The tours of Australia and England were largely successful, but the failures were dramatic, and that is something South Africa have to be wary of

Firdose Moonda15-Sep-2025South Africa’s 2025-26 season-opening white-ball tours of Australia and England have ended with more success than failure. Across formats, they won six out of 11 matches and two out of four series, with one series defeat and the fourth shared. At the same time, they suffered their two biggest ODI defeats (in dead rubbers) and their largest T20I loss.The blowouts must sting, especially because South Africa were hoping to bounce back from the last of them in the washed-out game at Trent Bridge on Sunday, but T20I captain Aiden Markram said South Africa are hopeful the setbacks were a thing of the past which wouldn’t need further dissection.”You never like losing and then you don’t like losing by big margins either, so it certainly hurts the egos. It certainly hurts the feeling but we’ve addressed it obviously post that second T20,” Markram said. “It’s happened three times and I’ve put a lot of emphasis on making sure it doesn’t happen again. If you look after the way we approach the game and our processes off the field, we have to have belief that hopefully that’s not going to be a thing that continues.”Related

Maharaj withdrawn from T20I squad, Fortuin called up

Brevis, Markram earn record sums at SA20 2025-26 auction

Breetzke must play, room for Jansen – SA's ODI lessons

There are other aspects to consider with 14 T20Is scheduled before next year’s World Cup.One of those is the game against Namibia on October 11, which is being held to celebrate the new ground in Windhoek. It will be played with an understrength side as several South Africa regulars will be in Pakistan for a Test that starts the next day. But another eight games will be played in the subcontinent (three in Pakistan and five in India) and those will likely give South Africa their clearest idea of combinations before the SA20 and five home T20Is against West Indies immediately prior to the World Cup.Here are the areas of concern five months away from the big tournament:Do South Africa have the right openers?Markram and Ryan Rickelton are the chosen ones in order to allow the bigger hitters to make up the rest of the line-up and, so far, they haven’t shot the lights out. In five matches, they have one stand of 50 and three others under 15. While Rickelton’s form is a concern – he hasn’t got a half-century in his last ten international innings across formats – Markram’s position is. He has spent most of his career at No. 4 and recognises that opening presents a different challenge, which he is still adapting to.”The middle order is a place where you have to have your game on different levels at different times, whereas opening needs you to be more consistent with your planning,” he said. “Sometimes you get good wickets and you can cash in. I’ve felt like I’ve got in a few times now, but I haven’t quite cashed in. The focus moving forward is to continue to try and get the team off to good starts, but then when you get in, [you have] to play proper match-winning knocks.”Should South Africa have a rethink and move Markram down, they may also look at bringing back Rassie van der Dussen (the MI Cape Town opener) for a few months of T20 cricket, or to throw Lhuan-dre Pretorius in at the deep end. If the latter comes at Rickelton’s expense, they could also give Pretorius the gloves.Kwena Maphaka has shown that he belongs at this level•Getty ImagesCan Jansen, Bosch and Maphaka be in the same XI?Marco Jansen was not available for the Australia series as he recovered from thumb surgery, but the Corbin Bosch-Kwena Maphaka combination worked really well there.Between them, the two quicks took 16 wickets at an average of 12.68 across three matches.All three were in the same XI for the opener against England, but Maphaka didn’t bowl in a rain-reduced encounter where Kagiso Rabada made his comeback. They were able to fit all four seamers in because Lungi Ngidi was out.The question facing South Africa will be how to juggle things if they get a situation where all their quicks are available and it would likely come down to two out of the three names in the headline above.While all of them are quick, Jansen and Bosch are genuine allrounders and offer big-hitting while Jansen and Maphaka are both left-arm bowlers. If that already sounds like a problem of plenty, consider that South Africa also have raw pace in Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee, neither of whom are being considered for T20Is at the moment, waiting in the wings.South Africa would be desperate to have Keshav Maharaj back in time for the T20 World Cup•Getty ImagesThe issue with injuriesDavid Miller was given special dispensation to miss the Australia T20Is because of his deal to play in the Hundred, but the agreement was that would then stay on in England for South Africa’s series. His body had other ideas. Miller injured his hamstring and could play no part in the T20Is, which denied South Africa’s middle-order experience.Dewald Brevis’ immense talent meant South Africa still had firepower in their line-up, but a combination of Brevis and Miller will be worth seeing, if only to see how strong it could be. That opportunity could come at the end of next month in Pakistan.By then, South Africa will also hope to have Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj back from hamstring and groin concerns, respectively. Both players are crucial to their T20 World Cup plans with Ngidi’s variations earning him a more regular spot across all formats and Maharaj’s reliability pushing out George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy, both of whom originally had what coach Shukri Conrad called “the inside lane” on World Cup selection. Bjorn Fortuin, the other spinner in the set-up, only has an outside chance of getting another look-in.As things stand, none of the other frontline T20I players are injured (though Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma has a calf niggle which will put him in a race against time for the Pakistan series), but from mid-October, South Africa play non-stop until March. They will need to balance some players between the need to get their WTC title defence off to a good start with their desire to progress as far as possible at the T20 World Cup.

