يستضيف فريق ليفربول خصمه سندرلاند، مساء يوم الأربعاء، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لكرة القدم، موسم 2025/26.

تأتي تلك المباراة في خضم لقاءات الجولة الرابعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي لهذا الموسم، على ملعب “أنفيلد” معقل ليفربول.

ويحتل ليفربول المركز الثامن في جدول الدوري الإنجليزي في الوقت الحالي برصيد 21 نقطة، في حين أن فولهام لديه 22 نقطة ويحتل المركز السادس.

(محدث) تشكيل ليفربول أمام سندرلاند في الدوري الإنجليزي.. موقف محمد صلاح

ومن المتوقع عودة النجم المصري محمد صلاح إلى التشكيل الأساسي لفريق ليفربول في مباراة الليلة، بعدما كان بديلًا في لقاء وست هام في الجولة الماضية ولم يشارك في أي دقيقة. تشكيل ليفربول المتوقع أمام سندرلاند اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

حراسة المرمى: أليسون بيكر.

خط الدفاع: كورتيس جونز، إبراهيما كوناتي، فيرجيل فان دايك، آندي روبرتسون.

خط الوسط: ماك أليستر، جرافنبيرخ.

خط الوسط الهجومي: محمد صلاح، فلوريان فيرتز، كودي جاكبو.

خط الهجوم: ألكسندر إيزاك.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

Eberechi Eze reacted with a sheepish grin and quickly moved on when asked about his failed move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, after the Arsenal star and boyhood Gunners fan scored a stunning hat-trick in a 4-1 demolition of Spurs at the Emirates. Eze came close to completing a move to Arsenal's biggest rivals in the summer, before a late hijack saw the former Crystal Palace star complete his dream £67.5million ($88m) transfer.

• Eze avoids Spurs question after dream derby day hat-trick

  Eze was understandably reluctant to answer when asked by Sky Sports at full-time about the possibility that he may have been wearing different colours for Sunday’s North London Derby if things had gone differently.

  The 27-year-old England international completed his dream move to his boyhood club in August and put in the performance of a lifetime as he scored past arch-rivals three times to earn the derby day match ball, reaching five goals for his new club in the process.

  Bagging his side’s second goal in controversial circumstances just before half-time, Eze struck two goals from the edge of the box in the second period to secure a huge victory for Arsenal, which puts the Gunners six points clear at the top of the Premier League table – with second-placed Chelsea to come next weekend at Stamford Bridge.

  Speaking post-match, Eze was quick to brush past the question regarding his high-profile transfer saga in the summer, where the Gunners completed a stunning hijack to secure a game-changing signing.

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  Eze's hilarious response to Spurs transfer question

  “Let’s not speak about that”, said Eze when asked if he could have been wearing the opposition colours for the derby, breaking into a smile after his cheeky response live on Sky Sports. “I thought you might say that”, responded the reporter.

  “That’s a good [feeling],” Eze said of emphatic derby victory. “Enjoyable day, happy to help the team and to win today is special.

  “It feels special, man. I’m grateful again, this is what I pray for. I prayed for it today, a hat-trick, and I got it today so I’m grateful to God.”

• Eze reflects on his favourite goal of match-winning treble

  “That was the prayer today, a hat-trick, and God gave it to me. That’s faith. All my family is here again, which makes it even more special to do it in front of them," Eze continued.

  When asked for his pick of the goals, Eze said: “They were all good, I don’t know. Maybe the second one, that was my favourite.

  “Just the timing of it, it was the right time,” he continued. “Honestly, it’s just special, all of them are good for me, because I know that I’ve been working on the process to get in those positions, so it’s worked out.”

  On scoring his first professional hat-trick, he added: “Yeah, it is. Special one. As I say, words can’t explain this one today.”

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  'Special day for us' – Arteta speaks

  Mikel Arteta said to BBC Match of the Day:"It's a very special day for us. We knew the importance of the match and what it means to our fans. To be able to give them that joy, it's a beautiful day."

  On Eze becoming the fourth-ever player to score a hat-trick in the North London derby: "That tells you about the difficulty and what he's done today. To be fair he could have scored four or five. He's a big player who can create magic moments which unbalance a team.

