WI captain saw their improved performance in Delhi after being forced to follow as a positive sign

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-20253:56

What made Campbell and Hope stand out?

Roston Chase saw encouraging signs in West Indies’ performance against India in Delhi, despite the visitors losing by seven wickets.Shai Hope and John Campbell made centuries, the first two for West Indies in 2025. The team also batted 80-plus overs in both innings after failing to get to that mark all year, improvements that meant more coming against a strong Indian bowling outfit that included Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.”Yeah, I think this is the kind of fight that I wanted to see from us, from matches before”, Chase said at the post-match press conference. “So, I think this is a stepping stone, a building step for us to go forward and improve as a Test-playing nation. This is a performance that I think will give us the confidence and boost us in terms of that belief that we can do it against proper Test-playing nations.Related

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“I just want to see the guys continue in this vein and don’t let us go back to those ways. Even if it’s for us to lose, we have to lose in a good way. In a positive way, where we can have a lot of positives coming out of the game.”West Indies came to India without two of their best fast bowlers, Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph, who were both laid low by injuries. Ultimately, it wasn’t the bowling that let them down though. Chase understood that his side needed to improve their batting to get their first points in this new cycle of the World Test Championship.”I think where we could improve mainly is our batting,” Chase said. “I think that’s what let us down for the last two series. I think we have a good bowling attack, we had a few injuries. I just think that once we can put good first-inning totals on the board, we will be able to fight for some wins in the Test Championship.”John Campbell and Shai Hope put on West Indies’ highest partnership of the 2025 so far•AFP/Getty Images

But this process is complicated by the way the West Indies cricket system currently functions.”When a lot of our players come into the international level, they play like 20 first-class games, 15 first-class games,” Chase said. “While other teams, when guys come into international cricket, they have like 80 first-class games, 100 first-class games.”Domestic competitions help batters learn how to score big runs and replicate the process over an extended period of time. West Indies, though, are having to manufacture success without that essential ingredient. This is part of why they have had one-off wins, against Australia in Brisbane and against Pakistan in Multan, but are struggling for consistency.”So for us, it’s always learning on the job,” Chase said. “So if a guy can get a little longer run [playing Test matches] so that he can adjust and adapt to this level and see what it takes for him to improve and to be consistent at this level, I think that’s good. And I just think that the fight that we showed in this last game will, as I said, give us that belief and that confidence to know that we have what it takes to perform at this level.”One bright spot for West Indies on this tour of India was the allrounder Justin Greaves, who finished the series with an unbeaten 50 from No. 7 and showed good skill in combating India’s spinners.”Yeah, well, actually, if we had batted first, he [Greaves] would have batted at No. 6,” Chase. “But obviously him being the allrounder, bowling allrounder, bowling many [14 out of 134.2] overs first, we just wanted to give him some rest. So we just put him at No. 7. But yeah, I think he’s a capable batsman. I know him for a long period and I personally think his batting is better than his bowling.”West Indies’ next Test match is in December against New Zealand. Chase accepted the first year of this WTC cycle has been hard on his team but hoped for better returns in 2026.”And I think that we had a chat and this first year in the cycle, we always know it was going to be tough with opposition like Australia, India and then we go to New Zealand. But I think that once we learn from what we’ve done in those series and take it into the next year where we have guys like Sri Lanka and Pakistan, guys that we are closer to in the rankings, I think that we can be more competitive against those once we learn from these games.”

The final international break of the year came at the worst time possible for West Ham United.

After months of dire football and worse results, Nuno Espírito Santo looked to have finally got a tune out of the East Londoner, beating Newcastle United and Burnley in back-to-back Premier League games.

Fortunately, the break has come to an end and the Hammers finally get the chance to continue their good form with a challenging game away to Bournemouth, albeit without the talismanic Lucas Paqueta, who is suspended.

However, while the loss of the Brazilian is a big one, Nuno can minimise its impact by letting Mateus Fernandes pick up the attacking slack and starting someone with shades of Declan Rice alongside Freddie Potts.

