James Sales’ maiden List A century sets up Northamptonshire’s first win of the campaign

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Aug-2025Northamptonshire 321 for 8 (Sales 117, Robinson 63, Broad 59) beat Durham 171 (Raine 31*, Chahal 3-30) by 150 runs A superb maiden List A century from James Sales – 117 off 110 balls – set Northamptonshire Steelbacks up for a first Metro Bank One-Day Cup win in four games this season, by 150 runs at the expense of Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside.The young Steelbacks side kick-started their Group B campaign following a No Result and two defeats as they successfully defended a commanding 321 for 8 total. Durham, meanwhile, suffered their third defeat in five to threaten their chances of a top-three finish for knockout qualification.Having elected to bat, Northamptonshire were advanced by centurion Sales, who was well supported by New Zealander Tim Robinson’s well-paced 63 off 69 balls and Justin Broad’s more aggressive 59 off 45.Durham then lost early wickets and never realistically threatened. They were bowled out for 171 inside 32 overs. Indian Yuzvendra Chahal finished with 3 for 30 from six overs of leg-spin.Sales, who hit his three sixes down the ground off spin and seam, was strong on both sides of the wicket as he accelerated through his innings having come to the crease at 31 for 1 in the ninth over.The 22-year-old right-hander batted through until the 48th over when he holed out to wide long-on against Ben Raine’s seam.New-ball duo Mitchell Killeen and Paul Coughlin struck twice apiece, but Durham relinquished control of the innings from 35 for two in the 10th over.Killeen had bowled captain Lewis McManus, Coughlin had Ricardo Vasconcelos caught behind by debutant 17-year-old wicketkeeper Robbie Bowman.Sales shared century partnerships for the third and fourth wickets with overseas Robinson and Broad en-route to his fifty off 65 balls and his century off 101.He dwarfed his previous List A best score of 35, though has three Championship hundreds to his name through last season and this.Durham, missing linchpin wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Robinson because of a family funeral, failed to gain control with the ball on the same pitch used for Tuesday’s defeat to Middlesex when the visitors chased an English List A record 388.This pitch was good, but it wasn’t the absolute featherbed of a couple of days ago.The home side lost Coughlin to a suspected shoulder issue having bowled nine overs.The Steelbacks were excellent having failed to reach 230 in either of the first two games played, and they continued their good work when it came to the defence, reducing Durham to 49 for four inside 11 overs.Left-arm quick Liam Guthrie struck twice, as did Luke Procter with his seamers. Alex Lees, Will Rhodes and Colin Ackermann all fell.But the headline dismissal was the first – four for one at the start of the second over – when ex-Northamptonshire opener Emilio Gay was trapped lbw stuck on the crease for a second golden duck in as many matches following disappointment against Middlesex.This was Gay’s first appearance against Northamptonshire since leaving Wantage Road late last summer.And when South Africa Test batter David Bedingham, on 30, miscued Broad’s fifth ball to mid-off, it felt like a decisive blow at 78 for five in the 15th over.Debutant Bowman encouraged for 27 and George Drissell bettered that with 30. But they fell to the spin of Rob Keogh and Yuzvendra Chahal as the score fell to 150 for seven in the 29th.Chahal forced a discomforted Coughlin to miscue to cover before bowling Killeen as he struck twice in the 31st over.Seventeen-year-old debutant off-spinner Nirvan Ramesh then wrapped things up with his maiden first-team wicket, Archie Bailey caught behind. He bowled a tidy 4.2 overs for 23.

Thomas Frank’s start to life at Tottenham Hotspur has certainly been an impressive one, as seen by his side’s current Premier League standing in 2025/26.

The Lilywhites currently sit third in England’s top-flight, after losing just two of the first nine outings – even keeping four clean sheets during such a period.

His men have been just as impressive at the opposite end of the field, as seen by their tally of 17 goals in the first nine matches, with Mohammed Kudus having a huge bearing on such a record.

The Ghanaian has made an immediate impact after his £55m switch from West Ham United, subsequently registering one goal and four assists in the league to date.

However, despite his impressive start to life in North London, he may have a long way to go until he makes the list of the Lilywhites’ best additions within the last decade.

Spurs’ best additions over the last decade

Over the last few years, Spurs have made numerous high-profile additions to help the first-team squad mount a challenge for a Premier League title challenge.

Cristian Romero was brought into the club on loan in the summer of 2021, but would move to North London on a permanent basis 12 months later for a reported £42.5m.

