Beau Webster has done everything in his power to keep his Test spot, taking five wickets for Tasmania against South Australia with Alex Carey making 59

AAP11-Nov-2025Beau Webster has taken his first five-wicket haul of the summer for Tasmania – but it came on a day when his chances of keeping his Test spot took a hit.Webster claimed 5 for 50 for the Tigers in Hobart on Tuesday to help dismiss South Australia for 177 in reply to the hosts’ first-innings 209. Tasmania then collapsed by losing nine wickets in an extended last session to reach stumps on day two at 177 for 9, with Henry Thornton taking two wickets in the final over to keep the hosts’ lead to 209 with a tight finish looming.Webster was out for eight as Tasmania crumbled, but was still the star of the day and did everything in his power with the ball to keep his Test spot.Related

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However, his wickets came just as Cameron Green was returning to bowl for Western Australia for the first time in six weeks, after battling side soreness.Green bowled with good pace and bounce at the WACA, taking an early wicket and dispelling any concerns over his fitness. If Green is fit to bowl in the first Test from November 21, selectors will be left to decide between keeping Webster or picking a specialist opener in Tasmania teammate Jake Weatherald.A key consideration will also no doubt be that Weatherald’s inclusion would allow Marnus Labuschagne to bat in his preferred position of No.3. Weatherald looked in touch for his 30 on Tuesday, before edging a ball back onto his own stumps off Liam Scott for a pair of squandered starts in this match, after a first-innings 23. He hit Nathan McAndrew for three boundaries in one over, pulling him twice to the rope before a glorious cover drive to the fence.Earlier, Webster was easily Tasmania’s best bowler on Tuesday after having Travis Head caught behind on the opening evening. The seamer bowled Liam Scott through the gate with a ball that swung back in at the right-hander, then also drew Jake Doran’s edge soon afterwards.Beau Webster celebrates his fourth career five-wicket haul•Getty ImagesNathan McAndrew followed in a similar fashion, before Brendan Doggett was the last to go when Webster took the tailender’s off stump.Webster has taken eight wickets at 23.25 since debuting for Australia at the SCG, while also proving a reliable man with the bat at No.6.”Beau does what Beau does, just gets in a nice area,” Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey said. “In conditions like that he gets a lot out of it, and that’s what I’ve seen in his Test career so far.”With wickets that have a bit in it, he comes to the fore and got his five-wicket haul today.”Jake Weatherald, I think, is a really quality player and looked really good for his 30.”Alex Carey drives through cover•Getty ImagesCarey (59) was the only South Australian to pass 50, as he played a counter-attacking role in a low-scoring game. On a day when rain, storms and even hail stopped play, the Australian Test wicketkeeper regularly charged the quicks. He used his feet to hit Jackson Bird over the mid-wicket fence, and played another cracking cover drive against Webster.But when Carey guided Gabe Bell to Webster at second slip on 59, it kick-started a collapse of 6 for 33 to end South Australia’s innings.South Australia then went through the Tasmanians by taking nine wickets in an extended final session, with Ben Manenti taking 3 for 26.

When Arne Slot spoke in his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United, it was pretty sobering for the head coach to suggest that the focus is on securing a place in next year’s Champions League proper, and not battling to defend their hard-won Premier League title.

Slot’s right, of course, with Liverpool so far removed from last year’s indomitable success that talk of mounting a challenge against high-flying Arsenal would be scoffed at by even the most ardent supporters.

Among Liverpool’s biggest problems this season has been a struggle in the build-up, especially on the right side. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s absence is keenly felt, and sporting director Richard Hughes is looking to replace the former vice-captain’s creativity.

Liverpool looking to replace Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool have technically replaced Alexander-Arnold already, signing Jeremie Frimpong for £29.5m this summer. However, neither Frimpong or Conor Bradley boast the same playmaking ability as the 27-year-old, who plies his craft for Real Madrid after leaving Anfield at the end of his contract in June.

The £116m signing of Florian Wirtz was meant to help the passing of the creative torch, but Wirtz’s struggles have been well-documented this season, and, as analyst Raj Chohan puts it, “the build-up combination is horrible” on Liverpool’s right-hand side this season.

Those around him know Wirtz has world-class potential in the Premier League and could become a superstar playmaker, a poster boy. However, he doesn’t really operate down the right lane, and this is where Slot and Hughes need to fix Liverpool’s progressive passing.

Perhaps that’s why FSG are showing an interest in signing Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, having shortlisted the France international this week, according to German outlet BILD.

Olise, 23, has only gone from strength to strength since swapping Crystal Palace for the Allianz Arena in 2024, and if Liverpool want to secure his signature, ostensibly as Mohamed Salah’s long-term replacement, they will need to pay over £100m.

