy or not. You can watch the wild sequence below:

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was also ejected per MLB.com's John Denton. Also, according to Denton, the coach that was hit with Contreras's bat was Brant Brown—St. Louis' hitting coach.

A lot of fallout for what appeared to be a correctly called strike. Despite the situation, the Cardinals held onto their lead and defeated the Pirates 7-6 Monday. We'll see if there's any further punishment following Contreras's outburst.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fluminense anunciou nesta terça-feira (7) a contratação de Thiago Silva, que retorna ao clube carioca após 16 temporadas. Cria de Xerém, o zagueiro assinou contrato válido até julho de 2026 e vestirá a icônica camisa 3.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

O jogador, que atualmente defende do Chelsea, da Inglaterra, poderá atuar pela equipe de Fernando Diniz a partir do dia 10 de julho, quando a janela de transferências internacionais será aberta. Com isso, o zagueiro estará à disposição da comissão técnica para as oitavas da Copa do Brasil e Libertadores – caso o Fluminense consiga a classificação.

Após disputar três temporadas pela equipe profissional do Fluminense (2006 a 2008), Thiago Silva se transferiu para o futebol europeu, onde se tornou ídolo do Milan, PSG e Chelsea. Pela Seleção Brasileira, disputou quatro Copas do Mundo e duas Olimpíadas.

continua após a publicidade

A notícia do retorno do zagueiro movimentou as redes sociais. Emocionados, torcedores do Fluminense comemoraram a contratação e elegeram Thiago Silva como “o maior zagueiro do mundo”. Confira a seguir alguns comentários.

Tudo sobre

FluminenseFutebol NacionalThiago Silva

Shafali hasn’t played ODIs for India since October 2024 but has been in good form for India A

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2025Shafali Verma, originally not part of India’s Women’s World Cup squad – either the main 15 or the reserves – has received a late call-up as a replacement for Pratika Rawal, who has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Shafali, 21, is available for India’s semi-final against Australia on October 30.The selectors picked her over Tejal Hasabnis, who was the only batter among India’s reserves for the World Cup.When the World Cup squad was announced in August, Shafali was left out – and Rawal was preferred as Smriti Mandhana’s opening partner – because the selectors prioritised consistency over X-factor. Shafali hasn’t played ODIs for India since October 2024 but has been involved with India A in the 50-overs format. She scored 52 against Australia A in Brisbane in August and 70 against New Zealand A in Bengaluru in September.Related

• Shafali tunes up for Australia, a day after destiny's call

• Mithali Raj on India vs Australia: 'One thing you don't want is to get overwhelmed with the occasion'

In December 2024, Shafali also scored 527 runs at an average of 75.28 and a strike rate of 152.31 in the domestic one-dayers for Haryana, including a top-score of 197 off 115 balls against Bengal. She followed that up with a sensational WPL 2025 season for Delhi Capitals, becoming the fourth-highest run-getter in the season and the most prolific Indian batter, with 304 runs at a strike rate of 152.76.As Rawal’s replacement, Shafali could come into the playing XI for the semi-final against Australia right away. The opening partnership between Mandhana and Rawal had been critical to India’s progress into the semi-finals. They have featured in two of the tournament’s top five batting partnerships so far – 212 against New Zealand and 155 against Australia. Rawal averaged 51.33 in six innings, with scores of 75 against Australia and a match-winning 122 in India’s crucial game against New Zealand.Pratika Rawal walks off the field after twisting her ankle•Getty Images

Rawal, the tournament’s second-highest run-getter, injured herself while fielding during India’s last league game against Bangladesh. In the 21st over of Bangladesh’s innings, Rawal twisted her ankle as her foot got stuck in the turf while she attempted to stop a boundary. She did not bat later, with Amanjot Kaur opening instead. The match was eventually washed out without a result. Only Mandhana has scored more runs than Rawal in this World Cup.If Shafali does not make the XI right away, India could open with Harleen Deol or Amanjot against Australia. Uma Chetry – who opened in the warm-up game against New Zealand, and played the match against Bangladesh with regular wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh out with a niggle – is another option, as is Jemimah Rodrigues, who has opened 18 times in ODI cricket previously.An ICC release stated that Shafali’s inclusion was approved by the Event Technical Committee on Monday evening. The committee includes Wasim Khan (Chair, ICC General Manager – Cricket), Gaurav Saxena (ICC General Manager – Events & Corporate Communications), Abey Kuruvilla (BCCI Tournament Director) and Mel Jones (Independent nominee).

