Australia captain says they should have scored more than they did, and that they failed to take their chances

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2025

Alyssa Healy dropped a crucial catch off Jemimah Rodrigues•ICC/Getty Images

Australia captain Alyssa Healy said “we did that to ourselves a little bit” after they failed to defend 338 in the World Cup semi-final against India in Navi Mumbai.”I mean, good contest in the end,” she said after India pulled off the highest chase in women’s ODIs to dethrone the champions and set up a summit clash with South Africa on Sunday. “Probably reflecting on that, we did that to ourselves a little bit. It’s probably the first time that I’ve felt like we’ve done that. So, we probably didn’t finish off with the bat, didn’t bowl that great and dropped all our chances in the field, and still hung in there until the second last over. So, I mean, we can take something out of that, but ultimately, outdone in the end.”At 220 for 2 in the 34th over, Australia looked like posting more than 350 but lost wickets in a hurry and were dismissed for 338 in 49.5 overs. In the field they dropped three catches, including two off Jemimah Rodrigues who scored an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls.”I think we created enough [chances]. We created pressure,” Healy said. “We created opportunities. We just weren’t able to capitalise. And, you know, I’m at fault for that as well, and I think that’s something that Australia really prides themselves on.”Related

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“We kind of let ourselves down in that regard today. So that’s probably why it’s disappointing. It felt a little bit similar this time last year, sort of going out playing, you know, not the way that we wanted to play,” she said, comparing this defeat to the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final loss to South Africa. “So we’ll learn from that. We’ll grow. And I think our one-day cricket will hopefully improve since.”Despite the disappointment on Friday, she was proud of Australia’s campaign. “I think we’ve played some unbelievable cricket,” she said. “And, you know, ultimately, like we’ve been saying the whole time, the semi-finals is a knockout game. If you don’t quite turn up on that evening, you know, anyone’s going to get you.”So there was so much to be proud of this World Cup. I’m really proud of our group and every single player’s contribution. I think somebody came in every game and got a job done for us. So I think that’s really cool. Yeah, that’s probably why it stings a little bit more having this conversation with you right now, knowing that we are playing really good cricket, but we just weren’t able to get over that hurdle.”Healy praised the next generation of Australian players, singling out Phoebe Litchfield, whose 119 in the semi-final went in vain.”When you’ve seen players my age walk away from the game, it’s kind of a weird experience to stand there and watch the next generation go about it,” she said. “I thought Phoebe was sensational today, set us off really nicely at the top and then went on to make a hundred, which I thought was really crucial. Kudos to her. It’s been fun to watch her unfold, and I think the next four years leading into the next ODI World Cup are going to be really exciting to watch.”The other change in batting, I think, is around that No.6, No.7 position. I think Ash Gardner has completely owned that role this World Cup.”The 35-year-old also confirmed that this was her final ODI World Cup. “I won’t be there now. There you go,” she said. “That’s the beauty of this next cycle – we’re going to see that unfold. Obviously, there’s a T20 World Cup in the middle of next year, which is really exciting for our group. But I think our one-day cricket is probably going to shift a little bit again.”We’ll learn from what we did wrong tonight. We’ll grow, we’ll get better. And the opportunity for some young players to get greater opportunities in this side is a really exciting thing for Australian cricket.”

Manchester United’s £200m spending spree over the summer window was a huge statement by INEOS in an attempt to help lead the club back up the Premier League.

The vast majority of the funds were invested into the Red Devils’ forward line, which has handed Ruben Amorim a deadly trio within the final third of the pitch.

Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha were all added to the first-team ranks, with the former of the trio currently sitting as the club’s top goalscorer.

However, other areas of the pitch are also in need of investment in the near future to help Amorim in his quest for success during his tenure in charge at Old Trafford.

The midfield department looks set to be the next area to be improved in the coming months, with additions expected to be made during the upcoming January window.

Man United looking to sign £100m + midfielder

Over the last couple of weeks, United have been just one side tipped with an interest in securing a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Joao Gomes ahead of January.

It has been reported that the player himself would be open to a move to Old Trafford this winter, leading to a £44m price tag being mooted for his signature.

However, no contact has yet been made between the two Premier League clubs, but that’s not to say a move could transpire in the weeks leading up to the window.

He’s not alone in being identified as a potential option for the Red Devils, with Real Madrid star Federico Valverde another star currently in the hierarchy’s sights.

According to one Spanish outlet, Amorim’s men are planning to make a club-record £105m bid for the Uruguayan’s signature in the upcoming window amid his struggles at the Bernabeu.

The report claims that he’s been in the middle of a dispute with current boss Xabi Alonso, and could be allowed to depart the LaLiga giants despite making 23 appearances across all competitions in 2025/26.

How Fede Valverde compares to Elliot Anderson

In United’s attempts to improve the options at the heart of the side, one name has constantly been on the tongue of a huge number of supporters – Elliot Anderson.

The Nottingham Forest star has endured quite the rise over the last 18 months, after he joined the Reds in a £35m deal from boyhood club Newcastle United in the summer of 2024.

