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Hobson smashed Bartlett for 24 in the final over of Scorchers’ innings and they carried the momentum thereon

Tristan Lavalette26-Dec-2024

Nick Hobson’s 16-ball 47 not out helped Perth Scorchers to a respectable total•Getty Images

Nick Hobson again proved a thorn in Brisbane Heat’s attack before Perth Scorchers produced an outstanding effort in the field to claim a pivotal 33-run victory at Optus Stadium.In front of 41,921 fans, Scorchers struggled after being sent in to bat on a fast and bouncy surface before Hobson smashed an unbeaten 47 off 16 balls to lift them to 165 for 6.They carried over the momentum in the field and their disciplined bowling performance was highlighted by rapid bowling from speedster Lance Morris. Heat were never in the hunt after early wickets and were bowled out in the final over.Related

Ashton Turner signs four-year contract extension with Perth Scorchers

Scorchers ran out easy winners to convincingly halt a two-match losing streak, while defending champions Heat suffered their first defeat of the season.Hobson’s late heroics overshadows Allen’s struggles and Hardie’s returnFinn Allen was Scorchers’ big recruit this season and he started the season with a first-ball six against Melbourne Stars but it’s been all downhill since then. In his previous three innings, reaping just 10 runs, Allen has gone for broke from the get go but he started watchfully against left-arm quick Spencer Johnson. After failing to score off his first four deliveries, the pressure built and an edgy Allen then threw his bat hard at a full delivery only to edge Johnson to backward point.Cooper Connolly has been Scorchers’ best batter this season and made 37 off as many balls, but struggled to strike the ball with his usual fluency. Scorchers did regain allrounder Aaron Hardie, who made his season debut as a specialist batter at no.4 – a spot lower than his customary position which has been filled by Connolly.Hardie has been sidelined since the Pakistan white-ball series last month due to a nagging quad injury. He looked understandably rusty until giving himself room and smashing seamer Xavier Bartlett for a huge six over long on. It proved his best shot with Hardie holing out off left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. He made 24 off 23 balls before Scorchers gained a late flurry from Hobson, who famously provided heroics in the epic BBL12 final between the teams.Hobson, well known for being an accountant in his day job, has been working very hard in recent times to build up his power-hitting and become a specialist finisher. His ever-improving muscular game was on show as he smashed Bartlett in the final over for 24 runs to lift Scorchers to a total that seemed implausible just moments earlier.Johnson stars, spinners bowl well in tandemHeat did start well through a superb opening spell from Johnson as Scorchers scored just 18 runs in the powerplay. He enjoyed a successful return in his season debut after missing their opening two matches with a toe injury.Spencer Johnson upped the heat with a four-wicket haul•Getty Images

Skipper Colin Munro turned to spinners Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson in the middle overs and they bowled with control to ensure the run-rate didn’t blow out of control. Swepson, particularly, mixed up his speeds well to ensure the batters could never find rhythm. Heat’s bowlers were backed up by slick fielding and catching until being swamped late by Hobson.Kuhnemann dropped a very high ball off Ashton Turner in the penultimate over before a rattled Bartlett lost his radar against Hobson.Morris fired up, spectacular fieldingMorris had a point to prove. After being dropped from the team following a pummelling at the hands of Hurricanes opener Mitchell Owens, Morris returned to favourable conditions and unleashed on the fast and bouncy surface. He was perhaps fortunate after dismissing Tom Banton on his first delivery with a strangle down the legside. It was the confidence boost Morris needed as he bowled a hostile spell with the new ball and reached speeds of 148 kph.Scorchers were aided by brilliant fielding. Firstly, Ashton Agar produced a moment of magic in the field when he ran out Jimmy Peirson with a direct hit from point after initially pulling off a stop with his right hand before transferring the ball to his favoured left arm for the throw.Allen also spectacularly threw down the stumps from backward point to run out Nathan McSweeney. It was Allen’s most significant contribution this season and might be the tonic he needs for a turnaround with the bat.Renshaw, Bryant shine brieflyHeat’s batters struggled to handle the conditions with the surface noticeably quicker than the season-opener between Scorchers and Stars. The exceptions were Matthew Renshaw and Max Bryant, who both clubbed the ball sweetly.After he was given an early life when wicketkeeper Matt Hurst dropped a catch off Agar, Renshaw looked in awesome form and smashed quick Matthew Kelly for consecutive sixes.But the task proved too great as Renshaw holed out to Andrew Tye in the 11th over after he smashed 36 off 24 balls. Bryant hit 35 off 20 balls but it was in vain.