Such a deal may have seemed to be an expensive one, but three years on, it could go down as one of the Lilywhites’ best over the last few years, given his impact in North London.

The Argentine has brought a needed steel to the club’s backline, racking up a total of 133 appearances across all competitions – even being named as part of the current leadership group.

However, Heung-min Son will no doubt take top spot for Spurs’ best addition in the last decade, with the South Korean exceeding all expectations during his spell in the Premier League.

The hierarchy paid £22m for his signature from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015, an absolute bargain given his total of 454 appearances in North London.

He would score on 173 occasions during his decade-long spell with the Lilywhites, with such a tally putting him fourth in the club’s all-time goalscoring charts.

From solo goals against Burnley and incredible long-range strikes against North London rivals Arsenal, he was capable of the spectacular and handing the fanbase moments to last a lifetime.

Son was even a part of the club’s Europa League-winning campaign in 2024/25, with such an achievement undoubtedly cementing his place as a Lilywhites icon.

The player who could be Frank’s answer to Son

After such success in Europe, Son decided to call time on his Spurs career, leaving in the recent transfer window to join MLS outfit LAFC in a deal worth a total of £20m.

The South Korean international left for a net loss of just £2m from the fee forked out for his signature – further highlighting the incredible business done by the Lilywhites hierarchy.

The decision meant that current boss Frank was unable to have the opportunity to work with the iconic forward, which has often left him without a settled left-winger.

Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson and Xavi Simons have all operated in such a position over the last few weeks – but none have managed to clinch the faith of the boss in the role.

However, that could change in the years ahead, with the club already having a superb young talent within their ranks in the form of teenager Hyeok-min Yang.

The 19-year-old joined the Lilywhites from Gangwon FC back in January, undoubtedly being brought into the club for the future years rather than the present.

It’s evident he already possesses bags of talent, with the youngster scoring 12 times in his 38 appearances for his homeland club, prior to his switch to England earlier this year.

However, in order to gain familiarity with the demands of English football, he’s been sent on various loans in the Championship – currently spending the 2025/26 campaign with Portsmouth.

Yang may only have featured in seven league outings to date, but he’s already made an immediate impact with Pompey, registering two goals and one assist in England’s second tier.

Games played

7

Goals & assists

3

Pass accuracy

79%

Touches in opposition box

4.7

Fouls won

1.8

Recoveries made

5.3

Shots on target

1.1

Chances created

1.4

His impressive form on the South Coast has led to Korean analyst Jason Lee stating that the teenager is just “like Son Heung-min” – huge praise indeed given his compatriot’s achievements in North London.

Yang’s underlying stats at Fratton Park further indicate how impressive he’s been in 2025/26, with the winger ranking in the top 18% of players for goals per 90.

Other tallies such as 1.8 fouls won and 4.7 touches in the opposition per 90, showcase the danger he poses to the backlines in the Championship, even despite being just 19.

There’s no denying that he has a long road ahead of him before he makes an impact in North London, but there’s no disputing that he could be a real asset to the club in years to come.

Should he get anywhere near the levels produced by his compatriot in the Premier League, Yang will be a force to be reckoned with and potentially help catapult Frank’s men to yet more silverware in the near future.

Frank's next Toney: Paratici leading Spurs move for "one of the best STs"

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a January move to land a new talisman for Thomas Frank.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 28, 2025

He rewrote the record books, piled on runs for fun, and once again put Sri Lanka in a position of dominance

Madushka Balasuriya27-Sep-2024Grab the popcorn, guys, another Kamindu Mendis century/milestone/diss track has dropped.It’s eight fifties in eight straight Tests now, five centuries in 13 Test innings – his latest, 182 not out, being his best yet – making him the fastest Asian to that feat, and oh, he’s also the third-fastest ever to do so equalling Don Bradman.Wait, he’s not done yet? Oh yeah, he reached 1000 Test runs, the third-fastest to do that too – again equalling Bradman.Related

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• Mendises hit powerful centuries to put Sri Lanka in position of dominance