Why Fernandes should start in Paqueta's place

Now, in the last two games, Nuno has opted for a midfield three of Paqueta, Potts and Fernandes, with the Brazilian obviously playing as the more attacking midfielder of the three.

With him out of contention, it makes sense for the responsibility of being more forward-thinking to fall on the Portuguese star’s shoulders, as the Englishman is far better suited to being an all-action box-to-box type.

While this change might worry some fans, it shouldn’t, as while he’s not reached the level of the former Lyon ace just yet, he is more than capable of doing so.

For example, while he’s spent plenty of time in the central midfield role, he spent more time playing as an attacking midfielder during his time at Southampton.

Moreover, during his time in Portugal, respected analyst Ben Mattinson highlighted the fact that he could play “those KDB-type passes” with relative ease.

Furthermore, despite playing for a team that, for some time, looked in danger of breaking Derby County’s most unwanted record last season, the 21-year-old still produced six goal involvements in 36 league games.

Finally, FBref ranked him in the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the league last season for attempted and completed long passes as well as the top 14% for passes into the final third, all per 90.

Overall, Fernandes is more than good enough to pick up the creative slack in Paqueta’s absence, and Nuno has someone in the squad who can come in as a partner to Potts to help with the less glamorous side of the game.

The Rice-like midfielder Nuno should start

While Nuno might be tempted to bring someone like Tomáš Souček back into the side for this game, he really shouldn’t, as Bournemouth will make it an intense and frenetic encounter.

Chalkboard

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

Therefore, the manager should turn to someone capable of dealing with that, if not thriving in it, someone like £17m summer signing, Soungoutou Magassa.

The Frenchman is still relatively young and certainly needs to develop some areas of his game, but he has all the ingredients to be a monstrous all-action midfielder.

Described as a “a forward-thinking” talent by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, who is blessed with “pure athleticism” and can “spray passes wide out to the wings,” the 22-year-old would be excellent alongside Potts.

Moreover, his profile, combined with his ability to play centre-back, makes comparisons to a young Rice impossible to ignore.

With that said, if you are still unconvinced, you only need to look at his underlying numbers to see how promising a player he is.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for tackles and blocks, the top 2% for ball recoveries, the top 4% for interceptions, the top 12% for switches, and more, all per 90.

Tackles

3.78

Top 1%

Tackles (Def 3rd)

1.72

Top 1%

Dribblers Tackled

2.05

Top 1%

Dribbles Challenged

3.86

Top 1%

Blocks

2.22

Top 1%

Tkl+Int

5.42

Top 1%

Ball Recoveries

7.31

Top 2%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.57

Top 4%

Shots Blocked

0.66

Top 4%

Passes Blocked

1.56

Top 4%

Interceptions

1.64

Top 4%

Tackles (Mid 3rd)

1.48

Top 8%

Shots on Target %

42.9%

Top 9%

Successful Take-On %

61.9%

Top 10%

Switches

0.66

Top 12%

Through Balls

0.41

Top 13%

Tackles Won

1.64

Top 13%

Successful Take-Ons

1.07

Top 13%

In other words, the “composed” midfielder, as dubbed by Mattinson, is superb when it comes to the defensive side of the game, but is also more than capable of kick-starting an attack from deep.

Ultimately, while it’s not ideal, Nuno should start a midfield three of Fernandes, Potts and Magassa against Bournemouth, as that should be the best way to deal with Paqueta’s absence and pick up three points.

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Rahul anchored the chase, ending up unbeaten on 58; India still at No. 3 on WTC points table

