England and New Zealand look for little gains

Rain seems to be following NZ at this World Cup and there is more expected in Visakhapatnam

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Oct-20254:21

Preview: Will England’s middle order step up?

Big picture: Can New Zealand salvage some pride?There is very nearly nothing on the line. If England win, they finish No. 2, which does not change their semi-final tie – they will play South Africa regardless. But that little bump up the table will certainly help them progress if the Guwahati knockout is subsequently rained out.New Zealand leave themselves at risk of slipping down to No. 7 or 8 if they lose, but even that is unlikely – Bangladesh having to beat India by a significant margin. The White Ferns will nevertheless be intent on salvaging a victory from an otherwise disappointing campaign. They had had to endure two washouts in Colombo, but have only beaten Bangladesh in their completed matches, going down comfortably to South Africa, India, and Australia.It is also Sophie Devine’s last match in the ODI format, with New Zealand’s captain having announced her retirement at the end of this World Cup. Devine is 36. Team-mate Suzie Bates, who is 38, could also be playing her last World Cup match, though she has not herself announced a retirement.England, meanwhile, may use this as an opportunity to tune up ahead of the final. They have consistently put up the same XI most of the way through the campaign. Perhaps they will give some tired bodies a rest.New Zealand have lost eight of their last nine ODIs against England•ICC/Getty ImagesForm guideEngland: LWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand: LWLLWIn the spotlight: Sophie Devine and England’s spin trioOne-hundred-and-fifty-eight matches, 4,256 runs, 110 wickets – whichever way you slice it, Sophie Devine’s numbers are immense. She had been the form batter of the tournament weeks ago, when she hit 112 against Australia, 85 against South Africa, and 63 against Bangladesh. The back-to-back washouts might have broken a litttle of her rhythm however. Can she regain it for her final ODI innings?Between Sophie Ecclestone (11), Linsey Smith (9), and Charlie Dean (7), England’s frontline spinners have 27 wickets in the tournament. None of these bowlers have gone at more than five an over (Dean has been by a distance the most expensive, with an economy rate of 4.73). They’d mostly had a quiet game in the loss to Australia. They will attempt to reimpose themselves.Team news: Will England rest key players?England may ring in the changes. With Sophia Dunkley not having made a major impact this tournament, could Danni Wyatt-Hodge come in? Could legspinner Sarah Glenn give one of the frontline spinners a rest?England (possible): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley/Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 6 Emma Lamb, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone/Sarah Glenn, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren BellFor New Zealand, there’s a little scrutiny on the place of Eden Carson, who has taken two wickets in the tournament.New Zealand (possible): 1 Suzie Bates, 2 Georgia Plimmer, 3 Amelia Kerr, 4 Sophie Devine, 5 Brooke Halliday, 6 Maddy Green, 7 Isabella Gaze (wk), 8 Jess Kerr, 9 Rosemary Mair, 10, Lea Tahuhu, 11 Eden Carson4:19

Healy, Knight, Mandhana, Devine, Dottin – analysing the best six-hitters

Pitch and conditions: Can the rain please stop?You won’t believe this, but there are rains forecast for Visakhapatnam on Sunday, with a cyclone supposedly brewing in the Bay of Bengal. So far this venue has seen medium-to-high scores during this World Cup, with India and Australia both having made more than 330 here in one match.Stats and trivia: NZ’s poor record vs England Sophie Ecclestone has taken at least one wicket in every match she has played so far this World Cup. Although she’s played only four innings, Devine is still among the tournament’s top five run-scorers, with 266 runs at an average of 66.50. New Zealand have lost eight of their last nine ODIs against England – a stretch that goes back to September 2021.

"Made it clear" – Arsenal star admits telling club's players he'll eventually join them

Questions surround some of the long-term futures of Arsenal’s stars, with Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta poised for tough decisions.

The Gunners are preparing for a relatively quiet January transfer window, as is usually the case for them, following their hefty £267 million summer spending spree, but a few notable first-team players could still depart the Emirates Stadium as Arteta continues refining his squad.

Gabriel Martinelli, who’s currently racing to be fit for Arsenal’s looming North London derby on Sunday, has emerged as the most high-profile potential departure.

The Brazilian winger has slipped down Arteta’s pecking order following the summer arrivals of Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, according to The Mail, with Arsenal apparently prepared to entertain significant offers for Martinelli.

