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And what’s the earliest in their career that a player has scored a hundred and taken a five-for in the same Test?

Steven Lynch15-Jul-2025I heard that KL Rahul was the 100th player to be out for 100 in a Test. Who did it most often? asked Arqam Fazal Mirza from India
You heard correctly: KL Rahul’s round 100 at Lord’s last weekend was indeed the 100th time a batter had been dismissed for exactly 100 in a men’s Test. The great England opener Len Hutton managed it four times between 1937 and 1951, while a later Australian opener in Graeme Wood had three round 100s. Four others were out for exactly 100 twice – both Waugh twins, Gordon Greenidge and Kevin Pietersen.There have also been 69 cases of 100 not out, including two by Allan Border, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Malik (and another one by Steve Waugh). There are also three instances (plus one not-out) in women’s Test matches.England and India tied on the first innings at Lord’s. What are the highest and lowest such instances? asked Ahmedul Kabir from Bangladesh

Both first innings at Lord’s last week ended at 387: this was the ninth time such a tie had happened in all Tests.Twin totals of 387 come in fifth – exactly halfway – on the list. The highest was 593, by West Indies (who declared five down) and England in St John’s in April 1994, in the match in which Brian Lara first claimed the Test record with an innings of 375. The lowest such instance involved two totals of 199, by South Africa and England at the old Lord’s ground in Durban in January 1910 (England were 198 for 7, but lost their last three wickets for one).Corbin Bosch scored a hundred and took a five-for in just his second Test. Has anyone else done this? asked Nelson from South Africa

South Africa’s Corbin Bosch scored 100 not out in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo at the end of June, and then took 5 for 43 in the second innings.He was the fourth man to do this in his second Test, following Jack Gregory, for Australia against England in Melbourne in January 1921, Roston Chase for West Indies vs India in Kingston in August 2016, and one of his opponents in the match in question – Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett, against Afghanistan, also in Bulawayo in December 2024.But there’s one man who achieved this all-round feat on his Test debut: New Zealand’s Bruce Taylor followed 105 with 5 for 86 against India in Calcutta in March 1965. There’s also one woman: Chamani Seneviratna made 105 not out after taking 5 for 31 in Sri Lanka’s only women’s Test to date, against Pakistan in Colombo in April 1998.Bosch was the fourth to do this particular double for South Africa in Tests, following Jimmy Sinclair, Aubrey Faulkner and Jacques Kallis (twice). It was also Bosch’s maiden first-class century: he was the fifth South African to do this in a Test – but the first since 1955, following Sinclair, Percy Sherwell, Tuppy Owen-Smith and Paul Winslow.Corbin Bosch was the fourth man to score a hundred and take a five-for in his second Test•Zimbabwe CricketLhuan-dre Pretorius scored 157 runs in all on his Test debut. What’s the record for this? asked Biraj Bohara from Nepal

The South African left-hander Lhuan-dre Pretorius had scores of 153 and 4 on his Test debut, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo at the end of last month.Rather surprisingly, perhaps, no fewer than 46 men have made more runs in their first Test: the list is headed by Lawrence Rowe, who marked his debut for West Indies – against New Zealand in Kingston in February 1972 – with 214 and 100 not out. The only other batter to score more than 300 runs in his first Test is England’s Reginald “Tip” Foster, who followed his 287 against Australia in Sydney in December 1903 (the highest individual debut score) with 19 in the second innings.The South African record is held by Jacques Rudolph, with 222 not out against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April 2003.Has anyone ever scored centuries in the second and third innings of a Test? asked Nirmal Mendis from Sri Lanka