He’s since racked up a total of 57 appearances for his current side, achieving a total of 10 combined goals and assists during that time – including a superb strike against Tottenham Hotspur last season.

The 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength in recent months, featuring in every minute of Forest’s Premier League campaign to date – leading to a consistent run in the England national team.

Such a feat is a huge credit to the player, but it’s only driven his price tag up further in recent months, with Sean Dyche’s side now valuing the youngster at around the £100m mark.

However, the aforementioned fee may be a risk given his short period of success at the City Ground, which could lead to a move for Valverde instead this January.

When comparing the pair’s respective stats from the ongoing campaign, the Uruguayan international has managed to outperform Anderson in key areas – which could make him a better option this window.

Valverde, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by one analyst, has completed more of the passes he’s attempted this campaign, with more of his efforts being defined as key passes.

Such tallies showcase he’s arguably better in possession than Anderson, handing Amorim that added ball-playing presence he craves at the heart of the side.

Games played

13

12

Goals & assists

4

2

Pass accuracy

89%

83%

Key passes

1.6

1.5

Tackles won

62%

51%

Clearances made

2.1

1.1

Take-on success

50%

46%

Carries into final third

1.7

1.4

Aerials won

59%

48%

However, the main responsibility of any new addition will be to regain possession, something which the Real Madrid star has demonstrated in abundance this campaign.

He’s bettered Anderson for tackles won to date, whilst also making more clearances per 90 – subsequently offering a better option out of possession than the Englishman.

Other stats, such as a higher take-on success and more aerials won, showcase his all-round dominance over the Forest star – with the board needing to pursue a move for Valverde’s signature.

£105m would be a huge investment from the board, subsequently breaking the club record, but it’s a deal that would emphatically end their hunt for a new midfielder.

There’s no disputing Anderson is a top talent, but it would be rash of the hierarchy to spend such funds on him, especially when a proven talent of Valverde’s calibre is available for just £5m more.

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Once the wall and now the architect, Gautam Gambhir oversaw the team’s grittiest draw since 2009

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Within the span of eight months in 2009, Gautam Gambhir scored match-saving centuries in Napier and Ahmedabad, where India began the third innings facing deficits of 314 and 334 respectively.On Sunday, Gambhir was India’s head coach when they drew the Old Trafford Test after starting the third innings trailing by 311 runs.These three, incidentally, are the highest-ever first-innings deficits that India have defied to save Test matches while batting third. They batted out an astonishing 180 overs in Napier, 129 in Ahmedabad, and 143 in Manchester.For a generation that rarely witnesses the fighting draw, Old Trafford was a reminder of the spectacle it can be, of the technical skill and physical and mental endurance required to pull one off, and of the subplots that go into one’s making.Related

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Take the passage of play just before England took the second new ball, when Shubman Gill farmed the strike while facing Liam Dawson even though he had a recognised batter at the other end. It took millions of years of evolution, and the quirks of cricket’s geometry, for this moment to come about.Because humanity is predominantly right-handed, and because bowling happens at both ends but bowlers are allowed to choose the side of the wicket they operate from, the most scuffed-up areas on a Test-match pitch are invariably outside the left-hand batter’s off stump. Through the entirety of the 188-run partnership between the right-right pair of Gill and KL Rahul, Dawson had induced just seven false shots in 26 overs. When the left-handed Washington Sundar batted alongside Gill, Dawson, now able to make use of those scuffed-up patches, induced seven false shots in just five overs. Gill shielding Washington from the left-arm spinner was one of many smart moves India made as they battled their way to safety.Test cricket is vast enough to have space for such a passage of play even when a team is chasing a win; it’s just a lot likelier to happen during a struggle for survival, when runs are incidental.KL Rahul managed low bounce well at Old Trafford•Getty ImagesAnd when runs become incidental, viewers can immerse themselves in the mechanics and rhythms of skillful defensive batting. At times during his 90 in that third innings, Rahul seemed to be batting in a trancelike state that allowed him to watch the ball in slow motion – so inevitable did it look when he kept out the shin-high shooter that always seemed to be around the corner.It almost took until Rahul failed to keep one out, on 90, for the treachery of this low bounce to become clear. There had been something of Mark Waugh’s slip catching in Rahul’s defiance of Old Trafford’s uneven bounce, a way of making the extraordinary look effortless, bat coming down straight and unhurried, with none of the imprecise jabbing you might expect against balls behaving entirely contrary to muscle memory.For all that, this was an exceedingly flat pitch, its slowness taking away much of the sting of its occasional misbehaviour. Through the course of the third innings, India’s batters managed a control percentage of 87.8. In comparison, India had gone at 87.0 when they saved the 2009 Ahmedabad Test.The draw at Old Trafford was the fifth across 83 Tests in the last two years•Getty ImagesReturning to the aftermath of that match is an instructive exercise. dismissed most of the contest as “nothing short of a snooze-fest”. Harbhajan Singh, who bowled 48.4 overs before Sri Lanka declared at 760 for 7, suggested that pitches like Ahmedabad’s would “finish all the bowlers” and were “not fit for any kind of cricket”.If Old Trafford, a contest not dissimilar to that 2009 snoozefest, has left most of us with a warm and fuzzy feeling, it’s because of two things. There is, first of all, the tendency of the human brain to process events by turning them into stories. India lost the same number of wickets in both match-saving innings, but where they lost them after partnerships of 81, 88, 40 and 66 in Ahmedabad, they were 0 for 2 at Old Trafford and lost 2 for 34 after a 188-run third-wicket stand.Given the near-identical control percentages achieved over both innings, the vagaries of probability may have played a significant role in bringing about dissimilar fall-of-wicket patterns. There’s nothing better than an unpredictable twist, and nothing worse than a repetitive tale. And the story of Old Trafford also included the fact that the team that overcame adversity was a young visiting team striving to stay alive in the series, and the fact that one of their batters was nursing an injury that would have severely compromised his movements had he needed to bat.Ravindra Jadeja refused Ben Stokes’ offer for a draw after the 138th over•Ben Radford/AllSport UK LtdThe second thing Old Trafford had that Ahmedabad – and so many other “dull” draws that litter the history of Test cricket – lacked was rarity value. Ahmedabad was the 27th draw in 87 Tests over that two-year period. Old Trafford was only the fifth draw in 83 Tests in the last two years.Viewers, then, were perfectly placed to appreciate the best things about the draw, and downplay aspects of it that may have worried them at other times. The fact, for instance, that this was the fifth draw in as many first-class matches at Old Trafford this year. Or the idea that England’s bowlers may have looked as knackered as they did because they were playing their fourth Test of a series played on unforgivingly flat pitches – that both Headingley and Edgbaston produced decisive results may have been because they were played earlier in the series, by fresher players, with one team batting in a high-risk, high-reward way that shortened their innings. Or that India’s lacklustre display with the ball may have had something to do with selection that prioritised runs over wickets.All those things may have come into greater focus had Old Trafford been another draw in an era of drawn Tests. We aren’t in 2009, though, and we’re the better for it. The rarer draws are, the more captivating they become.But one thing hasn’t changed between 2009 and now, as ESPNcricinfo’s final-day report from Ahmedabad makes clear: “By the time the final session of the match arrived, the only question left unanswered was whether (Sachin) Tendulkar would get to his 88th international century. Kumar Sangakkara didn’t seem pleased with being kept on the field in the mandatory overs while Tendulkar moved towards the ton.”

