Bayern Munich's sporting director Christoph Freund confirmed that the club tried to sign Antony in the summer transfer window. The winger earlier revealed that Vincent Kompany personally called him late on deadline night before he chose Real Betis. Now Freund has confirmed that talks did indeed take place, offering clarity on Bayern’s approach, their evaluation of the player, and why the move ultimately remained only a possibility.
Antony’s revelation and Bayern’s confirmation
Antony recently opened up about the final hours of the summer 2025 transfer window, revealing that the Bavarians made a strong push to sign him and that Kompany personally called him to convince him. He described the call as emotional and destabilising but said he ultimately chose to honour his promise to Real Betis for family and personal reasons as he finally departed Manchester United.
Freund has now confirmed Antony’s version of events. Speaking to , the Bayern sporting director admitted that the period “wasn’t entirely calm,” acknowledged that Bayern had explored several players, including Antony, and agreed that discussions had indeed taken place.
Advertisement
Getty Images Sport
Inside the deadline-day situation and Freund’s explanation
The summer saga became public only when Antony elaborated on how close he came to switching clubs. He said Bayern entered the race in the last 24 hours, Kompany personally called, and conversations were advanced enough to make him rethink what he had already agreed with Real Betis. But despite the prestige of Bayern and Kompany’s respectful approach, Antony insisted that breaking his word to Betis “was never an option.” Having thrived at the Spanish club during his loan period there earlier this year, his family felt settled in Seville, his son was thriving, and he viewed Betis as a place “of happiness and peace.”
Freund’s comments provide Bayern’s complete perspective. “This period wasn’t entirely calm. A lot happened. We looked into several players, Antony was among them. There was also a discussion, but that’s in the past. We’re very happy with how the squad is currently set up. In the end, we came out of it well and are satisfied,” Freund said.
Antony’s revival at Betis and rise as a key performer
Antony’s loan move to Betis from United in early 2025 marked a turning point in his career, laying the foundation for a revival built on consistency, influence and trust. He made an immediate impact-creating goals, dictating attacks and collecting several Man of the Match awards. By the end of that spell, he had produced 14 goal contributions across competitions, a decisive factor in Betis securing Europa League qualification.
His permanent return in September only accelerated his momentum. Across his first full season, Antony registered nine goals and three assists in 24 league games, underlining his evolution from a troubled talent to a reliable match-winner. This season, he has maintained that upward curve with four goals and an assist in eight matches.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images Sport
Antony on adversity and rebuilding at Betis
Antony’s revival at Betis is rooted in everything he endured before arriving in Seville. Speaking about his turbulent spell at Old Trafford, he admitted how difficult those months were.
“I felt like I was disrespected… more than 40 days in the hotel, training separately,” he said. “I learn from everything I go through and learn that everything is possible when you persist.”
What ultimately brought him back to Betis was happiness, his own and his family’s. Antony stressed that money could never outweigh peace of mind: “Money is important, but happiness is much more… my children and my wife are happy here.”
He settled in well from the very first minute. In the spring, when he suddenly found himself in goal, he already did very well in important matches. When you see him with the team and the goalkeeping staff, you can tell that he's integrated really well. He wants to learn and improve. Jonas is already at a really good level."
He will be aiming to increase his tally even further when Betis face Girona on Sunday.
England’s poor 50-over form continues as South Africa claim first ODI series win in country since 1998
Matt Roller04-Sep-2025Matthew Breetzke had not been born when South Africa last won a bilateral ODI series in England. By extending a remarkable start to his career in the format, he helped them clinch this one with a match to spare. On his return from a hamstring injury, Breetzke hit 85 to underpin South Africa’s total of 330, before their bowlers closed out a tense win under the floodlights.Breetzke, 26, was born five-and-a-half months after South Africa’s 2-1 triumph in the 1998 Texaco Trophy but will now lift the series trophy in Southampton on Sunday after his team took an unassailable 2-0 lead at Lord’s. Unlike in Leeds, England at least competed but none of their three half-centurions – Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler – kicked on past 61.The chase went down to the final ball, which Jofra Archer needed to hit for six to take the game into a Super Over. But his inside-edged hoick off Senuran Muthusamy brought only a single and South Africa were deserving winners, backing up the thrashing they inflicted on Tuesday with a clinical, calculated performance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