Arsenal haven’t actively pushed for Martinelli’s departure, but there’s been little in the way of contract extension talks, suggesting the club are open to different options.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

His current deal runs until 2027 with an option for a further year, meaning Arsenal hold a strong negotiating position. Interest from Saudi Arabian clubs and Bayern Munich has been mooted, though Martinelli himself has shown little desire to leave the Emirates, and even stated back in 2022 that he’d stay his “whole life”.

Meanwhile, it is believed that Arsenal would be open to offers for Ben White, despite Arteta’s admiration of the right-back. The competition for places at full-back, combined with his fitness woes, has limited White to just one Premier League game all season.

Leandro Trossard penned new and improved terms at Arsenal recently, but this didn’t include an actual extension, so with his deal expiring in 2027, the BBC suggest that Arsenal could decide to sell the 30-year-old, despite him being one of their best attackers this season with four goals and four assists in all competitions.

Another player who could leave Arsenal in January is Ethan Nwaneri, though the club has zero intention of letting him go permanently.

The 18-year-old wonderkid has managed just 163 Premier League minutes this season despite his obvious talent, with Eze’s arrival limiting opportunities further. A temporary loan move could be sanctioned to accelerate his development, though Arsenal remain extremely high on his long-term potential following the five-year contract he signed last summer.

Then, there is the matter of Gabriel Jesus, who is out of contract in under two years.

Gabriel Jesus makes Palmeiras admission amid doubts over Arsenal future

Jesus is back in training and working his way back from an ACL injury he picked up against Man United at the start of 2025, and Arteta has expressed how he cannot wait to welcome their ‘unpredictable’ weapon back on the field.

However, the 28-year-old has also confirmed his interest in joining Palmeiras after his spell at Arsenal, with Jesus making another admission to Globo Esporte.

The Brazil international told the South American media outlet, via Standard Sport, that he’s informed Palmeiras players of his intentions to eventually join them.

Interestingly, The Mail reported recently that Arsenal could be open to bids for Jesus in the new year, so his return to Palmeiras may even come sooner than he’d expected if they can foot the bill.

The former Man City star is currently on £265,000-per-week in N5, so the Brazilian Serie A side would need him to take a dramatic pay decrease for this move to be possible.

If not, it is certainly one to watch for the future.

Kohli, after all this time, just for this moment

Every year, Virat Kohli dusted himself off and brought the same energy to the IPL for RCB. After 18 years, he is finally an IPL champion

Sidharth Monga04-Jun-20252:28

Aaron: Kohli has been king of the castle for 18 years

Virat Kohli just didn’t know what to do with himself. It had finally happened. Josh Hazlewood had bowled a dot ball on the second ball of the last over. Punjab Kings now needed 29 to win off the last four balls. He later suggested to AB de Villiers, friend and former Royal Challengers Bengaluru team-mate, with whom he put together many magical stands, that he was struggling to hold back tears. Now, though, it was mathematically impossible to lose if Hazlewood didn’t concede extras. Kohli has faced enough of Hazlewood to know that wasn’t going to happen.It’s funny. If you look back at any of RCB’s interviews in the last week or so, you see signs of a team that believed this was their time. Their players signed off from New Chandigarh promising bigger celebrations on June 3. Kohli said that before the final he had told de Villiers that he wanted him to celebrate with them “when” they lifted the trophy at the end of the night.And yet, when it does actually come around, you don’t know what to do. As Kohli later said, he gave this team his youth, his prime, his everything, just for this moment. The team gave back. He came across players here who shaped his international career. Every year he dusted himself off and brought the same energy to the team. After the 2009 heartbreak, when he was just a kid. After 2016, when it seemed even more preordained than this year.Related