  "We dominated every part of the game. We created massive chances and had a lot of actions that we were very close to scoring. We stayed patient.

  "Whoever we put in there they do the jobs for us. This squad has the belief and quality to deliver consistently.

  "We have really good momentum but you can see how difficult every game in the Premier League is. It's a long run, let's go game by game. Let's enjoy tonight, then we have Bayern here and Chelsea away. We have a tough week."

It does now appear that Daniel Farke’s days as Leeds United manager are very much numbered.

This isn’t exactly the biggest shock in the world, considering the Whites have now lost five of their last six Premier League games, with the Aston Villa loss sending them into that dreaded bottom three.

Reports are indicating that the German’s sacking looks inevitable amid doubts over whether he is the correct long-term man at Elland Road, albeit with a succession plan seemingly not yet in place.

Unfortunately, Farke looks as if he will fall victim to a fate that even the great Marcelo Bielsa had to come to terms with in the Premier League.

Not even a colossal 81 wins in charge could save the revered Argentine from the sack in the end, with far less sadness on display when Jesse Marsch was given his marching orders after the South American, when looking at his up-and-down stint in West Yorkshire.

Marc Roca's Leeds woes under Marsch

The new Canada boss would only muster up a weak 11 wins from the pressurised dug-out, in contrast, but that isn’t to say it was all doom and gloom while he occupied the hot seat.

Indeed, Marsch would steer the Whites to safety during the 2021/22 season after picking up the pieces from Bielsa, with a memorable away win at Liverpool even on his resume.

Still, a fair few of the signings the American signed off on during his brief stay in England were extremely hit-and-miss, including the one-season wonder of Marc Roca.

Initially, the Spaniard stood out as a rock-solid option in defensive midfield, with Leeds’ unbeaten start to the 2022/23 season seeing Roca win a high 15 duels in wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea.

Yet, much like Luis Sinisterra, who showed flashes of his excellence at Leeds with five Premier League goals put away, Roca’s efforts ultimately meant nothing, as Leeds succumbed to relegation during his only season at the club.

Pundit Adrian Durham would even state, during his brief time in West Yorkshire, that he wasn’t sure if Roca had the calibre to be a “Premier League footballer”. By the end of the campaign, he was merely a bit-part player, too, despite such early promise.

Leeds will hope history isn’t repeating itself now with this promising summer acquisition, who has gone off the boil somewhat in recent weeks.

Leeds' next Roca in the making

To make matters worse for the Whites, Roca would end up returning to home comforts in La Liga smoothly, having looked far more impressive back at Real Betis.

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Indeed, as per FBref, he currently ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for assists per 90, as well as in the top 10% for interceptions and the top 17% for tackles, showcasing an all-around quality that was sorely lacking at Elland Road.

Much like the Betis number 21, Anton Stach was a notable midfield purchase this summer from Europe, with £17.4m splashed out on the German, after he had collected a weighty five goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga for the likes of Hoffenheim.

He has packed his shooting boots for England, too, with this outrageous free-kick against Wolves earlier in the season making him a fan’s favourite amongst Leeds supporters packed into Molineux.

During the same game, he also picked up an assist, while winning a combined eight tackles and duels.

Yet, since that standout performance against the bottom-of-the-table Old Gold, Stach has failed to consistently deliver, with his form out of sorts against Nottingham Forest at the start of the month, which culminated in the German completing zero successful dribbles and losing possession a high 15 times.

Games played

6

Games started

4

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Accurate passes

153/187

Total duels won

22/40

Looking at the table above, Stach has only won 22 of his following 40 duels since his man-of-match-worthy display in the West Midlands, with Farke even pushing him down to the bench on occasion, which is a fate Roca became very much used to during the latter stages of his hot-and-cold Leeds stint.

Farke has even openly come out and said that Stach needs to “step up” amid a concern that his performances have gone downhill, with relegation staring Leeds in the face, even with glimpses of promise here and there from the ex-Hoffenheim star.

The under-pressure German will hope Stach listens to his words and gets back to his best shortly.

If he doesn’t, and he fades into the background like Roca, relegation looks to be on the cards, as the walls begin to be “slowly closing in” on the ex-Norwich City manager, as per the Athletic’s Beren Cross.