BILD believe that Liverpool have placed Olise back onto their shortlist despite Bayern’s not-for-sale stance.

What Olise would bring to Liverpool

Alexander-Arnold’s influence at Liverpool cannot be understated. Quite simply, he is a one-of-a-kind type of player, and his departure to Santiago Bernabeu was always going to be more than just a blow to the Anfield side’s pride.

All-time Most PL Assists by a Defender

Rank

Player

Assists

1

Trent Alexander-Arnold

64

2

Andy Robertson

60

3

Leighton Baines

53

4

Graeme Le Saux

44

5

Kieran Trippier

38

Stats via Premier League

Olise might not be a right-back, but he would prove the perfect Salah replacement at right wing in that he would not try to mimic the Egyptian’s clinical output, and instead bring his own flavour to Merseyside.

At Bayern, the former Palace star has posted 29 goals and 34 assists across 76 matches. He is regarded as “one of the best players in the world” by teammate Serge Gnabry.

Physical and athletic, Olise is also near matchless when it comes to creating for his peers, setting up passing patterns and adding pressure in the final third with unplayable passing.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and shot-creating actions, the top 4% for progressive passes, the top 12% for progressive carries and the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90.

That is not to say he’s a one-trick pony, with fearsome ball-striking qualities that the Premier League’s many defenders and goalkeepers know only too well.

He has proven himself to be a superstar in the English game, and since levelling up in Germany, Olise has fostered the playmaking brilliance that would see him reinvent Slot’s right flank and rekindle the presence of Trent at Anfield.

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Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair 7 days ago

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

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

• Maharaj withdrawn from T20I squad, Fortuin called up

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

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

There are other aspects to consider with 14 T20Is scheduled before next year’s World Cup.One of those is the game against Namibia on October 11, which is being held to celebrate the new ground in Windhoek. It will be played with an understrength side as several South Africa regulars will be in Pakistan for a Test that starts the next day. But another eight games will be played in the subcontinent (three in Pakistan and five in India) and those will likely give South Africa their clearest idea of combinations before the SA20 and five home T20Is against West Indies immediately prior to the World Cup.Here are the areas of concern five months away from the big tournament:

Do South Africa have the right openers?

Markram and Ryan Rickelton are the chosen ones in order to allow the bigger hitters to make up the rest of the line-up and, so far, they haven’t shot the lights out. In five matches, they have one stand of 50 and three others under 15. While Rickelton’s form is a concern – he hasn’t got a half-century in his last ten international innings across formats – Markram’s position is. He has spent most of his career at No. 4 and recognises that opening presents a different challenge, which he is still adapting to.”The middle order is a place where you have to have your game on different levels at different times, whereas opening needs you to be more consistent with your planning,” he said. “Sometimes you get good wickets and you can cash in. I’ve felt like I’ve got in a few times now, but I haven’t quite cashed in. The focus moving forward is to continue to try and get the team off to good starts, but then when you get in, [you have] to play proper match-winning knocks.”Should South Africa have a rethink and move Markram down, they may also look at bringing back Rassie van der Dussen (the MI Cape Town opener) for a few months of T20 cricket, or to throw Lhuan-dre Pretorius in at the deep end. If the latter comes at Rickelton’s expense, they could also give Pretorius the gloves.Kwena Maphaka has shown that he belongs at this level•Getty Images

Can Jansen, Bosch and Maphaka be in the same XI?

Marco Jansen was not available for the Australia series as he recovered from thumb surgery, but the Corbin Bosch-Kwena Maphaka combination worked really well there.Between them, the two quicks took 16 wickets at an average of 12.68 across three matches.All three were in the same XI for the opener against England, but Maphaka didn’t bowl in a rain-reduced encounter where Kagiso Rabada made his comeback. They were able to fit all four seamers in because Lungi Ngidi was out.The question facing South Africa will be how to juggle things if they get a situation where all their quicks are available and it would likely come down to two out of the three names in the headline above.While all of them are quick, Jansen and Bosch are genuine allrounders and offer big-hitting while Jansen and Maphaka are both left-arm bowlers. If that already sounds like a problem of plenty, consider that South Africa also have raw pace in Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee, neither of whom are being considered for T20Is at the moment, waiting in the wings.South Africa would be desperate to have Keshav Maharaj back in time for the T20 World Cup•Getty Images