• Stats – Kamindu's dream start in Test cricket puts him alongside Bradman

All of which makes the fact he was dropped for two years from the Test side after making a half-century on debut against Australia in 2022 kinda hilarious. One could question the selectors’ thinking, but at this point maybe we should be grateful. I mean, the guy really does make us all look bad.New Zealand for one were definitely fed up with his antics, with throws from the deep after a point resembling an angsty teen asked to play catch with his absentee father. Just a token gesture, waiting for the misery to be brought to a hopefully swift end.Even the weather gods seemed to have been stunned into inaction, perhaps taken by his majestic drives on the up. See, there’s actually been an extreme weather warning issued for the entirety of the Galle district, but while grey clouds shielded the sun across the day’s proceedings, the rain never arrived.Sure, it was there overnight – quick shoutout to the always excellent Galle ground staff for sorting out the covers blanketed in rainwater promptly – and it had definitely arrived all around Galle, and probably will again later in the evening. But in the middle, the mugginess from the previous day had dissipated, replaced by a comforting breeze, all seemingly to make Kamindu’s day of fun all that more pleasant.But all these records and achievements aside, perhaps the best thing about Kamindu is that his mere presence has forced a quiet transformative change in the playing XI.

“Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records”Angelo Mathews

It wasn’t long before his stirring form in 2024 resulted in a clamour for him to be pushed up the order. The solution, therefore, was to push Dinesh Chandimal up to No. 3 and give the gloves to Kusal Mendis, who in turn would go down to No. 7. As for Kamindu, he would push up to No. 5.It may be a small sample size since the switch, but the results speak for themselves.Kamindu, of course, hasn’t missed a beat, merely continuing from his performances at No. 7. If anything, he’s gotten better, only being deprived of a maiden double-century by virtue of a pre-planned declaration. “At tea, the talk was to bat for 15 overs before declaring,” Angelo Mathews explained after the day’s play.Chandimal’s flexibility in approach, meanwhile, has seen him thrive at three since taking it up at the start of the series – 30, 61 and 116 in three innings – while Kusal has flourished at seven, where his natural attacking instincts can be the difference between a competitive total and a winning one.Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis added an unbroken 200-stand for the sixth wicket•Associated PressIt might have been a welcome change as well for a batter that has long been seen as underperforming. Kusal’s unbeaten 106 was his third century since the start of 2023, but it was his first against opposition that wasn’t Ireland or Zimbabwe since December 2018. In terms of strike rate, it was also his fastest at 71.14 (excluding his centuries against Ireland).”All three of them have responded well, and it worked perfectly – most importantly for the team,” Mathews said. “It’s all about the team, it’s all about the balance. And it’s all about every individual, where they’re suited to playing in the team. I think it all worked really well, and it was a very good decision by everyone.”And for Kamindu? Well, at this point there’s not much more that can be said. The most striking aspect of his batting has been the seemingly effortless repeatability of it, and a measuredness that many only find much later in their careers. Something Mathews himself touched on.”Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records,” Matthews said. “He has been unbelievable, he has got the skill, he’s got the temperament, he’s got the courage, he’s got everything that a batter and cricketer needs.”His maturity also belies his age. None of us were able to do the kinds of things he’s doing at that point in our careers. Definitely one of the best batters I have seen in recent years.”This purple patch of course isn’t going to go on forever, but for now, more than speculating on how long he can carry on this form, maybe we should all just sit back and enjoy the show.

Unlike in recent years when Everton have been engulfed in misery when times have been tough, there will a hope in the air that David Moyes can turn around his side’s blip in form in the Premier League.

After all, the Toffees did slip up against two top sides in Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in recent matches, with Everton arguably only a few positive results away from being back in the early top-four reckoning in the league standings.

The Scotsman also has the likes of Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye at his disposal, who have the immense quality to get their side out of some sticky situations, on top of further possessing ex-Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the number ten slot.

Moyes has often been spoiled rotten with his midfield choices on Merseyside across his two spells in charge; therefore, with plenty more standout talents coming to mind who are yet to be named…

Everton's best midfielders under Moyes

The Glaswegian will just be praying his team aren’t loitering in the bottom half of the division for too long, having once been responsible for a top-four finish during his first spell in charge, alongside two memorable fifth-place finishes.

Marouane Fellaini would be a consistent bright spark during his side’s fifth-place finish come the end of the 2008/09 season from the middle of the park, as the eccentric Belgian collected a weighty 12 goal contributions from 30 league outings.

Moyes was also able to call upon the likes of Mikel Arteta for some quality centrally, before he took on management at Arsenal, while also possessing a similar Fellaini-like hero in Leon Osman, who seemed to always pop with a magic strike for the Toffees in a moment of crisis.

Right now, Idrissa Gueye and James Garner could be viewed as solid members of the Scotsman’s side centrally, with Garner managing to win eight duels last time out against Spurs to be seen as a battler for his team’s cause, as per Sofascore, despite the final outcome.