Leeds star is becoming Elland Road's biggest liability since Berardi

Leeds United could now have their biggest liability since the days of Gaetano Berardi in this underperforming flop.

1 ByKelan Sarson Nov 25, 2025

As Curtis Jones admitted on Wednesday, Liverpool are "in the sh*t" right now. The humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat at home to PSV means the ragged Reds have now lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions and the common consensus is that Arne Slot is only still in a job because he won the Premier League last season. But how have Liverpool gone from champs to chumps in just six months?

The impact of Diogo Jota's death on the friends he left behind certainly can't be overstated, with left-back Andy Robertson publicly disclosing his ongoing torment in the midst of the joyous celebrations that greeted Scotland's qualification for the World Cup last week. It's clear, though, that there are other factors at play – not least Slot's ongoing inability to come up with any tactical solutions to Liverpool's plethora of problems in every area of the pitch.

However, it certainly isn't all the manager's fault. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is among those presently pointing the finger at the players for a perceived lack of leadership and captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted that they are letting themselves down at the moment.

Below, GOAL ranks the Reds' biggest under-performers during their rotten run of results…

Getty Images Sport10Virgil van Dijk

For the first few months of the season, Van Dijk was the only thing holding Liverpool's brittle backline together. Indeed, after the fortuitous 3-2 win over 10-man Newcastle all the way back in August, Carragher admitted that he didn't even want to imagine where the Reds would be without their inspirational skipper.

Unfortunately, we now have a little bit of an idea, because while Van Dijk is still there, at the heart of the defence, he's looking like a cheap imitation of the colossus that led Liverpool to the title last season. Indeed, judging by his ludicrous handball against PSV (the third penalty he's given away this season – more than any other Premier League player in all competitions), Van Dijk has become another victim of the general malaise on Merseyside.

Nobody can fault Van Dijk's commitment – he's been visibly hurt by the Reds' rapid fall from grace – but he actually seems to be trying too hard to turn things around, which is why we're now seeing the captain making uncharacteristically rash challenges. If Van Dijk doesn't rediscover his composure, Liverpool really are done for.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport9Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz has been nowhere near as poor as many critics have tried so desperately to make out. Indeed, the Germany international was integral to arguably Liverpool's best three performances of the season so far, against Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid. Wirtz's creativity was also seriously missed in the three-goal losses at home to PSV and Nottingham Forest.

However, there is no denying that Liverpool supporters expected a hell of a lot more from the £100 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen than three goal involvements in 16 appearances in all competitions. Even allowing for the fact that it often takes time for overseas players to get to grips with the physicality and intensity of English football, Wirtz has often looked out of his depth.

When he returns from injury, the attacking midfielder will be under immense pressure to prove that he can cut it in the Premier League – although it might help if he were given a regular run of starts in his preferred position behind the centre-forward.

AFP8Jeremie Frimpong

Liverpool were never going to be able to find a like-for-like replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The former Kop idol has a unique set of skills for a right-back. Consequently, the Reds recruited Jeremie Frimpong, a diminutive Dutchman with different but no less dangerous attacking attributes.

The problem is that we've seen very little of them, for two reasons. Firstly, Frimpong has proved worryingly injury-prone and is once again out of action after damaging his hamstring for the second time this season, in the Champions League win in Frankfurt. Secondly, even when he has been available for action, Frimpong has not looked a good fit for the right-back berth at all. He has instead looked like what he was at Bayer Leverkusen: an offensively-minded wing-back.

So, whenever Frimpong returns to action, Slot really needs to show us what he intended to do with his compatriot, who has contributed one flukey goal and zero assists in nine appearances to date.

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Getty Images Sport7Alexis Mac Allister

One could easily make the argument that Alexis Mac Allister was Liverpool's most consistent performer during his first two seasons at the club following his 2023 arrival from Brighton. The World Cup winner never produced anything less than a seven-out-of-10 showing. He was Liverpool's multi-purpose midfield dynamo; no matter where he was placed, he drove the team forward with his mix of tenacity and technique.

Mac Allister, though, is currently paying a heavy price for his slower than expected recovery from the injury issues that brought a premature end to his 2024-25 and ruined his pre-season preparations. We've seen flashes of the old Mac Allister and, as a result, the old Liverpool – most notably in goal-scoring displays against Aston Villa and Real Madrid – but he's regressed again over the past week. 

