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Three talking points from India’s selection for the Women’s World Cup

Shashank Kishore19-Aug-20252:54

‘We have an eye on Shafali, want her to have a long career’

With less than a month-and-a-half remaining before they begin their quest to win their first Women’s World Cup, co-hosts India have named a squad without major surprises. Even so, these three talking points are worth deeper analysis.

Why was Shafali left out?

By leaving out Shafali Verma, the selectors have opted for consistency over X-factor.Pratika Rawal, who made her debut after India left Shafali out of their ODI squad last year, has scored 703 runs at an average of 54.07 and a strike rate of 87.43 in 14 innings. She has formed a prolific combination with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order: they’ve already put on four century partnerships and six half-century stands, and average a remarkable 77.57 together – no pair of India batters, with a cut-off of 1000 partnership runs, has done better.India clearly wanted continuity at the top, and Shafali, who hasn’t played ODIs since October 2024, needed a rich run of form to barge the door down. She certainly did her bit. She scored 527 runs at an average of 75.28 and a strike rate of 152.31 in the domestic one-dayers for Haryana in December 2024, including a top score of 197 off 115 balls against Bengal. She followed that up with a sensational WPL 2025 for Delhi Capitals; she was the fourth-highest run-getter overall, and the most prolific Indian batter, with 304 runs at a strike rate of 152.76.Even so, Shafali missed out on the tri-series in Sri Lanka in June and the ODIs in England in July. She impressed during the T20I series in England, with scores of 47, 31 and 75 in the last three games, but her form on the recent India A tour of Australia – scores of 52, 4, and 36 in three one-dayers, and 41, 3, and 3 in the T20s that preceded them – may have not made a compelling enough case for the selectors to pick her to open ahead of Rawal. Another factor that works in Rawal’s favour is that she can bowl, something Shafali doesn’t offer more regularly.The selectors could have picked Shafali as back-up opener, but they went with the more versatile option in Yastika Bhatia, who offers wicketkeeping cover in addition to her top-order batting.The one aspect India could miss out on in Shafali’s absence is a dash of aggression in the powerplay. Rawal is more accumulator than dynamo, and this has put the onus on Mandhana to be the enforcer early on.The WPL has helped fast-track Shree Charani into her maiden ODI World Cup•Getty Images

The WPL stamp on India’s World Cup squad

The 2025 edition is India’s first ODI World Cup since the advent of the WPL, and the tournament’s impact is already evident. Kranti Goud has only played only four ODIs, and N Shree Charani just eight. Neither had even played in the WPL before the 2025 season.Having punted on both players on the back of positive feedback from their franchises, the selectors were proved right when Charani emerged as Player of the Series in India’s 3-2 T20I win over England last month, picking up 10 wickets at an economy rate of 7.46, and standing out for her control, fearlessness and ability to hold her own under pressure.Similarly, it only took eight WPL games for Goud to impress the selectors with her ability to hustle batters at a bristling 115kph or thereabouts and bowl a mean yorker. With Renuka Singh injured, they backed Goud for the ODIs in England, and she responded with a fiery, match-winning 6 for 52 in the decider at Chester-le-Street.The WPL canvas extends beyond Charani and Goud. Amanjot Kaur made a strong case for an international comeback as a back-up allrounder through her performances for WPL champs Mumbai Indians – a blockbuster 3 for 22 and 34 not out off 27 balls in a thrilling win over defending champs Royal Challengers Bengaluru was the prelude to her summer.3:52

Nayar: India went for Rawal’s solidity over Shafali’s flamboyance

Once it emerged that Pooja Vastrakar’s long-term injury absence was likely to extend through the World Cup, India backed Amanjot to be a second seamer in a predominantly spin-heavy attack, and she impressed with both bat and ball during the England T20Is.A back injury in England during the ODIs forced the team management to tread cautiously, resting her from the ODI series against Australia that precedes the World Cup. They are giving Amanjot every chance to be fit for the World Cup warm-ups, leading into the tournament opener on September 30.Similarly, Arundhati Reddy, with the experience of just nine ODIs, has made the World Cup squad on the sheer weight of her WPL performances. In the 2024 season, she was one of Meg Lanning’s go-to bowlers, evident in the sheer number of overs she bowled – 29.2, the second-most for Delhi Capitals. She carried that form into 2025, and has become an excellent swing bowler who offers handy lower-order hitting that gives the team batting cushion.