The ICC has finally reached a breakthrough in the 2025 Champions Trophy impasse, with a hybrid model agreed upon that will see India’s matches in the eight-team event taking place at a neutral venue. In return, Pakistan’s matches in ICC events hosted by India will also take place at a neutral venue.ESPNcricinfo has seen a resolution with details of the agreement, which went through an ICC board vote. In the agreement, during the 2024-2027 event cycle, all matches involving India in an event hosted in Pakistan will be played at a neutral venue, and in return all matches involving Pakistan in an event hosted by India will be played at a neutral venue. In both instances, all matches are taken to include knockout games such as the semis and the final.The agreement begins with the 2025 men’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, and will apply to the 2025 women’s ODI World Cup in India, and the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup which is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The last event offers an easy solution with Sri Lanka as co-host but it would mean that any game India and Pakistan are drawn to play – a group game or a knockout – will take place in Sri Lanka. It could also apply to the 2028 women’s T20 World Cup, the first tournament of the next events cycle and which has now been awarded to Pakistan.The choice of neutral venue will be made by the tournament host and will need to be approved by the ICC. In the case of the Champions Trophy, the PCB has to propose a neutral venue within 24 hours of the resolution being passed. The UAE has been the frontrunner, though Sri Lanka has also been mentioned. The PCB will retain full hosting rights for the event.The resolution also refers to the possibility of a triangular or quadrangular T20I tournament, involving India, Pakistan and another Full Member from Asia (and an Associate Asian nation if it is a quadrangular). This is thought to have been one of the points pushed for by the PCB in its negotiations during the impasse, although the ICC has only said that it will not object to such an event being staged and that similar neutral venue arrangements will apply as those in the ICC event model. The resolution also says that no ICC director will make a public announcement on the tri-series, which will be a matter solely between the BCCI and PCB.The resolution will allow all parties to breathe a considerable sigh of relief, given how close it is to the start date of the Champions Trophy. The uncertainty has plagued the event from the moment the BCCI notified the ICC that it would not travel to Pakistan for the event more than a month ago.That sparked off a period of intense negotiations between the PCB, BCCI and the ICC, and was complicated by the poor political relations between the two countries. The governments of both countries were involved in final approvals on the agreement but were also present through the process; Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chair, is the interior minister in Pakistan’s government. Jay Shah, who was the BCCI secretary until December 1 when he took over as ICC chairman, is the son of India’s home minister, Amit Shah. The PCB had begun by insisting they would not adopt a hybrid model for the event but subsequently began to push for any solution to be more equitable and just in the longer term. In that sense, they will be happy to have secured an agreement on not playing matches in India in the next two ICC events in the country.

What started as a rather miserable summer with the sacking of Ange Postecoglou has turned into what could be a brilliant one for Tottenham Hotspur.

Thomas Frank has a massive task ahead of him both domestically and on the continent next season, but Daniel Levy and Co appear intent on giving him what he needs.

After making the required signing of another young prospect in Japanese defender Kota Takai, the North Londoners made the massive £55m purchase of Mohammed Kudus.

The former West Ham United star is undoubtedly going to add something special to Frank’s attack, and now the club appear likely to land another Premier League star who’d be his dream ten.

Tottenham Hotspur target Premier League stars

In an understandable bid to improve their terrible domestic form ahead of next season, Spurs have seemingly made a concrete effort to target players who did exceptionally well in the Premier League last season.

Transfer Focus

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

One of those is Yoane Wissa, who, according to reports, could be available for around £50m.

That might sound like a lot for a 28-year-old Brentford player, but with 20 goals and five assists to his name in 39 appearances last season, he’d be more than worth the outlay.

That said, being a centre-forward, he is obviously not the target who could be Kudus’ dream ten; that tag goes to Morgan Gibbs-White.

Yes, in what is now turning into the latest transfer saga involving the North Londoners, a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Spurs have maintained their desire to sign the Nottingham Forest star.

The Italian journalist has claimed that, despite the Tricky Trees threatening legal action following the Lilywhites’ activation of the Englishman’s £60m release clause, the club remain confident that they will get their man.

That’s undoubtedly due to the player’s desire to make a move happen, with journalist Graeme Bailey also reporting that Gibbs-White has told Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis that he wishes to sign for Spurs. That’s despite interest from Manchester City.

Indeed, earlier in the window, it was reported that the Citizens have been working on a deal to sign the creative midfielder this summer and had allegedly already agreed on personal terms. Yet, they have preferred other options up to this point, namely new signing Rayan Cherki.