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

• The biggest hurdle for India at the Women's World Cup

• India's cracks threaten to bring down their whole World Cup

• Knight and Smith stay cool in the heat of the battle

• England in semi-finals after India unravel in tense finish

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.”

Was leaving Jemimah Rodrigues out the right call?

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.”

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

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

Joe Root, the Peter Pan of batting, has pulled ahead of Cook and Pietersen. Will he reel Tendulkar in?

Piers Morgan apologises to Alastair Cook for '38 weasel references'

Who will be the spear to Usman Khawaja's shield for Australia?

Bethell bids for NZ highlights reel to stake Ashes claim

Warner backs Konstas for Ashes, prefers Labuschagne at No. 3

“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+.

The allrounder smashed the second fastest ODI hundred for Australia, off 47 balls, in the final ODI against South Africa

Andrew McGlashan24-Aug-20252:14

Green: ‘I was told I was next one ball before Heady got out’

Ask Cameron Green to do a job over the last couple of months and he’s generally made a success of it. Batting No. 3 in Australia’s Test side had a tricky start but he came good during the West Indies tour; then given the No. 4 role in T20Is he earned Player of the Series honours. It was very much in that T20 style that he surged to a maiden ODI hundred from just 47 balls in the third match against South Africa in Mackay.While his promotion to No. 3 from No. 4 had started to be discussed around the 30-over mark, as Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh forged their double-century opening stand, Green had one ball’s notice that it would actually happen before Head was dismissed for 142. “I think it always happens like that,” he said after the game. “You make a decision that doesn’t effect on-field, but for some reason it does. The next ball I was in, so it took me a while to get ready.”He was off the mark second ball, skipping down the pitch at Keshav Maharaj, Australia’s nemesis from the opening game of the series, and hammering a drive wide of long-off. From then on Green was always above a run-a-ball, and the gap quickly grew wider”I think it is that mindset of when you switch positions, kind of your role does change,” he said. “Instead of maybe nudging it around, maybe getting Bison [Marsh] on strike, I think it was just get out there, get on with it straight away.”Related