It was genuinely startling to see how easily Nico Williams went through Mac Allister to set up Forest's second goal at Anfield last Saturday before he almost completely disappeared after Liverpool went 2-1 down against PSV in midweek. Mac Allister is far too good a player to struggle all season along, but one cannot help where the Reds will be by the time he gets back up to full match speed.

Shubman made the highest score by an India captain in Tests, as well as the highest by an India batter outside Asia

Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jul-2025

Shubman Gill now has the highest Test score by an India batter in England•Getty Images

269 – Shubman Gill’s score in the second Test against England at Edgbaston, the highest by an India captain in Tests, surpassing Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019.Gill’s 269 is also the highest by an India batter in Tests outside Asia. Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 not out at the SCG in 2004 was the previous highest.It is also the third-highest score by an India batter in away Tests, behind Virender Sehwag’s 309 in Multan and Rahul Dravid’s 270 in Rawalpindi on the tour of Pakistan in 2004.Only two Indians had scored double-hundreds in men’s Tests in England before him – 221 by Sunil Gavaskar in 1979 and 217 by Rahul Dravid in 2002, both at The Oval.Overall, Gill’s 269 is the seventh-highest score for India in Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd93.28 – Gill’s control percentage during his 269 at Edgbaston. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball logs, only two batters have had a higher control percentage while scoring a hundred in men’s Tests in England since 2006 – 96.45 % by Ian Bell during his 119* against Sri Lanka in 2011, and 94.6 % by Jamie Smith during his 111 against Sri Lanka last year.Related

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2 – Visiting batters with double-hundreds at Edgbaston in Tests before Gill. Graeme Smith scored 277 in 2003, while Zaheer Abbas scored 274 in 1971. Gill’s 269 is the eighth-highest score by a visiting batter in Tests in England.7 – Number of batters, including Gill, with hundreds in their first two Tests as captain. Three of the previous six were Indians – Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. Jackie McGlew, Alastair Cook and Steven Smith are the others.5 – Batters with double-hundreds in both Tests and ODIs. Gill joins a list dominated by Indians – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle.4 – Scores higher than Gill’s 269 after being put into bat by the opposition. It is the highest for India.376 – Runs India scored after the fall of Nitish Kumar Reddy at Edgbaston – the most they have added for the last five wickets in a Test innings.3 – Number of 200-plus partnerships involving Ravindra Jadeja for the sixth (or lower) wicket in Tests. Only Adam Gilchrist (six), BJ Watling (five) and MS Dhoni (four) have been part of more such stands. Two of Jadeja’s three such stands have come at Edgbaston.7 – Yashasvi Jaiswal has a 50-plus score in each of his seven Tests against England. Viv Richards and Mark Taylor also had a 50-plus score in each of their first seven Tests against England.

The India allrounder said working on his mindset and fitness had helped him maintain his superb form in 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-20255:13

Jadeja on vice-captaincy, batting higher and playing without Ashwin

It was his 50th home Test, but the first one Ravindra Jadeja was playing without his long-time spin partner R Ashwin, who retired from international cricket last December. It was an unusual experience, but it made no difference as far as the impact Jadeja was able to make on the match. He scored an unbeaten 104, his sixth Test hundred, and took four second-innings wickets as India wrapped up victory over West Indies by an innings and 140 runs inside eight sessions in Ahmedabad.Among the factors behind India winning so commandingly was the strength of their spin attack even without Ashwin, with Jadeja bowling alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar, and with Axar Patel on the bench.”Obviously we do miss him,” Jadeja said after the Test, when asked how Ashwin’s absence felt. “Ash has contributed so much to Indian cricket, been a match-winner for so many years.”I was playing a [Test] match in India without Ash for the first time, so sometimes I did find myself thinking, yeah, Ash will come on and bowl, and then realising he isn’t there. But Kuldeep and Washy have already played so many matches, and we can’t call them youngsters, but it was a different combination.”In the future you will ask, Jaddu isn’t here, and someone else will be there. This is inevitable, and it will keep happening, but it feels good to contribute to the team.”Related