This is obviously quite a difficult thing to do, as it requires your team to bat second and then be forced to follow on. But it’s dangerous to say “never” about this sort of thing, because actually it’s happened twice in Tests! The first to do it was India’s Vijay Hazare, who contributed a valiant double of 116 and 145 (his first two Test centuries) as his side slipped to an innings defeat in Adelaide in January 1948. In the opening innings of the match Hazare had bowled Don Bradman – but unfortunately he’d made 201 by then, and Australia were well on their way to a total of 674.The other instance came in a match in Harare in September 2001. After South Africa romped to 600 for 3 declared, Andy Flower made 142 in Zimbabwe’s total of 286. He was soon back at the crease in the follow-on, and this time remained undefeated after almost ten hours with 199 out of 391. His epic resistance forced South Africa to bat again, and extended the match close to tea on the final day before the visitors finally won by nine wickets.Flower was only the second man, after South Africa’s Jimmy Sinclair against England in Cape Town in April 1899, to score more than half his side’s runs in a match in which they were bowled out twice. They were later joined by Brian Lara, with 221 and 130 as West Indies (390 and 262) lost by ten wickets to Sri Lanka in Colombo late in 2001.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

The fielding was awful, preparation and team selection equally bad, and they didn’t really give themselves a fighting chance

Firdose Moonda01-Jul-2023The ‘worst fielding side’ around
Ten catches went down in the group stage, the ground fielding was poor on the whole, and that’s simply not good enough.Not all of the West Indies’ spills carried massive consequences. Even dropping Gajanand Singh when on 0 in the tournament opener, where he went on to score 101*, did not prevent them from securing a win. But some of them did. The five against Zimbabwe might have been the difference between 200 and 268, and cost West Indies points they could have carried over to the Super Six.On that occasion, they put down Sikandar Raza on 1 and then on 3, and he went on to score 68 and share in a match-winning 87-run stand with Ryan Burl, who was also dropped once. Coach Daren Sammy was so frustrated that he labelled West Indies the “worst fielding side” at the qualifier.And then they put down a crucial chance in the Super Six, too. Defending a below-par 181, West Indies took a wicket with their first ball and had an opportunity for a second in the 12th over – Brandon McMullen was on 21 when he drilled Akeal Hosein to Kyle Mayers at midwicket. But Mayers put it down and McMullen went on to score 69 and put Scotland on the doorstep of victory.It was difficult for West Indies to put first-choice playing XIs on the field, and it showed•ICC via Getty ImagesIllness, injury, and iffy playing XIs
With illnesses – most teams have had some form of winter flu affecting their camp – and injuries, it has been difficult for West Indies to always field a first-choice XI.They batted Johnson Charles at No. 3 for the first time in his career in the opening three matches even though he is an opening batter. Their reason was that Shamarh Brooks’ illness had opened up a spot. Would moving Shai Hope to one-drop have made more sense?Yannick Cariah’s injury meant West Indies couldn’t capitalise on his pre-tournament form and also took away their only legspinner. The performances of Wanindu Hasaranga and Chris Greaves suggest it would have been handy for West Indies to have one.The Super Over mess
After Logan van Beek had plundered 28 runs off 14 balls, mostly hitting to the short leg-side boundary at Takashinga Cricket Club, it was inexplicable that West Indies chose to bowl from the Pavilion End to him in the Super Over, where they gave him the same advantage.That’s the decision West Indies made and they tasked Jason Holder with delivering the six balls that would decide the match. He started with two full-tosses, then went short and wide, and could not adjust his lengths to test van Beek’s defence against the yorker at all. The result was 4, 6, 4, 6, 6 and 4, and 31 runs for West Indies to chase. They stopped well short.When asked afterwards who made the decision to bowl Holder in the Super Over, Sammy didn’t comment, but a few breaths later, he said he had “full faith” in the captain’s decisions.There is a lot to talk about when it comes to West Indies cricket, and most of it is likely to be unpleasant•ICC via Getty ImagesPowell’s power reaps no rewards
Rovman Powell, West Indies’ vice-captain, played the opening two group matches, and showed none of the sense of responsibility that comes with his title and failed to provide the lower-order firepower West Indies desperately needed.Coming in at 192 for 5 against USA, Powell picked out long-off with a nothing shot the ball after Nicholas Pooran was caught at sweeper cover to fall for a golden duck. West Indies lost six wickets for 105 in that match and did not make 300.Against Nepal, with West Indies in a strong position at 310 for 5, Powell slugged a waist-high full-toss to long-on, and after being trapped lbw for 1 against Zimbabwe, something needed to be done about him.West Indies acted.They explained that leaving him out of the XI against Netherlands was an effort to balance the side, which was also without a hamstrung Mayers, and needed an extra bowling option. Romario Shepherd was included in Powell’s place and Mayers returned for the Scotland match with Shepherd kept his place and Powell still confined to the bench.Not the ideal preparation
West Indies played a series in the UAE to prepare for the qualifier, but not all of them were there together. Six of the 15 that travelled to Zimbabwe – Mayers, Holder, Powell, Alzarri Joseph, Shepherd and Akeal Hosein – were not involved in those matches.Understandably, they were given a break after the end of the IPL, but it also meant that their first interaction with a new coach (though one they have known as a player for long) came at a crunch tournament and the lack of cohesion showed.When asked to respond to Carl Hooper’s comment that the situation facing West Indies was “distressing”, Holder said he had been shutting out outside noise. Only to be reminded that Hooper was inside the camp, as the new assistant coach.And then there was the choice of warm-up series. Day-night games in the desert did little to help West Indies ready themselves for the chilly, dew-dropped southern African mornings, where the ball moves substantially in the first hour and, when put in, their batters showed a lack of assurance. West Indies were 14 for 2 against USA, 55 for 3 against Nepal, and 81 for 6 against Scotland in the game that saw them cede any chances of going to the World Cup.