كشفت شبكة سكاي سبورتس منذ قليل، عن وجود بعض التطورات الجديدة المتعلقة بشأن مصير مشاركة محمد صلاح، نجم نادي ليفربول، خلال مباراة فريقه أمام إنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

محمد صلاح يثار الكثير من الجدل حوله خلال الساعات الأخيرة، وذلك عقب التصريحات النارية التي أدلى بها عقب نهاية مباراة ليفربول وليدز يونايتد بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وكان محمد صلاح بديلًا طوال هذه المباراة والتي انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي 3-3 ، حيث صرح الدولي المصري عقب نهاية المباراة أنه غير سعيد بوضعه مع ليفربول.

اقرأ أيضًا .. أسطورة تشيلسي مساندًا محمد صلاح: على سلوت إظهار الاحترام له

وأكد محمد صلاح انهيار علاقته بمدرب نادي ليفربول، آرني سلوت، وبأنه لم يتم احترامه قياسًا بما قدمه للريدز طوال السنوات الماضية، وأن هناك شخصًا كذلك لا يريده في النادي الإنجليزي.

وبناءًا على تلك التصريحات ورد أن ليفربول يفكر بشكل جدي في معاقبة محمد صلاح على ما قاله واستبعاده من مباراة إنتر ميلان في دوري الأبطال، والتي سوف تلعب يوم غدًا الثلاثاء ضمن مرحلة الدوري من المسابقة.

لكن سكاي أفادت، أن محمد صلاح قد وصل إلى تدريبات ليفربول صباح اليوم الإثنين ، وذلك من أجل الانضمام لبقية زملائه استعدادًا لمباراة إنتر ميلان.

وأوضحت الشبكة، أن ليفربول سيتدرب ظهر اليوم الإثنين استعدادًا لمباراة إنتر ميلان، قبل أن يتحدث سلوت بعد ذلك أمام وسائل الإعلام للحديث عن قضية محمد صلاح.

Mohamed Salah has arrived at Liverpool’s training ground ahead of the trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League 🔴 pic.twitter.com/hg1oUNcctm — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 8, 2025

Detroit Tigers ace lefthander Tarik Skubal cemented himself as the best pitcher in the American League by capturing his second consecutive Cy Young Award earlier in November. And yet, Skubal's name is popping up in trade rumors as MLB's hot stove heats up this winter.

Why?

Tigers‘s reported lowball extension offer to Skubal with free agency looming

Skubal, 29, will be a free agent at season‘s end in 2026. The Tigers, undoubtedly aware of the caliber of pitcher they possess and looking to get ahead of things, in November of 2024 made a contract extension offer to Skubal that his representation, bank-breaking agent Scott Boras, deemed "non-competitive." This past month, with Skubal's '26 free agency still looming and his price tag soaring ever higher on the heels of back-to-back Cy Young Award-winning campaigns, the Tigers reportedly made another offer to the ace lefthander, but the two sides weren't close. The apparent negotiations gulf between Skubal and the Tigers has opened the door to a trade.