This was an eighth defeat in 11 ODIs for England in 2025, and their captain Harry Brook refused to blame fatigue after an exhausting summer. “In my eyes that’s just an excuse,” he said. We’re good enough and fit enough to be able to keep playing for the time being… Chasing 6.5 an over from ball one is a tough task. But that’s exactly why we’ve picked this side: we’ve a long batting order. To get within one blow of that score is a really good effort.”South Africa had been stuttering at 93 for 3 after 19 overs when Tristan Stubbs joined Breetzke, but a fourth-wicket partnership of 147 off 126 balls laid a strong foundation before Dewald Brevis’ cameo launched them towards 300. They fell four runs short of the record ODI total at Lord’s, which has stood since the 1975 World Cup, but this was clearly a fighting effort.Breetzke’s innings was the highest by a South African in an ODI at Lord’s, and he achieved the unprecedented feat of passing 50 in each of his first five innings in the format. By the time he fell 15 runs short of a second hundred, he had taken his ODI aggregate to 463 and executed South Africa’s clear plan to put England’s part-time spinners under severe pressure.England got away with picking only four frontline bowlers in their 3-0 win against West Indies in June, but South Africa were merciless in targeting Bethell and Will Jacks; with Root curiously unused, they returned combined figures of 1 for 112 from their 10 overs. Brevis was particularly severe on Bethell, hitting him for consecutive sixes, while Stubbs laid into Jacks.The margin of victory obscured the fact South Africa were ahead of the game from the moment Nandre Burger had Jamie Smith caught behind off the first ball of the chase. Root dominated the scoring in a second-wicket stand of 66, with Ben Duckett desperately out of form at the other end; his dismissal for 14 off 33, bowled reverse-sweeping Keshav Maharaj, was a mercy kill.Jofra Archer nearly took England over the line•AFP/Getty Images
Where Duckett looked exhausted by his non-stop summer, Bethell had been short on time in the middle and was pushed up to No. 4 to take on South Africa’s two left-arm spinners. Temba Bavuma responded by bringing on Aiden Markram’s offspin, but Bethell slog-swept and pulled sixes as his two overs cost 27 runs.He brought up a 28-ball half-century by launching Burger over mid-on, five balls after Root had cruised to his own off 57. But they fell in quick succession, too: Bethell sliced the relentless Corbin Bosch to backward point, and Root was beaten in the flight by Maharaj to be stumped in an ODI for the first time in a decade.Brook and Buttler added 69 for the fifth wicket, launching sixes off Bosch and Muthusamy respectively. But Muthusamy found extra bounce to have Brook chipping to cover, and despite Buttler’s outrageous reverse-slap for six on his way to 50 – a landmark he celebrated with a look to the skies after his father’s recent passing – the required rate climbed past nine an over.Lungi Ngidi got the big wicket of Jos Buttler at the death•AFP/Getty Images
The game looked as good as won when Lungi Ngidi flummoxed Buttler with a dipping slower ball, and Burger removed Jacks and Brydon Carse in the same over to leave 40 required off the last three. Despite Archer’s best efforts – with two lusty sixes and a pair of reverse-slaps for four – they always looked like falling short.It looked like an important toss when Brook put South Africa into bat, with the start delayed by 15 minutes after a morning of heavy showers. Archer and Saqib Mahmood – recalled at Sonny Baker’s expense – both found extravagant seam movement early on, but Markram and Ryan Rickelton were equal to it, adding 73 for the first wicket.Rickelton fell for 35, top-edging Archer behind to Buttler, before Adil Rashid struck twice in quick succession, with Bavuma done on the outside edge and Markram furious with himself after chipping back a return catch on 49. But that only brought Breetzke and Stubbs together, whose partnership took the game away from England – and they never quite recovered.
Rashid, Nabi and Noor shared six wickets as Pakistan batters barely found any answers to spin
Danyal Rasool02-Sep-2025Afghanistan sealed an emotional victory over Pakistan with a sublime performance from their spinners, squeezing Salman Agha’s men out and triumphing by 18 runs. In the wake of the earthquake at home where the death toll has crossed 1400, a resilient performance from Afghanistan in Sharjah proved much too good for Pakistan with Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal producing a 113-run second-wicket partnership that formed the backbone of their innings.It was an innings held up almost entirely by that single pillar; while Zadran and Atal scored 65 and 64 respectively, no other batter managed to get beyond single figures. Pakistan’s bowlers might have felt the had done enough as an economical showing from Saim Ayub and a sensational one from Faheem Ashraf kept Afghanistan on a leash, with Pakistan needing 170 to win in wet, dewy conditions.For the Afghan spinners, though, the dew proved an almost laughably negligible impediment. Fazalhaq Farooqi set them up by getting rid of Ayub for a golden duck and a misfiring Sahibzada Farhan shortly after. It was just the window Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi needed to run riot in the middle. No Pakistan batter was ever really able to work out which way Noor turned the ball or how to target Rashid without taking extreme risks.The trio took six wickets among them as Pakistan lost 7 for 49 to slump to 111 for 9. At the time they were looking at a chastening defeat, but Haris Rauf restored some balance to the scorecard with a breezy little cameo, an unbeaten 34 off 16 that took Pakistan past 150, and made the game look more competitive than Afghanistan’s dazzling spin attack had ensured it really was.Ibrahim Zadran scored a second fifty in two games•Emirates Cricket BoardZadran, Atal combine for a special standPakistan made a dream start after being put in to bowl with the early dismissal of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. By the end of the fourth over, Afghanistan had only shuffled along to 18. But