This deal would represent a serious financial commitment from the Europa League champions, but given Gibbs-White’s form last season, it’d be one worth making, especially as he’d be a dream ten for Kudus.

Why Gibbs-White would be a dream ten for Kudus

While there are several reasons why Gibbs-White would be a dream number ten for Kudus, one of the most crucial is simply his output.

For example, in just 34 appearances last season, totalling 2824 minutes, the “exceptional” midfielder, as dubbed by Pep Guardiola, scored seven goals and provided ten assists.

That means he averaged a goal involvement every other game, or one every 166.11 minutes, which is made all the more impressive by the fact that Forest only scored 58 goals in the league.

Appearances

34

Minutes

2824

Goals

7

Assists

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.5

Minutes per Goal Involvement

166.11′

Just imagine then how many goals and assists the former Irons star could amass playing alongside someone that creative and effective.

Moreover, when we take a look at the 25-year-old’s underlying numbers, we can see some of the ways in which he could get the ball up to his potential future teammate.

For example, FBref ranked him in the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers for passes into the final third in the Premier League last season, and the top 9% for through balls, per 90, demonstrating exactly why some analysts believe that he is a “monster” in transitional phases of play.

Finally, it’s easy to overlook the simple fact that the Stafford-born ace is already proven in the league, so there should be little need for a bedding-in period, and therefore, he could start providing chances for the Ghanaian international from day one.

Ultimately, it will be an expensive deal, but Spurs look to be onto a winner with Gibbs-White, especially in tandem with Kudus.

Gibbs-White will love him: Spurs huge admirers of £80m Premier League star

Tottenham Hotspur’s huge transfer window has shown no signs of slowing down in recent days.

ByEthan Lamb Jul 14, 2025

Birmingham City will be looking to press on this summer with even more exciting signings joining the St Andrew’s camp.

Chris Davies has recently stated that this is the intention when speaking to Birmingham Live, with seven brand new faces entering the club already not quite enough, as he insists that this newly promoted side needs ‘all the quality we can get’ to hit the ground running in the Championship.

Another striker addition might now be deemed a priority, with a report by Football League World revealing that Alfie May is set to leave Davies and Co. behind for a fresh League One challenge at Huddersfield Town.

This would be a big blow that the Blues would have to address, considering how many times last campaign the experienced centre-forward came up clutch for his promotion-chasing outfit with crucial goals.

Why losing May is a blow for Birmingham

Of course, around £10m has just been splashed out to land Kyogo Furuhashi as a thrilling capture up top, but May regularly proved during the Blues’ promotion heroics his vital nature from off the bench, which could well have been an effective calling card up a league too.

From just 27 starts last season in league action, May rifled home a mightily impressive 16 strikes, with Jay Stansfield the only other venomous attacker in Davies’ ranks that managed to hit double digits.

However, whilst the 32-year-old is a well-known beast at the testing level – with 89 goals and counting in the third tier – he has never once set foot in the Championship, with the EFL veteran’s legs perhaps not well suited to such a demanding step-up.

This is where an earlier £10m striker target on the Birmingham shopping list could come to the rescue and be a dream replacement for the departing May, with the target in question even tasting promotion up to the Premier League just last season, whilst Davies’ men soared to the top of League One.

Birmingham's "dynamite" May replacement

Whilst there will be some sorrow regarding May’s exit when looking at his starring role in that promotion story, the second tier is an unforgiving terrain which will have factored into Birmingham’s somewhat cut-throat decision-making.

May’s exit would soon be forgotten about if the Blues did fork out £10m to land Leeds United reserve striker Mateo Joseph, with reports back in June stating that the triumphant League One champions were keen on winning the services of the Spanish hotshot, as interest now emerges from Joseph’s native country in the form of Real Betis.

Joseph’s league numbers for Leeds (24/25)

Stat

Joseph

Games played

39

Games started

11

Minutes per game

33 mins

Goals scored

3

Assists

3

Stats by Sofascore

The standout numbers from the table above really do hammer home why Joseph would be an ideal replacement for the soon-to-be Terriers attacker, with the 21-year-old offering the same amount of firepower from off the bench last season in the Championship that May offered in spades back at St. Andrew’s, as seen in his blistering six goal contributions from a meagre 11 starts.

With a further four strikes next to his name for the Whites, which included a breakneck brace finding the back of the net against Chelsea last year, he might just be capable of turning up that goalscoring notch even more if he’s given regular first-team minutes in the West Midlands.