The issue with injuries

David Miller was given special dispensation to miss the Australia T20Is because of his deal to play in the Hundred, but the agreement was that would then stay on in England for South Africa’s series. His body had other ideas. Miller injured his hamstring and could play no part in the T20Is, which denied South Africa’s middle-order experience.Dewald Brevis’ immense talent meant South Africa still had firepower in their line-up, but a combination of Brevis and Miller will be worth seeing, if only to see how strong it could be. That opportunity could come at the end of next month in Pakistan.By then, South Africa will also hope to have Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj back from hamstring and groin concerns, respectively. Both players are crucial to their T20 World Cup plans with Ngidi’s variations earning him a more regular spot across all formats and Maharaj’s reliability pushing out George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy, both of whom originally had what coach Shukri Conrad called “the inside lane” on World Cup selection. Bjorn Fortuin, the other spinner in the set-up, only has an outside chance of getting another look-in.As things stand, none of the other frontline T20I players are injured (though Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma has a calf niggle which will put him in a race against time for the Pakistan series), but from mid-October, South Africa play non-stop until March. They will need to balance some players between the need to get their WTC title defence off to a good start with their desire to progress as far as possible at the T20 World Cup.

Bayern Munich sensation Lennart Karl has etched his name into the history books once again with a stunning Champions League performance against Sporting CP, leaving manager Vincent Kompany in awe. The 17-year-old prodigy continues to justify the hype with a "killer" instinct that team-mate Joshua Kimmich believes should earn him a spot in the German national team for the World Cup.

• Karl strikes again in the Champions League

  On a night where the Bundesliga giants found themselves in a precarious position as they trailed 1-0 to Sporting CP at the Allianz Arena following a shock Kimmich own goal, it was their teenage wonderkid who once again provided the catalyst for a vital 3-1 comeback victory.

  In doing so, Karl achieved a feat that eluded even the greatest names in the competition's history at his age. By firing home the decisive goal in the 69th minute, cushioning a Konrad Laimer cross before lashing a finish past Rui Silva, the teenager became the youngest player in Champions League history to score in three consecutive matches, aged just 17 years and 290 days. It is not the first European record he has set during this breakthrough season for the Bavarian giants.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Kompany: 'He gets his moments and kills'

  For Kompany, who has not hesitated to throw the youngster into the deep end this season, the impact of his young forward is becoming a reliable weapon. Speaking to after the match, the Belgian coach offered a candid assessment of the performance, noting that while the teenager is still developing, his ability to affect the scoreboard is elite.

  "Lenny is always dangerous," Kompany explained. "To be totally honest, he's had better games, but four or five times he's always there, and that's also a strength, and then you don't always have to be the best player on the pitch. He gets his moments and then he just kills."

  This "killer" instinct was evident as Karl ghosted into the box to score the goal that broke Sporting's resistance, turning a potential frustration into a comfortable night that was eventually sealed by a late strike from Jonathan Tah. Even before Karl's goal, he had appeared to have given his side the lead in the early stages of the game, but saw the effort ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

• Karl has 'something you can't coach'

  The praise was not limited to the dugout. Max Eberl, the club's director of sport, was effusive in his admiration for the academy graduate's natural skillset. Eberl highlighted that the forward possesses intangible qualities that separate good players from the truly special ones.

  "He can head the ball and use both his left and right foot, and he has that feel that you can't teach as a coach, you can only support him where possible," Eberl stated. "He has that special something. He plays a very, very important role for us."

  Perhaps the most significant endorsement came from the captain. Kimmich, who had endured a difficult evening personally after conceding the own goal that put the hosts behind, was quick to shift the spotlight onto his young team-mate. The midfielder believes the youngster's form is now impossible for national team boss Julian Nagelsmann to ignore.

  "I assume that Lenny will continue to get playing time with us," Kimmich said of the attacking midfielder who has three goals from his two appearances for Germany Under 21s and is waiting on his first senior call up. "Currently, he has broken into the starting eleven, and every regular player at Bayern Munich – especially now, the way we are playing – also belongs in the national team."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Karl's feet on the ground

  Despite the clamour for a senior international debut and the record-breaking statistics, Karl remains grounded. The teenager, who has now scored against Club Brugge, Arsenal, and Sporting in succession, spoke with a maturity that matches his play.

  "Playing in the Champions League at 17 is something very special for me," the forward told reporters. "I'm very proud of myself and the team, and that's why everything came together today."

  With Bayern flying high in both the Bundesliga and Europe, the role of their new star is set to grow even further. The Bavarians face a busy winter schedule, and with Kompany’s rotation likely to be minimal for his "dangerous" talisman, the 17-year-old will have ample opportunity to extend his record-breaking run. If Kimmich is correct, a phone call from Nagelsmann may not be far away.

Arsenal made it six wins from six in the Champions League on Monday night as Mikel Arteta’s men secured a 3-0 win over Club Brugge.

The Gunners tasted defeat against Aston Villa only a few days ago, but a much-changed team responded in emphatic fashion, with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli both on the scoresheet.