Green set to bowl in Shield cricket

Green, Head and Marsh flay centuries as Australia put on a show

Stats – Records tumble in Mackay as Head, Marsh and Green batter South Africa

One of the most eye-catching moments of Green’s innings came when he faced left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy in the 45th over and turned down a single to keep the strike with an eye on the match-up. It was a continuation of the tactic Tim David had used in recent T20Is and Green responded by depositing the next three balls for six.”We were discussing it before Tim David did it in West Indies,” Green said. “If you get a really good match-up I think the bowler likes when a single gets hit, for example. Try and make the most of the short boundary.”Another curiosity in Green’s innings was that one of his eight sixes came courtesy of the amended boundary-fielding laws that prevent a player from “bunny-hopping” outside the playing area to field the ball mid-air. Green had launched Wiaan Mulder to long-on where Dewald Brevis couldn’t keep himself in the field of play and palmed the ball back having leapt in the air outside the boundary. Previously he would have prevented the boundary, but now it was six.Green’s century came in the next over, putting him between two of Glenn Maxwell’s finest hours in the list of fastest hundreds for Australia. Maxwell is one of the lynchpin ODI figures Australia need to replace ahead of the World Cup in 2027, alongside Steven Smith, with the batting performances in the first two games of this series raising a few questions about the health of the one-day side.It would be unwise to draw too many conclusions from the 431 for 2 in a dead rubber against a weakened South Africa attack and where batting first proved a distinct advantage. But it was an emphatic response, with timely runs for Head and Marsh’s continuing increase in output being the other encouraging signs.Cameron Green high-fives Alex Carey as he completes his hundred in Mackay•Getty Images”It’s been a while since we played one-day cricket so it just took a while to find our groove,” Green, who before this series had also not played an ODI since last September, said. “Shame it was a bit late for this series, but good signs moving forward.”I think you can normally work your way back from Test cricket. I think that’s a reasonably easy way [to go] because your technique’s normally in a good place and then you can open up and expand your game. Potentially going the other way is a bit tougher. You’re really looking to attack and then you have to kind of rein it in a little bit, pick and choose your times when to go.”Australia’s next ODIs are in mid-October against India, the No.1-ranked side, but Green could miss that series as he uses the Sheffield Shield to return to bowling ahead of the Ashes. If so, it will be another lengthy gap in the format for him.There remain some interesting questions for the selectors to ponder. Green’s performance in this match raises the possibility as to whether he could be Australia’s long-term ODI No. 3 or if that role stays with Marnus Labuschagne, who didn’t get the chance to bat after two scores of 1 in the first two matches of the series.Matt Short and Mitchell Owen were initially due to be part of this squad before injury and will likely feature against India. Aaron Hardie, a late call-up, struggled in two outings and his stock may have fallen although time remains on his side. Xavier Bartlett, however, will have done his cause no harm with new-ball wickets.Cooper Connolly, someone the selectors have been keen to expose at the top level, ended the series as an unlikely holder of the best ODI figures by an Australia spinner. He had Labuschagne’s brilliant out cricket to thank for a couple of wickets, and a stream of South African batters swinging in a lost cause, but if he grows into a genuine all-round option then he would be a valuable addition to the next generation of Australia’s 50-over cricketers. A team in which Green will be one of the most important figures.

It seems like Manchester United will focus the next stage of their rebuild on the midfield. There are a few players who have futures up in the air, at least in the short term. One of those is Casemiro, whose contract expires in the summer, and it is unclear at this stage if he will extend his deal at Old Trafford.

The other player who might not have a clear future at United is Kobbie Mainoo. He has been underused by Ruben Amorim this season, and could depart the club on loan in January, with Napoli one side who could make a move.

If they do leave, there are a few midfielders from within the Premier League that United could target.

United’s main midfield target

A recent report from TEAMTalk suggests that United have three names on their shortlist when it comes to a new midfielder. All of those currently play in the Premier League, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton two of those players.

Transfer Focus

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

The third man is someone who is one of the most highly rated midfielders in the Premier League right now.

TEAMtalk report that the Red Devils ‘would like to seal a deal’ for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson as one of their key targets in the middle of the park.

This will not be a straightforward deal to do, with the England international a player of interest to former club Newcastle United, too.

However, the Red Devils are showing a keen interest and could look to get a £60m deal over the line. Forest, however, would want closer to £80m if this move were to go ahead.

Man Utd's perfect Carrick successor

There is no doubt that 23-year-old Anderson is one of the most exciting midfielders in England. Described by Thomas Tuchel as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”, he’s seemingly secured a spot in the German’s starting lineup for the 2026 World Cup.

He has been exceptional this season in the middle of the park for Forest. In a campaign of great turmoil where they’ve had three different managers, the 23-year-old has been incredibly consistent, playing 14 games, scoring and assisting once.

That included a superb assist for Chris Wood on the opening day of the season.

His underlying numbers also reflect just how well he has played. The boyhood Newcastle star ranks in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders for several key metrics, including progressive passes per 90 minutes, of which he’s played 8.82, and ball recoveries, completing 8.36 each game.

