'We stay connected' – Sunderland boss hints at move to sign former Arsenal ace Matteo Guendouzi

Regis Le Bris has responded to mounting speculation linking Sunderland with the signing of Marseille's Matteo Guendouzi. While the Black Cats boss did not commit to an approach for the ex-Arsenal midfielder in the January transfer window, he spoke positively of their relationship. Le Bris was managing Lorient's B team as Guendouzi was coming through the ranks at the French club.

  • Guendouzi to reunite with Le Bris at Sunderland?

    The 49-year-old manager revealed that he and his former player keep in touch. Le Bris gave Guendouzi his first foray into senior football back in 2016. The defensive midfielder pushed on from his time Lorient's reserve team, establishing himself in the Ligue 2 outfit's starting XI before making the switch to Arsenal for an undisclosed fee.

    Their close relationship and Sunderland's excellent start to life back in the Premier League could be enough to convince Guendouzi to trade Rome for Wearside. Guendouzi joined Lazio from Marseille in on a permanent basis in 2024 after an initial season-long loan spell, for a reported fee of €15 million (£13.2m).

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    Black Cats boss coy on official approach

    Despite their positive relationship, Le Bris was coy about the speculation, suggesting the club had not committed to an approach in the coming transfer window. He said: "We still have connections with players and Matteo is one of those players. I worked with him (previously) in Lorient so we stay connected. But at the minute it’s too early to speak about the January transfer window."

  • Guendouzi not surprised by Le Bris' Sunderland success

    Based on his previous comments, a reunion would please Guendouzi, who has credited Le Bris for his impact on his career. Since leaving Lorient in 2016, Guendouzi has made 312 senior appearance in club football and represented his country 14 times. 

    The 26-year-old said Le Bris' success on Wearside comes as no surprise to him. Since taking over at the Stadium of Light, the Frenchman has exceeded all expectations leading the Black Cats back to the Premier League for the first time in eight years. Sunderland have punched above their weight so far this term, taking points from Arsenal and Chelsea. Le Bris' side are currently fourth in the table. 

    "Honestly, his results at Sunderland don't surprise me," Guendouzi said recently. "A year with him is perhaps the equivalent of three with other coaches. You learn a lot about yourself. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today."

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    Will Guendouzi make a return to the Premier League?

    Guendouzi could well look at at a return to England as a chance to right some unfinished business. He flashed moments of promise in Unai Emery's side, however, he was quickly sidelined by Mikel Arteta. 

    Joining a massive club like Arsenal with limited senior experience at the age of just 18 presents a steep learning curve for any player. There were moments of discipline that suggested a player that needed to mature to excel in the world's toughest domestic competition. Now at 26-years-old, Guendouzi could well fancy a reunion with his ex manager, and his midfield running mate Granit Xhaka. For that to happen, the Black Cats will likely have to exceed the €15m fee Lazio paid 18 months ago. 

    In the meantime, Guendouzi will have to focus on his duties for the two-time Italian champions. The Biancocelesti currently sit in ninth place in Serie A. They return from the international break when they host Lecce on Sunday. 

Mets Reliever Had Saddest Reaction After Learning He’d Been Traded During Game

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.

Sampaoli enaltece torcida do Flamengo e fala sobre retorno ao futebol brasileiro

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Jorge Sampaoli, com passagens por Santos, Atlético-MG e Flamengo, concedeu entrevista ao jornal espanhol “Marca”. Questionado sobre suas experiências em território brasileiro, o argentino enalteceu os torcedores rubro-negros e descreveu a sensação de estar à frente do clube.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Flamengo

– A pressão é muito grande no Brasil, mas sobretudo no Flamengo. Existe uma grande exigência das pessoas em todos os lugares: aeroportos, hotéis… é muito intenso tudo aquilo que se vive, ainda mais sendo treinador. O Flamengo tem a maior torcida do mundo, são 45 milhões de torcedores. Por lá, você não pode perder um jogo sequer – afirmou o comandante.