The “dynamite” attacker – as he’s been labelled in the past by U23 scout Antonio Mango – would give Davies the best possible selection headache subsequently, with his Leeds manager in Daniel Farke, also going out of his way to shower the up-and-coming striker with praise when hailing his link-up play as “excellent.”

In an ideal world, Birmingham might have kept May around for the long run as he then finally made a name for himself in the EFL’s elite setting.

Yet, the one-season hero is now closing in on a £1.2m move to Huddersfield, meaning Joseph could be just what Birmingham desire to get over May’s exit swiftly and improve their overall squad.

Related Birmingham City want to sign "outstanding" former Champions League winner

Birmingham City are among the teams interested in signing a former Liverpool star.

Posts 1 ByBrett Worthington Jul 16, 2025

Leeds United now face Burnley in a transfer battle to sign a Premier League level defender on a free transfer this summer, according to a new report.

Leeds eyeing more transfers after Nmecha deal

The Whites confirmed their first signing of the summer transfer window on Sunday afternoon, as Lukas Nmecha agreed to join Leeds once his contract at Wolfsburg expires at the end of the month.

The attacking midfielder is a player who is likely to be an important figure in Farke’s team this season, but the club are not resting with just his arrival, as they are already working on more additions.

As reported by Africa Foot, Leeds have made contact with Manchester City over signing Juma Bah on a loan deal. The 19-year-old joined the Blues back in January but spent the rest of the campaign on loan at RC Lens. He now looks set for another temporary move away, with Leeds and Southampton fighting for his signature.

He'd be better than Bijol: £5m defender now wants to sign for Leeds

Leeds United could seal a better transfer than snapping up Jaka Bijol by landing this deal.

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Kelan Sarson

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Meanwhile, defender Jaka Bijol has agreed terms over a move to Elland Road this summer and a deal appears to be nearing completion. He is not the only defender on the club’s radar, as a report from Football Insider states that Alex Moreno is also interested in a move to Leeds this summer. The 32-year-old could be available for £5 million, as the Whites are in the market for a new left-back.

Leeds face Burnley in Keane battle

The list of potential new defenders to sign doesn’t stop there, as according to the Liverpool Echo, Leeds are among the teams interested in signing Michael Keane from Everton.

Keane, who has been at Goodison Park since July 2017, is out of contract at the end of this month, and while he remains in talks over a new contract, he is looking more likely to leave. That has alerted Leeds, who, along with Burnley and Sheffield United, are keen on swooping in and securing the defender on a free transfer.

The 32-year-old, who has been dubbed “immense” in the past by Harry Redknapp, has fallen down the pecking order at Everton in recent seasons. Keane went from playing 32 games in the Premier League during the 2021/22 season to playing just 12, 9 and 14 times in the last 3 campaigns.

Michael Keane’s Everton stats
Apps	230
Goals	16
Assists	10

Keane could be a viable option for the Whites to provide more depth behind Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk, and there aren’t many free signings on the market who provide such a wealth of top flight experience.

It’s been another quiet week at Ibrox for Rangers, although is that about to change?

So far, the most noteworthy Rangers event of the past few days was Cyriel Dessers’ goal for Nigeria, on target on Wednesday in a friendly tournament against West African rivals Ghana.

Elsewhere, on Tuesday, Rangers confirmed they will face Club Brugge and Middlesbrough in pre-season friendlies at Ibrox in July but, for now at least, there’s still no news as to who will be in charge for those games, or indeed, more importantly, the start of Champions League qualification either.

Well, 95 days on from Philippe Clement’s sacking, could the 49ers finally be about to land their new manager?

Rangers ramping up managerial hunt

A whole host of names have been linked with a move to the Ibrox dugout in recent months, with fierce speculation suggesting Steven Gerrard could be on his way back to Scotland after a failed stint in Saudi Arabia.

Also of interest to the Rangers hierarchy are the likes of Russell Martin and Brian Priske. Yet, there’s another name who looks like he may be edging closer to filling the vacancy.

Manager Focus

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According to a report by Guillem Balague for BBC Sport, the Rangers hierarchy have ‘held fresh talks’ with Davide Ancelotti this week, adding that ‘further discussions’ are scheduled to take place ‘over the next few days’.

Davide has been a long-time assistant to his father Carlo, working at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and Real Madrid.

This month, Carlo left los Blancos by mutual consent to become the new Brazil manager and, at his unveiling, he confirmed “Davide is currently in negotiations with a European team… if he goes to a club, I wish him the best, and if not, he can come back to us.”