Renuka Singh’s return

Sayali Satghare. Saima Thakor. Titas Sadhu. Kashvee Gautam. India have handed opportunities to a number of seamers over the past year, but none of them has been able to nail down a spot. This is why the selectors waited on Renuka Singh, who had been injured and out of action since the WPL. They worked on her fitness in sync with the Centre of Excellence, who prepped her with a steady diet of practice matches following a lengthy rehab. She now has the three ODIs against Australia to help her gain rhythm and match time in the run-up to the World Cup.

In conditions best-suited to the defending champions, Sri Lanka were so switched on it did not matter

Shashank Kishore26-Oct-20231:31

Maharoof: Mathews was ‘in the game’ from the first ball

The entire Sri Lankan team stood together, their collective gaze fixed on the giant screen. The next moment, as the magic word “out” flashed, euphoria broke out. Sadeera Samarawickrama broke out of the huddle and did his own imitation of the Imran Tahir sprint.Before his team-mates could catch him, Samarawickrama had run some 25 yards, towards the cover boundary, punching the air in jubilation. He was so overjoyed he suddenly changed directions. He was so ecstatic that he didn’t know where to run or how to celebrate. His mates eventually caught up with him, giving him sweaty bear hugs.It was a marginal call and it went in his favour for a brilliant catch and, just like that, we’d had another Peak Sri Lanka moment. One where they make scarcely believable stuff seem like child’s play. This episode involved putting the modern-day ODI behemoths in a tailspin in conditions England’s game was best suited to.Related

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• Kumara goes from back-up to frontman

• Report – England's title defence suffers another crushing blow

• Are defending champions England out of the World Cup?

• 'Keep calm and do the right thing' – Mathews is back and raring to go

Come on. If not in Bengaluru, where else could England have potentially Bazballed their way into the World Cup, albeit belatedly? This was right up their alley. Flat deck, small ground, cooler air. All served up on a platter. What’s more, they even won the toss. Jos Buttler didn’t conceal his glee when he said “bat first”.The rub of the green was with them. How else could you explain Sri Lanka bailing out of a review they seemed dead sure about? It was the first ball of the match. Dilshan Madushanka had bowled the perfect inswinger, the late tail in so lethal that it sent Jonny Bairstow stumbling inside the crease as he tried to get bat to it. After a mid-pitch conference that made 15 seconds seem more like 15 minutes, Sri Lanka collectively decided against it.Maybe they did not want to let the excitement and adrenaline get to them this early. They went back to their places half-heartedly. And then they saw, after the next ball, replays on the giant screen that laid bare a potentially costly mistake. The collective groan of “ayyyyo” told you a story. They had been so near to a perfect start. Instead England were 3 for 0.At mid-off, Angelo Mathews shook his head in disbelief. Maybe he was thinking the sprint he’d just made, chasing after the ball all the way to the long-on boundary, would’ve been worth it had they reviewed (Bairstow got a good chunk on the ball, but it was pad first). He didn’t just sprint, he even put in a dive after a few moments of “should I, shouldn’t I?”Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis combined to run out Joe Root•Getty ImagesAt 36, he’d just sauntered into his fourth World Cup. Barely believable considering he was at home 10 days ago, having made peace with his exclusion. This was another moment of Peak Sri Lanka. Out in the cold one day, but right back in contention the next. You’re never really out.Ridiculous things continue to happen. Mathews last took an ODI wicket in March 2020. He hadn’t played too many ODIs over the past three years. He’d cheekily said he was ready to do anything, literally anything, the team needed. Surely that didn’t mean being summoned to bowl the seventh over?What do we know? He comes on and strikes immediately, dismissing Dawid Malan with a beauty. The ball cuts sharply off the deck, cramps the batter for room and flicks the edge. Mathews extends both palms, exuding the “I’m back” look. You can’t keep him away.You think surely that’s as eventful as it can get for Mathews. Nope, there’s more coming. He’s everywhere now. He’s beside the captain Kusal Mendis, imploring him to have a slip in place for the fast bowlers, offering words of advice to Kasun Rajitha, lurking at point like a hawk. And suddenly when Joe Root hits one his way, he swoops in quickly to fire a rocket throw to Mendis. The pressure had been creeping up on Root. He’s in a daze, the dive can’t save him, he’s gone. Mathews has woven magic again.Breakthrough provided, run-out effected, spell completed. Or so you think. Surely that’s three overs more than he expected to bowl anyway. But England are just beginning to build an inkling of a partnership. Moeen Ali has just cut loose, Ben Stokes has reined himself in all this while waiting seemingly to explode a bit later. The scorecard seems less dire than it did at 85 for 5. Enter Mathews again.He trundles in casually. Floats up a length ball. Moeen has decided he’s giving this a whack. But there’s no pace on it, instead he now looks to steer it square. The ball gets big on him just a touch. Boom. Kusal Perara has gobbled it up at point. Mathews has his man. At 122 for 6, England have been slam dunked. Mathews has struck once again as soon as he’s brought on.Sri Lanka were all pumped up in Bengaluru•Associated PressSri Lanka are switched on. So switched on that you wonder what’s changed in a week’s time. The chirp is back. There’s energy stemming from having the world champions on the rack. This wasn’t how it was supposed to pan out. Surely there was another “you cannot do that, Ben Stokes moment” waiting to unfold. He has been simmering underneath his helmet, waiting to burst open.Until he picks out deep midwicket on 43 with 20 overs left. Dushan Hemantha, the substitute, took the catch with his palms facing upwards. Stokes throws his bat up as he walks off. This is a dream unfolding for Sri Lanka. And there’s one more moment of Peak Sri Lanka magic to unfold: the run-out of Adil Rashid.There is a book called by the Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell. It is made up of anecdotes and psychological case studies on impulsive decision-making. What Mendis did to produce this wicket for Sri Lanka will fit very neatly in that book. He collected a delivery down leg and looked like he was about to just toss the ball back to the bowler and then he saw Rashid wandering out of the crease at the non-striker’s end. In a split-second, he took aim and hit the bull’s eye. Gone.It summed up England’s day of horrors. Sri Lanka were now in a position to Bazball England out of the World Cup – or something close enough to that. It all seemed straight out of a fairy tale. Except it wasn’t. It was Sri Lanka doing Peak Sri Lanka things.

