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The New Zealand allrounder is closing in on 20 years of international cricket, but is yet to represent her country in the longest format

Vishal Dikshit04-Sep-20251:33

Bates: Will be ‘over the moon’ to play a Test match

Closing in on 20 years in international cricket, New Zealand allrounder Suzie Bates is still keeping her dreams alive of playing a Test match before she retires. Bates has represented New Zealand in 171 ODIs and 177 T20Is, captained them full-time from 2012 to 2018, has featured in nine T20 World Cups and is ready to play her fifth ODI World Cup starting later this month.But she remains without a Test cap as New Zealand last played one 21 years ago, against England at Scarborough. Bates made her international debut 19 months later and has gone on to become the top run-scorer in T20Is and sits third on the list in ODIs, behind Mithali Raj and Charlotte Edwards.New Zealand are not scheduled to play a women’s Test as per the current FTP that runs until April 2029, but Bates keeps her hopes alive while watching the other women’s teams play Test cricket, as was the case even 10 years ago, when she had said she “felt cheated”.Related

• NZ begin World Cup prep with Chennai camp

• McMillan named full-time NZ assistant coach

“The feeling [of not having played a Test] is just like I’m envious,” Bates told ESPNcricinfo. “Like I think I’ve said this in another interview when I watch the [women’s] Ashes and even when I watch men’s Test cricket and they talk about it being the toughest game, it tests your skills, it tests you mentally, it tests you physically as an athlete and a sportsperson I want to be tested. So you sort of watch when there are women’s Test matches on and you’re like, ‘oh I wonder what I’d do in this situation or how I’d go about it’, and to not have that opportunity when others are playing it, you do want to experience it.”But I understand the decisions and the politics of it at times but just as a player I’m like, ‘I’d love to have a taste of how I would handle that mentally and physically’. If it happens and I’m still playing I will be over the moon. I do just think for the future of the game – I think Virat Kohli’s talked about it saying that is still where you learn the most about the game and where you are tested and if young players, if a young New Zealand player gets to go over and play a four or five-day Test match in India in those conditions with the ball turning, the amount of learning that you do and that compared to a 20-over game is you just can’t compare. So yeah, I think there’s space for it, but those decisions aren’t up to me.”171 ODIs, 177 T20Is, and nearly 20 years of international cricket, but Suzie Bates is yet to play a Test•ICC/Getty ImagesEven if Test matches aren’t scheduled for New Zealand Women in the current FTP, extra bilateral matches can be added to the schedule if there is an agreement between two boards. Bates will be 38 later this month before the World Cup starts, but was willing to work further on her fitness, tempted by the possibility of playing a Test match, if the chance came in the next year or so.”Yes, it would motivate me but there is a long time between now and then and I am just focused on contributing at this 50-over World Cup and then we will see what happens after that.”New Zealand begin their World Cup campaign against defending champions Australia on October 2 in Indore before taking on South Africa (October 6, Indore) and Bangladesh (October 10, Guwahati). They will then fly to Colombo to face Sri Lanka (October 14) and Pakistan (October 18), before returning to India for their final two league games in Navi Mumbai, against India on October 23 and England on October 26.

South Africa’s Test captain, currently on an injury layoff, looks back at the team’s memorable draw in Pakistan

Temba Bavuma27-Oct-2025Professional cricketers get used to missing matches through injury but it’s never easy when you miss out on moments like our eight-wicket victory in the second Test, in Rawalpindi to level the series against Pakistan. You are obviously super-happy and proud of the guys and their achievements, but selfishly, as a player, you want to be there. You want to have contributed to the cause in some form.Being out of action with a grade-two calf tear is frustrating but the interval has been enjoyable in terms of readjusting and tinkering with my training programme. Over the last few weeks I have generally started my day with a session with the biokineticist in the morning, followed by a batting session. I have then done strength and conditioning sessions with my trainer based at the Wanderers Stadium.My rehab has been a collaborative effort between Lions and the national side. Ziyaad Mahomed, Lions’ physiotherapist, and Proteas’ physiotherapist Sizwe Hadebe have been administering my rehab and plenty of communication has flowed between them. Tumi Masakela, CSA high-performance strength and conditioning coach, took over from the physiotherapists once they were happy that I was able to train pain-free. I’m at that point now where everything I’m doing is pain-free whether it’s batting or running.Related