• India trying to ready Reddy for greater challenges

• Jadeja, Siraj wrap up India's innings win inside three days

• Gill: 'No complaints, was a near-perfect game for us'

Jadeja’s performance in Ahmedabad left him tantalisingly close to the double of 4000 runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket. He needs only 10 runs to become the fourth member of that particular club, and membership to an even more exclusive club — 5000 runs and 400 wickets, which presently only includes Kapil Dev — could also be within reach.”You’re putting pressure on me now,” Jadeja joked when asked about this. “I’ll have to start thinking about how to score 1000 more runs and take 60-70 more wickets.”At this stage I’m enjoying my cricket. I’m not thinking about records or milestones. I’m just working on my fitness and enjoying my cricket. Whenever I’m at home I always work on my fitness so that I just continue doing what I’ve been doing [for] so many years, so that’s about it.”At 36, Ravindra Jadeja is still sprightly on the field•Associated Press

The century in Ahmedabad extended a sensational 2025 with the bat for Jadeja. So far this year, he has scored 659 runs in seven Tests at an average of 82.37, with two hundreds and five fifties, with 516 of those runs coming in a series of remarkable consistency in England, which included a stretch of eight innings with six 50-plus scores.”I’ve worked on my batting — I’ve made some changes both mentally and skill-wise,” Jadeja said. “I used to have a different mindset before, in my batting, but I’ve made a few changes now.”Part of this, he said, came from regularly batting up the order. Since the start of 2023, he has batted 22 times at Nos. 5 and 6 in 40 innings.”If you get the chance to bat up the order, you definitely bat with a different mindset,” he said. “I’ve batted at No. 8 and 9 in Test matches before, and that comes with a different mindset, and if you bat with that mindset you can end up playing a loose shot and getting out.”I’ve also batted at No. 5 and 6, and that comes with a different mindset. You are aware of the responsibility you have to build partnerships with whichever batsman you are batting with. That has definitely made a difference.At 36, Jadeja is showing no perceptible signs of slowing down; he prowls the outfield as athletically as ever, and he has been largely injury-free since getting through a frustrating period in 2021-23 when injuries repeatedly kept him away from action.”Injuries can happen anytime,” he said. “There is no guarantee, and no precautions you can take [against them]. If you’re giving your 100% on the ground, you could have to dive anytime or put in an effort for a catch or a run-out.”Luckily, by god’s grace, I haven’t been injured that much and I work a lot on my fitness. I don’t put up a lot of videos of what all I do on social media, but I do it. And it has been making a difference on the ground, and it feels good that I’m able to give my 100% at this age, and it doesn’t feel like my fitness level is going down, so it puts me in a good frame of mind.”On being asked to expand on his fitness routines and whether that included monitoring his sleep cycles, Jadeja burst into laughter. “I keep it simple,” he said. “Not 8-9 hours, sometimes I sleep for longer too, and if I’m [enjoying my evening] I might sleep less too. But on a serious note, when matches are approaching, I know when to start my training, when to change my food intake. I have a very good idea of my body and what it needs and in what state it is in at any time.”