Why a Skubal trade makes sense for the Tigers

Skubal has posted back-to-back seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA and 220-plus strikeouts with fewer than 40 walks in 190-plus innings. He's one of the last truly dominant aces in baseball in a bullpen-heavy era where the type starter isn't as prevalent as in past years. MLB has never seen a free agent pitcher command a contract at—or north of—$400 million.

There's every reason to believe that Skubal could become the first.

Represented by Boras, it's very likely that Skubal will hit free agency. Boras is fresh off of an offseason in which he helped Juan Soto land the richest contract for a position player in baseball history. For several million reasons, he'd love to see Skubal surpass Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million deal next winter, meaning that Boras clients would own the largest contracts among both position players and pitchers.

And while Boras told reporters he's "prepared to listen" to overtures from Tigers principal owner Chris Ilitch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris in terms of a pre-free agency Skubal contract, a deal seems unlikely to materialize before the star pitcher hits the open market, given the way Boras has traditionally done business. When you consider the Tigers‘ resources, it's reasonable to think that Skubal hitting the open market could spell doom for its chances of retaining the ace. Of the 12 teams that made the postseason in 2025, Detroit's payroll ranked ninth. The Tigers again project to have a payroll that ranks in the bottom half of the league's 30 teams. As great as Skubal is, would the Tigers be willing to allocate a hefty chunk of that payroll to one player?

Should Skubal walk in free agency in '26, Detroit would likely recoup a draft pick in terms of compensation.

That's where a trade potentially factors in.

Given how good he is, Skubal could command a massive haul of prospects as part of a trade return. After the 2025 trade deadline, Detroit's farm system checked in as the sixth-best in MLB.com's rankings. The Tigers boast four top-100 prospects, but none of them are pitchers. In fact, of the Tigers's top-10 prospects, just one of them is a pitcher. Perhaps the Tigers, already armed with one of baseball's youngest rosters, lean further into a youth movement, particularly on the pitching side, to capitalize on the potential loss of Skubal?

If so, there's an argument about the best time to trade Skubal would be. This winter, giving contending teams a potential alternative against the backdrop of a solid starting pitching free agent market that lacks a true ace? Or at the '26 trade deadline, giving the (hopefully) contending Tigers a chance to assess how its season is going, and, potentially convince Skubal to remain in Detroit without him testing the open market.

It's a bit of a precarious position for the Tigers front office. Such is the business of baseball.

From Ibrahima Konate winning the title with Liverpool, to William Saliba anchoring Arsenal's charge to the top of the table or Leny Yoro's big-money signing for Manchester United, French centre-backs have had a massive influence in the Premier League's recent history. Now, the race to sign Les Bleus' next great defender is on as the top clubs from England and beyond circle Tylel Tati.

Tati was an unknown even in France at the start of August, but he has quickly emerged as the country's most exciting young defender after making his full debut for Nantes aged 17 against Paris Saint-Germain on the opening day of the season. He hasn't looked back from there, starting 12 of Nantes' next 13 Ligue 1 matches as they aim to stave off the threat of relegation.

Tati is the latest talented youngster to come out of a Nantes academy where top players including Marcel Desailly, Lassana Diarra and Randal Kolo Muani all took their first steps. Standing at an imposing 6'2" while boasting strength and power that defies the norm for a player of his age, Tati also oozes technical quality. He is also a highly-coveted resource by nature of being a left-footed centre-back.

Tati's rapid rise has led to scouts from Europe's leading clubs, including Manchester United, PSG and Bayern Munich converging at the Stade de la Beaujoire for a closer look at him. With a bidding war set to commence soon, GOAL explains why Tati has set tongues wagging across the continent…

• Where it all began

  Tati was born in Champigny-sur-Marne on the outskirts of Paris on January 17, 2008, as the youngest of four children. His father, Sambou 'Bijou' Tati, is a huge figure in the local football scene in his hometown, having been the chairman of amateur club US Roissy-en-Brie for 20 years. Sambou used to dine out on the fact that he had coached Paul Pogba, but he has an even closer connection with the latest prodigy to emerge from the club. 

  "As club president and coach, I've seen a lot of players come through," he told . "Today, when I think that it's my son, wow… It warms my heart."

  Before joining his father's club, Tati honed his skills in his local town square, pitting himself against the older children. "Everyone wanted to have him on their team, which is no surprise if you know anything about his maturity and his will to win," added Sambou Tati.

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• The big break

  Tati spent time at the renowned youth academy of INF Clairefontaine, whose former students include Nicolas Anelka, Louis Saha, Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe. He experienced hip problems during his time there as a result of a growth spurt, though he still caught the eye of Nantes, who had been tracking him since he was 11 years old. 

  His passing ability and technique stood out to Nantes scout Mohamed Sadaoui, who invited Tati to a youth tournament. His Nantes colleagues were impressed with what they saw, and Tati was subsequently invited to play for them in a friendly. Twenty minutes into the game, a staff member told Sadaoui that he had to go and sign him. 