Sidharth Monga14-Oct-2025

India sealed the series 2-0 after an hour’s play•BCCI

It took India a little over an hour on the final day and a further loss of two wickets to knock off the 121-run target to seal the 2-0 series win against West Indies. The win took them to 61.9% points on the World Test Championship points table, still at No. 3.KL Rahul anchored the chase, ending up unbeaten on 58, taking his series tally to 192, only behind Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 219. Kuldeep Yadav was the leading wicket-taker with 12 strikes. This was also the first series win for captain Shubman Gill after drawing 2-2 in England.India began the day needing 58 runs to win after they had declared their first innings in only 4.5 sessions and then enforced the follow-on. They ended up bowling 200 overs on the trot and were set 121 to get.India lost B Sai Sudharsan and Gill on the final morning. Sudharsan, whose No. 3 position is not yet sealed, might leave the series with some doubt still. He scored 87 in the first innings, but got out playing a loose drive in the second, resulting in a stunning slip catch by Shai Hope.Gill looked in a hurry to end things, hit a six and a four in a Roston Chase over, and then ended up skying one.Rahul was more solid, and punctuated his effort with two sixes, one a straight loft against Khary Pierre and the other a slog-sweep off Jomel Warrican, who got him out in the first innings.This was India’s tenth straight win against West Indies. This was also India’s 122th Test win, going past South Africa to No. 3.

Rangers’ winning streak continues, albeit in far from convincing fashion.

On Saturday, the Gers battled to a 2-1 victory over bottom of the table Livingston at Ibrox, with Emmanuel Fernandez marking his first start since August by scoring a towering header, only for Tete Yengi to equalise soon after, but Mohamed Diomandé’s goal 12 minutes from time, Bojan Miovski putting it on a plate for him, enough to snatch victory.

This makes it four Premiership wins out of four since Danny Röhl was appointed manager, the Gers’ longest streak since February, albeit they remain fourth, given that Hibernian beat Dundee 2-0 at Easter Road simultaneously.

Next up, Röhl’s team will take on Braga in a must win Europa League tie on Thursday and, despite victory on Saturday, which starter should be axed ahead of this one?

Rangers' current injury crisis

After some very underwhelming summer recruitment, most Rangers supporters agree that their squad lacks quality, so, when that is the situation, the last thing a coach needs is a lengthy injury list.

First-choice centre-back pairing John Souttar and Derek Cornelius are both expected to be sidelined until after Christmas, after suffering serious injuries while on international on the same evening, doing so within hours of one-another but more than 4,200 miles apart in Glasgow and Miami.

Meantime, just as he had started to click into gear, Mikey Moore suffered a muscle injury in training, so is set to spend weeks on the sidelines.

The Tottenham lonaee had made an inconspicuous start to life in Glasgow, but had started to show glimpses of his talent in recent weeks, scoring his first goal for the club at Dens Park in the last game prior to the international break.

In the absences of the teenager, Röhl’s team lacked dynamism, panache and flamboyance in attacking areas, with the player tasked with deputising certainly not earning rave reviews.

The Rangers star Röhl must axe after Livingston

Röhl went for a more attacking 4-2-3-1 formation for Livingston’s visit on Saturday, with Thelo Aasgaard given the free role as the central number ten.

Chalkboard

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

The Merseyside-born midfielder helped Norway qualify for a first World Cup since ’98 during the break, coming off the bench as his country crushed Italy 4-1 at San Siro last Sunday.

Thus, Aasgaard was handed a first club start since being sent off during the League Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Celtic at Hampden.

Well, he certainly did not grasp this opportunity with both hands, as the table below documents.

Thelo Aasgaard’s stats vs Livingston
Stats	Aasgaard	Match rank
Shots	Zero	12th
Successful dribbles	1	11th
Accurate passes	12	16th
Key passes	1	4th
Duels won	2	24th
Touches	19	23rd
SofaScore rating	6.4	21st
Stats vis SofaScore

The statistics underline that Aasgaard was generally pretty anonymous during Saturday’s victory, completing just 12 passes and only one dribble, not registering a single attempt.

The most galling number is the fact that the Norwegian international touched the ball only 19 times before being hooked at half time, nine fewer than goalkeeper Jack Butland and six less than Livi scorer Yengi.

Writer Kai Watson asserted that Aasgaard went “missing” in the first half, adding that he “needs to offer something” and is “capable of much more than we’re seeing”.

Meantime, Aheed Abrar of Ibrox News exclaimed that the midfielder was “embarrassing” on Saturday, awarding him a 3/10 rating, while Let’s Talk Rangers believes he should not be an “automatic starter” over Nedim Bajrami, Lyall Cameron and others.