But, there is one emerging midfield talent at the Hill Dickinson Stadium right now, who will seriously excite those behind the scenes with what he could be capable of, as he potentially goes on to be Everton’s own version of Crystal Palace hotshot Adam Wharton.

Everton could have their own Wharton in "abnormal" star

Not too long ago, Wharton’s name wouldn’t have been that well-known among avid Premier League fans.

But, after a breakout season on the books of Blackburn Rovers in the Championship during the 2023/24 season, which saw him collect five goal contributions and win an average of 4.8 duels per league contest, the 21-year-old was catapulted to top-flight stardom with Crystal Palace, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Indeed, Wharton has continued to stylishly go about his business right at the very top of English football, with a sublime five big chances created by the “generational” talent – as he was once branded by Matthew Stanger – already this season, continuing on his absurd rise which has also seen him be capped by England at a senior level.

Thankfully, Everton won’t need to splash out a rumoured £100m on Wharton to bag themselves a talent of his ilk, with homegrown gem Harrison Armstrong in line to be Moyes’ own version of the masterful youngster, if all goes to plan.

Armstrong’s Championship numbers for Preston (25/26)
Stat – per 90 mins*	Armstrong
Games played	8
Games started	5
Goals scored	0
Assists	0
Touches*	35.0
Accurate passes*	20.1 (82%)
Ball recoveries*	3.0
Total duels won*	3.9
Stats by Sofascore

Much like Wharton, Armstrong has looked a cut above in the Championship in Lancashire, only this time with Blackburn’s near rivals Preston North End, as the Lilywhites loanee has won a strong 3.9 duels on average when battling in the middle of the pitch this season, alongside further looking assured with the ball at his feet with an 82% pass accuracy notched up.

He has yet to grab a goal or an assist for Paul Heckingbottom’s men, but he does have that in his locker too, as he bids to be a Premier League-calibre talent very shortly, despite only being 18 years of age, with three assists already tallied up from minimal senior chances on Merseyside.

Lauded as being “abnormal” for “how good he is” for his age by one analyst, the proof will soon be in the pudding as to whether Armstrong can return to Everton and kick on like Wharton managed at Selhurst Park.

Both Wharton and the 18-year-old sensation could even line up alongside each other for the Three Lions down the line, with recent claims suggesting that Armstrong “will play for England one day”.

Like Wharton before him, the teenager Evertonian is currently ripping it up in the second tier – hopefully it’s not long before he’s doing the same back at the Hill Dickinson.

Not just Grealish: £30k-p/w Everton gem can be England's World Cup wildcard

Everton have a whole host of English players gunning for a seat on the plane next summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 31, 2025

Karima Gore struck an unbeaten half-century to see a 134-run chase through

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2025

Shakib Al Hasan picked up his 500th T20 wicket during the match•CPL T20/Getty Images

Shakib Al Hasan made history on Sunday, becoming the fifth man in the world to take 500 wickets in T20 cricket. He bowled only two overs against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots but picked up 3 for 11 in a match-winning effort for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, who consolidated their place at the top of the CPL 2025 points table.Shakib needed six balls to get the record out of the way, deceiving Mohammad Rizwan in flight and securing a caught and bowled. Two more wickets came his way as he quadrupled his tally for the season and limited the former champions to a meagre 133 for 9 in North Sound. Patriots had a tough go of it after being put in to bat with only Rizwan (30 off 26) and Evin Lewis (32 off 31) scoring more than 18 runs. There were four single-digit scores and three run-outs, epitomising an innings that never went quite right.With a target in front of them, Falcons were able to negotiate the difficult batting conditions better but even they had the odd hiccup. Afghanistan wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil continued his outstanding form as this season’s top wicket-taker with figures of 1 for 16. Patriots needed more than one man to pull off this defence though. They ran into Shakib again, this time with the bat as the Bangladesh allrounder showed off his other skill. Four other men have 500 wickets in T20 cricket but none of them have nearly as much as his 7574 runs. Shakib was 3 off seven balls before he hit Ashmead Nedd for a six down the ground and reverse-swept the next ball for four to hasten Falcons’ march to the finish line.Falcons needed 28 from 30 balls when Shakib fell. Karima Gore, who was playing the anchor’s role until then, found a couple of boundaries to ease off the pressure. He also hit the winning boundary, thus seeing off the chase with two balls to spare and bringing up his fifty as well.

The New Zealand spinner achieved an extraordinary feat in his home city three years ago. What can he do this time around?