Atualmente sem clube, Sampaoli revelou ter recebido aproximações de algumas equipes, mas afirmou ter calma para definir seu futuro. Seu último trabalho foi justamente à frente do Fla, entre abril e setembro de 2023. Pelo clube da Gávea, foi vice-campeão da Copa do Brasil, além de ter caído para o Olimpia-PAR nas oitavas da Libertadores.

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– Tive algumas ofertas, mas estou tranquilo. Não gosto de colocar nomes no meu destino. Quero trabalhar em um projeto onde eu possa estar por alguns anos, três ou quatro, como nunca aconteceu. Não sei se voltaria a trabalhar no Brasil, porque é a liga mais exigente que já estive. Dez mil vezes mais que a espanhola, por exemplo. Você joga a cada dois dias, e tem que vencer sempre, sempre e sempre. No Fla, conseguimos 70% dos pontos disputados, mas não foi suficiente. Perdemos a final, e fui embora. Perder nos ensina, ainda mais se temos tempo para revisar os erros – disse.

➡️ Ex-atacante pede Pedro como camisa 9 da Seleção: ‘Endrick tem que esperar um pouco’

Em 39 jogos, Jorge conduziu o Rubro-Negro a 20 vitórias, 11 empates e nove derrotas, tendo média de 1,82 pontos por jogo. Mesmo após a demissão, seguiu morando em solo carioca com sua família, e disse gostar do país.

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– Eu me dei bem no Santos e no Atlético-MG, e um pouco no Flamengo. Minha companheira é chilena, mas meus filhos mais novos nasceram já no Brasil. Todos nós nos sentimos em casa e adaptados ao Rio de Janeiro – finalizou o treinador.

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Inside the Numbers of MLB’s Surprising Second Half Trends

The 2025 MLB season is fully into its stretch run, and the playoff picture has solidified. While a number of the usual suspects will likely reach the playoffs, a lot has happened since the All-Star break.

When digging into the numbers of baseball's second half, several surprising, even shocking trends have emerged. The Brewers have emerged as a powerhouse. Kyle Schwarber and Nick Kurtz have been the second-half MVPs. Meanwhile, a number of teams and players are doing things you wouldn't expect.

What follows is a look inside the numbers of the surprising trends across baseball since the All-Star break.

14.3 — fWAR by Blue Jays hitters, best in baseball, to go along with a team-wide 131 wRC+, again, the best in baseball.

8.7 — fWAR produced by the Dodgers pitchers, best in MLB since the All-Star break, a full 1.5 points higher than the Reds and Phillies, who sit in second place. Their team FIP (3.37) is also tops by a wide margin over the Pirates (3.73).

197 — Runs scored by the Astros, which ranks 29th in MLB. Only the Cardinals (185) are worse. Houston's hitters have a collective fWAR of 5.2, worst in baseball among contending teams in the second half.

265 — Runs by the White Sox since the break. That ranks fifth in baseball.

287 — Runs by the Brewers since the break, best in baseball.

3.57 — Team ERA for the Brewers, second-best in baseball behind the Dodgers. So Milwaukee is scoring the most runs and has the second-lowest team ERA since the break.

4.93 — ERA of Mets pitchers since the break, 24th in baseball and worst among contending teams. Their collective WHIP (1.41) ranks 26th and is also the worst among contenders.

14 — Second-half home runs by Trent Grisham, which is second on the Yankees. Aaron Judge's 11 home runs since the break are actually tied for fourth on the team with Jazz Chisholm. (Giancarlo Stanton leads the club with 16.)

20 — Second-half home runs for Kyle Schwarber to lead MLB. The Phillies slugger is slashing .230/.348/.592 with 54 RBIs and a wRC+ of 154 since the All-Star break. The pending free agent seems to have earned himself an obscene amount of money with his performance over the past few months.

21 — Stolen bases by (*) Juan Soto… to lead all of baseball since the All-Star break. Weird. Soto had 25 total stolen bases over the past three years entering 2025 and had never topped 12 in a season before. He only stole 11 bases in 96 games in the first half.

33 — Wins for the Brewers since the All-Star break, best in baseball.