• South Africa prepare for spin-slaught in Tests against Pakistan

• Maharaj: 'Old-fashioned Test cricket' helped us claw back

• Stats – First-class Harmer enters elite wicket-takers' club

• Harmer's six-for helps South Africa ease to series-levelling win

• Rabada: South Africa 'a young team that wants to do the dirty work'

In my absence, Aiden Markram has captained the side and led well, especially in the second Test. For us as South Africans, we are not super-accustomed to the subcontinent, so it will take us a little longer to adapt to the conditions and start getting the feel from a field-setting and bowling-changes point of view. I think Aiden had a stronger sense of that in the second Test, which was seen in the way he used his bowlers, found the balance between attack and defence, and placed fielders at the right angles. I thought his handling of the spinners, especially, which is never easy to get right, was good and they were a lot more effective for those conditions.Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer were superb. Kesh is doing Kesh things and is really cementing himself as one of the best spin bowlers we’ve produced as a country. He is a wily character and he knows how to read you as a batter and is able to adapt his skill to what the opponent is doing. When playing against him, I feel like you have to make the play.That is generally the case when facing good bowlers. They don’t often give you bad balls and you sometimes have to score off their good balls. Kesh gets the ball to drop and angle, utilises the crease, and he is always in the game.Simon, who took his 1000th first-class wicket during the second Test, is a silent warrior. He actually reached out to me after the Test Championship final and said that he’s still available to play South African cricket. He expressed that’s still his goal, and it was exciting to hear that. I then had a conversation with the coach, Shukri Conrad, to get him back involved. I’m glad he’s returned to the fold, and looking at the Tests we’re going to have on the subcontinent, it made a lot of sense. The partnership between Simon and Kesh will become a formidable one, especially in subcontinental conditions. I also like the competitiveness between them. We also have Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen to support them, and Aiden, who can turn his arm over as well.South Africa have an attack tailored for the subcontinent with Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer in their ranks•Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesSen was a well-deserved Man of the Series against Pakistan. He contributed with the ball in the first Test and the bat in the second. It would have been nice for him to get to the three-figure mark, but the way he’s come into the team, he’s really bolstered our resources from both a batting and bowling perspective. He took 11 wickets and scored 106 runs, but he’s an unassuming character; he’s not loud and gets his job done. Whenever the opportunity is there, he tries to grab it with both hands. I’m sure the guys would have celebrated hard for a bloke like Sen.What we have been able to do well and something which has served us, is selecting based on character rather than simply basing it on stats. Character is a big thing for us as a team and everything we do, we do it for each other. It’s knowing you have individuals, who on their day will make the play for the team.A great example of that came from Kagiso Rabada with the bat. We obviously all know him with the ball. But, for me, with him making a play like that, making 71 runs in the second Test, it was probably the defining moment in the game. I hear they call him “Brian Charles” Rabada now!KG killed all energy within the Pakistani team. It was always going to be tricky for them going into their second innings and trying to play with any great deal of confidence, having suffered that at the hands of Kagiso and his bat.

After warming the bench throughout in England, Kuldeep Yadav picked up a four-for in his first T20I since the 2024 T20 World Cup final

Shashank Kishore10-Sep-20252:21

Can UAE take anything away from this thrashing?

Kuldeep Yadav couldn’t resist a bit of mischief at training.After a lengthy bowling session, as he settled in for a refreshment break, he turned to the journalists that had gathered to focus on every single aspect of India’s training ahead of the Asia Cup.Which of his team-mates had matched his Yo-Yo test score, he asked them. He was referring to the chatter he had apparently seen on social media about certain players achieving certain fitness benchmarks. It was all light-hearted fun after two hours of bowling in sapping heat and humidity.Related

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• Suryakumar withdraws appeal to spark debate