Ashish Pant30-Oct-2024Mumbai holds a special place in Ajaz Patel’s heart. It was where he was born and grew up for a while before emigrating to New Zealand with his parents as an eight-year-old. His wife is from the city, and he still has plenty of extended family there, whom he often visits. Three years ago, the Wankhede Stadium was the scene of one of the rarest bowling feats in Test cricket, when Ajaz became only the third bowler in the history of the format to bag all ten wickets in an innings.That was his first time playing international cricket in India and he finished the two-Test series as the highest wicket-taker, with 17 wickets – 14 of which came in that Mumbai Test, to date the best figures by any visiting bowler in the country. While it was an effort that catapulted him to global recognition, it was also bittersweet with New Zealand going down in the Test and losing the series 2-0.Now, almost three years later, New Zealand make their way to the final Test of the series having taken a 2-0 lead and broken a slew of records on the way. There is some pressure on them to sweep the series, but as Ajaz makes his way back to his “second home”, he is likely to take a quiet moment to himself in the place where it all began.Related

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“Yeah, it will be pretty cool. It’ll be pretty nostalgic for me, obviously, going back there,” he says. “My roots are deeply connected to Mumbai. For me, it’s just special being there and being available and having the opportunity to play at Wankhede. Yeah, it’s surreal. Even when I went there the first time, it was really special even before everything kicked off. It was just special to be in Mumbai and be able to have the opportunity to play there.”It was on the second day of the Mumbai Test in 2021 that the stars aligned for Ajaz. He had bagged four wickets on the opening day and was eyeing the honours board, but there was a lot more than that in store. He got his fifth and sixth off consecutive deliveries, and while the seventh took another 28 overs to come, he wrapped up the final three wickets quickly to claim a place in history.Of the ten, Virat Kohli’s wicket was the one Ajaz cherished the most. “He’s a great of batting around the world and comes out with an aura and confidence, and to be able to get him out was special,” he says. But more than the wickets, he remembers most fondly a feeling that came over him earlier in the match.”In a funny way, the glaring moment of that game for me was being out there on the morning of day one and kind of absorbing the fact that you’re out there in Mumbai,” he says. “The place that you’re born… you’re not living in India anymore, you’re playing for another country, which is your new home, but you’re back here against India. And all those things in combination were quite crazy to comprehend, and obviously, a lot of things have to line up to get that opportunity.Ajaz joined Jim Laker and Anil Kumble in taking ten in an innings in the Mumbai Test in 2021•BCCI”It’s almost like I was destined to come there and play, but then the way that it unfolded was obviously quite special. At the end of day two I was just kind of sitting back and appreciating what I’d achieved and what had just happened, and also accepting the fact that there’s a lot of destiny about it, and there’s a lot of grace from high up above to be able to achieve something like that, because we all appreciate that cricket requires a little bit of luck as well, and to take ten, you need a lot of things to go your way. So that was pretty special.”