What are the peculiarities of the three venues, and what should the teams do, at each of them, if they win the toss?

Gaurav Sundararaman20-Oct-2021Sharjah
The pitches in Sharjah were relaid just before the UAE leg of IPL 2021 began, and the venue was no longer the batting paradise of the past. In the 2020 edition, teams hit a six every 12 balls, but in 2021, that number was 23. In all, only 98 sixes were hit in ten IPL matches in 2021. On these slow pitches, the bowlers who varied their pace had more success, and while seamers and spinners registered similar economy rates – 6.92 and 6.79 respectively – the pace bowlers had better strike rates, taking a wicket every 17 balls compared to 22 for spinners.New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and England play two games each in Sharjah in the Super 12s. If the pitches behave the same way as at the IPL, then Pakistan and South Africa have the squads to make the best use of these conditions. Both teams could look to play three spinners, and their batting line-ups, not necessarily brimming with power-hitters, could breathe easy as par scores will be in the range of 140-160 rather than 180-200.ESPNcricinfo LtdDubai
The pitches in Dubai have not changed much over the last couple of years. Some pitches have been slow while a few have helped pacers. The average score has been in the range of 150-160 over the last two seasons of the IPL. The seamers have been more successful here, conceding 27 runs per wicket, compared to 32 for the spinners. Teams will likely look to play three fast bowlers in Dubai, including at least one with extreme pace (if they have the luxury of having one in their squad).Another factor that makes a difference in Dubai is the location of the pitch. The pitches on the edge of the square have short boundaries on one side, making it a tactical battle for batters and bowlers. Most of the strategies in Dubai revolve around having a left-right pair at the crease to target the specific boundary, while the bowling teams need to figure out the right end for the spinners to bowl from. India are scheduled to play four matches in Dubai, and their players could benefit from the familiarity of playing here during the IPL. Depending on the pitch, they have multiple options in their squad to leverage what could be good batting and pace-bowling conditions.ESPNcricinfo LtdAbu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the venue that is most likely to witness high scores this World Cup. The conditions are generally excellent for batting, but because the boundaries are the biggest among the three venues, the bowlers are also in play. There isn’t much help for spinners here: they average 33 runs per wicket while the pace bowlers average 29.The presence of a lot of dew in the evening means that the afternoon games could be very different to the evening games here, in terms of the way they play out. There have been several instances of dew in Abu Dhabi making it easier for teams to chase down high totals at night. Australia and West Indies play two games here while Afghanistan play three, out of which two are in the afternoon. Given the conditions, there doesn’t seem to be any major advantage for any team playing here.ESPNcricinfo LtdWin toss, field first, win match
The World Cup is being held in the months of October and November when the weather starts cooling down in the UAE. The numbers from IPL 2020 – a tournament that was played from September to November – presents an interesting tale of two halves. In the first half, when conditions were hotter and there was less dew, the teams batting first won 77% of the matches. In the second half – which is when the World Cup is being played this year – the numbers flipped around, with the team chasing winning 77% of the matches. The numbers were more skewed in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah: the teams chasing won 15 out of the 18 matches at those venues.