Madueke scored a fierce opening goal, running through the heart of the Brugge team before unleashing a devastating effort from outside of the box that crashed in off the bar.

His second, a header from close range, was a lot simpler but there was nothing simple about Martinelli’s strike.

The Brazilian cut inside from the left and bent the ball into the far corner to cap off a phenomenal 3-0 win on the road in Europe.

Understandably, Arteta was delighted with what he saw from his players.

Arteta raves over Arsenal's attacking performance

Martinelli and Madueke have both struggled with injury this term but certainly made their chance count in Belgium on Wednesday night.

Speaking to the press after the game, Areta waxed lyrical over the two wingers, saying: “Madueke and Martinelli were outstanding today, the level of threat and two finishes spectacular. Jesus back after 11 months, to see him perform in the manner he did was really positive.”

Perhaps the biggest positive for the Gunners was Gabriel Jesus’ return to the side. The Brazilian hasn’t been seen in the first team since suffering a horrific ACL injury against Manchester United back in January.

While the striker didn’t score, he managed more touches than the man he replaced, Viktor Gyokeres, despite playing just half an hour.

Arteta was ecstatic to see the forward back in action, saying: “For 11 months, he’s been fighting against another very difficult injury and to see him back with that smile, with that energy and with that quality in his first performance back with us is really impressive and we’re all delighted for him.

“You can see how much we love him! If he continues to perform in that manner, he will bring something else to the team and I am really happy to see that.”

Arteta praises underrated Arsenal star

While the forward line grabbed the headlines in Brugge this week, praise must be handed to the lesser-spotted Christian Norgaard.

The Danish midfielder has barely kicked a ball since signing from Brentford in the summer but more than took his chance on Wednesday, albeit in an unfamiliar role.

Due to injuries to Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera, Norgaard played at centre-back and looked very solid, helping his team keep a clean sheet.

The manager was delighted with his performance, stating: “Christian Norgaard is someone who probably prepares the best out of all of them. He is somebody who makes us better every day. Any position, any condition, his attitude is always immaculate.”

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3 ByJack Salveson Holmes 2 days ago

Lamine Yamal continues to be billed as the ‘next Lionel Messi’, having stepped out of the same La Masia academy system at Barcelona, but the teen sensation has been told that Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is “closer” to earning GOAT status than he is. That is the opinion of ex-Blancos star Guti, who has seen Yamal likened to Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona.

GOAT comparison: Yamal likened to Messi, Ronaldo & Maradona

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has given Yamal the biggest of billings. He gets to work with the youngster on an international stage, with European Championship glory being savoured in 2024. Records have been tumbling around the most highly-rated of wonderkids.

Yamal’s star continues to rise, with the expectation being that he will soon land a Ballon d’Or to sit alongside the Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy awards that he already boasts. He is treading a path similar to that which Argentine icon Messi headed down.

With that in mind, De la Fuente has said of Yamal: “If in 10 years' time he has no injuries, no setbacks and plays normally, he can become a player of the era like Messi, Maradona or Cristiano.”

Spain’s head coach added: “I've known him since he was 16 years old. We've had many conversations, almost like father and son. I always try to help him. He listens a lot when you try to help him. We have a very fluid relationship, with a lot of closeness.”

AdvertisementGetty/GOALDistracting debate: Yamal eager to avoid Messi talk

Yamal has been doing his best to steer clear of the Messi comparisons, with there acknowledgement on his part that the debate does nobody any favours. It would be almost impossible for him to emulate the achievements of the man who previously donned the No.10 shirt at Camp Nou that he now fills with distinction.

He has told : “I think that Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time, but he also knows that I’m a good player. There will be mutual respect if we play against each other. He knows that I’m not trying to be him, to play like him, or wear the 10 like him. I want to follow my own path.”

While the teenage forward has been trying to quieten a distracting discussion, while stating a desire to build his own legacy, he is finding it difficult to escape the shadow cast by eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi.

Yamal vs Mbappe: Guti explains his pick

He may well go on to become an all-time great in his own right, but such a billing feels slightly fanciful for an 18-year-old who still has much to learn. Ex-Spain international Guti admits as much.

He told when asked about De la Fuente’s comments regarding Yamal, Messi, Maradona and Ronaldo: “Wow. I see him as a fantastic player and a potential Ballon d'Or winner, but you're talking about three players who are the best in the world. Maradona won the World Cup in Mexico without having a great team, and Messi and Cristiano won by scoring 50 goals over 10 years. That's going to be very difficult for just anyone to achieve. I see Kylian as closer to achieving it than Lamine.”

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Getty ImagesMbappe roll of honour: Frenchman ahead of Yamal for now

Madrid talisman Mbappe, at 26 years of age, boasts a more comprehensive portfolio of work than Yamal. He has been competing at the highest level for longer and proved himself over a greater period of time.