Now, it appears increasingly likely that Ancelotti will become the new Rangers head coach, with former Rangers manager Mark Warburton saying that, should he take the job, it would be a “huge step up”, going from being an assistant to occupying the “number one role”.

Well, speaking to STV, Guillem Balague believes Davide to be one of the “most sought-after assistants” in world football, firmly believing he will be a success at Ibrox, so would his arrival be great news for a certain Rangers stalwart?

Why Ancelotti can reignite Tavernier's Rangers career

When James Tavernier joined Rangers from Wigan Athletic for a reported £200k in 2015, the Light Blues were still an SPFL Championship club.

Fair to say, a lot has changed in the subsequent decades, and this has proved to be, inarguably, one of the bargains of the century.

To date, Tavernier has made 513 appearances for the club, only ten men have accumulated more in a Rangers jersey, as the table below outlines.

John Greig

1961-78

755

Sandy Jardine

1964-82

674

Ally McCoist

1983-98

581

Sandy Archibald

1917-34

580

David Meiklejohn

1919-36

563

Dougie Gray

1925-46

555

Derek Johnstone

1970-86

546

Davie Cooper

1977-89

540

Peter McCloy

1970-85

535

Ian McColl

1945-60

526

James Tavernier

2015-present

513

Tavernier captained Rangers to the Premiership title in 2020/21, subsequently lifting the League Cup and Scottish Cup too, as well as being the talismanic figure en route to the Europa League Final three seasons ago, scoring seven times during the knockout phase.

However, he has come in for some criticism this season, with Nick McPheat of BBC Sport questioning if he is ‘no longer first choice’, while interim manager Barry Ferguson trialled him as both a centre-back, as part of a back three, as well as at wing-back.

Nevertheless, if Davide’s playing style is at all akin to that of his father, a fluid approach that encourages maximum creativity, this appointment could reinvigorate Tavernier.

Right-back Dani Carvajal was such a prominent attacking figure for Real Madrid, so let’s asses how he compares to Tavernier, with the caveat that the Spanish international has not featured since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Villarreal in early-October.

Goals

5

1

Assists

13

1

Big chances created

20

0

Goals

24

6

Assists

12

5

Big chances created

19

4

Goals

18

0

Assists

10

5

Big chances created

14

4

Goals

18

1

Assists

17

4

Big chances created

18

7

As the table outlines, Tavernier’s attacking output has been absolutely off the scale, notably registering 52 assists since the 2021/22 campaign. Taking you back to that point about an Ancelotti side favouring creativity and you can begin to see why he could take quite a liking to the Gers captain.

While Carvajal’s’s numbers are not quite so astronomical, Tobi Peter of Breaking the Lines documents that his ‘attacking contributions are crucial’ for Real Madrid.

So, with the incoming Ancelotti likely to want his full-back to operate high and wide, this could be exactly the appointment 33-year-old Tavernier needs to reinvigorate his career in Govan.

Same agent as Gerrard: Rangers want cheap deal to sign £1m int'l defender

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ByTom Cunningham May 28, 2025

Liverpool have plenty of summer targets in their sights, but they are also aware that departures at Anfield will be needed to supplement incomings.

Liverpool looking to scale upwards in summer window

The Reds have enjoyed a mercurial season under Arne Slot and have been head and shoulders in front of their competitors for the Premier League title.

Nevertheless, the upcoming window is a test of FSG’s long-term ambitions at Anfield. The market sphere is becoming more crowded than ever, and several of their rivals will relish the opportunity to strengthen ahead of next campaign.

Thwarting any optimism that their crown can be deposed is the priority for Liverpool, who now have Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong at the top of their list to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Continuing that theme, the Reds are also monitoring Monaco right-back Vanderson following his exploits in Ligue 1 this term, signifying that they have several contingencies to fill the void that will be left by the academy graduate.

Nevertheless, Alexander-Arnold won’t be the only one to leave Merseyside behind in the coming months. Luis Diaz is being targeted by Saudi Pro League clubs and may fetch £68 million to invest back into potential reinforcements.

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By
Henry Jackson

May 9, 2025

Some may think changing things while they are playing out nicely is a strange phenomenon, but there can be no room for sentiment in the hunt for silverware. Ultimately, Liverpool want to be in a position to dominate English football for years to come, so it makes sense to be proactive on all fronts should the right opportunies to conduct business present themselves.

Tapping into that school of thought, Slot may have a decision to make following recent developments involving one of his high-profile stars.