كشف ديفيد أورنستين، الصحفي الشهير بصحيفة “ذا أثلتيك” البريطانية نوايا إدارة ليفربول بعد معاقبة محمد صلاح بالاستبعاد من المباراة الأخيرة أمام إنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

من المعروف أن الهولندي آرني سلوت، المدير الفني لليفربول قرر استبعاد محمد صلاح من مباراة إنتر ميلان بعد تصريحاته الأخيرة عقب تعادل الفريق مع ليدز يونايتد ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي.

وحقق ليفربول فوزًا مهمًا على إنتر ميلان بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة السادسة من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وقال أورنستين في تصريحات نقلها موقع rousingthekop: “حسنًا، حرص ليفربول على التأكيد أن هذا لم يكن قرارًا تأديبيًا بل اتخذه النادي انطلاقًا من المنطق السليم ولصالح جميع الأطراف، وبالنظر إلى مجريات الأمور فربما كان هذا القرار هو الأفضل”.

اقرأ أيضًا | كاسانو لـ كاراجر: اغسل فمك قبل الحديث عن محمد صلاح.. كنت تلعب وأقدامك معكوسة

وأكمل: “لكن أعتقد أننا بحاجة إلى تذكر أن محمد صلاح أحد أعظم لاعبي العالم، وقد كان كذلك بالتأكيد في السنوات الأخيرة، وصولاً إلى الموسم الماضي عندما قاد ليفربول للفوز باللقب بأداء استثنائي طوال الموسم”.

وأضاف: “لقد حطم صلاح الأرقام القياسية وأشعل حماس الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لفترة طويلة لذلك يجب الحفاظ على احترام اسمه”.

واستطرد: “ولا ينبغي لنا أن نستبعده لمجرد فوز ليفربول على إنتر وكونهم يمرون بفترة صعبة وتصريحاته المثيرة للجدل هي التي ألقت بظلال من الشك على مستقبله وهو من فعل ذلك”.

وأتم: “ليفربول جدد عقده معه لمدة عامين، الرسالة التي تأتي من آنفيلد هي أنهم يريدونه أن يبقى، لطالما كانت هذه هي نيتهم”.

MatériaMais Notícias

A aposentadoria de Oscar está praticamente certa no São Paulo. Como o Lance! antecipou, faltaria apenas uma oficialização por parte do clube.

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Em novembro, Oscar ficou internado após um incidente durante um exame médico, no qual passou mal e desmaiou durante uma avaliação na bicicleta. O atleta foi diagnosticado com com síndrome vasovagal, que é responsável por gerar estes quadros.

Na despedida do time no SuperCT, antes da rodada final do Campeonato Brasileiro do último final de semana, vestiu o uniforme do Tricolor no vestiário e foi acompanhar seus colegas de elenco.Oscar está em repouso absoluto até o final do ano, mas quis visitar os companheiros e as instalações para ter uma conversa com os atletas antes da despedida da temporada.