• Kuldeep bags four as India demolish UAE in 17.4 overs

• Stats – The shortest T20I that India has ever played

Kuldeep didn’t stop there. Soon the chatter veered towards Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal and Neymar, the latter his favourite footballer. Kuldeep was effortlessly drawn into a football tangent. Recently, the self-confessed football tragic has even found a new outlet for that obsession in the form of his own YouTube show, .As he bantered with journalists, he looked completely in his element. It spoke of the mindspace of a man at ease with where he is at with India returning to the white-ball formats, where he is more or less assured of a place in the XI. Only two months ago, the England Test tour had felt agonisingly long.He had spent the entire summer warming the bench, often spotted with an earpiece plugged in, listening to commentary when not running drinks. For a bowler at the peak of his powers, it must have taken enormous mental discipline to stay focused, knowing it wasn’t because of his primary skill, but because of the team’s need for batting depth, that he had to sit out.On Wednesday, when the chance finally came, Kuldeep grabbed it with both hands – taking four wickets to run through UAE in India’s Asia Cup opener. It was a nice evening out upon his return to the T20I set-up since that memorable June afternoon in Barbados at the T20 World Cup last year.ESPNcricinfo LtdThat tournament should have triggered another surge in his stop-start career, but a groin injury that was later diagnosed as sports hernia forced him to miss five months of cricket. He returned to play a part in India’s Champions Trophy win, and had a decent IPL – 15 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 7.07 – for Delhi Capitals, but the England tour was a setback of sorts personally.”It was tough for me,” Kuldeep said at the post-match presentation of the time spent sitting out in England. “I was working on my bowling and my fitness with Adrian [Le Roux, India’s strength and conditioning coach], and everything came together tonight. In this format, the length is the key – reading what the batters are trying to do and reacting to it ball by ball.”When Kuldeep came on to bowl, UAE were decently placed. Their only bright sparks came early in the innings when Alishan Sharafu’s audacious lofted drive over extra cover off Axar Patel and a flurry of boundaries from Muhammad Waseem against Jasprit Bumrah had them end the powerplay at 41 for 2.Kuldeep Yadav ran through UAE’s batting order•Getty ImagesBut two boundary-less overs thereafter, including one from Kuldeep, forced the batters to take extra risks. One such mistimed hit against a nicely tossed-up delivery had Rahul Chopra drag Kuldeep to Shubman Gill at wide long-on. Three balls later, Kuldeep picked up another with his trademark fizz, trapping Waseem lbw.He nearly had a third the very next delivery against left-hand batter Harshit Kaushik but the inside edge narrowly missed leg stump. But Kuldeep wasn’t to be denied. He tossed up a wrong’un that dipped, drew Kaushik forward, and ripped past the inside edge to crash into the stumps. The zing bails lit up, as did Kuldeep’s face.He had just taken three wickets in an over, all off different deliveries. It was as if he was laying out one trick after another for everyone to see. He finished with a fourth, off another wrong’un that brushed the batter’s pad on the way to Samson – a fortuitous wicket into his kitty only because UAE had run out of reviews. UAE were bundled for 57, which India knocked off in bext to no time.After a summer spent waiting for his turn, it felt like Kuldeep was finally beginning to revel in the joy of being back where he belongs.

Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma has reportedly lost more than £800,000 in a fraud case that saw funds "unknowingly" sent out of his bank account. Said losses are said to have occurred between September 2022 and June 2024, with the Spurs star initially unaware of what was going on. A suspect in the case was arrested over a ago and faces a possible prison sentence.

• Suspect in Bissouma fraud case faces threat of prison sentence

  has revealed that Bissouma suffered significant financial losses at the hands of Maurice Gomes. The 31-year-old was taken into custody during 2024 following a report to authorities from Bissouma.

  The Metropolitan Police confirmed in October 2025 that Gomes had been charged with "two counts of fraud by false representation". If found guilty, then the maximum sentence for each offence is 10 years behind bars.

  Money is said to have been moved out of the VIP bank account that Bissouma holds with Coutts – a brand used by many celebrities, including billionaire business owners and members of the royal family.

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  Bissouma may be required to give evidence

  has obtained court records that report on how Gomes is alleged to have "dishonestly transferred Bissouma’s cash to himself without the Premier League star’s knowledge or consent".

  According to prosecutors, Gomes was behind illicit transfers that total £834,334.40. He stands accused of acting "to make a personal gain", with Bissouma being left in the dark. The Spurs star is said to be on a £50,000-a-week pay packet in north London.

  It is unclear how Gomes was able to access the account in question, with any possible links to his victim yet to be revealed. Bissouma – who lives in a £1.4million, six-bedroom house in Enfield, north London – is due to appear at Highbury Corner magistrates’ court on November 7 and is expected to give evidence if the case goes to trial.

  A source told : "This has been deeply hurtful for Yves. It’s been a tough year for him on and off the pitch, and this hanging over his head will have contributed to that."

• Spurs star had watch stolen during trip to Cannes

  Bissouma had a watch worth £255,000 stolen in June 2024 during a visit to Cannes. He was stood outside a luxury hotel in France with his partner when the incident in question took place at around 4am.

  The 29-year-old has also endured a tough time in his professional life of late, with no appearances for Tottenham being made in the 2025-26 campaign. His last outing for the Premier League giants came on May 25 against former employers Brighton.