Australia achieved the highest successful chase in women’s ODIs

Shashank Kishore12-Oct-20253:54

Review: Healy was Australia’s bedrock

Alyssa Healy’s epic 142 powered Australia to the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history, leaving a packed Visakhapatnam stadium thinning very quickly towards the close as World Cup hosts India suffered a second successive heartbreak.Two nights after failing to defend 252 against South Africa, India’s decision to play just the five specialist bowlers will be debated long and hard after they were unable to work with a total of 330. Australia won with six balls to spare, and three wickets in hand; Ellyse Perry hoisting her WPL team-mate Sneh Rana down the ground to seal victory.Perry, who remained unbeaten on 47, had suffered a bout of cramps that forced her to retire hurt with Australia cruising at 154 for 1. Then she returned at the fall of Ash Gardner’s wicket with Australia needing 32 off 36. When Amanjot Kaur had Sophie Molineux lbw at the start of the 46th over, Australia were seven down.This is when Kim Garth joined forces with Perry to put on 28 crucial runs off 23 balls to see Australia home. Garth finished unbeaten on 14, including a superbly executed reverse-paddle off Rana in the penultimate over with Australia needing 13 off 11. The win, Australia’s third in four games, puts them on top of the table halfway through the World Cup.Ellyse Perry and Kim Garth walk off after Australia sealed the highest chase in women’s ODI history•Getty ImagesIndia were eventually left to rue the seven balls they didn’t play after a late and sensational collapse – they lost 9 for 138 in the last 30 overs to finish with 330 when they looked set to scale 350. Unlike Australia, who had Healy go on to convert her start into a maiden century as captain, and third in a World Cup, India were left waiting for their big innings, with both Smriti Mandhana (80) and Pratika Rawal (75) falling short of three-figures.Except left-arm spinner N Shree Charani, who displayed terrific control to put the brakes on Australia with figures of 3 for 41, the others wilted against Healy’s assault in trying conditions. Shree Charani bowled out in the 39th over, by which time Australia’s required rate was a-run-a-ball.It didn’t help that Kranti Gaud, full of bristling promise, had a second off day, conceding 73 in nine wicketless overs, while Sneh Rana, one of India’s form bowlers, went for 85 from her full quota. The make-up of India’s attack meant Harmanpreet Kaur had few alternatives on what was among the best batting surfaces of the tournament.Australia began cautiously, scoring just 25 off the first five overs before switching gears to ransack 57 in the next five. Healy’s fast hands were on display as she took 18 off Gaud’s fourth over, while Phoebe Lichfield cracked three consecutive boundaries off Amanjot Kaur before a missed stumping chance briefly spared her. India didn’t have to wait long, though, as Litchfield fell reverse-sweeping Shree Charani to Rana at point to end an 85-run opening stand off just 11.2 overs.Smriti Mandhana made 80 off 66•Getty ImagesFrom overs 6.6 to 10 alone, Australia hammered eight fours and two sixes, most from Healy, who dismantled India’s spinners with sweeps to every part of the leg side. Perry, scratchy early on, found rhythm alongside her, even resorting to reverse sweeps to unsettle Rana. Their fifty stand came in 55 balls, but India sensed an opening when Perry retired hurt and Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland, who celebrated her birthday earlier in the day with a five-for, fell in quick succession.Healy briefly reined herself in before surging to a brilliant century off 84 balls, managing the chase almost single-handedly despite struggling with cramps. Her dismissal, caught off a sliced drive to point was adjudged clean after a tight review where stand-in third umpire Kim Cotton looked in two minds. When she finally felt Rana’s hands were underneath the ball, it ended a stunning innings that comprised 21 fours and three sixes. It gave India a fleeting lift, but Perry’s return and Garth’s composure soon quashed any hopes of a late twist.India would look back on their batting performance with mixed emotions. They displayed the kind of sustained aggression they’ve long spoken about but rarely executed, yet the recurring collapses would be worrisome for the team management. From 192 for 1 at the 30-over mark, they looked set for 350-plus but fell woefully short, as they failed to capitalise on a superb 155-run opening stand between Mandhana and Rawal.India have lost two matches in a row now at the 2025 World Cup•Getty ImagesAfter three ordinary outings, Mandhana returned to her fluent self, reaching fifty off 46 balls. Her six off Molineux made her the first woman to score 1000 or more ODI runs in a calendar year, and she later became the fastest to 5000 runs in the format. While Mandhana took on Molineux, Rawal targeted Gardner, though their partnership was interspersed with spells of caution – like the passage that produced just 15 in five overs after they finished the powerplay at 58 for 0.This was largely down to Rawal’s cautiousness. That forced Mandhana to take more risks, producing audacious shots like a ramp over Healy’s head. Rawal’s 69-ball half-century helped post the second-highest World Cup partnership by any side against Australia before Mandhana fell for 80.Harleen Deol (38), Harmanpreet (22) and Jemimah Rodrigues (33) injected urgency unseen so far in this tournament but couldn’t convert their starts. The burden of providing the late surge yet again fell on Richa Ghosh, whose 94 against South Africa had bailed India out earlier. Here, though, a Sutherland slower ball undid her, triggering a collapse from 309 for 6 to 330 all out.Sutherland’s clever changes of pace and length earned her a maiden ODI five-for and throttled India’s momentum, leaving them disappointed at not making the most of the platform they had built so well.The loss now leaves India without a win against South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia at a World Cup (50 overs and T20 included) for five years now. And with England up next in a week in Indore, they’ll need to regroup quickly to keep pushing for the semi-finals.