Atal and Zadran have made a bit of a habit of partnerships that straddle multiple phases of an innings, and they produced their most impressive one yet.The first signs of a gear shift came when Rauf, who struggled all day with the ball, was smashed for a four and a six in the fifth over. Thereon, Atal and Zadran rendered the Pakistan bowlers strangely toothless, while gradually cranking up the scoring rate. The signal to launch had been building, but at the same time seemed to come out of nowhere as the pair plundered 20 off Sufiyan Muqeem in the 14th over. By the time the partnership was finally broken, the duo had added the second-highest second-wicket stand in Afghan T20I history.Faheem Ashraf returned his best T20I figures•AFP/Getty ImagesAshraf’s silver liningOn a forgettable day for Pakistan, Ashraf’s spell stood out, going some way to burnishing his short-form bowling credentials. It was a slow, spin-friendly wicket, but with Pakistan struggling to break that Atal-Zadran stand, they turned to Ashraf in the tenth over. He went through it without either inflicting or sustaining much damage, but it was his three-over stint at the back-end that demonstrated his value.It was he who broke that partnership off the second ball of the 16th, and was unfortunate not to snare Azmatullah Omarzai later on that over when Mohammad Nawaz shelled one. He would get his man with a beautifully disguised slower delivery next over, with another change of pace doing for Zadran two deliveries later. Taking pace of the ball continued to work when it proved too good for Nabi. At a time when Pakistan’s bowlers were travelling from the other end, Ashraf’s last three overs had seen just 18 scored and four wickets taken, ensuring the batting side were kept below 170.Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi made life tough for the batters•Getty ImagesAfghan spinners rip through the middle orderThis is why Afghanistan feel so confident defending totals. There was plenty of dew by the midpoint of Pakistan’s pursuit, but Afghanistan’s spinners buzzed around the batters, relishing their defence of a total that was just about par. Pakistan had consolidated after two early wickets, and kept up with the rate; Fakhar Zaman took 15 off Omarzai’s first over to help Pakistan to 52 for 2 in the powerplay.In the eighth over, though, the spinners began to weave their web. Nabi threw in the change-up, darting the ball in as Fakhar sliced his smear to short third for Farooqi to grab. With the runs drying up, Pakistan threw in a signature unforced error, some lazy running combined with a clever bit of work from Rashid catching Salman short of his crease.Left-arm spinner Noor, curiously benched for the first two games, made up for lost time with a wicket off his first delivery to send Hasan Nawaz packing. Mohammad Haris failed to punish a long hop from Nabi the following over to allow Afghanistan to burrow deep into Pakistan’s tail. They had gone from 62 for 2 to 82 for 6, and no amount of deep batting can hedge against that kind of collapse against an attack of Afghanistan’s quality.
Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Manchester United has finally shown glimpses of lift off over the last couple of weeks, with the first-team squad now adapting to the demands of his 3-4-2-1 system.
Ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, his future at Old Trafford was massively up in the air, especially after only being able to register a 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
However, he maintained the backing of the board, with such a decision now proving to be the right one, especially if their recent run of form is anything to go by.
The Red Devils remain unbeaten in each of their last five outings, winning three in a row in the process, leading to the 40-year-old claiming the division’s Manager of the Month award.
However, one player who joined the club during the off-season has somewhat struggled to make the desired impact in recent weeks, leading to question marks around his future.
What former Man Utd players have made of Sesko’s start at the club
Benjamin Sesko joined United in a £74m transfer from RB Leipzig, with the fanbase having real expectations on the centre-forward to change their fortunes in the final third.
The Slovenian has already featured in 11 league outings to date, but has only managed to find the net twice, failing to score in any of the last four matches in the Premier League.
Given his lack of goals, questions have been asked about the 22-year-old’s role at Old Trafford, with many former players voicing their concern over his struggles in England.
Former right-back and now pundit, Gary Neville, spoke about Sesko early this month and gave an honest review on the youngster’s start to life at the club.
The 50-year-old stated: “The jury is out. He’s well off it compared to the other summer signings Manchester United made up front, like Cunha and Mbeumo.
“He looks awkward. He had a couple of good opportunities against Forest, but his touch wasn’t quite right. For £80 million, you can say he’s young and settling in, but you still want to see a bit more.”
He wasn’t the only former Red Devils first-team member to speak out on the striker’s lack of form at present, with Peter Schmeichel also questioning the big-money transfer.
The former goalkeeper said: “You spend £70 million-plus on Sesko, when we don’t have the number six we should have, and there’s the goalkeeping position as well.
“Why did we bring someone in that we didn’t need? Because the head of recruitment [Christopher Vivell] comes from Leipzig and he’s got to make a mark.”
However, Wes Brown has jumped to Sesko’s defence in the last couple of weeks, with the Englishman offering a more open-minded view on his early months in Manchester.