Mbappe claimed a global crown with France in 2018 and netted a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final – as Les Bleus came unstuck against Messi and Argentina. He is Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer, with 235 efforts registered for the Ligue 1 giants, and is three strikes away from boasting a similar standing with his country as Olivier Giroud’s tally of 57 goals is chased down.

Yamal already has European Championship and La Liga triumphs on his CV, and will grace the World Cup finals with Spain next summer. He is seemingly destined for greatness, but caution continues to be urged by those that have seen hot prospects fizzle out in the past.

This has been a whirlwind four days for Liverpool Football Club.

The problems engulfing Arne Slot and his side are no secret; they’re well-documented, but things have only got worse in recent days.

The pressure on Slot has never been greater. That 3-3 draw with Leeds was rough, but Mo Salah’s post-game comments lit a fire that’s been burning away since Saturday.

Liverpool chose to drop him from the squad and who knows whether we’ll see the great Egyptian in the famous red shirt again.

Salah posted a picture of himself in the gym as the rest of his teammates prepared in Milan for their Champions League clash with Inter.

Slot’s side, however, were resilient, they showed an improved attitude and it got them over the line on Tuesday night. They kept things tight to seal a late 1-0 win inside the San Siro.

How Slot's tweaks improved Liverpool

With Salah absent from the squad, Federico Chiesa out with illness and Cody Gakpo missing through injury, it meant that Slot decided to operate with a diamond formation.

Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak operated as the two central strikers with Alexis Mac Allister behind and while the forward line was still largely non-existent, the defence was hugely improved.

As Slot said a few days ago, Ibou Konate has been a “little too much at the crime scene” this season, referring to his mistake-riddled performances.

Well, the Frenchman and indeed club captain, Virgil van Dijk, looked back to their best against Inter. They did so against two menacing centre-forwards in the shape of Marcus Thuram and Lisandro Martinez.

The Liverpool centre-backs reduced the two strikers to just one shot on target. Konate and Van Dijk also won seven of their 11 duels, competing on average 92.5% of their passes.

The midfield three in front of them got through plenty of work to aid the defensive cause. As a consequence, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and match winner Dominik Szoboszlai look undroppable.

Add Florian Wirtz into the equation at the weekend too, and you would sense that the German is tailor-made for a diamond formation at the front of the midfield.

That being said, not everyone in red did their duties well. Some might say Liverpool’s big-money summer signing is as much a problem as Salah right now.

Liverpool's big problem after Inter

While Salah has been excluded from the squad, Slot needs to find a way to get more goals from his side.

Starting Isak and Ekitike together is a start but there is one huge problem; the Swede hasn’t been good enough.

His fellow striker has been one of Liverpool’s most impressive players this term, bagging eight goals in all competitions. In many senses, he looks like the £100m plus addition, not Isak.

We can no longer make any excuses for the £125m man. Of course, with no pre-season, he needed several weeks to get up to speed but we are now in December, he should be at full fitness, playing like a man who cost more money than any English club has ever spent on a single player.

Chalkboard

Two goals later and he looks like one of the biggest flops in football history. There is still time for the former Newcastle United attacker to come good but judging by his display in Italy this week, it won’t be anytime soon.

Once again, Isak lacked the energy and desire to press hard from the front. He also lacked the ability to link the play and most vital of all, he didn’t have any goal threat.

Minutes played

68

Touches

25

Accurate passes

10/11 (91%)

Shots

1

Shots on target

0

Successful dribbles

0/1

Key passes

0

Successful crosses

0/1

Duels won

3/7

Liverpool World’s Will Rooney handed the record buy a 5/10 rating, noting that he ‘faded’ as the first 45 minutes wore on, bemoaning the fact that the club are still ‘failing to make the most of his attributes’.

That bit may be true, but he’s not doing enough himself either. He registered fewer touches than Alisson (45) and also only completed ten passes against Inter.

While you don’t always need your centre forward to have too many touches to impact a game – Erling Haaland is the prime example of that – they need a higher degree of influence from Isak now.

If Salah is going to leave Merseyside behind then they’ll need someone to step up as soon as possible. Sadly, Isak doesn’t look capable of doing that.

It’s likely Slot will keep the same formation he operated with on Tuesday when Liverpool face Brighton in the league at the weekend but that team shouldn’t include Isak. Perhaps it’s time to give Chiesa a run in the team.

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Arne Slot has only a tenuous grasp on his position in the Liverpool dugout.