****

Ajaz made his first-class debut in 2012 and had to wait for close to six years to break into the New Zealand team. The 2021 Mumbai Test was only the 11th of his career. One would assume that after taking ten in an innings, opportunities might have been fairly regular for Ajaz, for a while at least. As it turns out, he wasn’t even part of the squad for the next Test series that New Zealand played, against Bangladesh at home less than a month later. In fact, of his 20 Tests, only three have been at home, the last of them in February 2020.New Zealand’s bowling requirements are such that they have opted for a seam-heavy combination at home, with the likes of Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips doing the spin-bowling duties if required. Since his record feat, Ajaz has been part of only ten of the 23 Tests New Zealand have played. All but one of those ten were in Asia. Before the Sri Lanka tour just preceding the ongoing one of India, he went through a period where he played only four Tests in close to two years, between late December 2022 and September 2024.While there is a tinge of frustration at the lack of opportunities, Ajaz admits it “breeds hunger” and the will to “continue to improve”.”If you’re honest, as an international cricketer and a professional cricketer, you want to be playing every game and work towards putting yourself in a position to be able to do that and play in all conditions and play everywhere around the world,” he says. “But sometimes in New Zealand, that’s a little bit difficult. You look around the world and you see spinners playing in all conditions. They play in their home conditions, they play in away conditions, where I guess our team balance and what we’ve been looking to achieve for a while now has been so seam-dominated that it’s been difficult to find a space in that team as a spinner.Ajaz’s new, slightly longer, run-up has helped him expand the range of speeds he can bowl at•AFP/Getty Images”But also, in saying that, if we look at the last five to eight years of New Zealand cricket, we’ve probably had the best seam attack we’ve ever had. So it’s kind of going well.”Yeah, it’s difficult and you want to play and you want to be available and push yourself for every opportunity, and realistically, sometimes that’s not a possibility.”But I think you still have to aim for it, you still have to work towards it because that’s the best way to prepare yourself when the opportunity does arise. I know that I don’t get as many opportunities, So when I do, I’m really hungry for them and I’m really excited for them. And I always work towards my game to be available everywhere, whether it be at home or whether it be in the subcontinent.”Obviously then it’s up to selectors whether I get picked or not. And then if I don’t get picked, that’s fine. I continue to grow my game, so that I can still keep pushing for that opportunity.”He can take comfort in the fact that since his debut, he has been part of the New Zealand playing XI in every Test in Asia. On the flip side, there is obvious expectation from him to rock up almost cold and succeed in spin-favouring conditions almost every time. After all, since his debut, only five bowlers have more wickets in Asia than his 70 in 15 Tests at 30.57 Over the last few years, he has made a change in his bowling stride and load-up, lengthening his run-up to help vary his pace so as to better adapt to surfaces in the subcontinent. It has yielded results. Ajaz was the second-highest wicket-taker when New Zealand visited Bangladesh for a two-Test series late last year. He also picked up eight wickets in the first Test against Sri Lanka in September.”If I’m honest there, about two years ago, I felt like my bowling wasn’t quite up to where I wanted it to be. And it’s funny to say that, because it was literally after I took ten wickets in India,” he says. “But my drive has always been to continue to improve and continue to get better. And one of the big things for me was being able to hit a higher range [of speed].”With my old action and my old run-up, I was able to hit 90s [kph], but not quite consistently. I would range between the mid-80s and the early 80s to the early 90s. With the addition of the run-up, now I can go up to mid-90s and still [also] hit the early 80s. So that range becomes a lot bigger, and that gives you more opportunities and also, it allows you to challenge batters on different surfaces.”If it’s slow, you can adapt and get quicker, or if it’s quick, you can adapt and get slower. After that Mumbai Test, there were probably games where I wasn’t quite satisfied with how it was coming out and what I was able to produce. It was then [about] going on a little discovery and figuring out what that looks like and where I wanted to take my bowling next.”During the two Tests in India in this series, Ajaz has seen the fast bowlers run riot in Bengaluru, and then Mitchell Santner take 13 in Pune. With match hauls of 2 for 100 and 2 for 97, his own performances have been lukewarm. Now, though, on (second) home territory, he will hope for another special show as New Zealand eye a rare series sweep. He will have plenty of support in the form of his parents, wife, daughter and extended family in attendance in the crowd. Is another ten-for too much to ask for?

Opener hits unbeaten 72 off 40 balls to keep Rockets winless

ECB Media10-Aug-2025Eighteen-year-old Davina Perrin continued her impressive domestic form with a sparkling 42-ball 70 to overpower Trent Rockets in The Hundred.It was Perrin’s first half-century in The Hundred, and the second-highest score by a female English player uncapped at international level. More importantly for Perrin and Northern Superchargers, it took them to the top of the table with two wins from two.”I had a conversation with one of the coaches before and he said: ‘What are you going to do when you go out?’ And I was like: ‘have fun,'” Perrin said. “It was a pretty decent deck, it was coming onto the bat nicely, so it allowed me to lean into it and just try and play strong shots. It’s nice to do it front of so many people and on a decent ground, so happy days.”It was a dominant performance from the team in purple, who were on top straight away and rarely let their foot off the gas, save some customary excellence from Trent Rockets skipper Ash Gardner.The Superchargers had Rockets at 5 for 3 after 18 balls and right up against it, Gardner did her thing to fight back with a 32-ball 61 but it was essentially a lone hand and her side’s eventual total of 128 felt light at a sun-dappled Trent Bridge.Ash Gardner forces one away through the off side•Warren Little/Getty Images

Perrin dominated the opening partnership of 62 with Alice Davidson-Richards and entertained the crowd throughout, with strong shots all around the wicket and even a one-handed scoop. Phoebe Litchfield matched her stroke for stroke with her 10-ball 22 and Annabel Sutherland finished things off in a fittingly creative way, reverse-sweeping through the off-side.It was a performance of great promise from the Superchargers who will feel they’re laying down a marker, for Rockets the need to get a win on the board is getting ever greater.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após uma reunião com o Nova Iguaçu, o Vasco publicou uma nota na madrugada desta quarta para quinta-feira (14 para 15), na qual os clubes reiteram o desejo de jogar a segunda partida da semifinal do Carioca no Maracanã. Até o momento, o confronto está marcado para o Estádio Raulino de Oliveira, em Volta Redonda.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Vasco

Durante toda esta quarta-feira, clubes e entidades divulgaram notas expondo as visões de cada lado. Depois de uma “guerra de narrativas” o governador do Rio, Cláudio Castro, postou um vídeo nas redes sociais afirmando que o Maracanã está disponível para a partida entre Nova Iguaçu e Vasco.