He claimed that: “The quality in wide areas is very good now, so this season can be a positive one for Manchester United. I think Sesko has all the attributes to score plenty of goals for Manchester United. He is mobile, good in the air and with his feet, so it all bodes really well for the club.”
If he is to reach the heights many anticipated earlier this summer, he will definitely need time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, with Amorim needing to show patience in the talisman.
The United star who’s becoming INEOS’ worst signing
Despite Sesko needing time to prove his worth at United, the same can’t be said about numerous other talents who were brought to the club by INEOS in recent years.
Manuel Ugarte was signed for a reported £50m from PSG last summer, but his move to Old Trafford has fallen way below the expectations many had upon his arrival.
The Uruguayan was seen as the perfect ball-winning option at the heart of the side, but he’s struggled to cement his place in the starting eleven under Amorim.
It’s evident that the manager currently doesn’t trust the 24-year-old at present, with the boss currently selecting 33-year-old Casemiro ahead of him in the pecking order.
Given his tally of just two starts in the league throughout 2025/26, it would be a surprise to no one if he was sold in January, with the club needing to recoup as much of their investment as possible.
However, he might not be alone in that aspect, with forward Joshua Zirkzee another player who has struggled with the expectations after his own move 18 months ago.
INEOS forked out a reported £36m for his signature last summer, but the Dutchman has massively struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old featured in 49 matches across all competitions last season, but was only able to register a measly tally of seven goals – an average of one goal every seven games.
This season has been a new low for the Dutchman, with the attacker only making four appearances in the league under Amorim – none of which have been from a starting position.
During those outings, he’s only featured for a combined total of 82 minutes, with the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha ahead of him in the pecking order.
His struggles may be down to his own confusion, with Zirkzee even stating that he sees himself as a 9.5, often liking to drop deeper and affect the player – with the manager’s system just not suiting his playstyle.
Joshua Zirkzee – PL stats (2024/25)
Statistics (per 90)
Tally
Games played
32
Goals & assists
4
Pass accuracy
72%
Shots taken
1.8
Chances created
0.8
Dribble success
38%
Aerials won
29%
Times dispossessed
2.8
Stats via FotMob
His performances have unfortunately fallen way below what many expected last summer, leading to one analyst dubbing him as “terrible” after being hooked before half time against Newcastle United.
Given his lack of impact, there’s no denying that his move to Old Trafford has been a failure, with the board desperately needing to offload him in the upcoming window.
Whilst Sesko has had his own doubters in recent months, Zirkzee is on another level in terms of failures at the club – potentially going down as one of their worst dealings in the last couple of years.
Their own Anderson: Man Utd to make £53m bid to sign "world-class" CM
Manchester United are set to make a January move for another top-level central midfielder.
India. England. High-scoring venues. Dew. No batting record will be safe over the next fortnight
Sidharth Monga20-Jan-20253:12
Axar: Shami’s return a ‘big positive’
Cricket’s economy is weird. It is run on white-ball cricket. Most of this – outside the one ICC event every year and the non-international T20 leagues – is bilateral cricket. Considering the rights for ICC events and leagues are different entities, a vast majority of the money that cricket boards make comes from bilateral white-ball cricket. And yet, what was the last white-ball bilateral series that you remember building up to?We are always anticipating the next big Test series. So much so that bilateral white-ball series are the time big players are rested so they can be at their best for the Tests, ICC events and the major T20 leagues. And yet, white-ball bilaterals practically finance Test cricket. A three-match tour from India can bring enough money from the broadcasters to keep a small board afloat.White-ball bilaterals are watched. A lot. Much more than Test cricket is. But they are also taken for granted. No anticipation, no build-up, not often the best talent. Especially in this era of split tours. Sometimes, if played at the end of a full tour, momentum is carried into the shorter formats. Right now, they just exist. Quietly dropping in like a Netflix title, but doing better than the appointment viewing in the cinema that you built up to for months.Related
T20 heavyweights look to draw first blood ahead of five-round bout
No issues working with 'good friend' Hardik Pandya for Suryakumar Yadav
Buttler: We're blessed with bowlers that are capable batters
Axar hints at flexible middle order as India gear up for England T20Is
Every once in a while, though, comes a series you can genuinely look forward to. These five upcoming T20Is between India and England are one such event. The new devil-may-care India who have thrown all caution to the wind after the T20 World Cup triumph. Against England, who are now being coached by Brendon McCullum in white-ball cricket too. No batting record will be safe over the next fortnight in high-scoring venues such as Kolkata, Mumbai and Rajkot.Those who believed conservative batting was keeping India from exploring their true hitting potential will feel vindicated at what has happened since the old guard retired with the T20 World Cup last June. India have batted first in 11 T20Is since then, and have gone past 200 seven times. They have made scores of 297 and 283. They also have registered successful chases of 132 in 11.5 overs and 156 in 15.2.Highest total in a match involving full members, most