  Nantes were not the only team looking at Tati, who also attracted interest from PSG. But Tati took the mature decision to resist the glamour of Ligue 1's dominant force as he felt he would develop more quickly at Nantes and signed a trainee contract on his 13th birthday.

• Getty
  

  How it's going

  Tati began playing for Nantes' Under-17s team when he was still 15, and was then promoted to the reserve team at the back end of the 2024-25 season. He helped Nantes reach the final of the U19 Championnat, where they were beaten 2-1 by PSG, though the disappointment of failing to win a youth title did not last long as Tati had still managed to impress the first-team coaches, who invited him to spend pre-season training with them.

  Tati stood out in the pre-season campaign and was named in the starting XI for the first Ligue 1 game of the season, at home to PSG. The recently-crowned treble winners won 1-0, but Tati barely put a foot wrong, earning glowing reviews from the local and national press. said the teenager "was never in trouble" as he marked Goncalo Ramos out of the game ashe only time the Portugal forward got ahead of the debutant was when he caught offside.

  "He played a very good match, he's calm, focused, and at 17, that's not bad," said coach Luis Castro, who has only not selected Tati this season when he was nursing a minor injury. Tati's 13 starts make him the most-used player under the age of 18 in Europe's top five leagues, while his rise has also led to an embarrassing situation for 31-year-old Serbian defender Uros Radakovic, who was signed in the summer but has played just four games, all as a substitute, due to the teenager's consistent displays.

  In October Tati signed his first professional contract, tying him to Nantes until 2028 with the option to extend the agreement until 2030. But it is highly unlikely he will remain there that long. United, Arsenal, Bayern and Barcelona are just some of the clubs that have sent scouts to watch him in action, while PSG are tracking his progress too.

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• Biggest strengths

  Tati used to be a midfielder, which led to him acquiring an impressive passing range and technique on the ball. He is adept at playing out from the back, while his height gives him a big advantage when it comes to fending off opponents and winning duels. The fact he is naturally left-footed means he is even more valuable as it makes him equipped to playing in a back three, playing as an inverted full-back in a back four or simply as a traditional left-sided centre-back with a licence to push into midfield.

  "He is mature and remarkably composed in the face of adversity," Nantes' academy director Samuel Fenillat told newspaper"He’s an intelligent player with an excellent reading of the game. He’s always aware of his team-mates' movements. He’s a player who listens, who learns quickly."

  Nantes' reserve team coach Steephane Ziani, who coached Tati until the end of last season, added: "He's one of those modern defenders; he's tall and fast enough, but he knows his strengths and he's always focused."

From first-time captains to new venues, there’s plenty to look forward to

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Harmanpreet: ‘No pressure at all’ playing World Cup at home

There is an air of newness around the Women’s World Cup 2025.Harmanpreet Kaur and Alyssa Healy may now be synonymous as India and Australia captains, but this is their first ODI World Cup as captains – replacing the now-retired Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning, respectively. Nat Sciver-Brunt is only two series old as England’s skipper. Chamari Athapaththu will be playing her first 50-over ICC event in home conditions and Sri Lanka return to the competition after missing out in 2022.Off the field, the first cricket World Cup in Guwahati is less of a celebration. The city – and by extension the state of Assam, the gateway to north-east India – is mourning the loss of one of its own in singer Zubeen Garg, who passed away last week. Apart from his songs, he was known for his philanthropy.Durga Puja, a festival celebrated grandly in eastern India, has also been scaled down hugely. There won’t be the usual grand processions. For those living in Guwahati, the city itself feels very different. This is the unlikely backdrop for what promises to be a huge ICC event.Related

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India and Sri Lanka kick off a Women's World Cup with a difference

Never mind that four of the five venues haven’t hosted a women’s game in recent years, the eight teams will vie for record prize money – a sum (USD 13.8 million) that is higher than what was at stake at the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup (USD 10 million). With the subcontinent hosting a Women’s ODI World Cup after 12 years, the level of competition is also expected to be higher. The WBBL has existed for close to a decade now, but this is the first time the effects of the various leagues such as the WPL and the Hundred will be seen.For instance, Sri Lanka beat India for only the third time in ODIs earlier this year. India, on their part, beat Australia for the first time at home and ended their 13-match winning streak.Chamari Athapaththu wants an Asian team to lift the trophy•AFP/Getty Images”We are playing in the subcontinent and that’s a good advantage for us,” Athapaththu said on the eve of the World Cup-opener against India. “But if we take too much pressure and think too much about this, we can’t play our best cricket.”From days of sparsely filled stadiums to endless demands for tickets, Harmanpreet has witnessed it all in her career. She has also suffered heartbreak in front of close to 90,000 people at the 2020 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne. With the DY Patil ground in Mumbai, that attracted close to 50,000 people during the WPL, pencilled in to host the final of this World Cup, she has a chance to be on the other side of the equation in what could be her last 50-over World Cup.”Firstly, earlier five fielders used to be outside, now there are four,” Harmanpreet joked when asked about the changes in women’s cricket over the last decade. “Besides that, we are playing in bigger stadiums – the last time we played at the CCI [Brabourne stadium in Mumbai]. The stadiums are packed every time we play. Apart from that, we also see a lot of 300-plus scores, which was not normal earlier. I could go on about it all night.”The exponential growth of the women’s game has everybody buzzing. “I want to see some Asian team lift the trophy,” Athapaththu said, “Maybe Sri Lanka, maybe India, maybe Pakistan, maybe Bangladesh. Every time Australia, England and New Zealand have been dominant. In Asia, cricket is like a second religion; it’s a privilege to play on home soil. So I want an Asian team to win.”India and Sri Lanka’s game at the ACA Stadium on Tuesday could well be the start of something new.