Thus, despite their ongoing injury issues, Röhl does appear to have better attacking options than Aasgaard, who did little to stake a claim for a start against Braga this weekend.

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Chelsea are now considering a marquee transfer double deal to bolster Enzo Maresca’s squad ahead of 2026, according to reports.

Chelsea tipped as Premier League title contenders ahead of Arsenal

On the pitch, their Premier League title credentials are set for a stern evaluation as they prepare for a blockbuster face-off against frontrunners Arsenal this weekend.

Sunday’s heavyweight clash between the London rivals at Stamford Bridge will provide the clearest indication yet of whether Maresca’s youthful side genuinely belong in the conversation, or if they still remain a year away from challenging for football’s ultimate prize.

The debate surrounding Chelsea’s title credentials has intensified following their impressive recent run, with Maresca himself refusing to rule out the possibility, in stark contrast to last year.

Tuesday’s 3-0 dismantling of Barcelona in the Champions League demonstrated their ability to deliver against Europe’s elite even without superstar Cole Palmer, with Estevao taking all the headlines after his masterclass against the Catalans.

Luckily for Maresca, Palmer is back to full fitness and available to play Arsenal, with Maresca handed the desired conundrum of fitting both the England international and Estevao into the same team.

Chelsea’s boss has grown adept when it comes to tinkering with his side, having made more first eleven changes than any other manager in the Premier League by far this season.

However, they could hardly ask for a tougher test on paper than Arsenal, who are currently 16 games unbeaten in all competitions and fresh off a statement Champions League performance themselves.

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Mikel Arteta’s side have established themselves as the benchmark to beat, and their unbeaten seven-game run against Chelsea will gift the Gunners major confidence heading into their west London tie.

Off the field, BlueCo are devising yet more plans to strengthen the Chelsea squad in future windows, despite spending nearly £300 million in the summer.

Chelsea considering £120m double deal for FC Porto's Aghehowa and Froholdt

As per reports from Spain, Chelsea are considering an ambitious £120 million deal for two talented FC Porto players, with Victor Froholdt and Samu Aghehowa emerging as top targets.

Froholdt, a 19-year-old midfielder, has captured Chelsea’s attention through his exceptional composure in possession from deep positions. The west Londoners are apparently fans of the teenager’s technical ability, and believe he could slot in seamlessly alongside Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo.

Meanwhile, Aghehowa also appeals to Chelsea’s recruitment team after his stellar 2025.

The 21-year-old striker has established himself as a consistent goalscorer in Portugal, bagging 27 goals in 45 games last term, and has continued that fine form by hitting double figures this season.

Aghehowa is a familiar name to Chelsea, having once come close to signing the Spain international back in 2024.

Both players align with their transfer strategy when it comes to recruiting world football’s most exciting young talents, but the competition for Aghehowa’s signature alone means this won’t be easy by any means.

Away in the Caribbean, Cricket West Indies has got the best minds in the game in the region to chalk out a way out of the abyss – call it 27 all out if you will – the national team has fallen in, at a time when there is talk of the World Test Championship being split into two tiers. Roston Chase, the Test captain, is aware of all this and is hoping for ” that start and to then kick on from there” when they face India for the second and last time in the ongoing series in Delhi.”Obviously we are down right now but it has to change at some point, and the change can start from now,” Chase said a day away from the start of the second Test, where West Indies would be hoping to bounce back after an innings defeat in the first Test. “But it starts with the belief and the mindset of each and every player, and just keep motivating the guys that we can still play some positive cricket.”In Ahmedabad, in the first Test of the series, West Indies put up 162 and 146. They had two individual scores in the 30s – Justin Greaves in the first innings and Alick Athanaze in the second. Their best partnership was worth 46, in 87 balls, in the second innings between Greaves and Athanaze. Not good enough, especially when the opposition has three century-makers in their only innings and have declared on 448 for 5.Related