154 — Second half wRC+ for Rafael Devers, who is slashing .269/.367/.538 since the break with 14 home runs. After a slow start in San Francisco, he has found his groove offensively.

220 — Second half wRC+ by Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, by far the best in baseball. Kurtz is slashing .361/.474/.715, his OPS of 1.189 leads baseball, as does the 3.0 fWAR he has produced.

2.5 — fWAR for Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, best among MLB starting pitchers since the break. He is 5–3 with a 2.67 ERA and a sparkling 2.13 FIP. With Zack Wheeler out for the season, he's Philadelphia's best starter heading into the playoffs.

0.84 — ERA for Cubs rookie Cade Horton, best among qualified starting pitchers since the break. Horton has a 7–1 record in 10 starts, has produced 1.6 fWAR, and is just what Chicago needed after losing Justin Steele for the season.

1.74 — ERA for Paul Skenes since the All-Star break. His 2.11 FIP is the best among qualified pitchers since the break, and he's averaging 11.37 strikeouts per nine innings. If anything, the Pirates star has gotten better as his second season has gone along.

99.5 — Average fastball velocity for Hunter Greene since the break. The best among MLB starting pitchers. The Reds ace is 2–1 with a 2.35 ERA since the break.

101.6 — Average fastball velocity for Padres reliever Mason Miller since the break, best among all MLB pitchers. He's 0–0 with two saves and a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings in that time and is averaging an eye-popping 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings. This one may not be surprising, but like Skenes, he appears to be getting better as his second full season goes along.

Newcastle star has gone from being a "mistake" to worth more than Woltemade

Newcastle United’s PIF bosses are backing Eddie Howe to find solutions to the current hole they have slipped into. It is important that this point is emphasised, with noise levels rising regarding the manager’s future.

Yes, Newcastle are 14th in the Premier League, and their away form has gone beyond merely concerning. But the Magpies are also into the last eight of the Carabao Cup, and have made a confident start to their Champions League campaign too.

However, there is an expectation that Howe will make the necessary adjustments to bring United back into contention at the top of the table.

10

Games

7

7

Wins

1

0

Draws

3

3

Losses

3

20

Goals scored

7

9

Goals conceded

8

2.1

PPG

1.16

There is also an acceptance that a difficult summer transfer window and the bitter sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool have knocked things out of kilter. Luckily, Nick Woltemade has been a shining light, and he proved his skill once again this week for Germany.

Nick Woltemade's start to the season

Since joining Newcastle from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee at the end of August, Woltemade has posted six goals for the Toon, quickly bedding in on English soil and proving he has what it takes to succeed Isak in the long run.

Moreover, he has scored three times in his past two outings for Germany, scoring a brace as his side sank Luxembourg in their World Cup qualifier on Friday evening.

Newcastle have their issues this season, but it’s curious that the 23-year-old has made it so his integration in Isak’s still-warm seat has not been one of them.

The 6 foot 6 striker’s unique skillset has seen him dovetail right into a system that has yet to click together, and when wide players like Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga find form, Howe could pull the strings of a frontline capable of throwing down with any defence across Europe.

Of course, football is about more than just the forwards, and there’s another Tyneside star whose performances this season have established him as one of the best in the business.

He’s even worth more than Woltemade.

The Newcastle star worth even more than Woltemade

Newcastle have many fine players contracted to St. James’ Park, but Sandro Tonali is fast emerging as the cream of the crop.

After joining from AC Milan for around £55m in 2023, the 25-year-old faced difficulties, but he rebounded last year and redefined Howe’s midfield, instrumental in a long and brilliant purple patch that led to glory.

Now, he is “the best player by a distance”, according to correspondent Craig Hope, and while Newcastle have some issues in the build-up, Tonali is becoming the defining force alongside Bruno Guimaraes.

Largely, this is because the Italian has become far more progressive on the ball, ranking this season among the top 5% of Premier League midfielders for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.

And he is beginning to revel in a new level of recognition, with pundits and observers from afar coming to understand that Tonali is one of the best in the business.