Anderson – 25/26 PL stats
Stat (per 90)	Record	Rank vs. PL midfielders
Passes completed	63.73	97th
Progressive passes	8.82	99th
Passes into final third	8.55	99th
Take-ons completed	1.27	97th
Ball recoveries	8.36	99th
Stats from FBref

There are certainly similarities between Anderson and one of the all-time great midfielders in United’s history, Michael Carrick.

The former England international was metronomic at the heart of the Red Devils midfield for many years, shining under Sir Alex Ferguson especially.

He made 464 appearances for the 13-time Premier League champions, winning five of those league titles and one Champions League.

He even chipped in from the base of midfield with 24 goals and 35 assists.

He was a player highly rated by teammates, with Gary Neville saying he brought “authority, control, peace” to the pitch. This is certainly similar to Anderson, who, as the numbers show, is a true controller in the midfield, able to dictate play at will.

Anderson, it feels like, could bring a similar level of composure to the United midfield that Carrick did all those years ago. England boss Tuchel thinks highly of him, describing him as “a very complete, mobile central midfielder.”

However, it is not just their playstyle that is eerily similar. Carrick was born and raised in the North East, just like Anderson, with the pair growing up in close geographical areas. There are a few fair connections between the duo.

In signing Anderson, United could be adding their new Carrick to the middle of the park. He could certainly bring the same sort of brilliance on the ball and tenacity without it that their former number 16 did during his time at the club.

Man Utd have their own version of Semenyo & he's Amorim's "best player"

Manchester United are again being linked with Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, heading into January…

By
Robbie Walls

Nov 19, 2025

Sarwar Imran in a stable condition at team hotel and hopeful of attending training on Wednesday

Mohammad Isam30-Sep-2025

Sarwar Imran, Bangladesh Women’s head coach, suffered a minor stroke while at the World Cup•Sarwar Imran’s Facebook profile

Bangladesh women’s head coach Sarwar Imran suffered a minor stroke on Monday in Colombo, where the team is preparing for their World Cup opener against Pakistan.Team manager SM Golam Faiyaz confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo, stating that Imran is now in a stable condition.”(Sarwar) Imran sir was feeling dizzy a couple of days ago, and it continued on Monday. We took him to the hospital where the doctors detected he had a minor brain stroke,” said Faiyaz.The manager said that Imran was released from the hospital on Tuesday. He is now recuperating in the team hotel, although he wanted to join Tuesday’s training session.”We asked sir to rest today,” Faiyaz said. “He is hopeful of going to the ground with us tomorrow (Wednesday).”Imran, aged 66, was appointed the women’s head coach in February this year, after Hashan Tillakaratne, the former Sri Lanka captain, left the role earlier in the year.Imran was also the men’s coach when the Bangladesh team played their inaugural Test in 2000.Bangladesh open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan in Colombo on Thursday. It will be their second appearance at the tournament, having made their debut in 2022 and scraped through qualifying for this year’s event.

After returning to club action following the final international break of 2025, Liverpool needed to find a remedy for their issues.

A defeat to Manchester City two weeks ago is hardly something to be ashamed about, but after consecutive wins across league and European action, it was a return to the doldrums of the previous month.

In truth, Arne Slot’s men have been way off it in 2025/26. The Anfield outfit are severely lagging behind in the race for the Premier League title and they can probably already forget about any hopes of retaining England’s biggest prize, but for a major miracle.

The nadir of the campaign so far came on Saturday. Nottingham Forest, sat inside the relegation places, visited Mersyeside and swatted aside Slot’s troops with ease, winning 3-0.

It was a ghastly defeat and one that was epitomised by the performance of club-record signing Alexander Isak.

The issues behind Alexander Isak

2025 has been a peculiar old year for Mr Isak. He began the year in career-best form and took Newcastle United to a Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley against his new employers.

Yet, he ruined his legacy. He chewed it up and spat it back in the faces of Newcastle supporters.

He didn’t go on the club’s pre-season tour in Asia and from that moment he was never seen in first-team training again.