• West Indies' Test-match batting a symptom of far deeper issues

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“I don’t think the guys are lacking confidence. But it’s just to get that one score, to get that start and to then kick on from there,” Chase said. “It just takes one… get that good innings or that hundred or that big fifty, that then gives you the confidence to actually think ‘I can do it’.”I think everyone is confident, but when we get out there, we didn’t start well as a batting unit and the pressure is on, and it’s for us to soak up that pressure as batters, and still find a way to score, put pressure back on to the Indian bowlers. That is the biggest challenge for us. We just need to get that start and kick on. And we’ll be fine.”Chase’s own Test career has been an intriguing one. He has now played 53 Tests, but has an average of 25.57. To go with a bowling average of 46.25. He scored a century in just his second Test, against India in Kingston in July 2016, and then had two more centuries by his tenth Test. In the 43 since, he has scored just two more, and none at all in his last 24, where he has crossed 50 only four times.”I can’t really speak for anyone [else], but for myself, I just think it’s a matter of confidence and continuously playing quality first-class cricket and so on. Just that knowhow and facing good attacks for longer periods, and obviously, trying to improve on faults you may have picked up early on in your career,” Chase said. “Obviously, when you first start, no one really knows you, and then, obviously, [you] play a couple of games and people see your weaknesses and try to exploit them. So it’s for the players to just improve on those weaknesses from as early as possible. That’s it.Roston Chase hasn’t scored a century in his last 24 Tests•Associated Press

“It’s just digging deep for those four sessions and trying to stay in the now and not what has happened before in terms of the ball before or the over before. Just staying in the present is the biggest challenge for me right now. That’s something I have to go with.”Chase has played franchise T20 leagues in the past, in the ILT20, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Global T20 Canada, apart from the CPL, of course. While he is still a CPL player for St Lucia Kings, he wants to commit his future to West Indies, and to Test cricket.”It was always my dream to play for West Indies. I had a chance to play franchise cricket and I still have opportunities to play franchise cricket. But I have given that up,” he said. “So I cannot say that I am not hungry or not hungry, because this is what I wanted to do. I gave up my chance to play franchise cricket and I have taken up the captaincy role [in Tests], which is a big step.”So that just goes to show that I want to be here. I want to play for the Maroon. And I have always given my all for the Maroon.”

This weekend is arguably the biggest in Thomas Frank’s tenure as Tottenham Hotspur manager, when he leads his side out against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

The Dane has yet to get his first taste of the North London Derby, but he will be looking to get one over Mikel Arteta and secure bragging rights for the Lilywhites faithful.

Such a fixture is huge for supporters, with the meeting between the two clubs one of the first dates they look for upon fixture release day, before a ball is kicked.

However, it’s been a game that the white side of North London have often come out on the losing side away from home – subsequently winning just one of their last 32 encounters.

If Frank’s side are to write themselves into the history books, they will desperately need to keep one player quiet throughout the clash at the Emirates.

The threat Bukayo Saka poses to Spurs this weekend

Bukayo Saka may ply his trade for Arsenal, but he’s cemented himself as one of the Premier League’s most threatening attackers over the last couple of years.

The Englishman has managed to register over 20 combined goals and assists in all competitions in each of the last three years – often providing the difference in such a fixture.

He’s often popped up with the goods in attacking areas, as seen by his record against the Lilywhites since his senior debut back in the 2020/21 campaign.

Saka has featured on ten occasions against Spurs throughout his professional career, racking up a total of five goals – subsequently finding the net in 50% of his outings in such a clash.

He’s also popped up with various assists in the North London Derby, with his corner to Gabriel securing the Gunners all three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last campaign.

It’s evident that the winger possesses serious quality, often coming alive on Derby Day, with Frank and his squad desperately needing to silence him on Sunday afternoon.

However, he too could unleash his own version of the Englishman at the Emirates, with the Lilywhites star potentially able to inflict serious trouble on Arteta’s men.

The Spurs star who’s becoming their answer to Saka

Players such as Saka don’t come around very often, and when they do, they cost a pretty penny – many of which undoubtedly cost a small fortune in the modern-day.

Whilst Spurs are unlikely to pay over the odds for top-level talents, they have invested heavily into the frontline over recent years – as seen by their deal to land Brennan Johnson.