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You can trick your mind into believing there is no power that can stop you from winning, but when you have had that kind of history, you can’t visualise what you will do after winning. On top of that, there are four balls to go before you can let yourself go completely.At the end of the second ball, Kohli covered his face, and then covered even his eyes. The fingers came back wet. He had to wipe them on the back of his trousers. He was fielding at deep midwicket, one of the hot zones in the death overs that needs your best fielders. The next ball flew away for a six into the leg side. You have never seen Kohli react slower. He just jogged towards the ball and let someone from the infield retrieve it.RCB coach Andy Flower later acknowledged that those who believe in fate would have a story to tell because geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan led to the suspension of IPL 2025 just when Royal Challengers’ campaign was flagging with injuries to Rajat Patidar and Hazlewood, which gave both players time to recover. Their opponents in the final, PBKS, lost a key player because the delay disrupted his team’s WTC final preparations.Try talking about fate to Kohli. He kept moving in circles as boundaries came off the last three balls. He looked deep into the stands. When you are struggling to hold back tears, looking into the distance helps. The same stands that mourned with him on November 19 two years ago were celebrating with him. A lot of them had come from Bengaluru. Not just English- and Kannada- and Dakhni-speaking fans, but also Tamil- and Hindi speakers who have settled in Bengaluru. The metro rides from Ahmedabad to Motera were jampacked and suffocating, but they endured it with discipline and joy. Perhaps they believe in fate.

The crowd for Qualifier 2 – on a Sunday – was only about half of this. Most of them were in the No. 18 knockoffs. Flight tickets from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad had risen to close to Rs 40,000 one way (over US$460). They still came. As they have been coming for 18 years. Never dunking on their team even when they were ridiculed for the team’s performance.One ball later, Kohli used the blue towel and threw it over the rope. It didn’t matter if the ball was wet now. Krunal Pandya began to celebrate after the fourth ball. He wouldn’t know what Kohli was going through. This was Krunal’s fourth title. His second Player of the Match in a final. He can’t know the pain of waiting with the same side for 18 long years.Kohli said there might have been moments of doubt in between, but he never seriously considered moving to any other franchise. He wanted to win his first IPL with RCB. Not many do, but he had found home at the first go. He gave his heart, soul, and now his experience to “Bangalore”. This is where he went from wild child to lean, mean fighting machine to responsible statesman. At some point along the way, it became his forever home. No matter how much you trick yourself into believing you will win, when you are slowly winding down and retiring from one format after the other, surely there are times you wonder: what if you never win?Before the last ball, Kohli threw away his cap as well. As the ball flew away for the final six, he sank to his knees with the grace of a Roger Federer icing one of his many Grand Slam wins when the opponent made an error. If there aren’t any already, there will soon be split-screen edits showing both falling to their knees upon winning.Virat Kohli and silverware make a striking pair•BCCIThat it means enough to Kohli to bring him to tears is vindication of how important the IPL is and how utterly difficult winning it is. Kohli is someone who has won almost all there is to win in cricket. The IPL is still a young product. Not long ago, it started as a glorified holiday for overseas players. This tournament needed a buy-in from its big stars.For 18 years, Kohli has given it his all, celebrating, anguishing, sledging, putting his reputation on the line beefing with kids, reinventing his game to triple the percentage of good-length balls he slogs. His tears of anguish, and now tears of joy, are perhaps the most glowing endorsement for the tournament.Second only to the crowd. About three-fourths of the 92,000 people who turned up stayed back till the end of the bloated presentations that went on for nearly an hour and a half after the match ended. They all sounded like they had the night of their lives despite all the struggles of attending a match in India. People were on the phone telling their loved ones they were “right there” when “we” won. A lot of them were going to go straight to the airport or the train station because Ahmedabad just doesn’t have enough hotels to accommodate everyone who comes to attend a match at the humongous stadium.There were many chasing the team bus to the hotel. That RCB will get a much bigger celebration, most likely an open-top bus ride with the trophy, in Bengaluru is a matter of when more than if. By then, Kohli and the others will not be fumbling with their reactions. They will have slept like babies and woken up to confirm this is not just a dream. That they are the IPL champions.

Services defeat Assam in 90 overs for shortest Ranji match

In a record-breaking event, Services defeated Assam in just 90 overs, making it the shortest completed match in Ranji Trophy history.The match set a new mark in terms of balls bowled (540) to reach a result, surpassing the previous record of 547 from the 1961-62 clash between Delhi and Railways. Only 359 runs were scored and 32 wickets fell.The game also saw a historic feat: two bowlers from Services – left-arm spinner Arjun Sharma and left-arm seamer Mohit Jangra – claimed hat-tricks in the same innings, the first time this has occurred in the Ranji Trophy’s 91-year history.