She wasn’t Bangladesh’s only match-winner, but Marufa’s hooping deliveries set the tone for victory

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Oct-2025Imagine having taken almost 18% of the pace-bowling ODI wickets your country has ever got, all by yourself. Imagine having done all that in less than four years in internationals, before you turn 21. Then imagine that, in your first ever World Cup match, your captain throws you the new ball to set the team’s campaign into motion, and in that tone-setting over, you bowl spectacular deliveries back-to-back to dismiss two batters, one of whom is the opposition’s best.Welcome to the life of Marufa Akter. If you are new here (many of us are), there are two internet pages worthy of your consideration. If you are a numbers person, try this link and note her figures in Asia, in particular. If you’re more of a visual learner (and even if you’re not, this one will still electrify you), try this clip of her taking her wickets.Note that she is not merely “swinging” these deliveries. Marufa is them. Sending them around a corner, like a stock car on slick tyres, drifting around a bend. Like a planet falling into orbit having shot too close to a star.Related

• Young ones to watch: Kranti Goud, Georgia Voll and Lauren Bell prepare to light up World Cup

• Bowlers, Haider propel Bangladesh to second win at World Cup

• Bangladesh coach Sarwar Imran returns to work days after suffering minor stroke

Colombo’s humid conditions are generally good for new-ball swing, and great inswing bowlers have operated here before. But the last time this Khettarama Stadium saw a right-arm bowler send such unplayable bananas down the track, Nuwan Kulasekara was the architect. But Kulasekara played 20 ODIs at this venue. Marufa was doing it in her first ever ODI in the country.”I know my balls swing more, more, more,” Marufa said in English, which is a distant second language for her, roughly six hours after her opening spell. And still “more, more, more” catches the spirit of the amount of swing she was getting. She went on, in English, to try and explain what her last thoughts before she went to bed were: “Always, I’ve been thinking, how to do well in the first match, and be the matchwinner.”Others would take up the mantle and drive home the advantage that Marufa won. Shorna Akter, the only bowler to turn the ball significantly in this match, took three wickets for five runs. Nahida Akter also took two wickets, but for 19 runs, when Marufa gave away 31. There was no doubt as to who had set the tone for this Bangladesh win, however. Those two hooping inswingers should now become articles of excellence in the World Cup lore.Right-arm bowlers bowling inswing to right-arm batters is understood to be one of the oldest hustles in this sport. Many right-armers anyway generate inswing to right-handers, who are taught by coaches from childhood upwards never to keep a gap in between bat an pad.But the best inswing bowlers, like Marufa against Pakistan, upset this paradigm. The best inswing bowlers that gap between bat and pad, starting wide of the stumps, swinging from the hand, but then continuing to swing at increasingly sharp angles.The Marufa ball to Omaima Sohail may perhaps be a life highlight – the cricket ball swerving dramatically past all hard objects until the top of leg stump is found. The next ball was perhaps less impressive, but had more impact. Marufa started this inswinger waaay outside off. Having seen her team-mate’s stumps rattled, Sidra Amin – Pakistan’s best batter this year – maybe felt the need to play. She was good enough to get an inside edge to a ball that was swinging prodigiously; unfortunately for her, it richocheted into her leg stump.After the match, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said that Marufa’s early wickets had suggested that seamers would thrive on this pitch. But Pakistan’s quicks couldn’t quite find the same impact.’We really enjoyed bowling with the new ball as the ball was seaming around,” Sana said. “Danny [Diana Baig] also felt the same. So we were trying to take early wickets but unfortunately we could take only one wicket each. We saw Marufa bowled well, so we knew there would be help for pacers.”How Marufa develops remains to be seen, but at age 20 she is already making matchwinning contributions. And in her first over at a big one-day tournament, she bowled two deliveries this World Cup could be remembered by.