Royals’ thrilling three-run win may perhaps have been less significant than the tactical battle that played out at Wankhede

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Apr-20225:05

Should Stoinis have come in earlier?

What will the future of T20 look like? Well, it might look something like Sunday night’s game between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants. Royals eventually won a thrilling contest by three runs, but for the neutral, the result may perhaps have been less significant than the tactical battle that played itself out at the Wankhede Stadium.LSG unleash their allrounders

International commitments left LSG without Jason Holder for their first two matches of the season, and without Marcus Stoinis for their first four.Related

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• Carnage and fun – the madness at the death in T20 cricket

• Gowtham takes baby steps to being an IPL regular again

• Hetmyer, Boult, Chahal ensure Royals win in tactics showdown

• R Ashwin becomes first batter to be tactically retired out in the IPL

On Sunday, both were finally available, and Stoinis came straight into the side, even if it meant leaving out Evin Lewis, who has already won LSG one match off his own bat.It was clear from LSG’s auction strategy that they wanted to build a side with multiple allrounders, which would give them depth and flexibility with both bat and ball. Against Royals, Super Giants had five allrounders in their XI: Holder, Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda and K Gowtham.Despite that, LSG only used five bowlers on the day, with Krunal, Stoinis and Hooda not required. KL Rahul, their captain, explained in his post-match press conference that he felt Krunal’s left-arm spin might have been a risk given that Royals had an explosive left-hander in the middle in Shimron Hetmyer from overs nine to 20.The point of having so many all-round options isn’t necessarily to use all of them all the time, but to have favourable options in most situations. The offspinner Gowtham, for instance, has come into the XI for LSG’s matches against Delhi Capitals and Royals, two teams with a significant presence of left-handers in their top orders.Gowtham played a key role on Sunday, taking two wickets and only conceding 14 off 14 balls to Hetmyer, who scored 45 off the other 22 balls he faced.Royals push Ashwin up the order

Even before the season began, it was evident that Royals had one big weakness to cover up. They had a strong top five on paper, and a strong bowling attack (barring end-overs options) but not a lot of proven muscle at Nos. 6 and 7. In this game, R Ashwin – who has five Test hundreds but who’s a touch player rather than a biffer of the ball – was slotted at No. 7.He eventually ended up at No. 6, walking in to join Hetmyer in the tenth over of Royals’ innings. This pushed Riyan Parag, who is perhaps better suited to end-overs hitting than to rebuilding an innings, down to No. 7.It was a clear example of the growing realisation within T20 that batters’ point of entry matters far more than their slot in the batting order.2:15

Retired out – yay or nay?