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  January sale of free agency: What next for Bissouma?

  He has made exactly 100 appearances for Spurs since joining them from the Seagulls for £30m ($39m) in 2022, but faces an uncertain future at club level. His contract is running down, with free agency set to be hit in the summer of 2026.

  Bissouma is currently sidelined with an ankle injury. He picked up that knock a matter of seconds after stepping off the bench for Mali in a World Cup qualifying clash with Madagascar on October 12.

  Said ailment has required surgery, with Bissouma having posted on social media from his hospital bed: "Everything went well. I thank God for everything that happens to me. Everything happens for a reason I’m simply following my destiny. Grateful to God for His protection." Spurs boss Thomas Frank said: "Biss unfortunately had a situation with the national team, I think everyone saw that unfortunately, so he got a ligament injury to his ankle, they'll keep him out for weeks."

  Bissouma missed the start of the 2025-26 season while nursing a separate fitness problem, which scuppered any plans of a transfer to Turkish side Fenerbahce being lined up.

  While he is set to become available for noting at the end of the current campaign, there remains a chance that a sale will be sanctioned by Spurs in January – allowing them to generate a fee for a player that no longer forms part of long-term plans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ash Gardner’s clean hits, Sneh Rana’s comeback, Ellyse Perry’s top form, and more highlights from the league phase of WPL 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2025

A moment that made you go ‘wow’

Srinidhi Ramanujam: The first match of WPL 2025. RCB’s Richa Ghosh vs Giants’ Ashleigh Gardner. It was the 16th over of the chase when Ghosh slammed 4, 6, 4, 4, 4 and eventually helped RCB chase down 202 with her unbeaten 64 off 27.Hemant Brar: Gujarat Giants’ Kashvee Gautam stepping out to Mumbai Indians’ Shabnim Ismail, hitting her for a six, and celebrating with multiple fist pumps. An uncapped Indian taking on the fastest bowler in women’s cricket with such chutzpah was a sight.Related

• Rodrigues: 'Energy in the field transformed DC's season'

• Annabel Sutherland: WPL will provide intel about India before the World Cup

• Gujarat Giants face bogey team Mumbai Indians in bid for final spot

• Harmanpreet adds more aggression to her game

• Priya Mishra spins her way into the spotlight

Sruthi Ravindranath: Sneh Rana’s six-ball cameo from No. 10 that almost won RCB their must-win match against UP Warriorz. She went 4, 6, 6, 4, 6 and out in the 19th over of the 226-run chase, giving her team a glimmer of hope. That one innings and her bowling throughout the season would make one wonder why she is not even in the fray for T20I selection.Shashank Kishore: Every time Smriti Mandhana went out for the toss at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Mandhana often had to wait for the cheers to subside before speaking into the mic. It was another reiteration of how far women’s cricket has come: from playing in front of empty stadiums to seeing full houses, from students and volunteers being driven into grounds by force to it being a ticketed event.Vishal Dikshit: Medium-pacers in women’s cricket often hover around the 105-110kph mark. This WPL threw up a spinner who breached 100kph. When Hayley Matthews resorted to bowling bouncers at the end of the league stage, one of them hit Phoebe Litchfield’s helmet and another fetched her a wicket. When she saw RCB’s S Meghana was going after her offbreaks, Matthews sent down a bumper at 102.8kph, which rose on the batter and induced a top edge.S Sudarshanan: For long, Gardner has thwarted Indians at the international stage, and it was refreshing to see Ghosh take her down in the season opener. Ghosh hit Gardner for a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 4, 4 to take 23 off the 16th over and turn the match decisively in RCB’s favour. The power shots were interspersed with some deft touches, evidence that Ghosh is growing as a finisher.Kashvee Gautam launches Shabnim Ismail for a six•BCCIAshish Pant: Rana’s six-ball 26 against Warriorz. It was some of the cleanest hitting you would ever see in any form of cricket. You wouldn’t generally associate Rana with the big hits, and that they came against Deepti Sharma, who has a T20 career economy rate of under seven an over, made the knock even more special.