“Our relationship with that particular hostile country is the same”

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2025

ICC/Getty Images

For the fourth consecutive Sunday, an India team may choose not to shake hands with a Pakistan team.India Women meet Pakistan Women in Colombo on October 5 in the ongoing Women’s World Cup. On Wednesday, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia did not rule out the possibility that Harmanpreet Kaur’s team could take cues from Suryakumar Yadav’s.”Whether there will be handshakes, whether there will be hugging, I cannot assure you of anything [at] this moment,” Saikia told the BBC’s podcast. “I cannot forecast anything, but our relationship with that particular hostile country is the same. There is no change in the last week.”Related

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Agha: India are 'disrespecting cricket' with their conduct

India refuse to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

India’s men played Pakistan three times at the recent Asia Cup and chose not to shake hands at the toss and after the game. That tournament also ended in acrimony after India refused to accept their Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who is Pakistan’s Interior Minister in addition to being the PCB’s chairman and the ACC’s president. Naqvi, for his part, refused to cede the handing over of the trophy to anyone else. The standoff caused a 90-minute delay to the post-match presentation, at which no trophy was ultimately lifted.Saikia said the team would play to the “regulations of cricket”.”India will play that match against Pakistan in Colombo, and all cricket protocols will be followed,” he said. “I can only assure that whatever is in the MCC regulations of cricket – that will be done.”There have been no indications yet from the women’s teams themselves as to how they will negotiate the politics around their match on Sunday.

Ravindra Jadeja is set to play for Saurashtra in the second round of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy starting October 25.Jadeja’s inclusion will strengthen their attack against Madhya Pradesh at home in Rajkot, on the same pitch where spinners took for 31 of the 35 wickets to fall in last week’s fixture between Saurashtra and Karnataka.Jadeja, the top-ranked Test allrounder, is currently on a break, having most recently played in the two home Tests against West Indies earlier this month. He scored his sixth Test hundred – an unbeaten 104 – in the first Test in Ahmedabad and took eight wickets in the series as India won 2-0.He wasn’t selected in India’s ODI squad that is currently in Australia, which Jadeja said was “not a surprise” after the team management spoke to him about their decision.”It is a good thing that they communicated the reason behind my omission,” Jadeja had said during the Delhi Test against West Indies. “I am happy about that. But whenever I get a chance next, I will try and do what I have done all these years.”If I get a chance in the World Cup and there are many ODIs before and if I do well there, it will be a good thing for Indian cricket. Winning a World Cup is everyone’s dream. We narrowly missed out last time, so next time we will try and make up for it.”When he plays against Madhya Pradesh, Jadeja will reunite with his Saurashtra spin twin Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. Dharmendrasinh picked up a match haul of 10 for 203 as Saurashtra earned points for taking the first-innings lead against Karnataka.Jadeja had most recently featured for Saurashtra in the previous Ranji season. He took 12 wickets in two matches – both all against Delhi – including a best of 7 for 38.

A year on from his dream debut, he has had to again start from the bottom in what has been a frustrating summer

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Jul-2025

Gus Atkinson appeals for a wicket on the opening day•Getty Images

Last week was a reminder to Gus Atkinson that the game of cricket does not love you.The 27-year-old had been working behind the scenes to return from a hamstring injury picked up during the first Test of the summer, against Zimbabwe. Now, ahead of the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, England’s player of 2024, who seduced the format for 55 wickets, a century and a hat-trick, looked primed to come into the XI. A welcome addition of extra thrust and oomph. And above all else, fresh legs.England, though, decided to ignore Atkinson. Uncertainty over his robustness, having not played since Trent Bridge, meant featuring alongside the likes of Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and skipper Ben Stokes – all missing the fifth Test – was too much of a risk. Worse still for Atkinson, Surrey thought so too.Related