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Mentalmente, o jogador está bem, porém, um cenário de Oscar pendurando as chuteiras estava sendo visto como um dos cenários mais prováveis para o jogador.

➡️Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

Síndrome Vasovagal: o que é e como funciona a condição de Oscar, do São Paulo

A síndrome vasovagal é a causa mais comum de desmaio. Ela ocorre quando há uma resposta exagerada do nervo vago, que regula funções involuntárias do corpo, como a frequência cardíaca e a pressão arterial. O coração desacelera e os vasos sanguíneos se dilatam, levando a uma queda abrupta da pressão arterial e, consequentemente, a uma redução do fluxo de sangue para o cérebro. Essa falta temporária de oxigênio no cérebro pode causar um desmaio.

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➡️São Paulo: Arboleda entra na mira do Athletico-PR

Oscar passou mal em novembro. No momento, os atletas estavam passando por avaliações médicas visando a próxima temporada. O veterano desmaiou durante um exame de bicicleta.

Tudo sobre

OscarSão Paulo

نجح الهولندي كودي جاكبو في تسجيل الهدف الثاني لصالح ليفربول أمام وست هام، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويواجه الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول نظيره وست هام يونايتد اليوم، الأحد، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، على ملعب “ويمبلي”.

وسجل جاكبو الهدف الثاني لصالح الريدز في الدقيقة 92 بعد عرضية من كورتيس جونز استغلها ووضعها في مرمى الحارس أريولا ليطمئن جمهور ليفربول بالثلاث نقاط.

كان ألكسندر إيزاك قد سجل الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 59 من عمر وأحداث المباراة ليكتب التقدم الأول في اللقاء ويعطي الأسبقية لفريق ليفربول ويقربه أكثر من الـ3 نقاط.

India ended day three in Delhi still in the lead by 97 runs

Sidharth Monga12-Oct-20253:56

What made Campbell and Hope stand out?

West Indies made it to the second new ball for the first time this year, they registered their highest partnership for the year – an unbroken 138 between John Campbell and Shai Hope, Campbell became their first half-centurion of the series with a career-best 87, Hope scored his first half-century in 31 innings, but for all that good work they still needed 97 runs to make India bat again in Delhi. Kuldeep Yadav conjured a fifth Test five-for on a docile pitch to allow India to enforce the follow-on, but the temptation to finish the match early only resulted in hard work for the bowlers: India have now taken four wickets in their last 75.2 overs.India were not in immediate danger of falling behind in the Test, but they will question if they had been complacent in enforcing the follow-on: when you do so midway into the third day, having bowled 81.5 overs already, there must be an element of expecting the opposition to roll over. India were then left riding two boats: trying to get the wicket but also preserving their bowlers, which meant Jasprit Bumrah didn’t bowl in the first 32 overs of the second innings.Seales fined for throw at Jaiswal

Jayden Seales has been fined 25% of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC’s code of conduct during the opening day of the ongoing second Test against India in Delhi.
Seales was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the code of conduct, which relates to “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment) at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an international match”.
In addition, one demerit point has been added to Seales’ disciplinary record, taking his total demerit points to two in a 24-month period.
The incident in question took place in the 29th over of India’s first innings, when Seales fielded the ball on his follow-through and threw it at batter Yashaswi Jaiswal, hitting him on the pads.
Seales contested the sanction proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft, saying he had been attempting a run out, so a formal hearing was required. Pycroft referred to replay clips showing the incident from different angles, and concluded that the throw was unnecessary and inappropriate.