The hierarchy forked out a reported £47.5m for the Welshman’s signature back in the summer of 2023, with the attacker showcasing his talents in North London last campaign.

He registered a total of 18 goals across all competitions last season, the highest of any player in the squad, often starring off the right-hand side of the club’s attack.

However, he’s fallen down the pecking order in recent months, which has resulted in various options being considered within the forward line in the capital.

Mathys Tel joined the Lilywhites on a permanent basis during the summer window, with the Frenchman costing a total of £27m from German side Bayern Munich.

The 20-year-old is capable of operating off the left-hand side or even as a centre-forward, with Frank able to rely upon the youngster in a variety of different positions.

When operating on the left, he’s able to cut inside and onto his favoured foot – something which Saka has made a name for himself for in England’s top-flight.

His similarities to the Englishman are also reflected in his shot on target accuracy, with Tel matching the winger with his tally of placing 33% of his efforts between the posts.

The Frenchman has previously impressed in his professional career, but has transferred his skills over to the Premier League, as seen by his tally of two goals in the league this season.

Games played

8

Goals scored

2

Shot on target accuracy

33%

Pass accuracy

73%

Dribble success

50%

Long ball success

83%

Aerials won

1.2

Mins per goal

124.5

Tel’s efforts in attacking areas have led to huge praise from numerous outlets, with Bayern Chairman Herbert Hainer labelling him “one of the biggest talents in Europe”.

However, he will need consistent first-team minutes to reach the heights many have touted him to, with Frank needing to trust him in the near future to reap the rewards.

He’s shown that he’s capable of producing the goods in attacking areas, potentially able to provide the difference in the clash against the Gunners on Sunday.

Tel has proven he’s able to be the club’s answer to Saka, but it remains to be seen if the manager will show faith in him to allow the youngster to continue on his upward trajectory.

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Qarabag's youth team have been fined just over £4,000 by UEFA after a supporter was found to have racially abused a Chelsea player during an academy match in Azerbaijan. Shortly after Blues striker Sol Gordon opening the scoring at Azersun Stadium in Baku earlier this month, the 17-year-old was allegedly subjected to monkey gestures. Now, Qarabag have been punished off the back of what transpired in this UEFA Youth League encounter.

Chelsea strongly condemn unsavoury incident

Despite Chelsea's Under-19 side going on to win the game 5-0, the contest was marred by Gordon being discriminated against by those in the crowd. 

At the time, the Blues said in a statement: "We are aware of an incident during today's UEFA Youth League match in Azerbaijan in which, after scoring, a number of our players were subjected to racist abuse from an individual in the crowd. Racism and all forms of discriminatory behaviour are completely unacceptable and have no place in football or indeed in society. We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible. Our players have the full support of everyone at the club, and we have raised the incident immediately with the UEFA match delegate and home club: We expect this matter to be investigated fully under UEFA's disciplinary procedures. We are proud of the way our players and staff responded to the incident on the pitch, swiftly reporting it to the referee, and commend those for dealing with the matter professionally and appropriately in line with UEFA protocols."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportQarabag apologise before getting fined

Soon after Chelsea's statement, Qarabag responded with their own. They vowed to investigate the matter and said this incident does not reflect the club's values. 

They added: "We are sorry about this incident. It does not reflect the values of our club. We will investigate it thoroughly."

Now, European football's governing body, UEFA, has slapped them with a £4,379 fine, with Qarabag's youth team having to play a match behind closed doors following "racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters" – though that punishment is suspended for a year.

A statement from UEFA reads: "The CEDB has decided: To fine Qarabağ FK Youth €5,000 and to order Qarabağ FK Youth to play its next one (1) UEFA competition match as host club behind closed doors, for the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters. Said match behind closed doors is suspended during a probationary period of one (1) year, starting from the date of the present decision."

Atletico Madrid punished for racism

On a similar note, Atletico Madrid have been fined £26,256 by UEFA after their fans reportedly made monkey gestures and noises, along with Nazi salutes, towards Arsenal's players in their 4-0 home win at Emirates Stadium in October. The club has also been hit with a suspended sanction of a ban on travelling supporters for "racist and discriminatory behaviour". Despite the severity of the charges, the one-match ban on ticket sales for an away game has been suspended for a probationary period of one year.