The home team Assam, after choosing to bat, were bundled out for 103 in 17.2 overs, with Pradyun Saikia top-scoring with 52.In reply, Services managed just 108 in 29.2 overs as Riyan Parag picked up a career-best 5 for 25 alongside Rahul Singh’s 4 for 44.Assam collapsed to 75 all out in 29.3 overs in the second innings, thanks to impressive spells from Arjun (4 for 20) and support from Amit Shukla, who picked up 6-2-6-3Chasing a target of 71, Services crossed the line in just 13.5 overs for the loss to two wickets as the game came to an end in just four sessions. In 1934, the first-ever Ranji match between Madras and Mysore lasted just three sessions (but that one still had more balls bowled)The venue for the Assam-Services game, Tinsukia District Sports Association Ground in Tinsukia, had not hosted a Ranji Trophy game since January 2001, when Orissa beat the hosts by nine wickets.Services top the table in Elite Group C with 13 points from two wins in as many games while Assam are fifth in the group with one point from two matches.

Harmanpreet rues India's 6 for 36 collapse against Australia

India went from 294 for 4 in the 43rd over to 330 all out, a total that proved inadequate

Vishal Dikshit12-Oct-20253:54

Review: Healy’s 142 was Australia’s bedrock

India’s famed top five finally came to the party at the Women’s World Cup 2025 to put on a staggering total of 330 but such was their lower-order collapse, the flatness of the pitch, and the might of the Australians that India fell “30 to 40 runs” short.It was the first time any team had scored over 300 while batting first against Australia but India believe they could have got much more after they were placed at 294 for 4 in 42.5 overs. As it happened, they lost the next six wickets for 36 runs to be bowled out with seven balls to spare. After their openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal scored half-centuries, India’s middle-order batters got off to starts but they and the lower order couldn’t cash in on the promise.”The way we started we thought if we could have added more 30-40 runs on the board, we missed runs in the last six-seven overs,” captain Harmanpreet Kaur said at the presentation. “We kept losing wickets and that really cost us because today’s pitch was totally different. We knew it was a good batting wicket, but those last six overs where we were not able to capitalise really cost us.Related

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“Today the first 40 overs were really good and in the last 10 we were not executing well. In matches these things are going to happen, we are not going to be 100% all the time but it’s very important how you come back.”Head coach Amol Muzumdar concurred with his captain that India had to finish better to get over the line. He pointed to the defeat to South Africa, where they couldn’t defend 251 despite being in a strong position, to highlight that the team have issues with the ball as well.Both Harmanpreet Kaur and Amol Muzumdar felt India did not finish well with the ball•Getty Images

“Look, in my opinion, the finish is very important in a cricket game,” Muzumdar said at the press conference. “I always say, even in this dressing room, that yes, we need a good start, but we need a better finish. So, if you see the finish that we had in the South Africa game, as far as bowling is concerned in the last five overs, we ended up losing that game. And, even today, basically, if we would have got another 20 runs, maybe things would have been different. But, at the same time, it’s been a gradual progress for us. And there are a lot of learnings. I keep talking about positives and learnings. One of the things to learn is to finish well.”India have struggled to defend competitive totals in their last two games, losing both with seven and six balls remaining. They have played these games with only five bowlers in batting-friendly conditions. Their next match against England is in Indore, which tends to offer plenty of runs as well. Will India look to bolster their attack?”Obviously, after this game, we will have a look at it,” Muzumdar said. “I am sure the team management will have a proper discussion about this and then we will take a right call as we approach the next game. I am sure about that.”Harmanpreet, however, did not sound too keen to change India’s combination which has five frontline batters, a wicketkeeper-batter, three allrounders and two frontline bowlers.”We’ll sit and discuss [about five bowlers] because this combination has given us a lot of success in the past,” she said. “Two bad games are not going to make a big difference for us. Going forward there are a lot of things we need to sort it out and hopefully we’ll come up with the best approach.”One of the other issues for India, compared to teams that have been doing better, is their consumption of dot balls. It was a much larger issue in their first three games of the World Cup before they addressed it against Australia where five of their top seven had strike rates in excess of 100.”Well, to be honest, after the previous game, we had an elongated discussion about how we are going to approach the batting innings,” Muzumdar said. “That was one of the things that was discussed about the dot-ball percentage. So far, in the last year-and-a-half, we have been playing very aggressive cricket. I thought today was a good display. Yes, the dot-ball percentage has come down. But, we will have a closer look at it, I don’t know what the percentage is (48% against Australia), but we would like to get it down.”