Eighteen Tests into his tenure, a world-class attack and a promising batting group haven’t yet translated into results, and questions may grow louder if India lose this series

Karthik Krishnaswamy19-Nov-20253:11

‘Gambhir should be doing much better with the players at his disposal’

We win as a team, we lose as a team.It’s a line Gautam Gambhir uses often in his press conferences, usually in reply to questions highlighting individual success or failure. It’s not about the individual. That’s another pet Gambhir line.It might be time, though, to talk about one individual in his group: Gambhir himself.India’s defeat to South Africa at Eden Gardens was their fourth home loss under Gambhir. He has presided over as many home losses, in just over a year, as his three immediate predecessors as head coach – Rahul Dravid, Ravi Shastri (over two stints, including one as team director) and Anil Kumble – did in a decade.Related

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• Kolkata minefield: Bavuma stands tall, Washington stands longer

India have won four home Tests under Gambhir – two against Bangladesh, two against West Indies. They presently have a 0-4 home record against New Zealand and South Africa. Overall, home and away, it’s 7-9.It isn’t pretty.There are mitigating factors at play. Gambhir took charge of a team in transition, and the retirements of R Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma happened under his watch. Each of the home defeats has come on tricky surfaces where small turns of fortune were often decisive and often went against India. Kolkata hinged on many such moments, including the toss – India also lost the toss in Pune and Mumbai against New Zealand – and an injury that restricted Shubman Gill, their captain and key middle-order batter, to facing just three balls in the match. That India lost by only 30 runs in these circumstances suggested they weren’t all that far from winning.But that, in effect, has been India’s issue right through the Gambhir era. This is not the team of MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher, which lost 4-0 in England and 4-0 in Australia and 2-1 at home to England. That was a team with a transitioning batting line-up and, more crucially, a wayward, inexperienced attack that was seldom able to keep any opposition under pressure for long periods.Gambhir’s team is not that team. The bowling group is world-class, full of experience, variety and wicket-taking skill. The batting is strong and deep and has shown little sign of missing Kohli or Rohit – though India would love to be able to bring one of them in if Gill misses the Guwahati Test, as they try and work out how to manage a surfeit of left-handed options. The tour of England this summer showed just how prolific India’s young batters can be when the conditions aren’t loaded against them.1:18

Is the pressure mounting on Gambhir, the red-ball coach?

India have competed on at least an even footing in pretty much every Test against strong opposition during Gambhir’s tenure, home and away. They have won Test matches with key players unavailable. They won in Perth with a team featuring two debutants, one batter with just one previous Test cap, and another with just three. They won at Edgbaston and The Oval without their talisman Jasprit Bumrah.And so many of their losses, like Kolkata, have left long trails of what-ifs.The frustrating thing for an India fan is that the what-ifs aren’t just moments that weren’t in anyone’s control. So many of them, instead, concern decisions of selection and strategy that the team management made after careful deliberation.Take the consistent selection of three allrounders in India’s XIs, which, in theory, gives them batting depth until No. 8 as well as six bowling options. It’s one thing to pick such a team in India, where Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are legitimate wicket-taking bowlers. To pick Jadeja, Washington and either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Shardul Thakur in Australia and England, at the cost of a fourth frontline wicket-taker, is an entirely different matter.It’s led India to lose control of Test matches from balanced or dominant positions, with the lack of wicket-taking depth haunting them at crucial stages at the MCG, the SCG, Headingley and Lord’s.India have lost four Tests at home under Gautam Gambhir•Getty ImagesIt’s also led to India overbowling their strike bowlers. A direct line can be drawn from India’s selections in Australia to the recurrence of Bumrah’s back issues at the end of that tour, and from there to his rationed appearances in England, which in turn, in concert with India’s stubborn insistence on playing three allrounders, led to Mohammed Siraj taking on a superhuman workload on that tour.The decision to enforce the follow-on against West Indies on a lifeless Delhi pitch last month also seemed consistent with this team management’s tendency to not worry about bowler workloads unless – as in the case of Bumrah in England – they’re forced to.The other strategy decision India have consistently made under Gambhir concerns their choice of home pitches. Every India head coach in recent times has turned to extreme pitches at some point or another when strong opponents have visited, but where defeats on such pitches often led his predecessors to rethink this approach, they have only made Gambhir double down.Now it’s usually a good thing to not let results sway your convictions. Gambhir’s obstinacy, in that sense, is commendable, and any statistician will tell you that four Test matches is too small a sample to prove or disprove his stated reason for wanting pitches with sharp, early turn – that they minimise toss advantage.