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Chelsea?

Aside from the aforementioned matter, Chelsea return to Premier League action on Sunday when they host London rivals and league leaders Arsenal in a huge clash at the top of the table on Sunday. The Blues sit six points behind the Gunners, and a win at Stamford Bridge could catapult them into the title race. But a loss could put pay to those hopes and give Mikel Arteta's team a huge boost in their bid to win their first league title since 2004.

Following Chelsea's 3-0 Champions League win over Barcelona in midweek, head coach Enzo Maresca said: "I’ve told the players, next 48 hours, completely switch off. Have a rest. Recover the energy. Because [on] Sunday we have Arsenal. My message after the game was just: recover the energy. That, in this moment, is the most important thing. Then, on Friday, we start to think about Arsenal. We need to keep the momentum because it’s very nice – and it’s much easier to recover energy when you win games."

Tahuhu’s two-for reduced Pakistan to 92 for 5 and leave their chances of progressing hanging by a thread

Vishal Dikshit18-Oct-2025

New Zealand’s fate will be decided by their games against England and India•Getty Images

No result Pakistan 92 for 5 (Riaz 28*, Tahuhu 2-20, Carson 1-7) vs New ZealandColombo handed a second washout in four days to Pakistan at the Women’s World Cup 2025, leaving their chances of progressing to the knockouts hanging by a thread. As Pakistan and New Zealand shared points, South Africa became the second team to progress to the semi-finals, after Australia, as even a finish on eight points in the league stage will take them through.If two or more teams finish on the same points, it will first be seen who has more wins, and South Africa will progress with four wins already from five games.With Saturday’s washout, Pakistan continue to remain winless in the tournament while New Zealand keep themselves in the running for the knockouts, still placed fifth with just one win and two abandoned games so far. Their next two matches, against India and England, will now decide their fate.Related

Road to the semis: Five teams in contention for one spot

'It's extremely frustrating' – Captain Sophie Devine on New Zealand's back-to-back washouts in Colombo

A fired-up New Zealand side laid the foundation after winning the toss in overcast conditions on Saturday. While their experienced quick Lea Tahuhu returned to the XI to strike twice in her first spell, the Kerr sisters and Eden Carson picked up a wicket apiece to leave Pakistan reeling at 92 for 5 before the second rain break sealed the outcome of the match.Tahuhu was the first to strike and she did it in her first over when Omaima Sohail, who had crawled to 3 off 14, was trapped lbw before two sharp catches dented Pakistan further. Muneeba Ali had dispatched a few boundaries and had been handed a life on 8 when wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze put down a low chance off Jess Kerr. But when Muneeba pulled a short delivery off the same bowler on 22, Suzie Bates threw herself to her left at midwicket to take a stunner. No. 3 Sidra Amin then saw a similar effort from Carson at point when she scythed a short ball from Tahuhu, and Pakistan were 52 for 3. It had been drizzling then for a few minutes, and as soon as Amin walked back after 12.2 overs it got heavier for a break.Pakistan now have two washouts in five games•ICC/Getty ImagesPlay resumed after 95 minutes in what was shortened to a 46-overs-a-side contest as Natalia Pervaiz joined Aliya Riaz. The more experienced Riaz soon charged down to crash Tahuhu to the square-leg boundary even as Pervaiz lived dangerously against Melie Kerr’s variations. Pervaiz even got a life on 9 when Sophie Devine put down a sharp catch at slip off Melie Kerr but lasted only five more balls by holing out off Carson for the simplest of catches to Devine at long-on.Melie Kerr then foxed the new batter – captain Fatima Sana – with a wrong’un which rattled the stumps to leave Pakistan on 80 for 5. Rain interrupted again after five overs and the players walked off with the score on 92 for 5 after 25 overs.It stopped raining within an hour with some lightning also around, and the game was soon reduced to 36 overs per innings. But the drizzle soon returned, turned into a heavy shower to make the ground staff cover the whole field, and the game was eventually called off.