Durban will host a playoff for the first time

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2025Newlands will host the opening match as well as the final of the SA20 2025-26. The tournament begins on December 26 with defending champions MI Cape Town taking on Durban’s Super Giants. The final will be played on January 25.The Qualifier 1 will take place in Durban on January 21, the Eliminator in Centurion on January 23, and the Qualifier 2 in Johannesburg the following day.”The SA20 season 4 is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting summer of cricket, kicking off on Boxing Day and running through the holiday period,” Graeme Smith, the league commissioner, said. “Last year Newlands sold out all five matches at the venue and with the final taking place on a Sunday, it sets up an incredible afternoon with great weather, entertainment and a lively atmosphere to crown our season 4 champions.Related

SA20: Markram heads to the auction ahead of 2026 season

Klusener to remain in charge of Super Giants in SA20

“Durban will host a playoff for the first time. We are hoping this will excite the fans, especially because the two best teams of the competition will be playing in that Qualifier 1. We’re also excited to go back to Centurion and Wanderers on Thursday and Friday nights. It’s always key to have the venues close together because the matches are a day apart.”For now, the teams will be focused on the player auction scheduled for September 9, where they will finalise their 19-player squads.Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of SA20, and were runners-up in the previous edition, where they fell short against MI Cape Town.

There is also a battle of wristspinners to look out for

Shashank Kishore and Danyal Rasool13-Sep-20251:12

Chopra: Varun and Kuldeep’s eight overs are key

The superstars face offWhen Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Shubman Gill with 100,000 people watching in Ahmedabad at the 2023 World Cup, he felt “you could’ve heard a fly buzzing, such was the silence.”Gill, now India’s all-format superstar, is touted to be a captain-in-waiting across formats, having slipped almost effortlessly into the role in Test cricket.Related