Eighteen Tests into his tenure, Gambhir has a record that does no justice to the players at his disposal. There is no indication that his position is under any threat, particularly given his fine white-ball record. Questions, however, might get asked if India lose this series against South Africa.

It can be said with a little more certainty, however, that extremely bowler-friendly pitches tend to narrow the skill gap between the stronger and weaker attack in those conditions. India were undoubtedly the attack with more quality, depth and experience of Indian conditions during their series against New Zealand last year. And while Simon Harmer was the best bowler on either side in Kolkata, India still had the better attack, collectively, for the conditions.Over a longer Test match, where seamers and spinners have to come back again and again and maintain their control and intensity over all those spells, which attack would you bet on? The one with Bumrah, Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Jadeja, Washington and Axar or the one with Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch, Harmer and Keshav Maharaj? If India’s main wicket threats on a typical first-innings Indian pitch – Bumrah, Kuldeep and Jadeja – are all out of the attack, they would still be able to call on bowlers who would keep a lid on the scoring and keep batters in a state of high vigilance. The same wouldn’t necessarily be true of South Africa, even if you could swap in Kagiso Rabada for Bosch.Why play on minefields then?The answer to this may well be the same as the answer to the allrounders-instead-of-frontline-bowlers question: a lack of belief, a constant underestimation of the talent India have at their disposal.As useful as their batting depth was in England, it probably did not make up for their lack of wicket-taking edge at crucial moments, and India’s top order showed, even in their first series without Kohli and Rohit, that they did not need that extra security. And while India’s spinners can be unplayable on square turners, they can be a consistent threat on normal pitches too.All this almost seems obvious from the outside, but all of us with that outside perspective have little, if anything, at stake. Gambhir is right in the thick of it, and every win and loss goes on his CV. Being in that position can sometimes lead you to question if the resources you have are good enough, and to reach for seeming failsafes that guarantee nothing and come with hidden costs.Eighteen Tests into his tenure, Gambhir has a record that does no justice to the players at his disposal. There is no indication that his position is under any threat, particularly given his fine white-ball record. Questions, however, might get asked if India lose this series and leave themselves with a treacherous route to the World Test Championship final. It might be in his best interests, then, to start showing a little more trust in the quality of his players, and worry a little less about unseen dangers.

England went from a position of strength to a calamitous eight-wicket defeat on day two

Tristan Lavalette22-Nov-2025

Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne embrace after Head’s thrilling 69-ball hundred•Getty Images

In the span of five madcap hours at Perth Stadium, England went from a position of strength to crashing to a calamitous eight-wicket defeat as the first Ashes Test remarkably finished inside two days.Somehow topping a 19-wicket opening day, Australia turned the series-opener on its head with quicks Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc, who finished with 10 wickets for the match, tearing through a ham-fisted England batting effort in the middle session.Needing 205 runs for victory, makeshift opener Travis Head plundered 123 off 83 balls as Australia chased down the total in just 28.2 overs. They scored at more than seven runs an over, with recalled No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne finishing unbeaten on 51 from 49 balls.Skipper Steven Smith hit the winning run to trigger scenes of jubilation for an Australian team that was staring down the barrel earlier in the day.Related