O primeiro jogo da semifinal entre Vasco e Nova Iguaçu foi disputado no Maracanã. O jogo terminou empatado. Com isso, a Laranja da Baixada tem a vantagem do empate para se classificar para a grande final.

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A partida entre Nova Iguaçu e Vasco será no domingo (17). A bola rola às 16h.

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Any doubts about Newcastle United’s quality have been extinguished by a run of October form that has led to six wins from seven matches in all competitions.

Newcastle are making headway in the Champions League and have set themselves back on track in the Premier League with a last-minute winner against Fulham at the weekend. St. James’ Park roared, and then cheers in concert once again when Tottenham Hotspur were dumped from the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

Still, Eddie Howe’s side are hardly firing on all cylinders, and that especially applies to the final third. However, Nick Woltemade has been nothing but brilliant since completing his club-record £69m transfer over from Stuttgart in August, and the German striker is spearheading the fight for silverware and retention of this seat at the top European table.

Woltemade's prolific start at Newcastle

Woltemade’s crisp header to seal the victory over Tottenham marked his sixth of the campaign, just 11 matches into his Newcastle career.

Alexander Isak’s record-breaking transfer to Liverpool felt like it could have a detrimental effect on the Toon project, but Newcastle have kept on moving forward, with the rangy centre-forward dovetailing into the system.

He loves a header, the German does, but that’s hardly the full scope of his game. Lanky at 6 foot 6, Woltemade has no right to be as technically graceful and intuitive in the tight spaces as he is, ranking among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90.

And yet he is mesmerising when on the ball. BBC Sport analyst Raj Chohan has even said that “there’s no striker on the planet who moves the ball like Woltemade.”

With this in mind, the Tyneside frontline should be firing on all cylinders, but this isn’t the case. Anthony Gordon is seemingly saving his best displays for the continental front at the moment, while Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy make up solid, if unspectacular, parts of the unit.

But there’s another man who has left much to be desired, and must be frustrated with his tough start to life in black and white as Woltemade thrives beside him.

The Newcastle star being saved by Woltemade

How often have we seen a player struggle to impress after switching clubs in the Premier League? It’s not an uncommon experience, to be sure.

And for Anthony Elanga, this is the reality as he still searches for his first direct goal involvement as a Magpie, having joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest for £55m in August, one year after Howe’s first bid to snatch him from Evangelos Marinakis.

It’s been an inauspicious start to life in Howe’s squad, it must be said. Elanga has played 14 times in all competitions and has yet to register a goal or an assist.

Still, the Sweden international is one of the fastest players in the Premier League, and while his playmaking success has dried up of late, he ranks among the top 8% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90.

And there’s a good reason that the big bucks were spent on his signature. For Nottingham Forest, the 23-year-old was a menace, with his fleet-footedness and tendency to directly take on his man playing to the strengths of Howe’s counter-attacking system.

However, deeper statistical analysis would suggest that even across his two terms with the Tricky Trees, Elanga left something to be desired. He is not the most active in taking on his opponent, despite his pace, and does not dribble with the intensity of frequency that perhaps his physique suggests is within his capacity.

Elanga in the Premier League for Forest

Stats (* per game)

23/24

24/25

Matches (starts)

36 (25)

38 (31)

Goals

5

6

Assists

9

11

Shots (on target)*

1.5 (0.6)

1.1 (0.6)

Pass completion

75%

78%

Key passes*

0.9

1.3

Big chances created

14

9

Dribbles*

0.8

0.7

Tackles + interceptions*

1.1

0.7

Duels (won)*

2.9 (44%)

3.0 (45%)

Data via Sofascore

With just four Premier League starts in a Newcastle shirt this season, it’s perhaps premature to analyse the data on a wider scale, but we can observe that Elanga is currently averaging only 1.8 successful duels per game, completing just 18% of his dribbles besides.