Overall, though, eight wickets in a day on this Delhi pitch was not an ordinary effort. It was mainly down to Kuldeep, who overcame the lack of spite in the surface with work in the air and keeping the stumps in play. Four of his five wickets were either bowled or lbw, exposing both edges with drift and subtle changes in the degree and direction of turn.Kuldeep Yadav picked up his fifth Test match five-for•AFP/Getty ImagesKuldeep began with the off stump of Hope in the seventh over of the day. In the first Test, he beat Hope’s inside edge to bowl him, but this slow pitch needed something more. The drift from Kuldeep took the ball away from the original expected line, and then the ball didn’t turn as much as expected. Pretty soon, Tevin Imlach was beaten on the inside edge by a rare delivery that turned sharply. Justin Greaves contributed to his own dismissal with an ungainly reverse-sweep, which he missed by some distance. Kuldeep was on target again.At the other end, Bumrah first and then Mohammed Siraj had been looking to hit the front pad of the batters. Jomel Warrican was aware of that threat, but it cemented his feet, resulting in playing a full ball away from the body, playing it on to give a fast bowler a wicket for the first time in the match.Related

'Test match still on' – West Indies 'hope to make a game out of' India's follow-on gamble

Kuldeep's stump vision defies flat Delhi pitch

'Impact injury' keeps Sai Sudharsan off the field on the third day

Now, at 175 for 8, began West Indies’ resistance. Khary Pierre and Anderson Phillip batted together for 16.5 overs, taking West Indies to lunch and beyond. Bumrah had to come back for another spell to beat Pierre on the outside edge with reverse swing. Kuldeep had to work hard for his fifth wicket, including bowling with the new ball. He eventually got the fifth but not before the last wicket had batted nine overs together.If there had been any doubts about enforcing the follow-on, they must have only grown with these two partnerships. Having still decided to continue bowling, India opened with Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja. Bumrah, who had bowled eight overs already, would be the last bowler employed (discounting Yashasvi Jaiswal who was handed the final over of the day). The fields India used didn’t seem to suggest they believed there was enough in the pitch to produce wickets.Shai Hope didn’t hold back his shots•BCCIIt still seemed to be going all wrong for West Indies again when they lost the first two wickets for just 35 runs. Siraj got Tagenarine Chanderpaul on the pull for the second time in the series. Washington Sundar then produced the ball of the day, drifting it in from wide on the crease and then turning away to bowl Alick Athanaze, who has looked like West Indies’ best batter on this tour.Campbell and Hope then began to frustrate India. Campbell, who was out to a freak catch that just stuck in the short leg fielder’s arms in the first innings, arguably deserved some of the luck he enjoyed against Washington, who kept defeating him with his drift. On two occasions, Campbell was hit on the pad before the bat, but on both occasions the umpire’s call on the impact saved him from the lbw.With no zip in the pitch, the duo defended well and kept bringing out the big hit every now and then. Campbell showed particular intent against Jadeja and Kuldeep. The latter went for 36 in his first six overs. It was clear West Indies didn’t want to let Kuldeep settle. Campbell swept him for a six and lofted him down the ground for a four in his first over to bring up his fifty.Hope relied more on his touch play, the kind we are used to in ODIs, although he did get going with a slog-swept six off Washington. Errors in length began to creep in soon, fielding grew lethargic with bowlers misfielding off their own bowling, and India even conceded a no-ball for having too many fielders behind square on the leg side. Jaiswal ended the day with friendly legbreaks as West Indies won a session for the first time in the series.

The last international break of the year is finally coming to an end this weekend, meaning Arsenal can once again continue their title charge.

However, instead of looking over their shoulder at Liverpool, the new hunter is, unfortunately, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

The Citizens have already gotten the better of Mikel Arteta’s side in two Premier League title races, in large part thanks to the outrageous goalscoring ability of Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian is an unstoppable machine of a player, but fortunately, it feels like Arsenal now have their own version of him, and he’s not even a striker.

Haaland's record vs Arsenal

There are more than a handful of players Arsenal fans have dreaded seeing play against their team over the years.

Chalkboard

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

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When he was at Chelsea, Didier Drogba was a nightmare for the North Londoners, as was Harry Kane when he played in N17.

Unfortunately, even though he hasn’t been in the league anywhere near as long, Haaland has become another goalscorer who just seems to have the Gunners’ number.