Liverpool receive two offers for Darwin Nunez

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool have received offers for striker Darwin Nunez from RB Leipzig and Napoli following his disappointing campaign at Anfield. The Uruguay international is the subject of bids of around £50.7 million, which has plunged his future at the Reds into doubt due to a lack of consistency since joining from Benfica in 2022 for £71.8 million.

Darwin Nunez at Liverpool – has he been a success?
Appearances	140
Goals	40
Assists	26
Trophies	Premier League x1, Community Shield x1

Labelled “wonderful” by Jurgen Klopp, Nunez has registered seven goals and seven assists in 44 appearances this campaign, though Diogo Jota has sometimes been preferred to spearhead Slot’s attack. Finding himself at a crossroads, the Artigas-born man could be the one to make way as Liverpool hunt for an elite striker to build on their title success.

Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak has been mooted as a Reds target. Still, big-money sales are likely to be critical in any successful pursuit of the Sweden international. Nunez doesn’t appear to be front and centre of Liverpool’s plans, making a departure an easy decision for all parties should a deal be agreed upon.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta could’ve signed two players in the exact same position this summer, but an injury to one of Mikel Arteta’s men has apparently thwarted those plans.

Arsenal suffer first-leg defeat in Champions League semi-final

On the field, Arteta’s side suffered a setback in their pursuit of a first ever Champions League title on Tuesday evening, with PSG beating them 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie.

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ByEmilio Galantini Apr 29, 2025

Ousmane Dembélé’s very early goal was eventually enough to clinch a one-goal advantage for the French champions heading into their replay at the Parc des Princes, with Gianluigi Donnarumma making excellent saves from the likes of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.

Bournemouth (home)

May 3rd

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

Newcastle United (home)

May 18th

Southampton (away)

May 25th

Mikel Merino also saw his equalising header ruled out by VAR for offside, so it was close but no cigar for the Gunners, who face an uphill battle to come back against an in-form PSG side on enemy turf.

However, as Arteta said in his post-match press conference, it is only half-time, and we’ve seen far more unlikely European comebacks in recent years.

“You cannot,” said Arteta on needing control against PSG for all 90 minutes.

“This is one of the best, beating all the English teams, the best teams in this country. You cannot dominate this team in 95 minutes. Impossible. Forget about it. You have to understand what it means dominating them and in which area of the pitch. We have to be very clear. Again, what we have to do when we cannot win it, OK, make sure that we take the game well again.”

Arteta is fully aware of the tough task facing his Arsenal side in PSG, who have lost just one Ligue 1 game all season and were unbeaten until last Friday, but there is still optimism from his end.

“I don’t know the percentage, but we have a lot of chances to be in that final,” said Arteta. “As I repeat myself, you have to do something, especially in the competition, to earn the right to be in the final and the time to do it is going to be in Paris.”

Gabriel Jesus injury thwarts Arsenal plan to sign two strikers

Off the field, Berta is planning to sign a striker for Arsenal this summer, as has been reported for quite some time.

However, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, in a piece for The Boot Room, the Gunners could’ve signed two new centre-forwards this summer, if it wasn’t for Gabriel Jesus and his long-term injury.

Jesus could even be out of action for Arsenal until 2026, according to other reports, and this has apparently thwarted the possibility of Berta’s sealing a double-striker deal.

Bailey says that Arsenal could’ve sold Jesus this summer, which would’ve opened the door for two number nines to arrive instead of one, but the Brazilian’s recovery from an ACL rupture means they’ve had to put any plans to sell on hold.

With Berta unable to raise funds and trim wages through Jesus’ sale, the prospect of more than one striker is now impossible.

This is hardly the end of the world, as a prolific star frontman is still fully expected to arrive and compete with Kai Havertz, but it could’ve been an even busier summer in the attacking areas.

Saved for the Lord’s Test with a long break on this tour, Bumrah took his 15th five-wicket haul on the second day to make his place on the honour’s board

Sidharth Monga11-Jul-2025

Jasprit Bumrah picked up his first five-for at Lord’s•Getty Images

Jasprit Bumrah’s favourite phrase is “money in the bank”. Not sure he follows professional wrestling, but in WWE, “Money In The Bank” is a briefcase that contains a contract entitling the holder to a title shot anytime, anywhere. So the champion could have just survived an hour-long Iron Man and you could cash in at that moment and beat him.Bumrah walks around with the air of a man carrying an invisible briefcase that guarantees wickets anytime, anywhere. Or he has the air of a man who knows he is a genius fast bowler.In Bumrah’s world, money in the bank is days when he bowls well without results. He believes the results will show up sooner or later. Unlike Money In The Bank in WWE, which can be cashed in anytime, money in the bank in cricket depends on various elements not in a bowler’s control: luck, batter’s intent and conditions, to name a few.Related