New-look India and Pakistan set to renew old rivalry

Mohammad Nawaz reinvents himself just in time for India

Hasan Nawaz brings the muscle to Pakistan's middle

India batting coach Kotak: Nothing in mind apart from cricket

India vs Pakistan, minus the fervour

After two difficult years battling back injuries, form slumps, and seeing T20I captaincy come and go, Afridi seems to have rediscovered the menace that once made him Pakistan’s most feared quick: the late in-swing, the skiddy pace, the ability to rip out top orders, like he famously did when Pakistan beat India at the 2021 T20 World Cup on these shores.The two, no strangers to stare downs or sharp words stretching back to their Under-19 World Cup days, will cross paths again on Sunday, for the first time in T20Is.The battle of the wristspinnersIn any other team, Kuldeep Yadav would be an all-format player. In India, though, he has had to make peace with being a white-ball specialist. His four-wicket haul against UAE, after spending the entire summer on the sidelines in England, may have been a neat little prelude.Kuldeep knows this stage well. No one can forget that ball to Babar Azam at the 2019 World Cup, bowling him through the gate and leaving even the late Shane Warne guffawing in admiration.Abrar Ahmed gives Shubman Gill a send-off at the Champions Trophy•Associated PressAlongside him is Varun Chakravarthy, whose career arc could fill a Tamil blockbuster. The ex-architect and film hopeful was dropped soon after India’s early exit at the 2021 T20 World Cup. He wondered if he would ever wear India colours again. But since the last T20 World Cup, which he didn’t even make, no bowler has taken more T20I wickets than Varun’s 32.Pakistan have their own mystery spinners. Sufiyan Muqeem, the left-arm wristspinner, came through the ‘A’ system, has been one of their brightest prospects and is the first Pakistani, at No. 10, in the above list. He is quicker through the air than Kuldeep, more in the mould of Noor Ahmad.Muqeem was instrumental in Pakistan’s win over India at the 2023 Emerging Asia Cup and now has a chance to do it on the big stage. He isn’t a regular yet, but one dazzling ball or spell, like Abrar Ahmed’s ripper that breached Gill’s defence at the Champions Trophy earlier this year, could change that.Varun-and-Kuldeep versus Muqeem-and-Abrar is a fascinating subplot.It will not be easy for Mohammad Haris to take on Jasprit Bumrah•Getty ImagesBumrah against Haris – facts or feelings?Mohammad Haris, like Sam Konstas, is not better at his craft than Jasprit Bumrah is at his. But the Australian rode his luck in an astonishing Test innings on debut against Bumrah, reverse-scooping him twice for a six and smashing 18 in the most expensive over of the fast bowler’s Test career and Haris could do something similar here in the T20 format.Like Konstas, Haris too will be facing Bumrah for the first time and, like Konstas, he too has a penchant for high-risk shot-making. In just his second T20I, Haris reinvigorated Pakistan’s flagging T20I World Cup campaign in 2022. He took on South Africa’s elite pace bowlers, smashing Kagiso Rabada for 17 in an 11-ball knock that produced 28.Scoring only 54 runs in 11 innings before Friday’s Asia Cup game against Oman demonstrates how that approach fails more often than not. However, Haris’ conventional technique is nowhere near good enough to take on a bowler of Bumrah’s quality. So expect him to try to lash, thrash, paddle and scoop his way to a cameo, because that is all Pakistan need from him, just like they did at the SCG three years ago. But if facts and logic have their way, it might not come off.Can Hasan Nawaz tackle elite spinners?•Associated PressHasan Nawaz vs India’s spin eliteHasan Nawaz has emerged as Pakistan’s bludgeon outside of the powerplay. Having tinkered around with his batting position, Pakistan have begun using him when the field spreads out, where his 2025 T20 strike of 174.09 is below only Dewald Brevis and Tim David’s.Notably though, Hasan’s strike rate drops down to 150 against spin, as opposed to 173.48 against pace. He takes on each kind of bowling – he has his 17 T20I sixes against each – so the quality of spin appears to be making a difference.Against Afghanistan in the recent tri-series, he scored 33 in as many balls across three innings, with Noor and Rashid Khan taking turns to dismiss him. India’s spin trio of Axar Patel, Varun and Kuldeep is very much in the same elite mould, and adept at asphyxiating an innings through those middle overs.We’re likely to see spin come on as soon as Hasan comes to the crease, and whether he can prove himself against that colossal challenge may be a hinge point for this contest.

The doom and gloom currently engulfing Leeds United is strong.

At Elland Road this season, the Whites have looked like a competent Premier League outfit, in all fairness, as was showcased in their 2-1 win over West Ham United to close out October.

But, Daniel Farke and Co cannot rely on their home form all season long to keep them away from the dreaded relegation spaces, with their away record an abysmal read at the moment.

Only three of Leeds’ 11 points so far this season have been picked up on their disappointing travels, with all of their defeats on the road also seeing the top-flight newcomers offer up very little in an attacking capacity.

The 3-0 loss last time out at Brighton and Hove Albion was an alarming reminder of the gulf in quality between Leeds and the likes of Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls, with Leeds reduced to a relegation-fodder state at the Amex.

Strangely, though, Leeds have pulled off some memorable bits of business this summer that have stuck out amid all the hopelessness, with Noah Okafor already up to two goals at his new employers, as the Whites are usually prone to a transfer clanger or two.

Ranking Leeds' transfer business in recent history

Switzerland international, Okafor, has already been described as a “class difference-maker” by Leeds content creator Oscar Marrio for his goal-laden displays in West Yorkshire.

Successfully completing five dribbles against the rampant Seagulls, too, it will be interesting to see if the Whites can avoid the drop, courtesy of the risky £18m acquisition bombing down the flanks.

The likes of Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach have also stood out in midfield, after joining from Newcastle United and Hoffenheim respectively, with the energy that Okafor offers in spades also visible in this new duo.

Two Premier League strikes have also already been put away by the ex-Magpies star, and his Croat counterpart, with Longstaff even being labelled as “one of the best signings in the Premier League” this summer by journalist Daniel Storey.