Ashwin retires out

In a game full of tactical intrigue, this was the biggest moment – a moment fans had been waiting years and years for. Two balls into the 19th over of Royals’ innings, Ashwin ran off the field, becoming the first batter in the IPL to retire out. The idea, it turned out, had been discussed within the Royals think tank, and Ashwin had bought into it fully.It was just what you might expect from a man who has added multiple variations to his bowling repertoire – and has even tried to master an entirely different style of bowling – to stay one step ahead of batters in T20, and a man who has zero qualms about running non-strikers out when they back up too far. Ashwin has always been at the forefront of innovation in all formats of cricket, and he’ll probably be proud of his involvement in this moment too.The reason for the decision, of course, was to have a more accomplished six-hitter at the crease at this point in the game. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster bumped up Royals’ projected score by seven runs when Ashwin retired out, from 152 to 159. With Hetmyer going berserk and Parag hitting a last-over six, they ended up with 165.Boult goes around the wicket

Trent Boult’s modus operandi with the new ball is simple and time-tested. Slant the ball away from the right-hand batter from left-arm over, get it to swing back in, and target bowled and lbw.On Sunday, however, he began from around the wicket. He’s only done it once before in the IPL, in 2018, and that was also against the same batter, Rahul. Perhaps he’s seen something in Rahul’s technique to believe he has a greater chance from that angle? Perhaps, but at the post-match presentation, Boult revealed the idea was suggested to him on the morning of the match by his Royals and New Zealand team-mate James Neesham.Wherever the idea came from, the execution was brilliant: full, swinging in late, and stumps splattered as Rahul played all around the ball.LSG show off their flexible batting order

Ashwin’s promotion came out of necessity, thanks to Royals’ lack of batting depth. LSG have no such issues, blessed as they are with so many allrounders.Just as with the ball, it gives them flexibility with the bat. At the fall of Rahul’s wicket, they sent in Gowtham – who has a strike rate of nearly 168 in the IPL – as a pinch-hitter.It didn’t work, as Boult had him lbw off the first legal ball he faced. Who would come in next? You might have expected it to be Stoinis, who often bats in the top three in the Big Bash League and for Australia. Or Hooda or Ayush Badoni, both proper middle-order batters.Instead, it was Holder, who can strike a long ball, but also has a technique that’s brought him three Test hundreds. In the circumstances, it was possibly the latter quality that earned this promotion. It didn’t quite come off, with Holder scoring 8 off 17, but again, the move showed off the flexibility of LSG’s line-up.What’s not to love? Yuzvendra Chahal picks up wickets – two, three, even four – when he bowls•BCCITwo left-handers at the crease

LSG lost their fifth wicket at the end of the 12th over. They now needed 92 off 48 balls. At this point, Krunal walked in to join Quinton de Kock. It was the first time in LSG’s innings that two batters of the same kind – two left-handers in this case – were at the crease at the same time.Like all teams, LSG value left-right partnerships, but they may have broken the rule here for a specific reason. At that point, the offspinner Ashwin had one over left to bowl – which he immediately delivered – and the legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal two overs.LSG’s attack includes Ravi Bishnoi, an unusual legspinner who prefers bowling to left-handers. Chahal is a more traditional legspinner, delivering the ball with a low-ish arm and bowling legbreaks far more frequently than wrong’uns.Chahal’s record against left-handers is excellent – since the 2019 season, his economy rate against them (7.30) is only slightly worse than it is against right-handers (7.19) – but LSG were trying, perhaps, to maximise whatever marginal gains they could get.They may also have wanted to delay Stoinis’ entry, and backed his six-hitting ability in the closing stages of the match.As it turned out, Krunal’s promotion delayed Chahal’s re-introduction slightly – his third over was the 16th of LSG’s innings – but he dismissed both left-handers in that over.Holding Stoinis back, however, nearly allowed LSG to pull off an improbable win. His hitting – and useful contributions from Dushmantha Chameera and Avesh Khan – brought the equation down to 15 off the last over. The match, eventually, was won by Kuldeep Sen – who was making his debut for Royals – who conceded only one run off the first four balls of the final over, using the wide line outside off stump expertly to keep the ball away from Stoinis’ hitting arc.

After just one game at Yankee Stadium, Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony isn't leaving the Bronx with any more friends.

Anthony went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a massive two-run home run in the ninth inning to give Boston some insurance runs to hold onto a 6-3 win in the series opener. He obliterated a ball to the second deck in right field for an absolute no-doubter.

The 21-year-old right fielder could only watch the ball sail and toss his bat to the ground, putting his mark on Major League Baseball's most bitter rivalry.

Anthony got to play the Yankees at Fenway Park during his first week with the Red Sox, but had a quiet series going 0-for-5 at the plate. After the big performance Thursday, he admitted it felt nice to break out on the road after he had 58 major league games under his belt.

"Now that I'm settled in and through that first week this time around, it felt a little bit more calm and more controlled," he said postgame Thursday via NESN. "It just felt better, it was exciting."