ByAngus Sinclair 3 days ago

South Africa’s serious stuff, in the form of back-to-back Test series in the subcontinent, is over. Their experimental stuff, over the course of an ODI series that began preparations for the home World Cup in 2027, is also over. Now, it’s time for the fun stuff, with a T20 carnival that will last for the next three months.There’s five against India, a month of the SA20 over the holiday season, three against West Indies and then the big one: the T20 World Cup, where South Africa are aiming to go one better than they did in 2024. There, they went on a magnificent eight-match unbeaten run to reach the final and had one hand on the trophy before a spectacular collapse saw India claim a sensational win. David Miller, who was dismissed as the final over began with 16 runs to get, was among the most distraught as South Africa watched another trophy slip away.Post-tournament, he has only played 10 white-ball internationals out of a possible 54. His last appearance for South Africa was in the Champions Trophy semi-final in March, where he scored a hundred in a losing cause. Since then, South Africa have had a change of white-ball coach, gone on to win the World Test Championship final and have played in some entertaining series everywhere from Zimbabwe to India.Miller, who is halfway to 37, may have raised questions about his future through his absence but it’s explainable. He was given special dispensation to miss the Australia series to play in the Hundred. He then picked up a hamstring injury that sidelined him for several months. Now, he is fully fit and raring to go as South Africa begin the quest to complete unfinished business.Related

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“It’s just great to be back. It’s been great watching the guys back at home even though I always feel I want to be there, but the guys have been doing so well, and it’s been lovely to watch,” Miller said from Cuttack, where the series against India will begin on Tuesday. “It’s been an interesting couple of months for me, just being at home and reflecting on a few things was really cool. I moved into a different space by trying out different things with my body and tapping into a few different training regimes. It was actually a really good time away. I enjoyed it. You’ve got to take the positives from what’s negative so it was really good. I’m feeling strong. I’m feeling fit and I’m feeling ready to go.”Is the possibility of trying for another World Cup title what keeps Miller going? Maybe, because he seems to suggest South Africa are getting closer. “I’ve spoken to a lot of different people and teams that have been very successful over the years with league trophies and World Cups and I don’t think there’s really one recipe to win a World Cup. It takes a team effort, it takes a group effort, management and players included. And it’s about standing up when the moments matter,” he said.”Looking back on that previous World Cup where we got to the final, there were some very, very close games throughout that World Cup and we got over the line, so you build confidence as you go along. We’re going to need some of that moving forward. In terms of players, there’s a huge group and pool of players that are putting up their hands so it’s going to be tough for the selectors. We’re really in a good space.”In personnel terms, South Africa have welcomed back two of their standout performers from the last T20 World Cup in Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje. Though Heinrich Klaasen has retired from international cricket, and Bjorn Fortuin and Gerald Coetzee were not chosen, they have Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch and George Linde while only Kagiso Rabada (who has a rib injury) is missing from a first-choice squad. They also have a different support staff to the one that oversaw the last T20 World Cup after Rob Walter’s resignation. Shukri Conrad has taken over the all-format coaching duties, with a support staff that includes batting coach Ashwell Prince, bowling coach Piet Botha and fielding coach Kruger van Wyk.It will be Miller’s first time working closely with Conrad. With the success Conrad has had with the Test, Miller is looking forward to the interaction. “I’ve dealt with Shukri very briefly in the past, in the one-off series against England a couple of years ago (January-February 2023) in South Africa where he was an interim coach and then a couple of A-side games in the past quite a few years ago. I’ve not had a lot of dealing with Shukri, but obviously over the years you always see each other and we get on really well,” Miller said. “He’s done superbly well, so it’s good to be on the train.”Along the way, Miller will also begin to have discussions with Conrad about his ODI role, as South Africa build to the home World Cup in 2027. “I haven’t had good chats yet with Shukri but now that I am back in the mix, we’ll be opening up those conversations and seeing where we’re at,” Miller said. “The ODI World Cup is just under two years away, there’s a lot of new players that have come through and a big pool of players now that are doing really well. I feel like I can add something with my experience. In terms of selection, you’re never guaranteed with certain things in life so it’s a conversation that will unfold as the months go on and see where we’re at.”Given the choice, Miller would opt in as South Africa’s stocks seem to keep rising and the fun, just beginning. “Obviously, I would love to play a part for South Africa as long as I can, but it’s just being real with certain conversations and time,” he said. “I’m 36 now and I’m feeling that I do have to step up off the field. I’m being a lot more diligent and a lot more consistent in training and being as fit as I can is something that I’m going to focus on a lot. I’m also a lot more in control with my emotions and pressure. I’m a lot clearer in my thinking, making better decisions under pressure and understanding the match situation.”