Often, comments about Leeds’ recent purchases haven’t always been so complimentary, with the Whites’ summer business heading into 2022/23 – which ended in a pitiful Premier League relegation – sticking out as being full of blunders.

Luis Sinisterra certainly stands out as being a transfer deal gone wrong, with the £21m winger billed as an “animal” by ex-teammate Juan Cuadrado on this entry to England, only for the Colombian to score a weak five goals in the Premier League donning Leeds white, during what was an injury-ravaged stint.

The likes of Rasmus Kristensen, Tyler Adams, and many more around this same time period aren’t remembered fondly, either, as they all left the Leeds train at the earliest possible opportunity, after relegation was confirmed.

Another name that springs to mind is Helder Costa. Costing £12m to obtain under the great Marcelo Bielsa, he then only made an unmemorable 23 Premier League appearances in West Yorkshire.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be praying that he’s not recounted in the same dismissive manner down the line, as the ex-Everton marksman continues to struggle to find his goalscoring groove at Elland Road.

The former England international does have the bonus that he was acquired on a free transfer, so he doesn’t have a weighty Sinisterra-like price tag hanging above his head.

Still, with only one goal coming his way so far this season, he isn’t immune to pelters, with ex-Premier League scout Bryan King even stating recently that he isn’t the “right striker fit” for Leeds if they desperately crave goals to stave off the drop.

It’s too early to judge whether he’s an outright flop, though, but the early signs are concerning. He isn’t alone in being deemed a shaky summer signing, however.

Leeds flop could be seen as one of their worst signings

Heading into top-flight action this season, it was clear Leeds needed to successfully find a long-term replacement for Illan Meslier.

The Frenchman was so error-prone last campaign that £400k recruit Karl Darlow had to be thrown in for the latter matches of the campaign, so their promotion charge wasn’t sabotaged.

Unfortunately, Lucas Perri’s £13.9m arrival this summer from Lyon hasn’t instantly eased the goalkeeping nerves that plagued their Championship promotion story.

The Brazilian stopper joined the building having been branded as an “outstanding” shot-stopper by South American football expert Nathan Joyes, having collected a promising ten clean sheets last season in Ligue 1 action.

He started life in England with two clean sheets collected from his first three Premier League clashes, too, but he has looked worryingly ropey when Leeds have been under the cosh.

In particular, his showing away at Brighton would see journalist Adam Pope criticise the 27-year-old for the amount of “unnecessary” decisions he was making with the ball at his feet that just ramped up more pressure on the all-at-sea defenders on the South Coast.

Perri’s PL numbers for Leeds
Stat (* = per 90 mins)	Perri
Games played	5
Goals conceded overall	9
Goals conceded*	1.8
Saves	9
Goals prevented	-0.48
Accurate passes*	18.8 (53%)
Stats by Sofascore

The table above doesn’t lie, either, when looking at Pope’s comments, with Perri only managing to accurately complete 53% of his passes so far this season, as the likes of Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson were then put under far more strain than necessary at the Amex.

Moreover, Perri has the worst save percentage among the 21 goalkeepers to have played five or more games so far this season in the Premier League, with nine efforts being hammered past the new Leeds number one, despite only facing 18 total shots.

Amazingly, Leeds might well have just been better sticking it out with their trusty second-in-command from last season in Darlow, with the experienced Welshman managing to make 13 saves across his own span of five Premier League encounters.

At £13.9m, Perri is yet to live up to his high transfer fee, with the highly praised Longstaff even coming into the building for a lower fee himself, at the £12m range.

Even Meslier would come away from his 2022/23 efforts in the top-flight with a higher accurate pass percentage average next to his name, with a worry now that Leeds have forked out significant wads of cash on a ‘keeper who isn’t a noticeable upgrade on what they already had.

The same could be said about Calvert-Lewin, arguably, – if you remove talk of transfer fees – with golden-boot winning Joel Piroe up top now frozen out completely, despite collecting a blistering 19 strikes on the way to promotion being clinched.

Thankfully, Calvert-Lewin’s woes in front of goal have been regularly bailed out already by the likes of Okafor stepping up to the mark as a far more impactful new addition.