When speaking to his first game at Yankee Stadium, he called the atmosphere "awesome," especially as a member of the Red Sox stepping into the hostile environment. After the performance Thursday, Anthony is slashing .286/.405/.448 with five homers and 26 RBIs thus far through his first season.

The Red Sox called up the former 2022 second-round pick in early June, and he entered the big leagues as baseball's top prospect. He signed an eight-year, $130 million contract extension two weeks ago to remain in Boston long term. Yankees fans hoped Boston would delay Anthony's arrival as long as possible, but the young star put his stamp on the rivalry in his first opportunity at Yankee Stadium. And he'll have three more cracks over the weekend.

Boston and New York currently sit atop the American League's wild-card race with the Yankees a half game in front of the Red Sox for the first wild card.

MatériaMais Notícias

Avaí e Goiás se enfrentam nesta segunda-feira (27), às 21h, na Ressacada, em jogo válido pela sétima rodada da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro. Para esta partida, as odds do Lance! Betting são as seguintes: a vitória do time catarinense tem odds a 2.66, o empate marca 3.05 e a vitória do time goiano marca 2.67.

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*As odds podem mudar

+ Confira os mercados da Lance! Betting para resenhar, se divertir e apostar!

+ Dicas de apostas em nosso canal de WhatsApp para apostar com sabedoria!

Dica de aposta recomendada

São várias as possibilidades de apostar nesta partida da Série B no Lance! Betting. Nossa sugestão aqui é que Avaí e Goiás vão marcar gols, já que ambos os times balançaram as redes em seus últimos três jogos. As odds para ambos marcarem estão em 1.90.

+ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

Estatísticas de Avaí e Goiás

O Avaí chega para essa partida com três vitórias consecutivas. Do outro lado, o Goiás venceu quatro dos últimos cinco confrontos e pode alcançar a liderança da Série B.

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

AVAÍ (Técnico: Gilmar del Pozzo)
César; Marcos Vinícius, Tiago Pagnussat, Vilar e Mário Sérgio; Willian Maranhão, Ronaldo Henrique, Pedro Castro, Giovanni e Mauricio Garcez; Gabriel Poveda.

GOIÁS (Técnico: Márcio Zanardi)
Tadeu; Diego, Lucas Ribeiro, David Cruz, Edson e Cristiano; Welliton, Marcão Silva, Juninho (Rafael Gava) e Paulo Baya; Thiago Galhardo

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✅FICHA TÉCNICA
Avaí x Goiás
Série B – Sétima rodada

Data e horário: segunda-feira, 27 de maio de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília)
Local: Ressacada, em Florianópolis (SC)
Onde assistir: Premiere, SporTV
Árbitro: Anderson Daronco (FIFA-RS)
Assistentes: Jorge Eduardo Bernardi (RS) e Michael Stanislau (RS)

Tudo sobre

AvaíGoiásSérie B

Swansea City have now held talks with Vitor Matos as a replacement for Alan Sheehan, with Kim Hellberg now being targeted by a different Championship club.

Hellberg travelled to London to hold talks with Swansea last week, but there has been a twist, with the 37-year-old now of interest to Middlesbrough, following Rob Edwards’ departure to Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month.

As such, the Jacks may need to move on to alternative options to replace Sheehan, who was dismissed from his post last week, with his side making a poor start to the campaign, currently sitting in 18th place after taking just 17 points from their opening 15 Championship games.

Michael Carrick has been named as a potential target, with the Welsh club’s hierarchy said to be big fans of the former Boro boss, but a different, more left-field option is also of interest…

Swansea hold talks with Vitor Matos now 'leading contender'

As reported by the BBC, Swansea have held talks with several managers since parting ways with Sheehan, including Maritimo manager Matos, courtesy of the job he has done in the Portuguese second tier. TalkSPORT add that the young coach is now the ‘new leading contender’.

At just 37-years-old, the Maritimo boss is relatively inexperienced, having only started his current role back in June, but he does have experience working under Jurgen Klopp, working as an elite development coach at Liverpool from 2019 – 2024.

During that time, the former Liverpool coach received high praise from ex-Reds assistant Pepijn Lijnders, who is now at Man City: “He is a talented coach, a very intelligent coach.

“Having one really intelligent, talented coach for young players, he can inspire eight or nine of them – it’s really important to have the right people in front of them – he connects, he influences the boys on the pitch and trains with them.”

Much like Klopp, the Portuguese manager favours a forward-thinking style of play, with an attacking 4-3-3 formation his preferred system, and he has made a solid start to life at Maritimo since arriving in the summer.