One player you couldn’t take your eyes off

Vishal Dikshit: Without doubt, it was Gardner. She came into the season with runs in the Women’s Ashes, but in the WPL she had a new responsibility of leading Giants, who had suffered two forgettable seasons. That pressure didn’t show at all as she started the league with two blistering knocks, against RCB and Warriorz, that featured some breathtaking sixes.Ashish Pant: Chinelle Henry. Every time she walked out to bat, it felt like she owned the stage, even when she did not score as many runs. Ditto with the ball. Her 23-ball 62 against Delhi Capitals was special.S Sudarshanan: Gautam. There aren’t many Indian fast bowlers who can move the ball at speed. Gautam, who missed last season due to injury, had worked on becoming stronger and increasing her pace. It was so good to see her attack the stumps, and the nip-backer to clean bowl Meg Lanning was one of my favourite moments of the season. With Pooja Vastrakar having a long injury layoff in a home World Cup year, Gautam’s success as a seam-bowling allrounder is a good sign for India.Shashank Kishore: Gautam. Raw pace, late swing. What a cocktail. Add to it her rocket throws from the deep and big sixes in the middle order, she has all the makings of being India’s next all-round wonder.Hemant Brar: Ellyse Perry, who made four fifties and an unbeaten 49 for RCB in eight innings. In the first two WPL seasons, Perry’s strike rate was 123.41 and 125.72. This time, she not only lifted it to 148.80 but also scored more runs (372) than the previous two seasons.
Sruthi Ravindranath: Bharti Fulmali, Giants’ finisher. She showed glimpses of what she is capable of with her 40 off 29 against Capitals, but it was her 61 off just 25 balls against Mumbai that made heads turn. She smote eight fours and four sixes in that game, striking the ball with brute force and targeting the square boundaries.Srinidhi Ramanujam: Perry, with the bat and ball and on the field.Chinelle Henry batted like a boss•BCCI

The biggest surprise from the league phase

Srinidhi Ramanujam: Henry’s 18-ball fifty against Capitals at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.Hemant Brar: Henry smashing 163 runs – the joint-most for UP Warriorz – at a strike rate of 196.38. Her 15 sixes are the third-most in the league stage. All this is in complete contrast to her T20I record: a strike rate of 91.13 and eight sixes in 53 innings.Vishal Dikshit: Rana, 31, was not in contention for India’s white-ball squads throughout 2024 and was released by Giants recently. But she made a WPL comeback as a replacement player for RCB and grabbed headlines for performing with both bat and ball. She bowled in the powerplay, started with a three-for against Warriorz, and hit an incredible 26 off six in the reverse fixture, before ending the tournament with a Player-of-the-Match spell of 3 for 26.Ashish Pant: Gautam. Everyone knew she was good, and that is why Giants splurged INR 2 crore on her in the 2024 auction and retained her despite her not playing last season. But the way she has made her presence felt against some top-tier names is incredible.S Sudarshanan: Sophie Ecclestone’s batting helping Warriorz take their game against RCB into a Super Over. That she can bat is no secret, but she came into the season on the back of a lean Women’s Ashes and hadn’t really set the WPL stage alight with her batting till then.Sruthi Ravindranath: That toss had such a big say. Fifteen out of the 20 matches were won by teams chasing.Shashank Kishore: Arundhati Reddy going off the boil massively, after bowling one of the best spells by an Indian fast bowler in a women’s ODI in Australia earlier this year. Perhaps it’s a reflection of her lack of confidence currently, having been dropped – for reasons unknown – from the national team.Shabnim Ismail will have her tail up against Lanning if they meet in the final•WPL

A match-up you can’t wait for in the playoffs

Srinidhi Ramanujam: Gautam vs Harmanpreet Kaur in the eliminator. Among the uncapped players this WPL, Gautam has been the one to watch.Sruthi Ravindranath: Nat Sciver-Brunt vs Gardner in the eliminator. Two of the best allrounders in the game, they have been crucial in their respective teams’ successes this season. While Sciver-Brunt got the better of Gardner in their first encounter of the season, Gardner dismissed Sciver-Brunt in the reverse fixture.S Sudarshanan: Capitals vs Mumbai in the final, a repeat of 2023, when MI won. DC won both their games against MI in the league stage. If they meet again in the final, I’d be looking forward to the Ismail vs Shafali Verma battle.Vishal Dikshit: If MI reach the final, I can’t wait for the fiery Ismail to steam into Lanning. In the first Mumbai vs Capitals match this season, Ismail made Lanning look clueless against swing bowling. Ismail beat Lanning six times in 12 balls and finally knocked over her off stump.Hemant Brar: Capitals vs Destiny. Despite topping the league stage in each of the first two seasons, Capitals are yet to win a title. They have once again secured a direct spot in the final. Will they be third time lucky?Shashank Kishore: Ismail vs Lanning. One of the fastest bowlers up against one of the best players square of the wicket on the off side. It’s a battle we miss at the international level; cherish it right here, right now.