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Bumrah respects the occasional disconnect between effort and outcome in cricket and bides his time. He hardly goes searching because he believes he deserves more wickets in a certain spell or on a certain day. He doesn’t risk releasing pressure and ruining it for the bowlers who follow.His body, though, is beginning to test his patience. There is this whole unfortunate scenario in the aftermath of his back stress reaction at the start of the year. He is playing only three of the five Tests in this series. There has been too much focus on “will he, won’t he”. It is not the kind of attention he wants.Bumrah has not been pleased with all of it. His demeanour has been a little testy, only a little. There have been suggestions he wanted to play at Lord’s, and so did not play at Edgbaston despite India trailing 1-0 in the series and having more than a week off before that Test. The matches he plays and misses is not his call alone but that of the team in discussion with him.Jasprit Bumrah picked up his first five-for at Lord’s•Getty ImagesAs India won without Bumrah at Edgbaston, two curious but eventually shallow bits of stats did the rounds: Mohammed Siraj’s bowling average improves from 33 to 26 in his absence, India’s win percentage goes up from 40 to 70.It is in this context that the first day of money in the bank at Lord’s becomes a little curious. Bumrah started it by drawing an edge with the first ball he bowled to Ben Duckett only to see it not carry. He swung the ball bewitchingly late, paired it with nip off the pitch, and made a few batters look incredibly silly. He induced a false shot once every three deliveries, sprayed the ball a little on a few occasions, and ended with just one wicket in 18 overs. You wondered if he took this day with the same equanimity and considered it more money in the bank.A teaser of what was to follow was seen late on day one when Bumrah went for the mightiest of tricks in fast bowling: swing one way, seam the other way, and hit the top of off. It is arguable whether it is physically possible for batters to react to this kind of movement. Mostly they hope the ball misses the stumps. The beauty of that Harry Brook dismissal was that Bumrah had tried each end without luck. He then went back to the end with lower bounce, and bowled the exact length needed to hit top of off, which had shortened by a metre since the first session. That is the extent of how soft the balls are going.2:43

‘Don’t want to be fined for making statements about ball change’

On the second morning, Bumrah repeated the trick twice from the bouncier Nursery End with the second new ball. He made the length adjustment again. To Ben Stokes, he went slightly closer on the release from around the wicket. To Joe Root, he swung the ball away a lot, pitched it up, then found seam movement against that angle; it would have just missed off but the inside edge took it on to uproot middle stump.With three swipes of genius, he ripped out the heart of England’s batting. Then came the ball change, which resulted in a quiet period with the replacement ball. He came back after lunch, went closer on the release to Jofra Archer, got awayswing and then seam back in, and hit the stumps three-fourths of the way up.Patient as Bumrah is, this five-for – his 15th in 47 Tests – had a bit of “I’m cashing in” than relying on circumstances to change while he keeps bowling good length and line. He still hit the good length with 54% of his deliveries but went into the 6-7metre band 30% of the time, which is slightly high for him. Perhaps he was just a little impatient. Perhaps he wanted to hit the stumps more often: eight times in 18 overs on day one to seven times in nine overs on day two.The attention will remain on Bumrah. Whatever the result at Lord’s, as the fourth Test in Manchester approaches, people will start asking which of the remaining matches he will play. And if it is 2-2 after Old Trafford, and he’s already played three Tests, there will be questions about whether he should push himself and play the finale. There is no way around it. The good thing is, Bumrah still has plenty of money in the bank, and not the WWE version, which you lose when you cash it in for a title shot.

Players and staff from both sides make stirring calls to invest in the game outside of the Big Three

Firdose Moonda07-Mar-2023Just underneath the West Indies’ crest on his practice kit, Kraigg Brathwaite wears a badge of personal significance. It’s a photograph of his late grandparents, one of whom passed away just two years ago, and if he could, he would put it on his match day whites as well. While that’s not allowed, Brathwaite has the pin on him at all other times, to keep his relatives close to his heart and take them with him wherever he goes, even as close to the cricket field as possible.”Test cricket means a lot to us in West Indies,” Brathwaite said, ahead of the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg. “Our fans really follow Test cricket a lot and they want the Test team to do well.”That may sound like an overly optimistic statement to make, given the decline of West Indies as a Test power and especially given their record on the road. They last won an away series against a top eight team in 1995, when Brathwaite was three years old, no-one else in the squad was older than seven and five others had yet to be born. The glory days are well beyond any of their current recollections, though doubtless they’ve been regaled with stories of that old dominance and have dreams of reaching those peaks again. But in a climate of T20 leagues, where Test matches outside of those between India, Australia and England feel low-profile, it will be very difficult.