In between the sticks, though, it’s harder to go under the radar for your mistakes and errors, with a worry that more unconvincing performances from the £13.9m ‘keeper to come could result in Leeds hurtling straight back down to the second tier.

This would be a gigantic disappointment, with Perri once judged as a clean slate in goal, who could break away from the shoddy days of Meslier.

Leeds star was "indispensable" to Farke, now he's as droppable as Aaronson

This Leeds United star who was once dubbed as a necessary cog is now struggling in the Premier League.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 5, 2025

Liverpool have been backed to sign a “magnificent” player in the January transfer window, but they will face competition from Real Madrid.

Carragher bemoans Liverpool "crisis"

The champions lost a fourth successive Premier League game on Saturday evening, with the 3-2 defeat away to Brentford continuing a scarcely believable run of poor form, and big-money signings like Florian Wirtz struggling again.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes this is now a genuine “crisis” for Arne Slot, not holding back in his criticism of the champions for Sky Sports.

“Losing four games in a row for Brentford would be a disaster. To see the champions do it with the expenditure in the summer means we’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now. There will be a lot of serious questions asked in the dressing room between the players and the coaching staff and the people above the manager.

“When they’ve looked at what they’ve spent, they’ll be looking for a lot more. Liverpool have to look at the physicality and height within their team because, right now, I don’t think they have enough.”

Liverpool are struggling in many areas, not least in defence, with 14 goals already conceded in their first nine league games this season. It could be that a new defender is looked at, and a fresh update has emerged regarding the Reds’ winter window plans.

Liverpool backed to sign "magnificent" centre-back

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown claimed Liverpool could look to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi in January to fend off interest from the likes of Madrid.

“There’s obviously been a hell of a lot of talk about Marc Guehi, they missed out in the summer and now there’s all sorts of clubs having a look at him. At first, it seemed like a certainty that he would go to Liverpool in January, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment because he’s got these other options.

“It’s no surprise that the likes of Real Madrid are in for him now, he’s England’s starting centre-back and he’s going to be available for free. But I’ve always felt Liverpool could try to get it done in January even if it isn’t a certainty any more. He is by far the best option out there at the moment, and he’ll be available for £35million or less, which is a bargain fee for a defender of that quality.

“When you consider the difficulties they’ve had in defense lately, I expect they’ll be even more determined to get that deal done as soon as possible.”

Appearances

9

9

Starts

9

9

Minutes played

810

746

Clearances per game

5.4

5.4

Aerial duel wins per game

3.0

3.9

Tackles per game

1.9

1.9

Goals

1

0

Assists

1

0

Missing out on Guehi on deadline day felt significant at the time, and it almost feels as though things have unravelled for Liverpool ever since then. He even assisted against them in the Eagles’ 2-1 win at Selhurst Park, and has been called “magnificent” by former Reds left-back Stephen Warnock.

The 25-year-old would surely be starting over the out-of-form Ibrahima Konate currently, and he would have added much-needed centre-back depth, especially with Giovanni Leoni now out injured for the rest of the season.

Move over Salah: Slot's 5/10 Liverpool star is the new Jordan Henderson

Liverpool’s crisis deepened as they were condemned to a fourth successive Premier League defeat at Brentford.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 26, 2025

If the chance arises to sign Guehi in January, Liverpool simply must swoop, or if not, snap him up on a free transfer at the end of the season. It would be a surprise if Palace allowed him to leave before then, especially with European commitments, but receiving a fee for him could still appeal.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge fifty sets hosts up for success