runs in the middle overs in any T20 game, most runs in boundaries. These are a few of the more impressive records India have broken in this small period.England’s ultra-aggressive top order features the likes of Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell•Getty ImagesSince the World Cup, India have hit a boundary every 4.27 balls in T20I cricket. More impressively they have tried to hit one every 2.18 balls. In the year and a half before that, they were attempting one every 2.63 balls. That’s a difference of nearly 10 boundary attempts across a completed innings. And thanks to Rohit Sharma’s renewed impetus at the top of the order, they weren’t exactly playing conservative cricket earlier.And if England have ever needed a reason to attempt boundaries, their new coach and this opposition are only going to push them to play more aggressive T20 cricket. Their boundary attempts have gone up from one every 2.51 balls in the 18 months leading up to the World Cup to one every 2.32 balls. They have batted first only once since the World Cup, scoring 218, and have overhauled three targets while scoring at better than 10 an over.Take these two batting sides. Add small Indian grounds. Throw in fresh, early-season pitches, provided India don’t go for slow turners for competitive advantage. They did, after all, beat England on one such pitch in the World Cup semi-final in Guyana. Then sprinkle some dew. This series could be a T20 purist’s dream.Slow turners, such as the one in last year’s World Cup semi-final in Guyana, are the one ingredient that could prevent a hitathon•ICC/Getty ImagesJos Buttler, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook. Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh. Then there are allrounders. Oh, and Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav are absent. If the tracks are fresh and not made slow, this series could test the limits of T20 cricket. The tactics will have to be spot-on because that one over that goes for below 10 could win or lose the match.In March 2023, West Indies and South Africa played an incredible three-T20I series over four days. South Africa lost after scoring 131 in an 11-over game. Then they chased down a record target of 259. In the finale, West Indies managed to only just defend 220. The two teams achieved a scoring rate of 12.08, the highest for any bilateral series of three matches or more. No other series comes close. The next-best to involve Full Members is 10.69, suggesting how much of an outlier that South Africa-West Indies hitathon was.This India-England series could conceivably hope to beat that record. Or, at the very least, to go past the 11-an-over mark. If a few things go right, who knows what other records will be broken and what new shackles will be broken in the way teams approach T20s.
How has the IPL 2025 been so far? We analyse the trends at the halfway mark
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-20253:05
IPL 2025 so far: CSK’s Chepauk shocker, Shreyas’ impressive captaincy
Perennial underachievers highlight benefits of mega auction
Only 12 matches into IPL 2025, all ten teams had won at least once: clear proof that the mega-auction has done its job. As the table starts to take shape, the early front-runners all have holes in the squads and even the stragglers have enough match-winners to take the two points on any given night.The IPL’s strict salary cap and regular squad turnover frustrate some franchises, and players would doubtless support an open-market system with no wage limits. But the transparency of the auction ensures that the league retains its competitive balance: owners cannot simply bankroll success as they do in many other sports, and teams cannot hoard their best players.Related
Teams face up to home truths in first half of IPL 2025
Fleming says poor results have forced CSK to 'bring all squad members into play'
No respite for teams as PBKS and RCB brace for second bout in 48 hours
Fastest hundreds in the IPL – Priyansh Arya enters the top five
The unconventional journey of the unconventional Digvesh Rathi
Those dynamics have allowed perennial underachievers like Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings to make the running this season, while serial champions Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians lag behind. It is that sense of unpredictability which keeps us tuning in every night — and every season.
Local leagues as a path to IPL glory
The IPL trophy has an inscription, which translates to “where talent meets opportunity”. The tournament throws up new talents every season, and it’s no different in 2025. While some of the previous talents have had the benefit of domestic experience, there’s a new crop that is emerging from state or local T20 leagues. Despite little to no domestic experience, players plucked out from these smaller leagues have seamlessly stepped up to the biggest T20 league this season.Priyansh Arya, who has no first-class experience, demolished a Chennai Super Kings attack, which included Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, on his way to the fastest century by an uncapped Indian in the IPL. Just eight months after hitting six sixes in an over in the Delhi Premier League (DPL), Arya has emerged as one of the most impactful batters in the IPL.Priyansh Arya hit seven fours and nine sixes in his 42-ball 103•BCCIMystery spinner Digvesh Rathi, also from the DPL, has carried Lucknow Super Giants’ injury-hit attack, writing his name into the IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Aniket Verma, a product of the Madhya Pradesh T20 league, had just played just one game in senior representative cricket before this IPL, but has hit more sixes than Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head so far this season.The mushrooming of local leagues, in the lead-up to IPL 2025, made scouts cast their selection nets far and wide. These newbies have rewarded them and impressed us with their breathtaking skills, proving that they belong in the IPL.