Harry Kane netted his 25th goal of the season as he bizarrely emerged as Bayern's only scorer on the night in their 3-2 win over Union Berlin in their DFB Pokal round of 16 clash on Wednesday night. Kane was also guilty of conceding a second penalty just five minutes after the break, as his foul allowed Union to reduce the deficit to one goal, but the Bavarian giants held on to progress.

• Kane on song as Bayern reach DFB Pokal quarter-final

  Bayern dominated possession right from the start as they looked hungry to establish an early lead. And the deadlock was broken after just 12 minutes when Union Berlin forward Ilyas Ansah accidentally put the ball into his own net. Aleksandar Pavlovic cleverly shielded the opposition goalkeeper as Joshua Kimmich's corner deflected off Ansah's thigh and into the back of the net.

  Star striker Kane doubled his team's lead midway through the half with a glancing header from Kimmich's inch-perfect corner. The England captain successfully got the better of his marker inside the box and guided the ball home via a touch on the goal-line. Kane has now scored in all three rounds of the DFB Pokal in the 2025-26 campaign.

  As the game approached the half-time break, the hosts got an opportunity to reduce the deficit when Jonathan Tah handled the ball inside the Bayern box when trying to block a shot. After a lengthy VAR check, Tah was found guilty of a handball as the spot-kick was awarded to Union. Leopold Querfeld found the back of the net from the resulting penalty.

  The German champions, however, bounced back quickly as they restored their two-goal lead from a second own goal. Michael Olise sent in a cross hoping to find one of his team-mates but before any Bayern player could reach the ball, Diogo Leite flicked it into his own net, handing the opposition a 3-1 lead going into the break.

  Just five minutes into the second period, Kane was guilty of committing a foul inside the Bayern penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot. The English forward was booked for his challenge as Querfeld made it a brace by converting again.

  Union Berlin looked much more lively in the second half and an early goal after the break provided the much-needed motivation to go for an equaliser. After Luis Diaz had a goal ruled out, Querfeld could have completed his hat-trick late in the game, but his header from a close range went agonisingly off target.

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  The MVP

  Kane, who is having a stellar campaign in the 2025-26 season, once again stole the limelight. In a bizarre encounter that saw Union Berlin score two own goals, Kane was Bayern's only scorer of the night. The experienced forward converted the clinical header which had doubled his team's lead in the first half. 

• The big loser

  Ansah and Leite were definitely the villains for the hosts tonight as their own goals in the first 45 proved costly for Union Berlin. The way the team bounced back in the second half and kept pressing Bayern in quick counter-attacks means the first-half own goals will surely haunt them after their elimination from the cup.

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  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

As is the case with every club of their size, Arsenal have had some truly special players represent them in the Premier League era.

The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pirès terrified defenders, while Sol Campbell and Tony Adams did the same to opposition attackers.

The Gunners have also been blessed with some incredible midfielders over the last 25 years or so, such as the legendary Patrick Vieira.

Nobody has quite been able to live up to the Frenchman since, but there is one player in Mikel Arteta’s side who’s starting to emulate him.

Arsenal's best midfielders in the Premier League

As the list of Arsenal’s best Premier League midfielders could be a long one, this top three includes only central and defensive midfielders.

Chalkboard

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

Additionally, the players must no longer be at the club, as currently, Arteta’s side are yet to win anything significant.

With that out of the way, coming in at number three has to be the incredible Gilberto Silva.

The Brazilian monster joined the club in the summer of 2002 and went on to make 244 appearances over the next five years, scoring 24 goals and providing 14 assists.

Once described as the man who “carried the piano for Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo to play their tunes on” by the outlet Veja, the often underappreciated titan carried out a similar role in North London that saw him leave with one league title, two FA Cups and two Community Shields.

Just pipping Gilberto into second place is Cesc Fàbregas, as while he was no stranger to playing higher up the pitch, he spent most of his time in North London playing centrally.

The Spaniard may have left on poor terms, but he did so with an incredible record of 57 goals and 95 assists in 303 games, in which he won one FA Cup and one Community Shield.

Finally, first place simply had to be for Captain Fantastic himself, Vieira.

Arriving from AC Milan in the summer of 1996, the French international would go on to help transform the Gunners’ midfield and leave as a bona fide legend.

In addition to captaining the side during the Invincible season, the monstrous midfielder eventually left the club after making 405 appearances, during which he scored 32 goals, provided 47 assists, won three league titles, five FA Cups, and three Community Shields.