His market value is a reflection of that. Woltemade might be the talk of the town, and in many ways, rightly so, but Tonali cut from a different cloth. He’s a maestro, endowed with impressive athleticism and unteachable technical skill.

There is talk of him falling into the same financial bracket as someone like Guimaraes, over the £100m mark, and this is indeed an accurate emphasis on the calibre of superstar at Howe’s disposal.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said that Newcastle had “made a mistake” when signing the midfielder, given his suspension throughout his first year in England, but Tonali is now showing he’s one of the best Premier League signings of recent years, more so, even, than Woltemade.

The two Newcastle United stars who could be sold instead of Bruno and Isak

The Magpies are set to sell players this summer.

ByHenry Jackson Feb 12, 2024

بينهما كلوب.. ليفربول يحدد اسمين لخلافة آرني سلوت حال إقالته

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.

Forget Santos & Caicedo: Chelsea have "one of the most exciting DMs in Europe"

Are Chelsea outside challengers for the Premier League title this season?

Based on the weekend’s results, they are, as Enzo Maresca’s Blues comfortably got the better of Burnley 2-0 on the road to remain second spot in the early league standings, while Liverpool and Manchester City fell to unwanted defeats.

Maresca’s men managed to pick up that routine win, even with Moises Caicedo out of the starting lineup at Turf Moor, as Chelsea’s standout £115m midfielder was rested after a gruelling international break with Ecuador.

Thankfully, the defensive midfield partnership that did start in Lancashire in Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos rose to the occasion, with Santos stealing many of the plaudits at the full-time whistle, despite Fernandez’s late strike sealing all three points.

Santos' standout performance vs Burnley

Fernandez rightfully received plenty of praise at the final whistle, with the World Cup winner now up to 11 goals and ten assists in 2025 for the Blues as a forward-thinking midfield spark.

But, with Caicedo out of the starting XI, Chelsea also needed a talent prepared to dig deep and do the required defensive work that the South American does week in week out, with the 24-year-old averaging 5.2 ball recoveries and winning 5.4 duels per Premier League contest this season, away from also chipping in with three goals and an assist.

Thankfully, Santos stepped up into his role effortlessly against Scott Parker’s hosts, with two tackles won, seven duels won, and four ball recoveries amassed, showing off the 21-year-old’s full-blooded approach.

On top of that, Santos also ended the game with one big chance created from his 34 accurate passes, with analyst Raj Chohan even stating that he provides a “lot of value” to the team as a stellar stand-in option for the likes of Caicedo.

The promising number 17 will hope he can get more first-team minutes soon, away from being in the shadow of the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion man.

But, he isn’t the only midfield asset being directly compared to Caicedo now.

Chelsea's next Caicedo

It’s clear that Chelsea have great faith in the youngsters rising the ranks at Stamford Bridge currently, with Maresca prepared to start a whole plethora of exciting, young talents, away from just throwing Santos into the first-team spotlight.

Chalkboard

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

Indeed, in attack, Estevao has been handed chances galore this season to impress, with a Premier League goal and assist coming the hotly tipped Brazilian’s way subsequently.

Moreover, Marc Guiu would gift Fernandez his goal at Turf Moor on a plate, with the 19-year-old now becoming a regular impact player off the bench. Could Dario Essugo be the next starlet to make a wild impression?

Already, the £18.5m summer purchase – despite only being 20 years of age – has shone in some challenging environments for two loan sides in Chaves and Las Palmas in Liga Portugal and La Liga respectively.

His attritional, yet polished displays, have even led to scout Jacek Kulig hailing the Portuguese enforcer as a “one-man army.”

Moreover, Kulig also boldly labelled Essugo as “one of the most exciting DMs in Europe” for his continued excellence with Las Palmas, even as they succumbed to relegation.

In the current Chelsea set-up, based on his numbers last season in that relegation-troubled camp, he would surely shine as bright as Caicedo has managed in West London.