Games

11

Wins

6

Draws

2

Losses

3

Points per game

1.82

That said, it would be a risk to appoint Matos, given his lack of experience, with the aforementioned BBC report also making it clear that Russell Martin is open to a return to Swansea, after leaving Rangers earlier this season.

Despite becoming the shortest-serving manager in the Gers’ history, Martin could be a solid appointment for the Swans, given his experience in the Championship, most impressively guiding Southampton to promotion with a play-off final victory against Leeds United in the 2023-24 campaign.

Russell Martin open to replacing Alan Sheehan as Swansea City boss Manager who called Swansea City fans "fantastic" open to replacing Sheehan

He’s out of work currently.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 13, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario did not enjoy his best evening in North London during the team’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.

It was his significant error when trying to clear the ball near the corner flag that ultimately lost the Lilywhites the match, as Harry Wilson’s long-range finish turned out to be the winning goal.

Per Sofascore, Vicario had 30 touches of the ball and conceded two goals from three shots whilst making one error that directly led to a goal for the Cottagers, which was the error in the clip above.

Whilst it was a disappointing display from the Italy international between the sticks, Thomas Frank’s goalkeeper was merely one of a number of poor performers on the night.

Ranking Tottenham's worst performers against Fulham

Vicario, because of the nature of his error and the fact that he only made one save, was the team’s worst performer on the night. It is hard to get away from that conclusion.

Destiny Udogie, though, rivalled him with a disappointing showing. The Italian full-back lost four of his five ground duels, per Sofascore, and deflected Fulham’s opener past his goalkeeper as he failed to block Kenny Tete’s shot from distance.

1

Guglielmo Vicario

2

Destiny Udogie

3

Richarlison

4

Pedro Porro

5

Archie Gray

As you can see in the table above, Archie Gray, who won one of his four duels in 60 minutes on the pitch, and Pedro Porro, who was bailed out by Micky van de Ven after a Vicario-esque error, were also among the worst performers for Spurs.

Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall, who linked up for a brilliant goal in the second half, were the only players who did anything of note offensively for the Lilywhites as they looked to get back into the match.

That is why Richarlison was also among the worst performers on the night for Spurs, as the Brazil international is becoming the new Roberto Soldado in North London.

Why Thomas Frank must drop Richarlison

The Spurs boss must ruthlessly bin the former Everton centre-forward from the starting line-up for the trip to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United on Tuesday night, due to his dismal showing on Saturday.

Per Sofascore, the Brazilian forward failed to register a single shot on goal from his 21 touches of the ball, fewer touches than Vicario had in goal, and he did not create a single chance for his teammates.

Richarlison has scored six goals in 21 appearances in all competitions this season, including some stunning strikes like the ones against Burnley and Arsenal, but that is still an underwhelming return for the money that was once spent on him.

Tottenham paid a whopping £60m to sign the striker from Everton in 2022, which made him the club’s most expensive striker signing since they broke their transfer record to sign Roberto Soldado from Valencia for £26m in 2013.

The Spanish marksman scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in 76 appearances, per Transfermarkt, which worked out as a goal contribution every 2.8 games on average. That was a solid return in front of goal on paper for the attacker, but it was not worth the club-record transfer fee.

Games

111

76

Goals

26

16

Games per goal

4.3

4.8

Assists

12

11

Games per assist

9.3

6.9

Games per G/A

2.9

2.8

As shown in the statistics above, Richarlison currently has a worse goals per goal contribution rate in his Tottenham career than Soldado managed during his time in North London.

This speaks to how underwhelming the £60m signing has been on the whole for Spurs, even if he has had his moments of magic, which is why the Lilywhites should be looking for a long-term replacement in the number nine position.

With this in mind, Frank should give Randal Kolo Muani, who scored twice against PSG in the Champions League, a run of matches as a lone centre-forward to see how he fares in that role.

Tottenham looking to offload Spurs regular in January, Frank doesn't want him

The Lilywhites are planning to get rid.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Nov 29, 2025

Newcastle United are in an unusual position at the moment, as Eddie Howe’s long-standing position as manager is now under threat.

Howe has been in the Magpies’ hot seat since October 2021, when the hugely unpopular Steve Bruce was ditched, and it’s fair to say the 47-year-old has been a resounding success, for the most part, finished twice inside the Champions League places and securing an EFL Cup triumph.

Still, with just three wins from 11 in Premier League action this season in isolation, it’s right that the beloved Toon boss is facing scrutiny currently.