We cannot be excluded on the basis of not being leading lights in Test cricket. We are, and so are the West IndiesSouth Africa coach Shukri Conrad

Against that backdrop, Braithwaite is a chip off the old block. He is now a one-format player – 13th on the West Indies all-time Test run-scorer’s list – his last ODI was nearly six years ago and he hasn’t played any T20 cricket. At all. If it were up to him, West Indies would play more Tests, more often and would progressively improve. “You learn from playing. These two back to back tours – Zimbabwe and South Africa – have been good. You get rhythm,” Braithwaite said. “Some guys may not have done well but I think the more you play, the more you get familiar and it’s just better for us, as cricketers. When it’s spaced out so far, sometimes it’s tough.”South Africa are about to experience how tough that could be. They have no Test cricket scheduled for the next nine months and only play two-Test series until 2026. For a team that reached No.1 in the world just over a decade ago, their slide into a sort of obscurity has come quicker than expected, and everyone from star seamer Kagiso Rabada to new red-ball coach Shukri Conrad wants to stop it. While Rabada asked for Tests to be “prioritised a lot more,” Conrad believes dwindling interest, despite what Braithwaite said, is one symptom of where things are going wrong.”Our and their proud traditions and heritage should be ample proof that we need to play more Test cricket. We cannot be excluded on the basis of not being leading lights in Test cricket. We are, and so are the West Indies” Conrad said. “But the sad reality is, in places like the West Indies and hopefully not here, the lack of Test cricket might mean that interest starts waning. That’s a place you never want to reach, because once a youngster doesn’t have the desire to play for his country that spells the beginning of the end.”The biggest crowd in Centurion last week came in when South Africa’s Women’s T20 World Cup finalists arrived•AFP/Getty ImagesYou only had to glance at the almost empty grass embankments at last week’s SuperSport Park Test to see what Conrad means. A mid-week game, that started on a Tuesday and ended on a Thursday, pulled only a few hundred fans and most of them turned up when South Africa’s women’s side arrived to sign autographs following their run to the T20 World Cup final. There were smatterings of school kids at other parts of the Test but in general, inconvenient scheduling has meant this series will be poorly attended and deepen the impression that the red-ball game is dying in places outside the Big Three.That is partially true for a variety of reasons, and one of them is that Test cricket is perceived as boring. So enter Bazball and other styles of play in that ilk.Related

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When they came together in the English summer, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum made it clear that one of the things they were going to advocate was an entertaining style of play, even if it meant losing, to get bums on seats. Incidentally, they’ve only lost two matches since then and their brand of aggressive cricket has been spoken about as revolutionising the game. South Africa have toyed with trying something similar, and called it brave cricket, except that it wasn’t that at all and they lost series in England and Australia as a result.Now, they’re trying to figure out their batting blueprint, with a line-up where almost no-one is sure of their place. “It’s a unique set of circumstances. We don’t play a lot of Test cricket, so I’ve got to find novel ways. If that plays itself out in giving everybody a go and seeing how they react, so be it,” Conrad said. “That brand will take longer on the batting front. There’s patience required in terms of the batting side.”The problem with that, is that in 2023, with options aplenty for thrill-seekers, the waiting game is the one thing people don’t want to play, even if it brings it’s own subtleties and storylines – things that will be remembered long after the result. For example, West Indies arrived at their Wanderers training session with a massive pink teddy-bear named Suzie which was has to be carried by a particular member of the squad.”We play a game for warm up – a little tennis game and we always have a Man of the Match, who is the worst player of that game who has to take care of it,” Brathwaite explained.So who is it? This time it was Kyle Mayers. “Most of the squad has had a turn but unfortunately Mr Kemar Roach hasn’t gotten it yet.”Roach is the oldest member of the West Indies touring party. He is their fifth-highest wicket-taker now, going past Joel Garner’s tally of 259 in the first Test. He still wants to play for “two, three, four, five, six, seven…” years because he’s still motivated by his team-mates and “wanting to get amongst the greats.”If there’s one thing this series is showing is, it’s that there’s life in this old format yet, even in places where it seems there may not be.