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Head’s cavalier batting gave England a taste of their own medicine, as he reached his ton off 69 balls – the equal third fastest by an Australian in Tests. England’s all-out pace attack, so ferocious just 24 hours earlier, appeared shell-shocked as Head continually flayed wayward bowling through the off-side much to the delight of many in the 49,983 crowd.Head opened the batting after Usman Khawaja had been continually off the ground in England’s innings due to back spasms. He had previously opened the innings for Australia eight times, but all had been in South Asia.Head clearly enjoyed his promotion and helped ease the pressure on debutant Jake Weatherald, who fell for a second-ball duck in the first innings. Weatherald was able to play himself in and unfurled several attractive strokes of his own before falling on 23 to a short ball from Brydon Carse.Head was unstoppable and fearless, taking on the short-pitched bowling from Mark Wood, while he also bludgeoned Ben Stokes for four boundaries off an over. Head’s century was met with mighty applause from the Australian fans, but his own celebration was fairly low-key although punctuated by several steely fistbumps.He finally holed out with Australia needing just 13 runs to win, but the result had long been a formality.Scott Boland picked up three wickets in the space of 11 balls•Getty ImagesIt was an astonishing turn of events after England were 65 for 1 in their second innings, with a lead of 105, before Boland triggered a collapse with the tourists losing 4-11 in 19 balls.England lost 9-99 during the second session that may ultimately haunt them in their quest to regain the Ashes. Four of England’s top six nicked off, while Joe Root completed a double failure after inside edging Starc, having attempted an extravagant drive.The pressure had been on Boland after he was collared in England’s first innings, finishing with 0-62 from 10 overs. He pulled back his length in the second innings and had Ben Duckett caught at second slip to end his 65-run stand with Ollie Pope – the biggest partnership to that point of the match.Boland then had Pope and Harry Brook edging behind the wicket in his next over as he displayed the type of inimitable rhythm that has propelled him to scythe through numerous batting line-ups over the years.Starc had been unable to consistently summon his top speed, backing up so quickly after recording his career best figures of 7-58 in England’s first innings. Sensing the shift in momentum, Smith wisely brought Starc back on and he responded by knocking over Root before continuing his domination of Stokes.Starc decked a menacing delivery away from Stokes, whose outside edge flew to second slip as he fell to his nemesis for the 11th time in Tests. Jamie Smith, who had been dropped by Khawaja at slip early in his innings, fell caught behind off a short ball from Brendan Doggett after an interminable review overturned the original not out decision.Mitchell Starc roars after claiming Ben Stokes for his 10th wicket of the match•Getty ImagesThere was little resistance from England, evoking many such collapses on Australian soil over the years, until Carse and Gus Atkinson counterattacked for a 47-run partnership. They took advantage of Australia resorting to a short-ball tactic in the only bright spot for England in a miserable session.But the short-ball strategy finally paid off as Doggett wrapped up the innings and finished with five wickets in his Test debut.In what felt like an eternity ago, England had started the second day in the ascendency. Under overcast skies, Australia resumed on 123 for 9 and were still reeling from England’s sustained pressure that blew them away on day one. But Doggett and Nathan Lyon did manage to hang around for 26 minutes, whittling the deficit by nine runs.Wood bowled too short and was unable to muster the same hostility he produced on day one marked by a ferocious delivery that battered the helmet of Cameron Green.Stokes turned to Carse who claimed his third wicket by dismissing Lyon in the gully as England claimed a 40-run advantage on the first innings even though Australia batted 12.3 overs longer.After tearing through England’s tail in the first innings, Starc entered on a hat-trick and charged into Zak Crawley who he dismissed for a duck on the sixth ball of the match.Crawley could only last five balls after spooning an attempted drive to Starc, who showcased extraordinary athleticism to stick out his left-hand and pluck a return catch.Sharfuddoula, the third umpire, had a long look but Starc’s fingers were underneath the ball as Crawley walked off having made a pair. There will be much focus on Crawley’s haste in driving on the up, a risky proposition against the new ball in Perth.Crawley’s wicket meant that for the first time in Test cricket the opening partnership did not score a run in each of the first three innings.Starc was on a roll and conjuring menacing swing with the new ball, but Duckett and Pope survived the onslaught, frustrating Australia with proactive running between the wickets. Much like England’s first innings, Starc was playing a lone hand with Boland continuing to be expensive with 15 runs off his first three overs.Boland started to get his tail up in his second spell and beat the bat of Pope on numerous occasions as England ended the session well placed. But Boland’s luck soon changed as the series-opener dramatically turned on its head.

One European club is now ready to launch a move to sign a big-money Liverpool star in 2026, despite facing competition from the Saudi Pro League.

Slot expects "aggressive" Leeds vs Liverpool

Despite Wednesday night’s timid draw against Sunderland at Anfield, Arne Slot was in good spirits ahead of Liverpool’s next game against Leeds United this weekend. The Reds will be looking to stretch their mini-unbeaten run to three games in the same week, but must also get back to winning ways after Wednesday.

On paper, a trip to newly-promoted Leeds looks routine and once upon a time it was exactly that for the Reds. Those days, for the time being, are gone, however, and the Premier League champions are now set to square off against a side who could physically outmatch them once again.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot admitted that he expects to face an “aggressive” Leeds side: “Yesterday I looked at Leeds v Chelsea and I thought I saw a Liverpool game; Chelsea conceding a set-piece and for the third goal making a big, big error where they conceded a goal from. [It was] very difficult for them.

“Either Leeds went very aggressive to one-v-one or they went to a low block and it was really hard to create chances. It’s not only difficult for us, that playing style, it’s difficult for many teams – including us.”

It’s been the story of Liverpool’s season so far. Whenever they’ve encountered physicality, the Premier League champions have simply been bullied.

Something had to change and that has seen Mohamed Salah sacrificed. The struggling Egyptian has not started either of Liverpool’s last two games and reports suggest he could yet leave the club in 2026.

Galatasaray ready to launch Salah bid

According to reports in Spain, Galatasaray are now ready to launch their bid to sign Salah next year. The Turkish giants are looking to take full advantage of the winger’s situation and will reportedly aim to beat clubs in Saudi Arabia to his signature.

Whether Liverpool are willing to sell Salah remains to be seen, though. The Anfield icon only signed a new two-year deal last season, which is set to expire in 2027, but they must ask themselves if he is now past the peak of his powers.

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Former centre-back, turned Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Carragher certainly believes that’s the case, recently saying: “The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of the run in 2018 with Jürgen Klopp was Alisson, Van Dijk and Salah.

“Alisson’s injured a lot now, he doesn’t play so much. But you watch Van Dijk now, not the same player, and Mo Salah looks like his legs have gone.”

The 33-year-old will be desperate to prove Carragher wrong and make his £21m-a-year contract worthwhile even if that is to be from the bench following Slot’s recent ruthlessness.

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