The Arsenal star becoming Arteta's Vieira

While they need to win something significant first, there are several stars in this Arsenal team who could easily become legends in their own right over the coming years.

However, when it comes to the player who could, and looks like they will become Arteta’s own Vieira, it has to be Declan Rice.

The Gunners’ £105m has been a brilliant player for them since his mega money move in the summer of 2023, but over the last year, and especially this season, he has really stepped it up and is now starting to emulate some of the Frenchman’s best qualities.

For example, while he is no longer an out-and-out six, he remains a defensive and physical powerhouse and someone who is more than happy to throw his weight around to disrupt opposition attacks.

For example, Fbref still ranks him in the top 16% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for the percentage of aerial duels won per 90 minutes.

Moreover, while he does not have the armband for the club, he is still one of the most vocal players on the pitch and is one of the five players in the manager’s leadership group.’

Finally, in addition to possessing the attitude and physical characteristics of the Gunners legend, the former West Ham star is also comparable in terms of footballing ability.

Whether it’s a dead-ball situation or during play, the Englishman is one of “the best in the world,” per Thomas Frank, and has the ability to ping the ball exactly where he wants it, and over the last couple of campaigns has become far more of a goal threat.

Both of these traits were on full display against Burnley at the weekend and will undoubtedly be again for the next game.

Ultimately, while the comparison won’t be truly appropriate until he lifts a title with Arsenal, it is clear that Rice is becoming Arteta’s own Vieira.

Better than Rice: Arsenal "colossus" is having a Ballon d'Or level season

Just like Declan Rice, the incredible Arsenal star is having an unreal season under Mikel Arteta.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 3, 2025

Both teams have one RTM card available at the auction, and multiple options to consider using it on

Dustin Silgardo13-Nov-2024What is the right-to-match (RTM) rule?Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, each team was allowed to retain up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped Indian players.The eight teams that did not use all of their six retentions can now use right-to-match options on players from their 2024 squads to fill up the remaining slots. The limits of five capped and two uncapped players still apply, so teams that have retained five capped players can use their RTM option on only one uncapped Indian player. And if a team has retained two uncapped players, they can use their RTM options on only capped players. If a team uses an RTM option on one of their former players at the auction, the last bidder will be allowed to raise their bid one final time, and the choice of whether to continue with the right-to-match option and match the bid then lies with the team using the RTM option.

Chennai Super Kings

Players retained: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni
Purse remaining: INR 55 crore
Right-to-match option: 1 (capped or uncapped)
Since CSK have retained four capped players and one uncapped – Dhoni, who is classified as uncapped since he has not played international cricket for more than five years – they can use their remaining right-to-match option on either a capped or uncapped player. Among the capped players they will be looking at are Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande and Maheesh Theekshana.Conway, 33, had a huge season for CSK in 2023, scoring 672 runs and winning Player of the Match in the final. His fellow New Zealander Ravindra made less of a splash in 2024 but has been excelling across formats and, at 24, is an investment for the future. He also bowls left-arm spin, though CSK already have Jadeja to play that role. Another choice among the overseas players is Theekshana, whose mystery spin has been effective both at Chepauk and away. He has taken 25 wickets in 27 matches for CSK and has gone at 7.66.Related

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Chahar has been a crucial part of CSK’s squad since 2018, providing consistent powerplay wickets. He has won three titles with CSK. The only thing that may count against Chahar is his injury record and his age, 32. If they cannot buy him back, they may go all out for their other Indian pacer, 29-year-old Tushar Deshpande, who has been with CSK since 2022 and has taken 38 wickets across the past two seasons.Given their preference for continuity, CSK will probably look to buy back several of the players mentioned. Who they use their right-to-match option on could be decided by who comes up first in the auction list and is available at the right price.Given the number of capped players in the mix, it is unlikely CSK will use their right-to-match option on an uncapped player, but if they still have it when death hitter Sameer Rizvi’s name comes up, they may consider it.Akash Madhwal is among the players MI may consider•Associated Press