With a nominal amount of shots unleashed each game and not a big chance yet created, it’s not difficult to see why he’s struggling.

But Elanga needs only take a leaf from Anthony Gordon’s book. After all, the Three Lions star flattered to deceive after completing a £45m transfer from Everton in January 2023, then clicking into gear in 2023/24, winning the Newcastle Player of the Year award after posting 11 goals and ten assists in the top flight.

Gordon has yet to fully spread his wings this season, but he’s tenacious and talented and undoubtedly the focal point out wide for Newcastle. Elanga will use him as inspiration.

Now, Gordon is one of the most prominent wingers in the Premier League, seemingly Thomas Tuchel’s preferred pick on the Three Lions’ left flank as the 2026 World Cup looms ever closer.

While Elanga’s sticky form continued with a 6/10 display against Tottenham, as noted by the Shields Gazette, there is a wide recognition of the winger’s talent, and he will improve as he continues to develop under Howe’s wing.

This is all to say that fans would be silly to give up on Elanga after only a few months at St. James’ Park. There’s a real player in there, a star who the club scouted extensively.

Perhaps he’s mimicking a former version of Gordon, but if that is the case, then the best is yet to come.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair Oct 30, 2025

Italy national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has refused to accept criticism after his team left it late to win their World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. The World Cup winning former midfielder insists his side dominated the game despite what the scoreline suggested as he hit out at the fans for the reaction at the full-time whistle.

• Italy's hard fought victory over Moldova

  Italy controlled the first half of the World Cup qualifying game with an impressive 82 percent possession and created multiple chances, but poor finishing kept the scoreline unchanged. The second half followed a similar pattern, with Moldova frustrating Italy’s attempts to break the deadlock. This led to the introduction of Mateo Retegui and young striker Pio Esposito to inject energy into the attack. The changes paid off, as goals from Gianluca Mancini and Esposito late in the game finally secured a hard-earned victory for Italy.

  Gattuso commented on the rotation, acknowledging that putting 11 new players on the pitch is always a challenge when he said: “It’s fine, putting 11 new players out from the start is difficult.” 

  He admitted he was concerned that so many changes could disrupt the balance of the squad and that Italy could even lose, but he praised his players for their performance, saying: “I felt within myself we could even lose today with so many changes, but I tip my hat to them, they did better than I expected.”

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  Gattuso's staunch defense of his side

  However, with the match still at 0-0 late on, Italy’s small group of travelling fans protested, chanting that the players should 'go to work'. Gattuso disagreed with their criticism, insisting that the team had performed well.

  "The protests from the fans are a disgrace, I'm sorry for what I heard today," he said. "This isn't the time to tell the players to go to work: we need to stay united, because the team is struggling on the pitch, and hearing 500 fans protesting away from home is something I don't accept.

  "I'm very happy with the lads. We've brought in a whole new team, and we knew we'd struggle. I'm satisfied, but I'm angry about what I've heard in the last 30 minutes. Having 500 fans telling you to go work makes me feel bad. I'm disappointed about this. I don't know where it comes from, but in Italy's history it's the first time we've won six games. I'm convinced we'll get what we need to get because these lads are strong. Winning seven games boosts self-esteem."

  Norway, Italy's rivals for the top spot in the group, beat Moldova 11-1 in September, but Gattuso discouraged any comparisons with Italy’s result, saying: “If you were expecting an 11-1like Moldova had against Norway, then that is not my problem. There are no easy matches."

• Italy's chances of qualifying for the World Cup

  Italy can still technically qualify for the World Cup as Group I winners. They are three points behind Norway – their opponents in the next and final match of the round – but it would take a massive win to overcome the deficit in goal difference. Instead, a place in the play-offs appears certain for the Azzurri, which will ramp up the pressure on the recently-appointed Gattuso.

  The national team have not appeared in a World Cup since 2014, having failed to qualify in both 2018 and 2022 after painful play off defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia. The upcoming play offs now represent another high stakes hurdle in their bid to return to football’s biggest stage.

  Gattuso was critical of the qualification rules, arguing that despite being the second-best team in the table with a plus twelve goal difference, Italy should not have to go through another round to qualify. “In my day, the top team in each group would go through, plus the best runners up,” He said. “We have 18 points, we have won six games, and still we have to go into another two matches to qualify. It does not seem right.”

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  Italy on a World Cup mission

  Italy will host Norway on Sunday at the San Siro while also keeping an eye on the teams they could face in the play offs next March, which will decide their qualification for the 2026 World Cup.