Blue Jays vs. Mariners Game 7: 5 Players That Will Decide Series Finale

The American League Championship Series comes down to one game to decide who will meet the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series.

What follows is a look at the five players who will decide the outcome of Game 7 on Monday night.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladdy Jr. has been on fire in the postseason, hitting .462 with a franchise postseason record six home runs and 12 RBIs. He's posting a ridiculous OPS of 1.532 in October, but has hammered Mariners pitching in this series. In the last four games, he's 9-for-15 with three home runs, three walks and one strikeout. He has also done some crazy things. There isn't a baseball player on the planet hotter than Guerrero right now. He'll have his say on Monday night.

Cal Raleigh

Like Guerrero, Raleigh has been big in the playoffs. He's hitting .302 with four home runs and seven RBIs, and also boasts an OPS of 1.028. Aaron Judge's only challenger for the AL MVP award, Raleigh has been mostly bottled up in this series. The 60-homer man is 5-for-22 with two home runs against the Blue Jays. In his career against Toronto's Game 7 starter Shane Bieber, Raleigh is 2-for-8 with a pair of singles and a strikeout. Seattle needs him to break through against the righty. If he doesn't, Seattle's offense may not have the punch it needs to win.

Shane Bieber

Speaking of Bieber, who would have thought he'd be here? He spent most of the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, then the Guardians sent him to Toronto at the trade deadline before he'd pitched a big league game in his return. Now he's starting Game 7 of the ALCS. The former Cy Young winner has made two postseason starts and is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP and 10 striekouts against two walks in 8 2/3 innings. He took the win in Game 3 of the series, as he went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out eight. Toronto would take that performance again in a heartbeat.

George Kirby

Kirby took the loss in Game 3 and had the opposite performance of Bieber. He surrendered eight runs on eight its in four-plus innings and the Blue Jays hit three home runs on him. Before that, the 27-year-old righty had allowed three runs on nine hits in 10 postseason innings. His lone ALCS start ballooned his playoff ERA to 7.07. The Mariners need him to bounce back and put his Game 3 disaster behind him. If he can't, the season may end Monday night.

Josh Naylor

Naylor has made himself a lot of money in the postseason. The Mariners acquired the impending free agent from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline and he has been oustanding when it has mattered the post. His has three postseason home runs and is hitting .341 with a .974 OPS in October. He has hammered Toronto's pitching in this series as well. Naylor is 9-for-21 with all three of his postseason homers in the first six games of the series. In the last three games, he's 6-for-10 with two bombs. If Seattle is getting a big hit in Game 7, there's a good bet Naylor will be the one delivering it.

Quarta será decisiva para o futuro do Internacional

MatériaMais Notícias

Após o pontapé inicial nas mudanças na direção, o Internacional terá uma quarta-feira (10) decisiva para o futuro do clube. Depois das saídas do vice de futebol José Olavo Bisol, do diretor executivo André Mazzuco e do diretor esportivo Andrés D’Alessandro, e de se reunir com dirigentes históricos, o presidente Alessandro Barcellos terá uma série de movimentos para substituir os integrantes do Departamento de Futebol.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasInternacionalInternacional levanta transfer ban aplicado pela FifaInternacional10/12/2025InternacionalInternacional perto de oficializar saída de volanteInternacional10/12/2025InternacionalBastidores da crise: o que aconteceu no Internacional em 2025Internacional09/12/2025

➡️Tudo sobre o Colorado agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Internacional

Nos bastidores, a ideia é que Abel Braga continue no clube. Não mais como técnico, mas como dirigente. Pelo que apurou o Lance! junto a pessoas próximas ao treinador aposentado, a tendência é de que, devido às saídas de Mazzuco e, principalmente D’Alessandro, Abelão não aceite o convite para trabalhar nos bastidores do futebol alvirrubro.

Quarta será decisiva

Até a tarde de terça, o argentino era cotado para ser treinador do Inter em 2026, um pedido de Abel. O ex-camisa 10 fez o curso de técnico da Associação Argentina de Futebol e estaria apto a comandar equipes. O ídolo colorado, contudo, estaria irredutível quanto a não assumir a casamata. Além disso, deixou o cargo por “questões particulares”.