It was impossible to miss the Ashes omens as England’s Test-qualified top order were blown apart

Cameron Ponsonby26-Oct-2025He’s done it again. Another innings in New Zealand. Another Harry Brook masterclass.Less than a year ago, Brook played arguably his best innings in an England shirt. Arriving at the crease at 26 for 3, which soon became 43 for 4, Brook made 123 from 115 (in a Test match) at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. He hit one ball out of the stadium and into the road. It had gone over extra cover.So where does he rank his magician’s innings in Mount Maunganui compared to his hundred at Wellington?”Which one?” comes the reply.Because he also made 186 on the same ground the year before. Maybe he genuinely couldn’t remember. Which somehow makes it worse.Related

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Brook’s 135 from 101 balls at the Bay Oval was nothing short of phenomenal. He hit 11 sixes and scored 60.53% of his team’s runs, the highest proportion that any one batter has ever contributed to an England ODI innings.But on a day of extremes, it highlighted one man’s genius in the face of his own team’s weakness. Following the T20 series, Brook spoke of how on true surfaces, there are few teams better in the world than England. But the challenge they have is when faced with a difficult pitch, can they fight and scrap their way to a total?Mount Maunganui was a tricky deck. And England were 10 for 4.You can pick the caveat you want: New Zealand were also 24 for 3, so it was a new-ball wicket. Or, in isolation, each of England’s first four wickets to fall were to exceptional pieces of bowling. Zak Foulkes, in only his second ODI, was entrusted with the new ball due to a strong crosswind and his ability to extract significant swing away from the left-hander. He was close to unplayable, first spinning Ben Duckett round to take the outside edge, then boomeranging one into Joe Root, before bowling a late-tailing yorker to Jacob Bethell.”I wasn’t expecting to open,” Foulkes said. “I didn’t think it was going to keep swinging past the tenth over. That doesn’t usually happen.”Of the four early wickets (Jamie Smith got a good one from Matt Henry first up too), only Root was playing an attacking shot. And counter to what Brook said before, that was the issue.”The question I would ask is, can we probably go a little bit harder?” Brook said here. “I think so. I think we can try and knock them off their lengths a little bit more and capitalise on their slightly off balls.”Instinctively, who’s to question the man who did it so successfully and so spectacularly? But pragmatically, there’s a touch of the genius speaking on behalf of the commoners. Thierry Henry would tell you to open your body and kick it in the goal. But it doesn’t make it any easier for the rest of us. Brook played a style of innings that only he – and Jos Buttler – could dream of.Harry Brook leaves the field at the end of England’s innings•Getty ImagesEngland’s top five consisted of four locks for the Ashes and one potential bolter in Bethell. The already stated line of attack from Australia is that they will produce lively pitches to test the defence of England and nullify their attacking instincts. On this showing, it is a sound strategy.”It’s definitely not a cause for concern,” Brook said when asked whether another failure on a pitch that offered assistance for the bowlers was a worry. “There’s a reason they’re playing cricket for England, they’re the best four batters in the country. It’s just one of them days where a couple of them got nice balls.”You’ve got three Test batters in the top-three. Rooty, Duckett and Smith didn’t come off but on another day they all get 30 and we’re off to a hell of a start.”If any further confirmation was needed that whatever’s about to happen in Australia, it will happen quickly, this was it.Away from the batters, Brydon Carse furthered his reputation in an England shirt with an excellent spell of bowling that claimed the wickets of Will Young, Kane Williamson and Tom Latham. Both Young and Latham were beaten for pace and dismissed bowled and lbw respectively, while Williamson got a lifting delivery that he edged through to Buttler for a golden duck – the first of his ODI career.Carse’s spell, along with Luke Wood claiming the wicket of Rachin Ravindra, gave England hope in a cause that even with Brook’s effort seemed lost.”I was thinking ‘bloody hell, if we get two more wickets here now, Santner comes out and it’s a completely different game’,” Brook said.”Carse was awesome. It was one of them pitches where as a tall bowler you probably get the most out of it. He was hitting the pitch hard and getting a bit of bounce. To get Kane Williamson out first ball put them under serious pressure and the first few overs were a really good start. It’s good signs moving forward.”Already a shoo-in in both the white-ball formats, it is increasingly hard to imagine England walking out in Perth without Carse in their XI.In all, it was another ODI defeat for England, who have now won just eight of their last 24 fixtures. Such is way with the ICC rankings, failure to automatically qualify for the 2027 World Cup remains a distant and unlikely disaster, but even with a full-strength XI, the ODI format clicking for a wildly talented group remains elusive.England’s batters got a taste of what may be to come in the Ashes. And England supporters blearily checking the scorecard first thing in the morning, might just have to.