For example, while he didn’t score against them in the FA Cup three years ago, or the Community Shield a year after that, he has made a habit of putting the ball in their net in the league.

In the seven appearances he’s made against the North Londoners in the competition, he has scored five goals, with the two blanks coming home and away in the 23/24 season.

Interestingly, while he provided two assists in the 22/23 game at the Etihad, the former Borussia Dortmund star has never scored more than one goal in a match against Arteta’s side.

In all, Haaland scoring against Arsenal feels practically invincible, even this season, when Arteta has built an almost impregnable defence, one that features the club’s own version of the Norwegian.

Arsenal's own Haaland

Now, while people might try to argue that Viktor Gyokeres or Bukayo Saka could be Arsenal’s answer to Haaland for their goals and where they play, they’d be wrong.

Instead, and this might sound odd to begin with, it’s Gabriel Magalhaes.

After all, City’s biggest strength is their attack, and their best attacker is the Norwegian, while the Gunners’ biggest strength, and so far this season, the Brazilian has been their best defender.

Moreover, like the former Dortmund star, the 27-year-old is a monster of a centre-back, someone who makes full use of his 6 foot 4 frame to bully opposition players off the ball or block their path entirely.

He is not a stereotypical ball-playing defender; he’s an old-school blood and thunder type, someone who relishes the physical battle and celebrates a well-timed slide tackle just as much as a goal.

However, unlike some other players of his ilk, the former LOSC Lille ace is also a tour de force in the opposition’s box.

Since moving to the Emirates, the São Paulo-born titan has scored 22 goals and provided eight assists in 227 appearances, and with five goal involvements already this season, he’s only becoming more of an attacking threat.

Gabriel’s Arsenal Record

Appearances

227

Starts

216

Minutes

19391′

Goals

22

Assists

8

Points per Game

2.02

All Stats via Transfermarkt

It’s this combination of being incredible in all phases of play that led to Jamie Carragher suggesting that he could “be seen as the most influential player in the Premier League” only last month.

It also lends plenty of credence to Statman Dave’s claim that he’s one of the best defenders “on the planet.”

Ultimately, while he’ll never get the adulation of a striker, Gabriel has slowly become Arsenal’s own Haaland-like player, and the sooner he’s back from injury, the better.

Related A new Saka: Arsenal chasing "one of the best wingers in the world" for £88m

The game-changing winger could be a Saka-like addition to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

Playoff baseball has already delivered some big thrills! The Detroit Tigers, New York Mets and Kansas City Royals all pulled off upsets and will be looking to finish their respective series off early today. 

Tuesday’s losers must win today to force a Game 3 and keep their postseason hopes alive. 

Let’s get in on the action. All odds according to DraftKings. 

MLB Best Bets Today for Wednesday, Oct. 2Astros -1.5 (+120)Astros Team Total over 2.5 First 5 innings (+120)Mets/Brewers over 7.5 (-115)Astros -1.5 (+120) and Astros Team Total over 2.5 First 5 innings (+120)

I’m going to back Houston to come out swinging and cover the run line today vs. the Tigers.  This is a must-win game for Houston, and there’s no value in a -170 ML pick,

Yesterday the Tigers got a strong start from the likely AL Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal,  but they will  be running out a bullpen day today behind lefty Tyler Holton. Tigers relievers have an ERA of 7.35 vs. the Astros this season. 

The Astros just missed a comeback win vs. the Tigers bullpen in the bottom of the ninth by a matter of inches on Monday. 

Hunter Brown gets the ball at home for Houston. Brown has been one of the best pitchers in MLB since the All-Star Break with just a 2.26 ERA while striking out more than nine batters per nine innings.  

This Astros team has a combined player postseason experience of 581 games. Tigers players have 12.

Let’s root for a Game 3. 

Mets/Brewers over 7.5 runs (-115)

I won’t be fading the Mets anymore. Instead, I’ll just root for them to keep on hitting. 