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Agora, Barcellos terá que encontrar substitutos para a vice-presidência de futebol, para as direções executiva e esportiva, além também de técnico. Para o cargo, antes do anúncio das saídas, dois profissionais eram cotados, ambos trabalharam recentemente em Curitiba. Pelo que apurou o Lance!, o ficha 1 seria Mozart, campeão com o Coxa na Série B. O outro é Odair Hellmann, do Atlético-PR.

Como nos nomes que vinham trabalhando nessas possibilidades não estão mais na avenida Padre Cacique, é possível que a escolha do futuro treinador fique em compasso de espera, pelo menos enquanto novos dirigentes não assumem. Vale lembrar que a temporada 2026 começa no final de semana de 10 e 11 de janeiro, com o Gauchão. Já o Brasileirão tem seu início marcado para 28 de janeiro.

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Brook lost for answers as NZ hand England another ODI 'hammering'

White-ball captain frustrated by failure of players to adapt to requirements of 50-over cricket

Cameron Ponsonby30-Oct-2025Harry Brook conceded his side had been “hammered” by New Zealand, with the white-ball captain at a loss to explain England’s struggles in the format.For the first time during Brook’s tenure as captain, he failed to hide his disappointment after England slipped to a sixth ODI series defeat in seven and the second of his brief captaincy career.For all the talk of wanting to entertain, Brook’s disappointment was tangible as he responded to a question as to whether the result in Hamilton was the first time he had been frustrated with his players.”It’s disappointing, isn’t it,” Brook said. “You go round every single player there and you think, ‘bloody hell, there aren’t many teams that they don’t get into in the world’. It’s disappointing we haven’t performed as well as we could. It happens. They’ve played well and sometimes you’ve got to hold your hand up and say they’ve been the better team.”England were bowled out for 175 in the second ODI, three days after they had fallen to 234 all out at Mount Maunganui – a total saved by Brook’s own superb 135.It is a concerning trend for an England side who have been bowled out in seven of their eight away ODIs this year. In a remarkable statistic that was raised on the podcast, in 2025 they have failed to reach 250 in any innings where Joe Root hasn’t made a half-century himself. Furthermore, their commitment to “going hard” is borne out by the fact that when batting first this year, they have either made 350, or failed to bat their overs.Related

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Brook brilliance can't mask issues for brittle England batting

For years, England had the excuse of their frontline players rarely competing in the ODI format, and the consequent difficulties that players face when adapting back to the format. That excuse doesn’t hold this year, with a settled batting line-up who have been available throughout. Furthermore, with five of England’s ODI top six also in the Test squad, the theory is that their natural attacking game should be well suited to the rhythms of one-day cricket, although this has also failed to be the case.”It’s not too dissimilar to the way we play Test cricket, really,” Brook said of the difficulties of switching formats. “We play aggressively in Test cricket and it’s not too far off. Obviously we haven’t played much one-day cricket in the last however many years. I can’t quite put my finger on why we haven’t batted well enough. It’s just one of those things. You come to play the second-best team in the world on their own patch and they’ve hammered us.”Brook also refused to be drawn on losing both tosses against New Zealand, where the chance to bowl first in the opening ODI at Mount Maunganui would have been a significant advantage.”That’s just an excuse,” Brook said. “I haven’t won many tosses, I’d have liked to have had a bowl today [in Hamilton] but that’s just an excuse. Everybody in that batting line-up is good enough to be able to face a swinging and seaming ball, cope with that and score runs against that.”There was one promising sign for England during the second ODI, with Jofra Archer returning to England colours for the first time this winter and producing a fantastic display of bowling where he claimed three for 23 from his ten overs.Having only arrived in the country a few days previously, Archer’s speeds were high as he averaged 88mph across his first spell. There was one moment of concern, when Archer appeared to injure himself diving for a ball in the outfield, but it later transpired that he had merely winded himself heavily, and he returned soon after to bowl out his remaining overs.”He’s gone back-to-back five-over spells there, after just getting off the plane a few days ago,” Brook said. “So hopefully he recovers alright. But thankfully he did run in for me. That’s all I asked from him and he was bowling wheels. He’s going to be good to touch for the rest of this winter.”England will hope to respond to the series defeat in a similar manner to how they bounced back in their last ODI against South Africa in September, where they put on 414 for 5, a game which Brook hopes they can take confidence from.”It’s disappointing for the fans, who want to watch us, we entertain people, because they know that we play such an exciting brand of cricket.”It was only a couple of games ago against South Africa in the summer when we got 400, so we’re not a million miles away. It’s just about a couple of scores here and there and then we nail it down and hopefully we do find that template.”