Mumbai Indians

Players retained: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma
Purse remaining: INR 45 crore
Right-to-match option: 1 (uncapped)Since Mumbai Indians have retained five capped players, they can only use their one RTM option on an uncapped Indian player (so they can’t use it on Ishan Kishan or Tim David). There are four interesting options: Nehal Wadhera, Akash Madhwal, Naman Dhir and Piyush Chawla.Wadhera, 24, had a breakthrough season in 2023, playing 14 games and hitting two fifties. In 2024, he played less of a role, only getting six games and striking at less than 130. What may count against him is that MI already have three specialist batters among their retentions. Like Wadhera, Madhwal, 30, impressed in 2023, going at less than nine an over and developing a reputation as someone who could restrict and take wickets at the death. His incredible figures of 3.3-0-5-5 in the Eliminator put MI in the second qualifying final. The 2024 season was a difficult one for Madhwal: he went at 11.28 an over as MI struggled.In his debut season, 24-year-old Naman Dhir impressed with his ability to score quickly from the off, striking at 177.21 across his seven innings in 2024. With his tall stance and high backlift, Dhir drew comparisons with Hardik Pandya. What also makes him an attractive option as an RTM is that he bowls offspin. Having not played for India for more than five years, Piyush Chawla is now classified as uncapped, meaning MI can use their RTM option on him. While his age – he is 35 – may make MI reluctant to buy him back, he has been consistent over the past two seasons, taking 22 wickets in 2023 and 13 in 2024.

Maharaj, who last held the spot in November 2023, returned to the top following his five-for in the first ODI against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2025South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has displaced Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana as the No. 1 men’s ODI bowler, following his five-for in the first ODI against Australia in Cairns.Maharaj, who last held the spot in November 2023, returned to the top after gaining two places to move ahead of Theekshana (second) and India spinner Kuldeep Yadav (third). The 35-year-old picked up career-best ODI figures of 5 for 33 which gave South Africa a 98-run win and a 1-0 series lead.Among the South African batters, Aiden Markram moved four spots up to No. 21 and Temba Bavuma five spots to No. 23 following their respective half-centuries in the first ODI.Related

• Australia set to face another trial by spin but Subrayen won't play

• Road to 2027: Questions for Australia and South Africa

• Maharaj's masterful maiden ODI five-for hands South Africa 1-0 series lead

• Maharaj shakes off T20I snub with statement white-ball display

Following the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan, West Indies captain Shai Hope jumped two spots to No. 9 on the batters’ list. Hope finished as the top run-scorer in the series with 207 runs, helping West Indies win the series 2-1. His team-mate Jayden Seales moved 15 places up to 18th in the bowling rankings following his ten wickets in the series.Following the T20Is between Australia and South Africa preceding the ODIs, fast bowler Nathan Ellis entered the top ten among bowlers, moving three places up to No. 9. Ellis picked up 3 for 31 in the third T20I to help Australia seal the T20Is 2-1. Josh Hazlewood, who picked up the most wickets for Australia in the series, rose two spots to 18th.South Africa’s hard-hitting batter Dewald Brevis jumped nine spots to equal 12th on the list for T20I batters following his superb efforts in the series. Brevis scored 125 not out off 56 in the first T20I and followed it up with 53 off 26 in the second.

The New York Mets on Wednesday continued to upgrade their bullpen, as the club acquired submarine-throwing reliever Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for outfield prospect Drew Gilbert, pitching prospect Blade Tidwell and reliever José Butto, according to multiple reports.

Fans immediately took to X to react to what they perceived as quite the prospect haul for the acquisition of a 34-year-old pending free agent relief pitcher, albeit one sporting a sparkling 1.80 ERA this season.

And it wasn't just fans.

Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen reacted live to the hefty trade haul during the SNY broadcast of the club's game against the San Diego Padres.

"So we're getting reports on the return that the Mets are sending the Giants for Tyler Rogers," Cohen said. "And it seems like a hefty package for a rental reliever… Rogers will help, but that's a lot to give up."

Rogers, 34, uses a quirky delivery and one of the game's best sinkers to induce weak contact and a bevy of balls in the dirt by opposing hitters. He ranks in the 100th percentile in opponent barrel rate, the 94th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 99th percentile in walk rate. He also ranks third among all relievers with a 64.4 percent groundball rate.

In other words, Rogers is a strike-thrower, incredibly hard to square up and when hitters make contact, they rarely do damage with his offerings. And he's remarkably effective. Since 2021, Rogers's 2.74 ERA ranks eighth among all relievers.

He'll undoubtedly help provide reinforcements for a Mets bullpen that has been taxed with a heavy innings load at times this season.

Whether or not Rogers, who could very well pitch a half-season in New York and then leave via free agency this winter, is worth the haul the Mets coughed up remains to be seen.

But it's clear that the Mets, in a tight race with the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League East crown, are being aggressive.