He scored crucial runs down the order and took five wickets but the visitors are still staring at an innings defeat

Mohammad Isam27-Jun-2025Sri Lanka are on the cusp of a big win against Bangladesh in the second Test in Colombo. The visitors are still 96 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat, and with just four wickets in the bag, a big loss is very much on the cards with two days left.While not a lot of positives have come out of the Bangladesh camp, particularly in this second Test, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam is among their few success stories. Taijul battled on the second morning with the bat to give the Bangladesh total some respectability. The eventual 247 wasn’t substantial, but that they even got there was down to Taijul’s 33 off 60 balls.He then bowled seven spells of varying lengths to grab his 17th five-wicket haul, and fifth in an overseas Test, putting him on par with Shakib Al Hasan. Taijul’s 5 for 131 in Colombo was the umpteenth example of his doggedness and consistency. He also showed what a technically sound left-arm spinner he is. Taijul demands batters’ attention till the last moment they play or leave the ball. It adds a measure of thrill to his long spells.Related

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In both Galle and Colombo, he kept his end of the bargain by bowling as tightly as possible. At times, wicketkeeper Litton Das would remind him to toss the ball a little higher or come a little straighter. And Taijul was mostly on the money.In Colombo, Taijul was a study of patience. He shared the new ball and bowled 23 overs on the trot. Nahid Rana and Ebadot Hossain went for plenty from the other end, so he had to be the captain’s banker. Taijul took one wicket in that spell. He bowled nine more overs on the second day, each time keeping his consistency intact. All this with an elbow injury he picked up while batting.When Najmul Hossain Shanto handed him the ball early on the third morning, it was to stop the bleeding. Sri Lanka had made an impressive start, so Bangladesh couldn’t afford to give runs freely. Taijul removed overnight centurion Pathum Nissanka early with the second new ball. He got one to skid rapidly, with the ball holding up ever so slightly for Sri Lanka’s centurion to chip to short extra cover. Taijul then beat captain Dhananjaya de Silva with his flight, building up to a delivery that had a hint of inward drift, beating his front-foot prod.Taijul was taken off after just four overs on the third morning, for Mehidy Hasan Miraz to bowl against the left-hand batter Kamindu Mendis. The match-up didn’t work and Mehidy had to be taken out of the attack soon. Taijul later came back to take two of the last three wickets to fall. It took his tally to 237, nine short of Shakib’s record 246 for Bangladesh. At the press conference after stumps, one couldn’t draw Taijul into that conversation, such is his introverted nature. He would rather talk about his seam position.Taijul Islam added some crucial runs during Bangladesh’s first innings•Associated Press”I did what comes naturally to me, from the start of my career,” he said. “There is always the odd variation for the spinner. Like sometimes you will check how the ball behaves in certain pitches or seam positions. I was trying that only. I prefer bowling in long spells. I am used to bowling long spells. I never think that I can’t bowl long spells. That’s how I bowl in the nets, too.”Taijul said that Nissanka’s wicket helped Bangladesh restrict Sri Lanka when they looked like running away with a mammoth total on the second day. “He [Nissanka] is in great shape. He has struck two big knocks. He was an important breakthrough for us. I think his wicket helped us bowl them out reasonably quickly.”Taijul lamented Bangladesh’s batting performance in the game, too, and he may yet have to put up another rearguard action on the fourth day, with the visitors struggling.”I am a bowler, but I bat as well,” he said. “Our batting wasn’t that good. In the first innings, the wicket was good. Each batter got out after getting set. Had there been two hundreds or two fifties, the situation might have been different.”Weather could have a say on the fourth day, but Sri Lanka only have to dismantle Bangladesh’s lower order on their way to the series win. Taijul will make way for the white-ball specialists and will get back to training in Dhaka, and maybe get to play some red-ball cricket when the 2025-26 season opens in October.He will eye Shakib’s record against Ireland, though it will likely pale in comparison to the attention that Mushfiqur Rahim will get as he is projected to complete 100 Tests in that series. Taijul probably wouldn’t mind the limelight away from him even then.