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Usually, a player unselected from an international squad would slot into their county side, especially if they average 22.30 with the ball. But Surrey, a day before facing Yorkshire, needed their own guarantees, that each member of their attack could put in a shift given the Kookaburra ball was in play. Jamie Overton, playing his second game of the season and first in a month, was deemed risk enough.So, Atkinson had to make do with a go in the second XI. It was his second game since injury. The first was a Saturday game during the Lord’s Test for his club, Spencer, when he was ignored the first time having been recalled. At least then he was in the ones.It was a humbling experience but one that the seamer, by all accounts, had taken in his stride after some understandable dismay. Atkinson keeps his emotions in check, comfortably the most inscrutable of England’s cricketers. Bottom of the list of players you would want to play poker against (Harry Brook top, if you were wondering).But there was proper, unmistakable joy throughout Thursday. Atkinson’s 2 for 31 from 19 overs was a threat laced with the kind of unerring accuracy that, remarkably, left him with just a single boundary against his name.Second years, like second albums, are always difficult. But it would still be quite something if Atkinson’s 2025 was even half as statistically impressive as his 2024.2:37

‘England would be a little disappointed with the score’

That debut against West Indies at Lord’s, 7 for 45 and 5 for 61 – 12 for 106, the fourth best bowling figures by a men’s player on debut – was the best intro since Mick Jagger (watching on at the Kia Oval on Thursday) and his pals knocked out . Doing so in James Anderson’s retirement Test felt particularly prescient. Grand closing, grand opening, and now involved at the sharp end of a series bearing Anderson’s name.So it proved, at least for the next six months. He returned to Lord’s against Sri Lanka to put himself on the batting honours board, and then, in Wellington, became the 15th England player to take a Test hat-trick. With 52 wickets by the end of that tour of New Zealand, he became only the second Test cricketer to register 50 dismissals in their debut year.There were signs of issues to deal with within those first 11 appearances. That schedule meant he played 16 first-class games in a calendar year, having never featured in more than five (2022 and 2023). Naturally, he struggled to maintain his high 80s pace, which made his high release point and snap gather-cum-delivery that much more potent. Nothing summed the drop-off better than the fact his average speed on debut (85.89mph) was higher than his fastest delivery in last year’s final appearance in Hamilton (84.0mph).There was a similar drop-off across Thursday, despite the hours of rain delays that broke up England’s 64 overs in the field. Atkinson’s four spells saw his average speeds reduce steadily: 85.6mph (six overs), 84.8mph (six), 84.0mph (five), 82.0mph (two).Atkinson has had a stop-start summer•Getty ImagesA nod, perhaps, to the need for more game time to build up his endurance. His nimbleness was clear for all to see when he followed-through to run out Shubman Gill. A bonus for England given the India captain’s prolific run on this tour.The lbw dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal – 85mph – was his first in more than two months after dismissing Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett. Dhruv Jurel was undone by an 84mph full-of-a-length ball that surprised him with lift, right after surviving an lbw dismissal on review that scuttled in from a scrambled seam that has been fruitful for Atkinson at this level.While happy to return, and get back on the board, Atkinson was not overly pleased. “Being hyper critical, I could have maybe bowled at the stumps a bit more,” he said, matter-of-factly.The good news is those dismissals, and 17 of his overs, came from his lesser preferred Pavilion End, where he averages 31.6 here for Surrey since the start of 2022. The bad news is his two overs from his Vauxhall End (22.6) came about because of a shoulder injury sustained by Chris Woakes. He had domain over that end, having chosen it to open proceedings.1:48

What will be a good score for India?

It is Woakes, ultimately, that Atkinson was going to replace, particularly in Australia later this year. That was initially as a new-ball bowler with more pace, before his batting came on to the point where he and, say, Carse could go some way to replacing Woakes’ batting at eight. Now, Atkinson will have to carry more of the burden with Woakes unlikely to take any further part in this match, certainly as a bowler.The worse news, however, is that on the day when England welcomed Atkinson back with the best seaming conditions of the series, they fluffed their lines.His excellence was unable to make-up for Josh Tongue, who was wayward even with his worldies. Nor Overton, whose lack of feel for the appropriate lengths was what you would expect from someone with just two first-class wickets since September 2023 (as many County Championship matches he has played for Surrey since then).Atkinson might be fresh and hungry for more. But he will now have to step up as the leader of the attack. Just over a year from his debut, he will have to grow up quick and help orchestrate a crucial win in this series decider.