The Brewers will start Frankie Montas today for the second game of the series, Montas has an ERA of 5.43 since the All-Star Break and an ERA of 4.50 vs. the Mets this year. 

The Mets just put up eight runs on the Brewers on Tuesday afternoon, exceeding this total all on their own. 

The Mets will start Sean Manaea. Manaea has a 3.47 ERA this season, but he has a 12.27 ERA vs. the Brewers in 2024.  In his single game vs. New York — which was just last week on September 27 — he allowed opposing hitters a .368 batting average with seven hits and five earned runs across just 4 ⅔ innings pitched. 

 Mets relievers have an ERA of 4.99 across the past two weeks of play.

All of this is enough to have me rooting for the over on Wednesday. 

Essex 248 for 3 (Westley 107, Elgar 94) vs YorkshireCaptain Tom Westley’s determined 107 represented his second successive century in the Rothesay County Championship as his Essex side enjoyed a healthy but not dominant day one against relegation rivals Yorkshire at York.Former South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar fell narrowly short of scoring his first century of the season, falling for an opening 94 off 248 balls late on during an attritional day which Essex closed on 248 for 3 from 96 overs.Westley, who hit 12 fours in 239 balls, shared 198 for the second wicket with left-handed Elgar from early morning to late evening.The pair came together with the score on 24 during the opening exchanges of a Division One clash which had started with Westley opting to bat first on a glorious Minster City day.Yorkshire and Essex came into the contest separated by 14 points in the table, the former occupying ninth place – the second relegation spot ahead of Worcestershire – and the latter in eighth.Elgar will be mightily frustrated at not batting through the entire day, while Westley has had quite the week. Both fell against the second new ball to seamers Will Sutherland and Ben Coad.This Westley innings came hot on the heels of his 130 not out on the final day against Hampshire at Chelmsford on Wednesday, helping to secure a draw when a defeat had been a distinct possibility at the start of the day.Both sides handed debuts to a trio of overseas players between them.Australian allrounder Sutherland and Pakistani batter Abdullah Shafique are playing only one match apiece for Yorkshire, with Indian seamer Khaleel Ahmed starting his half-season stint with Essex.Essex enjoyed much the better of the morning, despite losing opener Paul Walter caught at second slip off a leading edge as he looked to whip Jack White to leg in the 10th over.Elgar’s first of 11 boundaries was beautifully pushed down the ground off George Hill’s bowling and he later reached his fifty off 116 balls – in the same over which saw Westley get to the same milestone off 90. By that stage, Essex were 117 for one in the 39th.Westley was the more aggressive of the two batters, though neither were able to cut loose from a Yorkshire bowling attack who kept things tight with the Kookaburra ball and kicked the door ajar late on.Aside from a lack of wickets, there wasn’t a plethora of chances created by Yorkshire’s bowlers, who had to deal with a lack of movement and pace in the pitch.The one obvious one that did arrive, Adam Lyth was unable to hold on at slip off Dom Bess’s off-spin with Elgar on 69 shortly before tea, where Essex reached at 164 for 1 from 64 overs.The day’s first of only five extras came at the start of the 67th over, a leg bye as Bess bowled to Elgar. That indicated the discipline from Yorkshire’s bowling attack.The hope is that the pitch will break up as the contest goes on to bring the likes of Bess and Essex’s off-spinner Simon Harmer more into things.If not, supporters and players alike could be in for a long four days.When Westley, who was classy on the drive, reached his latest century off 227 balls, Essex were 206 for 1 in the 83rd over, the new ball now in operation.However, both fell in successive overs as Essex went from 222 for 1 to 226 for 3 in the 87th.Westley was trapped lbw playing back against Coad before pulling Elgar was caught behind one-handed down leg by Jonny Bairstow off Sutherland.England fringe batter Jordan Cox will begin day two unbeaten on 13.