Games played

18

27

Goals scored

0

1

Assists

0

0

Touches*

40.8

48.4

Accurate passes*

24.5 (85%)

30.0 (86%)

Tackles*

1.7

2.2

Ball recoveries*

4.2

4.4

Clearances*

1.7

1.6

Total duels won*

5.3

4.9

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Essugo will be prepared to battle and tussle for Chelsea when first-team chances eventually arrive at his door, winning 4.9 duels per game last season in La Liga action, not a million miles off Caicedo’s 5.4 tally this campaign back in England.

Unfortunately, the only drawback for Essugo so far is that he is sidelined with a nasty injury at the moment, but he did shine briefly in Caicedo’s place against AC Milan in pre-season, with 100% of his ground duels won from just 17 minutes of action.

Thankfully, Maresca has Santos to fall back on in defensive midfield for the time being, if Caicedo continues to look fatigued.

But, do not rule out Essugo exploding onto the scene when he returns from the treatment room, with Chelsea’s midfield options full to the brim with quality.

Shades of Kante: 8/10 Chelsea man had his "best performance" yet vs Burnley

As Chelsea beat Burnley 2-0 in the Premier League at Turf Moor, which player put in their “best performance” for the club, looking N’Golo Kanté-esque?

Nov 22, 2025

Forget Delap: 18-year-old star is destined to be Chelsea's future number 9

They have received plenty of criticism for it over the last couple of years, but Chelsea seem determined to continue building a team full of exciting young talents.

For example, the West Londoners added Jorrel Hato, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Estevao to Enzo Maresca’s side this summer.

However, one player who is just that little bit older than them is Liam Delap, who, at 22, is arguably still a prospect, but at the same time, needs to start delivering on a more consistent basis.

If he does do that, there is also more than a passing chance he could establish himself as an England regular; if not, Cobham is already producing an incredible gem who could surpass him for club and country.

Delap's route into the England team

While Thomas Tuchel arguably has the strongest England squad for a very long time, a narrative that has been doing the rounds this international break is that, after Harry Kane, there aren’t many, if any, obvious strikers to take as backup for the World Cup.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

For example, Ivan Toney is still playing in the Saudi Pro-League, Ollie Watkins has just one goal and no assists in 16 games this season, and Dominic Solanke is still out injured.

In fact, the search for a backup number nine has been so desperate that there are now genuine conversations around recalling Danny Welbeck ahead of the summer, and while he deserves to be in the conversation, he’ll be 35 this month, so he is not a long-term option.

This, then, is how, even though he’s not had the best of starts this season, Delap could very realistically find himself on that plane to the World Cup next summer.

After all, even though he was playing for a really relatively poor Ipswich Town side last season, the former Manchester City prospect was still able to rack up a reasonable enough tally of 12 goals and two assists in 37 appearances.

So, if he can rediscover some form this year, there is surely a place in Tuchel’s squad with his name on it, but if not, one of Cobham’s most exciting prospects in a long time could eventually usurp him for club and country.

The Chelsea gem who could usurp Delap

Cobham have long produced Premier League-level youngsters who have gone on to star for Chelsea or other sides, and it looks like Shumaira Mheuka is the next one up.

The 18-year-old goalscoring machine began his footballing journey on the south coast with Brighton & Hove Albion, but made the move to Stamford Bridge in 2022.

In the two and a half years since, the youngster has gone from strength to strength and is without a doubt one of the most exciting up-and-coming centre-forwards in the country.

For example, even though he was just 16 at the start of last season, he ended the campaign with 11 goals and three assists in 30 appearances across the u18s and u21s.

However, while his exploits last year were impressive, what he has been able to do this year has been utterly remarkable.

Appearances

61

Goals

34

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.70

So far, the teenage phenom, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed “Cobham’s finest,” has scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances for the youth sides, totalling 997 minutes.

In other words, he is currently averaging 1.33 goal involvements per game, or one every 62.31 minutes, which is frankly ridiculous.

If that wasn’t enough, the Birmingham-born monster is also doing the business for the national side, racking up a tally of 14 goals and three assists in 20 appearances for the u19s.

With numbers and performances such as these, it’s easy to see why Kulig described the youngster as “the future of Chelsea and English football.”

Ultimately, if Delap doesn’t start performing for Chelsea soon, there is every chance he could be replaced by Mheuka, who could also soon make his way into Tuchel’s plans.