New spinners on the rise but Kuldeep still stands out
This is the year of the shiny new spinner in the IPL. Digvesh Rathi is signing his way into hearts, Sai Kishore is keeping the flag for orthodox spin flying, Vipraj Nigam and Vignesh Puthur have made it big despite hardly ever playing for their states. The more established wizards are struggling: R Ashwin has been dropped, Ravindra Jadeja is hardly getting a bowl, Ravi Bishnoi is not even the best in his team right now, Yuzvendra Chahal has had one good match. Even among the Afghan wristies, the younger Noor Ahmad has comprehensively outbowled Rashid Khan, who has just four wickets in six matches.Kuldeep Yadav has been impressive as usual•BCCIThe likeliest explanation for this is that familiarity has bred contempt, but atop Mount Bowling sits a usual suspect: Kuldeep Yadav. After six matches, he is only one wicket Noor’s 12, who has played seven matches, but more importantly, Kuldeep’s economy rate of 6.04 is more than one run better than Noor. He has bowled his allotment in each match; in four out of six, he has gone under a run a ball. He has taken at least one wicket in each of his outings. And, as usual, he has been delightful to watch.
One little change, one big difference
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has forgotten you can use it. Mitchell Starc believes it’s a myth that using it will make a difference. Mohit Sharma believes there will be a gradual spike in reverse swing now that it’s been added back to bowler’s toolkit. We are talking about the IPL’s decision to allow use of saliva on the ball this season.The advantage of applying saliva is well-known. It helps create the bias on the ball – one side shiny, the other rough – that enables it to reverse. Venues like Hyderabad, Delhi, possibly Mullanpur have dry pitches and abrasive outfields and are likely to favour reverse swing as the summer goes on.Reverse swing is an amazing art as the ball dips and swerves in late, just about a yard or so from the batter, leaving them dumbfounded if executed well. It is lethal as Starc has already shown. Revoking the ban on saliva is a significant factor this IPL, one that could tip the balance in favour of the bowler and impact the outcome of a match.
The class of 2016-17 returns
KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj all made their international debuts between June 2016 and November 2017. By the 2022-23 season, it looked like they had established themselves as the next generation of all-format players for India. Then, the entire idea of an all-format player was sent in for reevaluation. T20 batting strike-rates had passed the point where anyone who had ever practised a leave could keep up. The Powerplay was too brutal a place for a swing bowler.One by one, they lost their place in India’s T20I squad. Siraj, drained by the 650-plus overs he had bowled for India from January 2023 to December 2024, lost his place in the ODI squad too. None of the three were retained by their IPL franchises.3:36
Bishop: Shreyas the captain has always made teams better
At the midway point of the 2025 season, Iyer and Rahul are both among the top ten run-getters. Rahul is striking at 150-plus, Iyer at 200-plus. Siraj is among the top ten wicket-takers and has an economy-rate of 8.50. He and Rahul are two of four players with two Player-of-the-Match awards this season.All three have done their own reevaluations of their T20 games and have also found their core skills in demand again thanks to the variety of pitches in use this season. Plus, they have, no doubt, been invigorated by the desire to prove a point.
Don’t take me home, please don’t take me home
Several teams are finding little comfort at home this season. Eden Gardens, Chepauk, and Chinnaswamy have all failed to offer the familiar edge, with curators unable to consistently produce surfaces that suit the home side’s strengths.Kolkata Knight Riders, CSK, RCB, and LSG have all struggled to assert dominance at their bases, eroding the traditional “fortress” feel these grounds once had. This shift has led to significant away wins that defy pre-tournament predictions.RCB, for instance, broke long-standing losing streaks by defeating CSK at Chepauk for the first time since 2008 and MI at the Wankhede for the first time in nearly a decade. They also dismantled KKR’s spin-heavy attack led by Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy at Eden Gardens in the season opener.Adding to the unpredictability, teams like DC and Rajasthan Royals and PBKS have had to navigate the complexities of managing two home venues each. Adaptation has become the buzzword in a season that’s testing flexibility more than familiarity. Ashutosh Sharma and Kevin Pietersen revel in DC’s tight win•Associated Press
Now we know what team mentors do
Ashutosh Sharma was born in Madhya Pradesh in India. Kevin Pietersen was born in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Their paths might never have crossed if not for the IPL and in particular, IPL where Pietersen was elevated to the nebulous role of team mentor at Delhi Capitals. What do these guys do anyway?Well, apparently enough that when a player looking to make a name for himself actually does make a name for himself, he points straight to the mentor and pays tribute. Ashutosh pulled off that most adrenaline-y of all adrenaline-fuelled wins – the one-wicket win – early this season and the first thing he did was point to KP.Teams select mentors for various reasons. One of them is inspiration. Picture being in high school again, except this time the cool kids are accessible and they got your back. Isn’t it beautiful?