Nick Woltemade could well be the man to guide Newcastle up the league in the coming weeks to keep Howe situated on Tyneside, though, with the 6-foot-6 goal machine continuing on his fine run of goalscoring form in England on the international stage for Germany during the break.

How Woltemade can save Howe's job

Off the back of bagging three goals for Germany during the recent stage of World Cup qualifying, the £69m summer recruit is now up to a stunning ten goals this season for both club and country.

If he keeps up this blistering form, the results will turn in the Toon’s favour in time, with Woltemade’s 12 goals for Stuttgart last season pushing them far away from the lower reaches of the Bundesliga and into European conversations.

On top of being clearly potent, which will hopefully stand the underachieving Newcastle in good stead during tense matches to come, Woltemade was also purchased this summer for that high amount for how he stylishly links up with teammates around him.

That was seen in him cleverly flicking a ball through to Harvey Barnes to score in the Champions League in October.

Journalist Adam Clery would even go out of his way to state that the much-loved German “made this entire goal” with this ingenious bit of skill, with this unselfish approach perhaps getting the best out of the likes of Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga down the line to rise the league standings.

Of course, he isn’t superhuman, with Woltemade frustratingly amassing no shots on goal against Brentford and West Ham United in back-to-back defeats when managing just 45 touches of the ball.

So, perhaps a different manager could get even more out of the clinical marksman if Newcastle were to replace Howe. After all, Toon reporter Craig Hope has already noted that ‘a 6ft 6in striker who plays with his back to goal & drops so deep was never the plan.’

Why a new manager can get more from Woltemade at Newcastle

The Mirror has speculated who could come in for Howe if he is to be relieved of his long-standing duties very soon, with the likes of Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner named.

But, if Newcastle want a manager in the same mould as the 47-year-old, they could look to hire Kieran McKenna, with the Ipswich Town boss making a name for himself from a very young age in the main management game, much like Howe did when managing AFC Bournemouth.

McKenna would transform the Tractor Boys’ faltering fortunes when taking them up all the way from League One to the Premier League via back-to-back promotions, leading to former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt lauding the ex-Red Devils coach as “one of the best coaches” in England.

Woltemade would surely love to work alongside the 4-2-3-1-focused manager if he were to swap Suffolk for St James’ Park, with his Ipswich sides over the years centring on some explosive, yet team-oriented attackers, much like the German has already shown in spades at his new home.

McKenna’s numbers as Ipswich manager
Stat	McKenna
Games managed	188
Wins	88
Draws	50
Losses	50
Goals scored	340
Goals conceded	239
Points accumulated	314
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Indeed, from 188 games in charge of the Tractor Boys, McKenna has overseen 88 wins with a mighty 348 goals scored along the way.

Up in the Premier League last season, the Northern Irishman would turn Liam Delap into a Chelsea-bound centre-forward, having got 12 top-flight strikes out of the ex-Manchester City striker from 40 games, even as his side languished near the drop zone all campaign long.

Therefore, with Delap also coming in a slick, yet imposing presence like Woltemade at a 6-foot-2 frame, it’s intriguing to see what McKenna could do to Woltemade if he were handed the Newcastle reins, having further got an impressive haul of 73 goals out of Conor Chaplin and George Hirst in the EFL and above.

The worry here would be that McKenna’s only Premier League season to date as a manager resulted in relegation, but having been previously tipped to go to “the very top” by podcaster Dave Hendrick, this could be the 39-year-old’s chance of becoming an established boss in the big time.

With his glittering track record with strikers, Woltemade could come even more into his own under his fresh set of ideas if he does surprisingly succeed Howe, as the powers that be at Newcastle continue to ponder whether a change is the correct call right now.

Better deal than Woltemade: Newcastle among favourites to sign £100m star

Newcastle need to add some more quality to Eddie Howe’s side in 2026.

1

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 18, 2025

One win away from a World Series title, the Los Angeles Dodgers are thankful to have Shohei Ohtani in the lineup, as injured as he may be.

Ohtani, who partially separated his left shoulder while trying to steal a base in Game 2 against the New York Yankees, gritted his way through a Game 3 outing on Monday night in which he went hitless. Sporting a sling before the game, Ohtani was 0-for-3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch, and he was visibly uncomfortable while swinging at the plate.

After the Dodgers’ 4-2 win, Ohtani spoke briefly about his injury and told reporters “the pain has subsided,” an encouraging update all things considered.

“I taped myself up today, so it did feel different compared to when I don’t tape myself,” Ohtani said, via his interpreter. “The last at-bat, I felt like if I took that ball it would have been a walk, so I still felt like I had a pretty good at-bat there.”