Bye-bye Tosin & Chalobah: Chelsea submit bid to re-sign "the world's best CB"

The iconic defender would be excellent for Chelsea, but bad news for Tosin and Chalobah.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 20, 2025

Warner, Williamson, Mitchell, Chapman among big-ticket signings in PSL 2025 draft

With the PSL clashing with the IPL, partial player availability was not a concern for the first time

Danyal Rasool13-Jan-2025The PSL moved into the IPL window this year, to improve the quality and availability of overseas players they’d be able to sign. On that count, the calculated risk they took appears to have paid off, with the roster for the tenth edition of the PSL including the widest array of high-profile overseas players they have managed in the post-covid era.David Warner, Daryl Mitchell, Jason Holder, Rassie van der Dussen and Kane Williamson were among the biggest names the PSL signed up at the draft this year, held at the sprawling Hazuri Bagh at Lahore Fort. While the ceremony itself was a stuttering, protracted affair, which, from start to finish, lasted a whopping seven hours, the cack-handed packaging should not detract from what may be a very decent product after all.For the first time, partial player availability, so often a hindrance during earlier editions, was not a concern. The only other cricket during the time the PSL will be played – between early April and late May – is IPL 2025. The IPL auction has concluded, and any players left over are definitively available, effectively meaning every player in the draft had communicated their complete willingness to participate in the PSL in full.Related

  • Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars to kick off PSL 2025 on April 11; final on May 18

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The decision did not come without trade-offs; Rashid Khan, for example, signed a three-year contract with Lahore Qalandars in 2023, but will instead be at the IPL. But players from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, so often unavailable because the PSL’s traditional February-March window clashed with their home international season, were signed in droves.New Zealanders, in particular were popular; more than half of the platinum picks at the draft were Kiwis: Finn Allen, Mitchell, Adam Milne, Michael Bracewell, and Mark Chapman were all picked in the highest category, with all of them first-time PSL participants. They were topped up in the supplementary pick with Williamson and Kyle Jamieson, also first-timers.Salman Agha, Shadab Khan and Babar Azam share a light moment on the sidelines of the PSL draft•PSLOver the years, it has been overseas power-hitting the PSL has relished, each franchise comfortable that there was enough domestic fast bowling to go around without being spread too thin. That changed this time: Milne, Sean Abbott, Jamieson, Nahid Rana, Holder, Corbin Bosch, Alzarri Joseph and Josh Little were among the overseas quicks snapped up.That may partially be explained by the availability of players who might otherwise not been options for the PSL, but perhaps also hints at the waning confidence in local fast bowling talent among the franchises.There were departures and farewells for players who have become synonymous with a particular franchise. Faheem Ashraf left Islamabad United having been a one-franchise player until now, winning three titles. If there was a general indication his star was waning, Quetta Gladiators clearly thought otherwise; they used their wildcard on him to pick him in the Platinum category, rather than the Silver he had been assigned.There was movement out of the Gladiators, too. Sarfaraz Ahmed, their captain for the first eight seasons and player for each of the last nine, was not part of the draft; Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said he would be involved with the franchise in a “new role”.Mohammad Hasnain, meanwhile, also leaves the Gladiators to link up with Multan Sultans. Poignantly, Ihsanullah, Sultans’ quickest bowler until 2023, was left unpicked after an independent review found the PCB’s botched handling of an elbow injury had done him significant harm. Sultans’ owner Ali Tareen said last week medical consensus was he would never hit those speeds again.Meanwhile, there was a splitting up of one family. Last year, Naseem Shah and both of his younger brothers, Hunain and Ubaid, played for United; Hunain went on to hit the winning runs. This time, Sultans plumped for the youngest, with Ubaid leaving the defending champions to join the 2021 winners.Last year, the PCB told ESPNcricinfo was to co-exist with the IPL rather than compete with it. The PSL draft this time around may have wanted organisation and production quality, but did offer a little glimpse into what that might look like once April rolls around.

Sophie Devine shines with bat and ball to lead Brave win

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.”

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