Kent 271 (Ekansh 71, Dawkins 61, Morley 5-99) and 136 for 5 (Compton 55*, Evison 53, Reece 4-33) trail Derbyshire 698 for 6 dec by 291 runsDerbyshire were closing in on a huge victory against Kent when bad light forced a premature end to day three of their Rothesay County Championship match at Canterbury.Kent were 135 for 5 in their seconds innings, still 291 behind, after Luis Reece ripped out their top order with 4 for 33.That came after Jack Morley took 5 for 99 as the visitors dismissed Kent for 271 in the first innings, a lead of 427. Ekansh Singh and Ben Dawkins both hit career-best scores of 71 and 61 respectively, but when the former was out Kent’s last four wickets went for just nine runs.Derbyshire enforced the follow on and Reece reduced them to 20 for 3 before Joey Evison and Ben Compton offered some resistance. Reece eventually got Evison for 53, but Compton was unbeaten on 55 when the light failed.The lights were on but very few people were at home when play began on time, with Kent on 117 for 2. Morley, who removed nightwatcher Michael Cohen with the final ball on day two, struck again in his first full over of the morning, getting Jaydn Denly lbw for a five-ball duck.Ekansh was given a life when Wayne Madsen couldn’t cling on to a slip catch after he flashed at Ben Aitchison, but Dawkins was strangled as soon as Zak Chappell returned from the Nackington Road End.Ollie Curtiss got his first first-class runs, but Morley had him brilliantly caught by Martin Andersson at midwicket for 14, leaving Kent on 217 for 5 at lunch.Morley claimed his fifth in style by clinging on to a violent return catch from Ekansh at the second attempt and in doing so he became the first Derbyshire spinner to claim five wickets at Canterbury since Les Townsend in 1931.There was raucous applause from the Nackington Road End when Evison hit Harry Came for successive boundaries to earn Kent a solitary bonus point, but he then slashed Reece to Aneurin Donald at first slip, before Aitchison got his second strangle of the day when Harry Finch flicked him behind for 14.Corey Flintoff went for a second-ball duck, hitting Aitchison straight to the sub fielder Nick Potts at square leg and Matt Parkinson lasted four balls before he edged Reece to Wayne Madsen, who took an outstanding one-handed grab at second slip.If that was bad, there was worse to come as Reece bowled Dawkins for nought with the second ball of the second innings and then had Denly caught behind for four in his next over. Reece got his third of the innings when Ekansh was caught behind for 4, but Compton and Evison steadied things.The latter was dropped by Amrit Basra off Chappell when he was on 28 in the final over before tea, at which point Kent were 61 for 3. He was dropped again on 52 when he drove Dal to midwicket, but Donald put him down, apparently while celebrating a catch he hadn’t actually taken.Donald’s embarrassment was fleeting as Evison chipped Reece to Andersson in the next over and Dal then bowled Curtiss for 4 but Compton swept Morley for four to pass 50 and bad light stopped play at 5.39pm, with eight overs remaining.
Just a few weeks ago, the mood around West Ham United was as dour as it had been in years, and yet now there is a genuine sense of optimism surrounding the club.
This quite dramatic change in sentiment is, of course, down to Nuno Espírito Santo’s side finally putting in performances worthy of the badge, beating Newcastle United and Burnley 3-1 and 3-2, respectively.
On top of the wins, the fans have also seen Freddie Potts given a genuine chance in the first team, and so far, he’s looking every bit the future star so many thought he’d be.
So, supporters should be seriously excited about another player in the academy who could be the next Potts.
Why West Ham fans should be excited about Potts
Now, the headline from the last couple of gameweeks is, and should be, the fact that West Ham have picked up six points from six.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
However, it’s impossible to ignore the side story of Potts finally getting his full first-team debut and then earning a second start in as many games.
The Englishman was utterly impeccable against the Toon. He delivered quintessential all-action central midfield performances and was more than deserving of his Man of the Match award.
He was once again bossing the midfield against the Clarets on Saturday afternoon before going off with what looked like a leg injury, although thankfully it has since been revealed to have only been a dead leg.
Despite being on the pitch for just 62 minutes, the 22-year-old played three key passes, took 56 touches, won 66% of his tackles, made six clearances, won six of nine ground duels and made four recoveries.
It was another showing that demonstrated just why fans are right to be excited about the academy gem.
The Barking-born monster, who, according to one analyst, is blessed with a “supreme confidence and ability to create time and space on the ball”, looks like he could develop into the perfect central midfielder for a Premier League side looking to climb the table.
So it’s good news that the academy may have already produced another prospect who could be Nuno’s next Potts.
West Ham's next Potts
While the first team has been largely disappointing over the last couple of years, the academy has continued to produce exciting prospects for West Ham. One of those talents, and someone who could be the next Potts, is George Earthy.
Now, while the youngster can and has played in several positions across the pitch, he is primarily an attacking midfielder. However, where he plays on the pitch has very little to do with the comparisons to and why he could be another Potts.
Instead, one of the main points of comparison is that, while he hasn’t had many first-team chances, the 21-year-old is viewed as one of the most exciting prospects at the club and has a youth record to prove it.