Ohtani also provided details about what he was wearing before the game, saying that he was told by trainers to wear a device “that keeps my shoulder warm.” 

After his injury scare in Game 2, Ohtani remained the designated hitter and opened the night with a leadoff walk before being brought home by Freddie Freeman’s two-run homer, helping Los Angeles extend their series lead at Yankee Stadium. With a commanding 3-0 advantage in the World Series, the Dodgers have to feel pretty good about their chances of winning the championship.

As for Ohtani’s long-term future, the two-way superstar had a cautiously optimistic response to whether or not he would require offseason surgery on his shoulder.

“I haven't had further conversations about the future plan,” Ohtani said. “I think it's something that's going to happen after the season is over, do additional testing. But in terms of how I feel now, I don't think so.”

“It’s not something I would say I was looking forward to,” Shai Hope says on Test cricket, but now that he is back, he wants to have an “impact”

Andrew McGlashan25-Jun-2025

Shai Hope hasn’t played Test cricket since December 2021•Getty Images

Returning to Test cricket was not an overwhelming motivation for Shai Hope, but now that he’s back for the first time since 2021, he’s ready to commit to a fresh era under new captain Roston Chase.Hope, who leads West Indies in both white-ball formats, had been approached to be interviewed for the role of Test captain after Kraigg Brathwaite stepped down. But he declined to be included in the process, in part, he said, due to the workload of being a three-format player, which was also in the conversations with head coach Daren Sammy about a return to the Test side.To add to the scrutiny of his recall, Hope has been handed the wicketkeeping gloves for the opening match against Australia in Barbados, just the third time in Tests he’s started as the designated keeper, although he’s a regular in the role in limited-overs cricket.Related

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“Representing West Indies, they always give me a lot of joy and pride,” Hope told ESPNcricinfo in Barbados. “I think that was the main focus, just being able to represent the region and bring my impact on the game and obviously the transfer of that inspiration back into the next generation.”I’m happy to be back. It’s not something I would say I was looking forward to in terms of, ‘I have to play Test cricket again’. But if the opportunity came, I would always be willing to take it.”I believe if I’m doing something, I’m committed to it,” he added. “So if I decided to come back and play Test cricket, my main focus would be to give it my all. If success is there or not, the decision to leave me in or include me, that’s up to the decision makers. But, yes, as long as I’m being committed to the task at hand, I think I’m going to give my all.”With a T20 World Cup early next year and the build towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, where West Indies face a scrap for direct qualification through the rankings after having missed on the 2023 edition, there will be a lot of pressure on Hope in the months and years ahead.”The reality is the best or the most elite players, they don’t play all throughout the year in all three formats,” he said. “So there’s some rest involved, [and] there’s some give or take. But I pride myself on being as fit and being as ready as possible for whatever is thrown at me. And that’s what I’m going to try to do. If I’m playing all three formats, let’s say for the next two, three, five, ten years, however long, I want to make sure I’m doing it the best I can.”The amount of cricket I’ve been playing for the last couple of years, the workload has been pretty intense. It’s just about managing that a little bit better. We understand the magnitude of games that we have over the next cycle.”It’s about seeing what’s best for West Indies cricket. I guess they felt as though I would have been the perfect person to come in at this stage in my career and see what impact I can have. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”In this Test side, alongside Chase, the recalled John Campbell and debutant Brandon King, Hope is part of a reshaped batting order.Pat Cummins and Roston Chase will lead their sides at the Frank Worrell Trophy•AFP/Getty Images

He announced himself to the world with twin centuries against England, at Headingley, in 2017 to help West Indies to victory and followed that with 62 at Lord’s in the final match of the series. His next outing against Zimbabwe brought 90, amid a golden two-month period, but only two more half-centuries followed over a four-year stretch until he was left out after playing Sri Lanka in 2021. Since that series, he has played just four first-class matches – two for Barbados and two for Sussex.”Shai Hope is a class player,” Chase said. “He has a lot of experience in the international arena. He’s also the captain in the white-ball format. I’m just looking for him to lead by example as a senior player and someone that I can lean on in pressure situations and to help me lead the troops in being a competitive Test team.”Hope was wicketkeeper in his most recent red-ball outing, against Trinidad and Tobago in March, where he reportedly struggled with the gloves, but Chase backed him to put in the hard work needed to do the role at Test level.”He’s been in the international arena for some time and, at this level, you have to put those things behind you very fast,” Chase said. “[I know] that he will be able to put that behind him. I’ve seen him working on his keeping a bit more now, too. So, hopefully that should put him in good stead and do a great job for us.”