Isak trained on his own at Newcastle’s complex and then after missing the opening weeks of the season, finally got his British record move to Liverpool. FSG shelled out a jaw-dropping £125m to sign him but he has not been worth that fee in the slightest.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

The Swede has struggled with fitness and injury since moving, hardly surprising given he didn’t have a proper pre-season. That, however, is the player’s fault and he’s now paying the price.

The striker has now played nine games for his new side but has only scored once, a solitary goal in the EFL Cup.

He’s gone five Premier League matches without scoring and all four of his Liverpool starts in top-flight action have ended in defeat.

His performance against Forest on Saturday was the epitome of what he’s gone through on Merseyside to date.

As Slot’s side lost 3-0, Isak was nowhere to be seen. BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty described his afternoon as a “symbol of one of the most limp Anfield displays in recent years.”

As a consequence, the attacker only lasted 68 minutes on the pitch, amassing just 14 touches of the football and winning zero of his duels.

Isak vs Forest

Minutes played

68

Touches

14

Accurate passes

5/7 (71%)

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

0

Shots

1

Shots on target

0

Ground duels won

0

Aerial duels won

0

Stats via Sofascore.

Before this game had even taken place Liverpool correspondent David Lynch had suggested the Swede was “offering Liverpool less than Darwin Nunez did”. Still, while Nunez never really got up to speed, there is a belief that Isak will eventually come good.

The same cannot be said for someone who plays further back than Isak.

Liverpool star is becoming this season's Darwin Nunez

What a puzzling character Mr Nunez was. The Uruguayan arrived in a £85m move from Benfica back in June 2022 but failed to ever really set the world alight.

He missed a catalogue of big chances. In January 2024, he set a Premier League record when he hit the woodwork four times in one game against Chelsea. No one has ever hit the bar or post on as many occasions in one match as that.

Furthermore, back in 2023/24, only Erling Haaland (34) missed more big chances than Nunez (27) in the top-flight. The trouble is, while the Norwegian powerhouse scored 27 that term, Liverpool’s leading number nine only found the net on 11 occasions in league action.

Then, last season, the South American netted just seven goals in 47 fixtures, prompting his exit from English football. He has since moved to Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal, where he has netted five times in nine appearances.

Isak will likely have a better Anfield career than that, but he is arguably not the main scapegoat right now. That honour is in the hands of Ibrahima Konate.

The Frenchman, as Nunez did, has become the but of the jokes at Anfield this term and is the most under-fire player in Slot’s squad.

Yes, Florian Wirtz and Isak continue to disappoint, a huge problem given their price tags, but Konate has had one too many chances now and his Liverpool career is heading in a similar way to a certain Trent Alexander-Arnold.

His contract is due to expire at the end of the season and with Real Madrid allegedly chasing his services, it looks like the best option for all parties that he leaves on a free transfer.

Liverpool would love a fee, of course they would, but they just need to get him off their books now. He’s simply too error-prone. It’s not just one error either, something football analyst Raj Chohan outlined on social media during Saturday’s game.

Having made a dreadful mistake, beaten all ends up by Forest striker Igor Jesus, the Frenchman was extremely thankful that the goal that followed that sequence of events was ruled out for handball.

Writing afterwards, Chohan simply said, “every time he makes one error, he makes multiple.”

Tactical writer Dharnish Iqbal, further noted that Konate’s form at the moment is “shocking”, outlining him as one of the biggest problems at Slot’s disposal right now.

According to the official data, supplied by Sofascore, he has made three mistakes leading to a shot in league action alone this term. In the Champions League, he has made a further one. This is particularly bad as in the whole of the 2024/25 Premier League season, he made two. He’s already up to that number now from 12 starts.

He might not be like Nunez in the sense that he’s a striker, but he’s the new club scapegoat, and like Nunez, he needs to leave as soon as possible.

Related Worse than Konate: Slot must drop 2/10 Liverpool flop who lost 100% duels

Ibrahima Konate was not the only culprit during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

Posts 2 ByMatt Dawson Nov 23, 2025