Switch Hit: Travball 1-0 Bazball

After England’s dramatic two-day capitulation to start the 2025-26 Ashes, Alan Gardner hears from Vish Ehantharajah and Alex Malcolm about what went down in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2025After all the talk, time for a speed walk. The 2025-26 Ashes got underway in rip-roaring style, as Australia overturned a first-innings deficit to win by eight wickets in Perth, thanks to Travis Head’s century for the ages. Can England fight back from 1-0 down? On Switch, Alan Gardner was joined by Vithushan Ehantharajah and Alex Malcolm to consider that question and more. Will Head continue to open? How did England squander their advantage? And should we start worrying about Joe Root? Also under consideration was Mitchell Starc’s greatness and what’s in store for Brisbane.

Farke must unleash “wonderkid” who’d be perfect for Nmecha’s new Leeds role

Leeds United moved out of the relegation zone in the Premier League this week with an impressive 3-1 win over Chelsea at Elland Road on Wednesday night, in a game that was underpinned by Daniel Farke’s structural changes.

The German head coach, who has typically deployed a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation during his time at the club, opted to start with a 3-5-2 system against Enzo Maresca’s team.

It worked wonders for the Whites as they went on to claim all three points, thanks to goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Why Leeds United's formation change worked so well

Changing from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 worked so well for the Whites because it allowed Jayden Bogle, who assisted the second goal, and Gabriel Gudmundsson to push higher up the pitch with three centre-backs providing enough cover defensively.

It also meant that the Whites could play with two strikers, instead of leaving one isolated on their own, and that led to Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha causing plenty of problems.

The two centre-forwards combined to win 13 duels against the Chelsea defenders and won four fouls, without committing any, per Sofascore, which shows that they were a nightmare to deal with throughout the game.

Nmecha, in particular, has benefitted from having Calvert-Lewin’s physicality alongside him. The German forward, who has scored four Premier League goals, has lost 69% of his ground duels this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he struggles with the physical side of leading the line on his own.

Having another, more physical, striker alongside him means that he can focus on making runs in behind and pressing opposition defenders, which is what makes it such an effective pairing, or at least what made it so effective against Chelsea.

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Whilst Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin got the job done on Wednesday, Harry Gray could be perfect for the new role that Nmecha is now playing for Leeds.

Why Harry Gray should be unleashed in Lukas Nmecha's new role

Bringing young players into the first-team is difficult in any circumstance, but even more so in the Premier League with all that is at stake in a relegation battle.

Academy talents are not used to the physicality of professional football and may need time to adapt, particularly strikers, which is why this new role that Nmecha has could be perfect for Gray.

Farke must finally unleash the 17-year-old centre-forward for his Premier League debut in the coming weeks because playing alongside an experienced striker like Calvert-Lewin could be an ideal introduction to regular football at senior level.

Gray, who was described as the club’s “newest Wonderkid” by talent scout Jacek Kulig and his contributor Joe Blackburn, has scored a whopping ten goals in 11 games in all competitions for the academy this season, per Transfermarkt.

Appearances

3

Goals

2

Conversion rate

50%

Assists

1

Dribbles completed per game

2.0

Ground duel success rate

52%

Aerial duel success rate

38%

As you can see in the table above, the teenage forward has scored two goals in three EFL Trophy games, playing against League One and League Two sides, but has struggled with the aerial duels in those games.

This suggests that he would not be well-suited to playing as a lone striker in the Premier League for Leeds, as he would need to duel with towering top-flight centre-backs and hold the ball up under intense pressure, which is also where Nmecha struggled earlier this season.

Therefore, playing alongside Calvert-Lewin, who won six of his nine aerial duels against Chelsea (Sofascore), could be the perfect way for him to be introduced into the first-team this season.

Gray’s return of 14 goals in 20 U21s games and eight goals in 11 U18s matches for Leeds, per Transfermarkt, shows that he has the technical and goalscoring qualities to potentially make an impact for the Whites, but it is the physicality that is questionable.

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This change in formation from Farke, though, may alleviate those concerns because of how the two-striker system works, and that is why the manager should unleash the teen sensation in Nmecha’s role in the coming weeks.

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