ECB Media10-Aug-2025

Sophie Devine made key breakthroughs in the chase•ECB via Getty Images

Southern Brave made it two from two in this year’s competition, as Sophie Devine starred in a 15-run victory over Birmingham Phoenix in front of a record crowd at Utilita Bowl.A crowd of 11,167 turned out in the Hampshire sunshine to see the home side prevail in a game which see-sawed throughout but was ultimately decided by the regular wickets Brave took throughout the Phoenix run chase.Both teams came into today’s game off the back of strong opening wins, with Phoenix winning the toss and opting to field. Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 59 from 39 balls was the foundation for the Brave’s total of 139, ably supported by Laura Wolvaardt (28) and Devine (27).After a good start from Brave, Phoenix came back into the first innings, restraining the home side in the last 25 balls. At one stage, a big score was on the cards but, led by Megan Schutt (2 for 23 from 20 balls) and then Em Arlott (2 for 19 from 20 balls) at the death, Brave faltered to 139 with only 19 coming from the last 15 balls.Southern Brave took the early wickers of Emma Lamb and Georgia Voll, both of whom had done well in the Phoenix’s first game. Ellyse Perry and Amy Jones then steadied the ship and looked comfortable in their efforts to knock off the total.When Jones was out for 20, Sterre Kalis took over the charge to the finish, with Phoenix needing 45 from the final 30 balls. However, when Perry was caught well in the deep by Mady Villiers for 26 from 21 balls, Kalis accelerated but ultimately ran out of support, and Phoenix were bowled out with two balls to spare, 15 short.The Brave bowling performance was headlined by Lauren Bell taking 3 for 17 from 19 balls, with Devine’s 2 for 28 and Tilly Corteen-Coleman’s 2 for 16 also doing damage.With her 27 runs, two wickets and a run out, Devine, the Meerkat Match Hero said: “I’m really pleased about the result. Danni (Wyatt-Hodge) was outstanding. The way she set up the game, it was trickier than she made it look. It was a great game for us and nice to do it in front of the home crowd.”It is always nice to perform against teams you have previously played for. Every game is on the line and you have to be good. We have to keep sharp and keep learning. I have not played a lot of cricket over the last few months and was probably swinging like a rusty gate. I’ve played enough cricket to know that it will come. When you have someone like her (Wyatt-Hodge), it makes easier. If I can contribute in any way, that is what I am here for.”

أفادت تقارير صحفية أن ليفربول حدد أحد الأسماء التدريبية البارزة كبديل للمدرب آرني سلوت، في حال قرر النادي الانفصال عنه.

وخسر ليفربول تسع مباريات من آخر 12 مباراة، في سلسلة نتائج مخيبة للآمال وكانت آخر الهزائم التي تعرض لها أمام آيندهوفن برباعية لهدف في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وقاد سلوت ليفربول لتحقيق لقب الدوري الانجليزي الممتاز، وأنفق النادي أكثر من 400 مليون جنيه إسترليني في سوق الانتقالات الصيفية قبل موسمه الثاني.

ووفقاً لصحيفة “ذا صن” البريطانية فإن يورجن كلوب يعد المرشح الأوفر حظاً لخلافة سلوت في حال قرر ليفربول أن التغيير ضروري، ويأتي ذلك بعد استقالة الألماني من منصبه العام الماضي بعد تسع سنوات تولى فيها المسؤولية.

أقرأ أيضاً.. وارنوك: محمد صلاح سيعود لحالته في ليفربول.. ولكن بشرط

ويشغل حالياً كلوب منصب رئيس قسم الرياضة العالمية في ريد بول ولم يستبعد أن يتجه النادي لإعادته لإنقاذ موسمه في خطوة قصيرة الأمد حتى نهاية الموسم الحالي.

ويعد لويس إنريكي هدفاً على المدى الطويل لدى إدارة ليفربول لتدريب النادي، حيث يعتبر أكثر المدربين الذين يحظون بتقدير كبير في عالم كرة القدم وقاد باريس سان جيرمان إلى لقب دوري أبطال أوروبا، وكان الإسباني قد لمح برغبته بالتدريب في إنجلترا في المستقبل.

José Butto suited up in his New York Mets uniform and headed to the bullpen to await his opportunity on Wednesday but before he got the chance, news came down that he had been traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Tyler Rogers. Major League Baseball's trade deadline creates these types of situations from time to time where we're privy to the traded player's real-time reaction. And Butto's was emotional.

Butto could be seen processing the information and being comforted by Mets bullpen coach Jose Rosado.

He then took his leave from the bullpen after saying his goodbyes out there.

Upon entering the dugout Butto was embraced by the other Mets as they learned of the news.

Butto had spent his entire professional career with the Mets and broke through into the big leagues in 2022. This year he has appeared in 34 games with a 3-2 record and 3.64 ERA.