Mohammad Saifuddin’s cameo was crucial after Mahedi’s 3 for 25 restricted Ireland to 170

Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2025Litton Das’ 16th T20I half-century took Bangladesh to a four-wicket win against Ireland in Chattogram. As a result, the hosts levelled the three-match series 1-1 with this win, and broke a four-match losing streak in the format.Litton made 57 off 37 balls with three sixes and as many fours. But his dismissal, coupled with three more wickets in quick succession, left Bangladesh in some constraint in the end overs of the 171-run chase.When Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket in the 19th over, they still needed 22 runs to win off the remaining 14 balls. New batter Mohammad Saifuddin responded with a pulled boundary first ball, as Josh Little couldn’t grab the chance at short fine leg. When Bangladesh were six down in the 19th over and required another 14 runs in ten balls, Saifuddin hit a six over six and then a four – both off Mark Adair. He finished with a crucial 17* off seven balls, with two fours and a six.With three runs needed in the last over, Mahedi Hasan settled the matter with two balls remaining as a thumping drive through extra cover went for four.Ireland had earlier made 170 for 6 in 20 overs, although their rousing start was giving them hints of a 200-plus total. Bangladesh replied well with Parvez Hossain Emon and Litton giving them a fine start.Parvez Hossain Emon batted at a quick pace in the chase•BCB

Parvez cracks the whip

Parvez went after Matthew Humphreys, Ireland’s hero from the first T20I, for two fours in the first over, before going after Adair in the second. Parvez’s opening partner Tanzid Hasan, however, was run out after miscommunication even as Barry McCarthy, who was bowling the third over, lost possession of the ball while moving to his left.Parvez, though, didn’t stop his onslaught while his captain Litton aided him in the big-hitting. Litton and Parvez slammed Little for a six and two fours in the sixth over to give Bangladesh 66 runs in the powerplay. Parvez struck Gareth Delany for his second six, before falling in the legspinner’s next over for 43. Overall, Parvez struck five fours and two sixes in his 28-ball stay.

No luck for Little

JLittle was wicketless in the first T20I, and was unlucky when his captain Paul Stirling dropped Saif Hassan in the 11th over. The chance at cover was a difficult one, but Stirling is known for plucking these catches.Little had more bad luck when Delany grabbed a difficult chance at the deep-midwicket boundary. He had intercepted Litton’s pull with one hand, before settling under the ball in the second attempt. Replays, however, showed Delany’s towel, which was tucked behind his trousers, had touched the boundary rope. It was thus adjudged to be a six.File photo: Paul Stirling bashed 29 off 14 balls•ICC via Getty Images

Litton, Saif fall before final push

Litton and Saif kept Bangladesh’s run rate at par with the requirement. Litton lofted Delany for four before Saif struck him for a straight six in the 12th over. Litton then hit a beautiful six by going inside out over the covers to reach his fifty. Adair, however, got rid of him, trapping him lbw for 57.Three balls later, Saif gave long-on a catch off Delany, who bowled the delivery off 24 yards. Towhid Hridoy was then run-out for the sixth time in his career when he couldn’t reach the striker’s end, with his bat being in the air despite crossing the crease. When Nurul Hasan fell in the 19th over, Ireland sensed they were in the game.

Ireland openers go big

Ireland were off to a blistering start after they decided to bat first. Tim Tector was at it again, building on his 32 from the previous game. He struck Mahedi for three fours in the opening over, before Stirling lofted Nasum Ahmed for a four and six in the second over.Stirling then went after Saifuddin, hitting him for a six and two fours in the third over. Stirling, who bashed 29 off 14 balls, fell in the fifth over to a good catch from Saif in the deep, though Tector kept striking his pulls cleanly, as one of them landed deep into the second tier. Ireland’s 75 for 1 was their highest powerplay score against Bangladesh.File photo: Mahedi Hasan’s three wickets meant Ireland’s 88 for 1 quickly became 103 for 4•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Mahedi gives Bangladesh respite

Mahedi removed the Tector brothers, Tim and Harry, in the ninth over. He had Tim stumped off the first ball, when he swung at the ball, which went under the bat. Tim made 38 off 25 balls with two sixes, apart from his four boundaries. Mahedi then got one to skid below Harry’s bat to bowl him for 11. Mahedi also removed Ben Calitz for 7, also stumped by Litton. Ireland’s 88 for 1 in the ninth over quickly became 103 for 4 after 11.

Tucker helps Ireland recover

Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell got Ireland back on their feet with a 56-run fifth-wicket partnership. Tucker struck Nasum with a slog-swept four through mid-on, before slamming Tanzim and Saifuddin for three boundaries in the 16th and 17th overs.Dockrell, however, struck just one boundary in his 21-ball stay for 18 runs, while Delany, known for his big-hitting, struck just one six in the last over. Tucker was run-out off the last ball, having made 41 off 32 balls, with four boundaries.