Appearances
60
53
Minutes
4804′
3573 ‘
Goals
25
17
Assists
18
13
Goal Involvements per Match
0.71
0.56
Minutes per Goal Involvement
111.72′
119.1′
For example, in 60 appearances for the u18s, totalling 4804 minutes, he scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 111.72 minutes.
Then, in 53 appearances for the u21s, totalling 3573 minutes, he scored 17 goals and provided 13 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.76 games, or every 119.1 minutes, and was enough for him to be named Young Hammer of the Year at the end of the 2023/24 season.
With it clear that the “priceless” gem, as dubbed by coach Steve Potts, was too good for academy football, the club sent him on loan to Bristol City last season, where he once again won another young player of the year award.
Now, in addition to being very highly rated from a young age, something else the Havering-born gem shares with the Hammers’ current man of the moment is a love for the club.
Yes, on top of being one of their own, having graduated from the academy, the 21-year-old is a West Ham supporter and even travelled to Prague to watch the side lift the Conference League as a fan.
Ultimately, while they play different roles, Earthy shares a lot in common with Potts, and his impressive record in the academy and with Bristol should see him earn his first competitive start for West Ham sooner rather than later.
AC Milan join Fullkrug race as agent makes damning West Ham admission
Enquanto os bastidores do Corinthians fervem, a equipe apresenta um futebol apático dentro de campo. O time comandado por António Oliveira foi derrotado pelo Bragantino por 1 a 0, fora de casa, e segue sem vencer no Campeonato Brasileiro.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansAugusto Melo cobra reação após derrota do Corinthians e aponta saída de RubãoCorinthians20/04/2024Fora de CampoBenja critica decisão de António Oliveira em RB Bragantino x Corinthians: ‘Sem condição’Fora de Campo20/04/2024Fora de CampoTorcedores criticam atuação do Corinthians em derrota: ‘O pior é sempre o próximo’Fora de Campo20/04/2024
➡️ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Corinthians
Após a partida em Bragança, Augusto Melo, presidente do clube, cobrou publicamente uma resposta dos jogadores em campo e afirmou que vai corrigir os problemas internos do Timão. A frase é um claro recado a Rubens Gomes, o Rubão, diretor de futebol do Corinthians.
Nas últimas semanas, Rubão se distanciou de Augusto Melo e vem tendo sua posição contestada nos bastidores do Parque São Jorge. A última grande crise envolvendo o cartola foi a troca pública de acusações com Romeu Tuma Júnior, presidente do conselho deliberativo do Timão.
continua após a publicidade
Na ocasião, Rubão afirmou que Tuma “criou um governo paralelo dentro do clube”, em uma suposta movimentação para derrubar o diretor de futebol do cargo.
Essas divergências internas vem afetando o desempenho do Corinthians dentro das quatro linhas. Eliminado na fase de grupos do Paulistão, o Timão possuí o pior aproveitamento entre as equipes da Série A em 2024 e já passou por uma troca de treinador no início de temporada. No Brasileirão, não venceu (e nem marcou gols) após três partidas, e deve acabar a rodada na zona de rebaixamento da competição.
continua após a publicidade
Buscando reecontrar o caminho das vitórias, o Corinthians volta a campo contra o Argentinos Juniors, fora de casa, pela terceira rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana.
يبدأ منتخب مصر رحلته في بطولة كأس العرب 2025 بمواجهة قوية أمام نظيره الكويتي، في افتتاح مشوارهما بدور المجموعات، حيث يلتقي الفريقان على ملعب البيت ضمن الجولة الأولى من منافسات البطولة.
وينافس المنتخبان في المجموعة الثالثة التي تضم إلى جانبهما منتخبي الإمارات والأردن، في النسخة التي تستضيفها قطر خلال الفترة من 1 حتى 18 ديسمبر الجاري، وسط ترقب عربي كبير لمباريات الدور الأول.
طالع أيضا .. فيديو | منتخب مصر يبدأ مشواره في كأس العرب بالتعادل مع الكويت
ويدخل منتخب مصر اللقاء بطموحات عالية لتحقيق بداية مثالية تحت قيادة المدرب حلمي طولان، الذي يطمح إلى وضع فريقه على الطريق الصحيح مبكرًا والاقتراب من حصد بطاقة التأهل إلى الأدوار الإقصائية.
في المقابل، يخوض المنتخب الكويتي المواجهة بروح معنوية مرتفعة بعد تأهله من الملحق، ساعيًا لتقديم اختبار قوي أمام مصر وإثبات قدرته على المنافسة، في مباراة ينتظرها الجمهور العربي بشغف كبير.
طالع أيضًا | القنوات الناقلة لمباراة مصر والكويت اليوم في كأس العرب موعد مباراة مصر والكويت في كأس العرب 2025
تنطلق المباراة اليوم الثلاثاء 2 ديسمبر 2025، عند الساعة 4:30 عصرًا بتوقيت القاهرة، و5:30 مساءً بتوقيت مكة المكرمة والكويت.
ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا