Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen has reportedly been told he has a chance of becoming Denmark’s first-choice at the 2026 World Cup if he earns more first-team minutes this season. The Red and Whites still have work to do if they are to qualify for next summer’s tournament but it is understood they are already making plans in the event they book a ticket to North America.

Getty Images SportRace is on between Denmark's goalkeepers after Scotland defeat

In a new report from the Jorgensen is believed to have received communication from the Denmark national team that he has an opportunity to start for his country at the World Cup. 

The report claims the race is on for the No. 1 jersey after experienced goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel conceded six goals in two qualifiers against Belarus and Scotland as Brian Riemer’s men missed out on securing automatic qualification in Group C, finishing second.

In a remarkable affair at a bouncing Hampden Park, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean scored late on as Scotland defeated Denmark 4-2 to qualify for their first World Cup in 28 years. Scott McTominay also scored a stunning overheard kick while Lawrence Shankland netted from close range as Steve Clarke's side downed the Danes, who were reduced to ten men when defender Rasmus Kristensen was sent off after receiving his second yellow card. Rasmus Hojlund and Patrick Dorgu both scored for the visitors – group favourites before qualifying started.

Denmark will now have to try and book their place at the showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States by successfully plotting their way through the European playoffs, which begin in March.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportJorgensen is yet to make a Premier League start in 2025-26

However, while Jorgensen has been told he stands a chance of usurping Schmeichel between the sticks – with fellow Denmark goalkeeper Mads Hermansen also struggling for form at West Ham – the Chelsea shot-stopper’s situation is complicated by the fact he is yet to start a Premier League match for Enzo Maresca’s side this season.

The 23-year-old has made just one league appearance so far in 2025-26, emerging from the substitutes’ bench in the 2-1 loss at Manchester United on 20 September after first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off.

Jorgensen has also started twice in the Carabao Cup this term, while he featured from the beginning in Chelsea’s thumping 5-1 win over Ajax in the Champions League on 22 October.

Young goalkeeper could look to secure January exit from Chelsea

It remains to be seen whether Jorgensen will now look to secure a loan move in January as he attempts to force his way into the Denmark starting XI. The report concludes by saying any departure would have implications for Chelsea, who are not looking to reduce their depth in the goalkeeping department. The Blues could recall youngster Mike Penders from his loan spell with French side Strasbourg, should former Villarreal ace Jorgensen secure a temporary switch away from Stamford Bridge.

Penders, 20, has been a regular fixture for Strasbourg this season, making 15 appearances in all competitions. The Belgium Under-21 international has played a key role in helping Liam Rosenior's side rise to fourth in the Ligue 1 table, while they are also unbeaten in the Conference League, winning two and drawing one of their three games.

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Getty Images SportChelsea's next match: Enzo Maresca's men travel to Burnley

Chelsea return to Premier League action this weekend following the conclusion of the international break. Maresca’s men travel to Scott Parker’s Burnley on Saturday lunchtime as they look to stretch their four-game unbeaten run. The west Londoners are currently third in the league table, six points behind leaders Arsenal.

Burnley, on the other hand, sit 17th in the standings following last season's promotion from the Championship. The Clarets have 10 points after 11 games and are only above the relegation zone via goal difference, having conceded two goals less (-8) than 18th-placed West Ham (-10).

It has not been the start to the season that Leeds United might have hoped for. Daniel Farke’s side picked up some points early on, but they have soon been sucked into a relegation battle.

The Whites have won just one of their last five games.

Despite the poor form, the Leeds head coach has seemingly settled on his first-choice midfield. Sean Longstaff has been one of their key creative components and is currently creating an average of 2.3 chances per 90 minutes. Summer signing Anton Stach has featured in all ten Premier League games, too.

However, it is Ethan Ampadu who has arguably been the key man in midfield

What makes Ampadu so important for Leeds

Since moving to Elland Road back in 2023, Wales international Ampadu has become a key player for Leeds. There is certainly a strong argument to suggest that he is Farke’s most trusted player in their squad.

Indeed, the Chelsea academy star has played eight times in the Premier League this season, missing two games at the beginning of the campaign due to injury. Of those eight appearances, he’s played 90 minutes six times.

The 25-year-old has operated at the base of the midfield this season, forming that trio with Stach and Longstaff. However, part of what makes him so crucial for the Whites is his versatility.

Ampadu can also play at centre-back, offering excellent flexibility to Farke should he wish to change shape during a game.

It is not just versatility that makes Ampadu so important to this Leeds side, but also his leadership, which has previously been described as “impressive” by the manager.

As club captain, Ampadu guided Leeds to promotion last season and has skippered them in all eight top-flight games he’s played in 2025/26.

Interestingly, Leeds might have their homegrown version of Ampadu shining in the academy.

Leeds could have a homegrown Ampadu

Not only is Ampadu an exceptional footballer, but the versatility he possesses and the leadership qualities he brings to the squad make him a huge part of the Leeds project under Farke.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Well, it is exciting that the Whites could be replicating that, in the form of Alfie Cresswell. The 18-year-old has shone for the academy side at Elland Road this season and is certainly showing similarities to Ampadu.

One of those is the versatility he offers to the Leeds under-23s. This term, Cresswell has operated as a number six more often than not. He’s impressed in that role, too, scoring four times in nine appearances.

However, like the Leeds first-team skipper, Cresswell can operate in defence, too.

In fact, that is a role he’s played more often than not for Leeds’ academy sides, 26 of his appearances coming from centre-back.

Centre-back

26

3

Defensive midfield

22

7

Right-back

6

1

Central midfield

2

0

Right midfield

1

0

It is already easy to see the comparison between Ampadu and Cresswell. Having that level of versatility certainly increases his chances of a first-team opportunity, because Farke can rely on him in different positions. In fact, the youngster has already trained with the senior side at Leeds.

The similarities between Ampadu and Cresswell, whose brother Charlie and dad Richard have played for the club, do not stop there. The 18-year-old has also captained Leeds’ academy side, doing so six times this term.

His leadership is something that has stood out to arguably the most important person, Farke. The Leeds manager has complimented Cresswell for having “brilliant character,” which is certainly something you need to become a successful skipper, while suggesting he could be an example of saving the club from having to dip into the market.

It really does feel like the Whites are brewing the heir to Amapadu’s thrown in the academy. His profile is identical to Leeds’ number four, being a versatile defender who has played as a number six this term and captained the side.

It will be fascinating to see how Cresswell’s career develops from here, and if there are going to be any first-team opportunities in a matchday squad this season.

Farke can unearth his next Okafor by unleashing "explosive" Leeds star

Leeds United may have their next version of Noah Okafor in this rarely-seen star.

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He has come in to bat in tough situations and played some eye-catching shots. Now he needs to build on it.

Alagappan Muthu10-Dec-20241:01

Manjrekar: Reddy is an exceptional batting talent

Fifteen yards out from the boundary line in Canberra, Dhruv Jurel had rocked onto his back foot, opening up his hips to get power into the shot. He found it and the ball was hurtling away in front of square… exactly where Nitish Kumar Reddy was taking his throwdowns.Someone cried out in warning. They needn’t have. Reddy shifted seamlessly from checking what he could do better with India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate to whack this ball away too. He has got himself a nice little highlight reel in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy.It began in Perth when he was alert to the possibility of some quick runs. Nathan Lyon had come on and after sussing up that there was no real turn on offer, in addition to knowing that facing the fast bowlers had been really hard work, Reddy reeled off three fours in eight balls. One went down the ground, the next over cover, hit inside out, and the last was a reverse sweep. Shots seem to be his thing.Related

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According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, Travis Head, that phenom who has left Ricky Ponting in awe of how hard he hits the ball, is on top of the list for most runs made in this series through aggressive shots, or attempts made to find the boundary: 156 in 54 balls. Picking the ball early and committing to shots fully are hallmarks of Head’s batting and it helps that he has such great hands too. Reddy shares that strength. He is No. 2 on the list: 114 in 36 balls.In the second Test, when Mitchell Starc presented him with just the slightest bit of width – the length was still fine – there was an opportunity to free the arms and the young India allrounder took it with glee. The host broadcast had calculated that ball had come to him at 116kph (after pitching) and was sent away at 116kph too. Reddy hit Scott Boland for a reverse swept six as well and since that shot is a little more unorthodox it tends to stick out. But the square boundaries are shorter at the Adelaide Oval. To hit Starc – who is deadly almost every time he pitches the ball up – over cover – so no slogging – and have enough on it to go sailing into the crowd is a pretty special effort. His bat speed on that lofted drive was recorded to be 60kph. Whirlwind hands.”[Reddy] has done everything a young player could do in a very short space of time and we think he has a very high ceiling,” ten Doeschate said on Friday.At the time he was picked to play in Australia, he had played only 21 first-class matches, and his better discipline, batting, had fetched him one century and two fifties. Obviously, as an allrounder he plays down the order so he doesn’t always have the chance to score big runs but those numbers are still not the break-the-door-down type that the selectors often ask for. Reddy struggled in the early part of the tour, playing for India A. In four innings, he made 0, 17, 16 and 38 and picked up only one wicket.Nitish Kumar Reddy made 42 runs in each innings in Adelaide•Getty ImagesPlayers with raw talent like Reddy need this kind of exposure. Back when he was making his way up the Andhra age-group system, he was scoring double and triple-centuries for fun. So when he levelled up and had a poor season, he thought it was nothing. Then he had another blip and that’s when he realised where he stood.India have taken a big punt on him. He wasn’t dominating the Ranji Trophy. He only began playing professional cricket four years ago. His rise is a little bit out of nowhere, helped by his exploits in the IPL, and a little bit out of necessity. India need a seam-bowling allrounder. There is another big Test tour of England coming up next year. Someone like Shardul Thakur has done well in this role in the past but at 33 he might not be a good fit for the future. Reddy could. He has top-scored for India in three out of four innings in Australia. But given those scores were 41, 42 and 42, there is clear understanding that he is very much a work in progress.Take his singular strength once again, the one with which he has caught the eye and come up through the ranks – his attacking shots. When Head has played them this series, he averages 156, which means he has got out to them only once, which means he is choosing his moments to be aggressive quite carefully. Reddy’s average when playing attacking shots is 38. They have got him out in three of his four innings.”From the prep week in Perth, where he looked like he still needed to figure things out,” ten Doeschate said, “the way it worked in Perth and the game plans he implemented in Perth to get crucial runs there, I think to get us to 150 in that first game was amazing.”Still a little bit of work to do, he’s very raw. But for a young kid, a 21-year-old to come out like that and play three innings and the quality he has, it is super exciting.”In places like Australia, where the new ball poses immense threat, there is every chance a visiting team finds itself at 100 for 5 over and over. Runs thereon from people down the order can be the difference between winning and losing, and runs are possible from there because the ball goes soft and does considerably less. In that regard, Reddy, at No. 7, is a crucial piece of India’s puzzle and considering he is the team’s second highest run-scorer, he is coping pretty well. He had grown up watching the stars in this team. Now he is holding his own with them.

Youngest leader keen to “see how I go under pressure” after latest show of faith from management

Matt Roller16-Sep-2025

“I like it when things come at a fast pace,” Jacob Bethell said with a grin, as he prepared to become England’s youngest-ever captain on Wednesday. It is just as well.It was a year ago last week that Bethell made his England debut, feeling “very nervous” as he walked out for a T20 international against Australia in Southampton. Twelve months, 34 caps, nine half-centuries and a maiden hundred later, he will break a record that has stood since 1889 when he goes for the toss in Malahide to lead his country against Ireland at the age of 21.It is the latest show of faith in a young man who England’s management clearly view as a future superstar. Bethell’s captaincy experience is limited to “a bit at school”, seven games for England Under-19s and a handful more for Warwickshire’s second team, but he will lead a senior side featuring two double-World Cup winners in Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid this week.Related

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He has long been seen as a leader, dating back to his time in charge of England’s Under-19s. Bethell’s schooling, moving from Barbados to the UK to board at Rugby School, and his early entry into professional cricket have contributed to a sense that he is more mature than most of his peers, the direct result of his accelerated development.England’s logic for giving Bethell the role is simple enough. Harry Brook, their permanent white-ball captain, is among several multi-format linchpins rested for this series, and there is little point handing the reins back to Buttler for a three-match, end-of-season tour. Perhaps only Phil Salt, who led England against Australia last year, could feel hard done by to be overlooked.Bethell has not explicitly been told why he was chosen, but has his suspicions. “It’s maybe just a bit of trust,” he said on Tuesday, in his first captain’s press conference. “Another aspect might be, just chuck me in the deep end and see how I go. It will be nice to see how I go under pressure – I’m sure the guys that have made those decisions would like to see that as well.”He learned of his elevation from Brendon McCullum in a phone call last month. “When I found out, the first emotion was pride,” Bethell said. “The feeling is excitement [with] a few nerves kicking around, both from wanting to lead the boys well, and get a win under our belt.” Asked to describe what type of captain he will be, he joked: “A very young one.”That sense was accentuated on Tuesday when he posed with the series trophy alongside his opposite number, Paul Stirling, who at 35 is a veteran of more than 150 T20 international caps. They are well-acquainted from a season opening the batting for Warwickshire together in the T20 Blast three years ago, and Bethell clearly left an impression despite a lean campaign.”He was a superstar,” Stirling recalled. “You could see the talent there when he must’ve been 18 years old. His ball-striking was so noticeable that it was world-class already. To see where he’s got to already in his career is no surprise to me… I know how talented he is, and I’m not surprised at all that he’s here under a leadership capacity.”Bethell believes that his primary responsibility as a captain will be to “manage people” while working with stand-in head coach Marcus Trescothick. “Not every tactical decision you make is going to work,” he said. “It’s about managing the boys well so they feel you’re backing them. That’s something I’ll look to take forward in however many games I end up captaining in my career.”He has admired Ben Stokes’ leadership of England’s Test team – “he leads by example, with actions and performances” – and intends to follow suit. Bethell’s recent form – including a maiden hundred against South Africa nine days ago – has been timely, removing the simmering disquiet in some quarters around his hasty promotion to the captaincy.Bethell said that he has taken confidence from that innings of 110 off 82, even if he did not see it as a breakthrough moment. “It was a nice feeling, and almost one that feels quite addicting. Hopefully, I can get myself used to raising the bat. Once you do it once, you’ve got the confidence to go on and do it again and again, so I think it’s definitely given me that.”That innings came from No. 4 in England’s ODI team, and he was promoted to No. 3 in last week’s T20Is against South Africa. “It’s kind of moulding two positions into one: you’ve got the back-end of the powerplay, and then what I’m used to in the middle order,” he said, adding with another grin: “I think as high up the order as possible is pretty good.”Further success this week – albeit in a different format – will only prompt more speculation about the prospect of him forcing his way into England’s team for the first Ashes Test in Perth on November 21. “My head’s firmly screwed on to this series,” he said. “The squad’s not even selected for that yet, so hopefully I’m going to be there.”There is little doubt that he will be – just as there are few who would predict that his first series as England’s captain will be his last.

Martin O’Neill has now confirmed that he will “step aside” when Celtic find their next manager and revealed that there has not been any talks with the club about taking a permanent role.

O’Neill insists he has no idea whether he will remain at the helm for Celtic’s next match against St Mirren amid reports that the Hoops have stepped up their search for a new permanent manager.

The 73-year-old has been in caretaker charge of the Scottish champions for the last four games since Brendan Rodgers resigned two and a half weeks ago.

It has been reported this week that the Celtic board have been interviewing candidates, with Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy emerging as the new bookmakers’ favourite.

Other names mentioned includes Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town and Kjetil Knutsen. Whether the Hoops can lure either of those names away from their current positions at Portmand Road and Bodo/Glimt is the question that everyone’s asking.

Reports have claimed that Knutsen wants to at least complete his side’s Champions League campaign, which could end in January in the earliest scenario. Meanwhile, there have been no signs that McKenna will be leaving Ipswich anytime soon.

As Celtic’s search goes on, O’Neill has continued to roll back the years. In his four matches, the 73-year-old – assisted by Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham – has overseen two Scottish Premiership victories, a Europa League defeat by Midtjylland and an extra-time win over 10-man Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

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The final against St Mirren takes place on December 14 and there are some who would like to see the veteran remain in charge for the Hampden showdown in order to add to his trophy haul from his glittering first spell in charge in the early Noughties.

O'Neill insists no talks with Celtic board

To no surprise, O’Neill has been questioned a number of times about the Celtic job, but his answer remains the same. He will “step aside” as soon as the club no longer need him and, despite rumours, there have been no talks about the permanent job.

The 4-2-3-1 tactician has done a solid job so far and may yet get the chance to continue that job after the international break, but admitted that he’s not bothered whether he’s in charge for the Scottish Cup final in December, saying: “I am a romantic and have been a romantic all my life. I know the history of football and all of those particular things but that doesn’t bother me one jot.”

Celtic hold talks to sign "talented" manager who's like a young O'Neill

Fast bowler gearing up for the likely knockout game against Bangladesh on Thursday

Danyal Rasool24-Sep-20251:26

Aaron: Pakistan using three pacers up top made the difference

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has rejected the notion that the Pakistan T20I side was in any kind of downturn, pointing out that they had won all but one of their previous four series.Speaking after his three-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, which took Pakistan to victory in Abu Dhabi and put them within one win of playing back-to-back T20 Asia Cup finals, he said the team was “ready to face whoever” in their pursuit of a first Asia Cup title in 13 years.”It’s not that we’re not winning,” Afridi said. “We’ve won most of our last dozen games. It’s true we haven’t won against higher-ranked teams, but most of our recent games haven’t been against them. We were here to win the tri-nation series, and we won that. We are here to win the Asia Cup, and that’s all we’re focused on now.”In Abu Dhabi against Sri Lanka, it was the different tactical approach Pakistan took while bowling that stood out. For the first time in 13 matches, no powerplay over was bowled by a spinner. Medium pacer Hussain Talat was given three overs and his two wickets in his first over – the eighth of the innings – were among the game’s turning points. Talat later revealed he’d been told he would play a role with the ball, but it represented a departure from Pakistan’s recent tendency to give spin bowling prime slots through the innings.Related

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Afridi, who bowled three overs in the powerplay on Tuesday, said it did not mean Pakistan’s quicks were playing second fiddle to the slower bowlers. “I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling, but in T20 cricket on good wickets, batters have the license to go after the quick bowlers. We’ve been trying to vary our bowling more, and that’s something I’m working on. We were getting swing. Early on, I got breakthroughs, removing two of their main players. That’s the kind of attacking cricket we want to play – get your main bowlers on and finish the game quickly.Despite an upcoming game against Bangladesh on Thursday, which could be a knockout for a place in the final, attention has already begun to focus on Sunday. The possibility of a first India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup is suddenly looking a lot more likely. Afridi, too, had his eye on it but repeatedly pointed out that neither side had made it that far yet.Shaheen Shah Afridi: ‘I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling’•AFP/Getty Images

“Bangladesh has been playing good cricket of late,” he said of the only team to have denied Pakistan a T20I series win in the last four months. “Whenever you play such teams, you should try to strike first. You shouldn’t give them an opportunity. We’ll have to perform well in all three departments if we are to get past them.”The previous game did represent a stark contrast to Pakistan’s demeanor when compared to the one on Sunday. While there were warm handshakes and even embraces between the Pakistan and Sri Lanka players, against India, there appeared to be a coordinated intent to show their more bellicose side. There were several verbal spats on the field, particularly between India’s openers and Pakistan’s pace bowlers. The increased belligerence from Pakistan did not go unremarked upon by Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, who said Pakistan was “coming at us without any reason.”Following the game, India captain Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t resist a dig at the opposition, saying India’s recent dominance meant the game no longer constituted a rivalry. Afridi resisted the temptation to hit back when offered an opportunity.”That’s his opinion; let him say what he wants. Neither they nor we are in the final. We’ll see how things shape up for the final. We’re just here to win the Asia Cup, and we’ll give our all for that.”

The former New Zealand fast bowler, and current Rajasthan Royals bowling coach, talks about playing with and after injury

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi30-Mar-2025Ace former fast bowler Shane Bond, who has worked with Jasprit Bumrah at Mumbai Indians in the IPL, and who was no stranger to injury himself during a stop-start career for New Zealand, spoke to us during the Champions Trophy about Bumrah’s troubles with his back, and the challenges of managing bowling workloads effectively.Can you break down the biomechanics of Bumrah’s action and why it is unique?
His run-up’s an interesting one, isn’t it, because he sort of [starts in] fits and starts, but the last five metres, he accelerates through the crease, gains momentum. Obviously, he’s got those levers [long arms]. He has a very short delivery stride, so he gets his front foot down quickly, which means he has to then, all of a sudden, catch up with his arms. So he generates velocity through his arm speed, [and has] got a very strong locked front knee to increase that pace. And then he has an exceptional wrist on the back of it.It’s just one of those ones where the timing of when he releases everything is almost perfect. I look at someone like Hardik Pandya, who’s not a very big guy but he hits the ball enormously hard and a very long way because of the same thing: his kinetic chain, where he just releases all his energy – just the timing’s perfect and he smacks it, and that’s what Boom has.Related

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Does the braced front knee, which bears all the weight, mean his back carries a lot of stress?
Yeah, I suppose. I can think of guys who I played with in New Zealand, [Jacob] Oram, [Kyle] Mills, [Chris] Cairns. They had [front] knees that just collapsed a little bit. And not that they didn’t have back injuries, but patellar tendons [the ligaments that connect the knee cap to the shin bone] were also a cause of concern because the load went through the knee.The force will go up the chain: through the calf, the hamstring, the glutes and the back. And so if you are not strong in those areas, the force will end up in the back at some point. So if you think of any top bowler, at some point in time when you have been bowling for a long time, your hamstrings, your calves, are going to fatigue and that force will get taken somewhere.

“If you go to the gym and want to do ten sets of ten and do that day after day after day after day without resting, you will probably break something. And it’s very similar in bowling”

So when you look at strength and conditioning, what you are trying to do is build the strength through the calf, through the hamstring, through the glutes, the core, so that the abs bear a lot of the force, and the sides. Being able to do that and sustain that for a period of time to take the pressure off the back.Everybody is different in terms of how much they can handle. So a big thing for me when I became a coach was working out how much a certain bowler could take. So I could look at a Tim Southee and a Trent Boult, they could comfortably operate at around 40 to 45 overs in a match, and Neil Wagner could probably handle 60, and Adam Milne was probably 30, so when he started to have back-to-back days, there were issues. That’s what you are trying to work out: what is the real risk area and where is the sort of sweet spot where they can sustain and stay on the park. The longer you play and you build that tolerance, the better it is.You look at the Australian bowlers, they have done a pretty good job. They walked out of that series [against India in Australia], they are all fit, but they still had injuries in other areas. They are all dealing now with niggles, they were out of the Champions Trophy. So they just had other stuff because of the sheer volume of overs they bowled. The top bowlers you talk to, particularly as you get older, they will talk about how they don’t want to stop bowling. They might take a week or two off to refresh and let some of those niggles settle, but they don’t want to take three or four months off because coming back, they have got to rebuild and that’s a big risk period again. They like to keep ticking over all year round.What is a stress fracture and why is it debilitating?
If you go to the gym and you lift weights, you sort of stretch the muscles and then they often say you take a day’s rest and the muscles repair and they grow and they expand, and that’s how you build big muscles. It’s a little bit like that with the bone. So every time you bowl, you cause a little bit of damage in the bone, it breaks up a little bit, and if you give it a rest, it’ll harden. And if you do that over a period of time, that bone in your back will firm up and become quite strong. So the more load you can put through it, especially if it’s gradual, you will actually build strength over a period of time. Now that’s called chronic load.Bond says not ramping up slowly to larger bowling loads – like going from bowling in T20s directly to a long Test series – increases the risk of back injuries•Mumbai IndiansWhen that bone’s breaking down, if you just put too much load on it, bang, bang, bang, it can break [develop tiny cracks], you can go all the way through the bone, or if you bowl day after day after day when that bone’s sort of breaking down and you hammer it, it can break. If you go to the gym and want to do ten sets of ten and do that day after day after day after day without resting, you will probably break something. And it’s very similar in bowling.There’s a lot of research around where the sweet spot is with bowling loads, but the bottom line is, if you look at all the techniques around the world, they are all very different. But you are dealing with super-professional athletes – the Boultys [Trent Boult], the Bumrahs, the Mitchell Johnsons, the Pat Cumminses, the Mitchell Starcs – all their actions are unique, but there seems to be a couple of things that stand out. If you bowl too much for too long… and I have to look at like a Booms – first time he had a stress fracture [2019], he came out of IPL and played Test cricket. So you are bowling 20 overs a week and all of a sudden you bowl 50 overs a week – stress fracture. Trent Boult was the same.So if you go too hard too early or with not enough load behind you, you are likely to break. And generally the top bowlers break when they either come back too quick and the [injury] recurs or they have been playing for a while and then that load just goes ba-boom! And that’s the real challenge [for] coaches when you are transitioning between T20, especially tournaments like the IPL, and then you go to the World Test Championship a month later, where you could be expected to bowl 50 overs, and then you walk into a Test series – danger! And it’s really hard with the scheduling to look after that because you just can’t get that volume of work in the IPL. It’s too hot, the travel schedule’s too busy to be able to bowl probably as much as you want to [to prepare for the Test series].There were times where I was really sore for a number of days, but generally what will happen is, if you have some pain, it will settle down quite quickly, and within two or three days you could feel completely normal. Except, as soon as you bowl a cricket ball, bang, that pain is instantaneous, it’ll come back and it will really hurt. So what Rowan [Dr Rowan Schouten, a Christchurch-based orthopaedic spine surgeon, who has operated on Jofra Archer and others] said to me is: a stress fracture or fracture in the vertebrae of your back is like having a broken arm. Imagine you have got a fractured arm. They put a cast on it to keep it steady, to protect it. You don’t do that with your back. So generally, when you get that stress fracture, you will have [to have] six weeks of doing absolutely nothing.

“Generally, if you have some pain, it will settle down, and within two or three days you could feel completely normal. Except, as soon as you bowl a cricket ball, bang, it’ll come back and it will really hurt”

So no running, just trying to stay as steady as you possibly can to let that heal. In the case of Bumrah, he’s now had that six-weeks period, maybe a little bit more, of rest, but of course then he has to build all that bowling load back up. We call it Level 1, 2, 3 -half a run-up, three quarters of a run-up, full run-up. Working through the intensities, getting up to that top intensity and then building some volume through that top intensity. In an ideal world that’ll take, I don’t know, six to ten weeks, which, obviously when you have got a busy playing schedule it’s very easy to want to rush a player back into the next tour, and that’s the danger. If you go too much too soon, you can have a recurrence of that injury.In Bumrah’s case, as we understand it, it is likely that it was more akin to a stress reaction?
When you get on a scan, it’s called bone edema [a build-up of fluid in the bone marrow]. That gets to a point where it is starting to get painful. And the next step after that is it actually fractures. So the pain’s kicking in and the bone’s on the borderline of cracking. For a stress fracture, you are sort of looking at [minimum] four months before you come back and start bowling. For a stress reaction, they will say six weeks and then you’d be wanting to re-scan, but conservatively eight, maybe. And that’s what that looks like with Booms. I’m sure they’ve re-scanned, that [stress] reaction probably cleared up, there’s no crack anymore, and then they can get on with it.What does surgery for a stress-related back injury involve? Bumrah has had one already, two years ago.
What happens is, they chisel into it and they stimulate the blood growth in the bone and they take some chips off your hip [bone] and they pack it all together with some wire to make it stronger to stimulate growth with a sort of binding around it. With all going well, it will completely re-heal and it should be stronger because you have got some bolts and screws holding all that in place.Kyle [Jamieson] and Jasprit now, I think, are the only couple [of fast bowlers] who have had a re-injury [stress-related]. Matt Henry had the surgery at 21 and he’s been going over ten years. I had another sort of six years when I played post-surgery. Kyle’s was the same. He came out of a T20 programme, went into a Test match, bowled [about] 40 overs, lots of bouncers, re-injured. Booms played five Test matches and bowled a heap of overs [in the Australia series], and the sheer volume just got them in the end.Kyle Jamieson had surgery for a stress fracture of the back in 2023, but suffered yet another one in 2024 that kept him out of the game for a year•Getty ImagesWhen I had my surgery, mate, I couldn’t bend for about four days, so I was completely straight. You imagine trying to go to the toilet when you are completely straight. Every day I just got a little bit more movement back. After six weeks I sort of got my training gear on and I went for a walk. When I saw Cameron Green – he is the last one who’s had back surgery, he had it just before Christmas [2024], and within two days he was up and around walking for 20 minutes. Like, sitting up normally.And by day four he had walked for about 40 minutes. He said it was too much, he got a bit sore, but you are progressing a lot more quickly now. Because I was the first guy to have the procedure done in terms of cricket, I was a little bit envious when I saw Cameron [be mobile so quickly].It is the first time Bumrah has been forced to sit out since his back surgery in 2023, when he was 29. You had back surgery when you were at a similar age and went on to play for a number of years. What is the challenge the first time the injury recurs or you feel discomfort in the same area?
Psychologically, it’s a challenge. I still had times when I played with my back really locked up, my muscles down my back would spasm. I called it a concrete back – I couldn’t move. So I played a couple of Test matches where I felt like I had no movement through my back and it was really sore, but I knew it wasn’t broken. So I had to be careful and I had glucose injections in my back and a long massage to make sure that I was loose.For me it was, yep, I know it’s been fixed, I know I’m okay, but it still doesn’t take away the lingering doubt. Every day I bowled was like, is today the day where it’s going to go pop? And I’m sure Kyle and Jasprit will be the same.I always tell my players, take a week at the front end and that could save you six months at the back end. Spend a little bit longer in your preparation and your build-up because it will give you a better chance to stay on the field. Obviously from a Rajasthan [Royals] standpoint, I don’t really want to see him [Bumrah] (), but I do want to see him back on the field. I do hope they take it conservatively to give him the best chance to come back and come back for the next however long he wants to play.Despite numerous injuries, and after back surgery, and various niggles in other parts of the body, you did not hold back. You told us in 2010, soon after you retired, that you saw the value you brought to New Zealand was that of an “Olympic” bowler. Do you have any advice to Bumrah in that regard?
That’s why I really enjoyed listening to Dale [Steyn, who the recently interviewed, alongside Bond]. What made Dale one of the all-time greats is his ability to lift the gears up – he could operate here () and then all of a sudden, lift his game to a different level (). Booms does that pretty well. In Australia it was just the sheer volume of overs that got him in the end – in those five Test matches his performance was ridiculous, and they leaned on him a lot and I think he might’ve bowled 50 overs in a Test match.

“You are not going to avoid an injury, you are just trying to avoid the really bad ones, and I’m hoping Bumrah can avoid another one of these”

And I suppose the lesson is, you can’t have him bowl that many overs again in a Test match. Forty-five might be the top, and we can’t risk it because he’s too valuable. And I’m sure they have got all those things considered around the bowling loads and they would have reflected on why he’s had that injury. He’s a professional, Boomsy, he does everything right. All you are trying to do is prevent that… you are not going to avoid an injury, you are just trying to avoid the really bad ones, and I’m hoping he can avoid another one of these.India play five Tests in England back to back in a matter of one and a half months later this year. While it’s for the bowler himself to take the call, what would be your advice?
See I would always go, no it’s not [the bowler’s call]. Because my experience with any player is, they will tell you that they are okay and that’s always the risk. If you give any player the option, it’s like, nah, I’m good to go. And I have seen players who want to play and they are injured and they will tell you they want to play and actually they have played probably sub-par, they are not really ready. That’s the coach’s role, to say, look, this is the plan for you. And it’s easy to have that plan when you are winning. When you are losing, it becomes, oh, are we going to throw that [away]?While he can’t remodel his action, would you ask someone like Bumrah to change something about his bowling?
I don’t think so. He had the [2023] surgery, but he played all that [Australia] Test series, performed unbelievably. At the end of the day, he just bowled too much over a one-month period. And it hasn’t cracked, he hasn’t got a fracture, he is on the borderline of a fracture. But what India would have learned is, if you then look at a five-Test match series in England and they do the same thing, they are probably going to get the same result. So you can’t do that. You need a squad of bowlers where you can sort of pick and choose.Because if you lose him, you have got T20 World Cups, you’ve got 50-overs World Cups and he’s an important member across all formats, IPL, all that sort of stuff.

Kate Abdo and Co. can fly into the UK as Paramount Plus has reportedly won the rights to the Champions League from 2027 to 2031. The move signals the end of TNT Sports’ decade-long grip on Europe’s most prestigious club competition and marks a major expansion of the American-owned streaming giant into the UK market.

• Paramount+ set to takeover UK

  According to Paramount+ has committed a substantial financial package to secure the rights, outbidding powerful rivals and positioning itself as the next major player in European football coverage. The company delivered a “knockout” offer, believed to be significantly higher than the competition. The decision, which spans six seasons, aligns the UK broadcast strategy with Paramount’s operations in the United States, where its affiliate CBS Sports already hosts the Champions League with presenters like Abdo, Micah Richards, Thierry Henry, and Jamie Carragher. That star-studded team may now extend their presence to British screens as part of a seamless international expansion.

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  TNT Sports’ decade of Champions League coverage draws to a close

  It is a major turning point for TNT Sports, formerly BT Sport, which first acquired the rights in 2013 through an enormous £897 million deal that prised them away from Sky Sports. The partnership began with the 2015–16 season and grew to include coverage of the Europa League and the UEFA Conference League. However, TNT saw its exclusivity diminish in 2022 when Amazon Prime entered the fray, picking up one game per week. Now, in just two years’ time, TNT’s association with UEFA club competitions will end completely. Despite this setback, the broadcaster still holds the rights to several domestic properties, including the Premier League until 2029 and a four-year FA Cup contract secured last year that guarantees extensive third-round coverage.

  Although Paramount+ has emerged victorious in this bidding war, the development places yet another financial burden on viewers already juggling subscriptions to Sky Sports, TNT, Amazon, and DAZN. With the fragmentation of sports rights accelerating, British fans may soon find themselves paying more than ever to follow Europe’s top clubs. However, there is a silver lining as reports that Paramount intends to air a selection of matches for free through Channel 5, its UK terrestrial network. This strategy mirrors its approach in other territories and could soften the blow for supporters reluctant to pay for yet another streaming platform.

• Streaming giants Netflix and Disney+ also tested the waters

  Although Paramount came out on top, the race was far from one-sided. Both Netflix and Disney+ reportedly explored bids, especially after Netflix’s breakout success with the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing spectacle last year. That event drew an extraordinary audience of more than 100 million viewers, convincing the streaming pioneer to continue experimenting with live sports. Its latest splash, broadcasting Paul vs. Anthony Joshua this week, suggests Netflix’s ambition in the sports market remains strong, even if it fell short here. The scale of Paramount’s investment reflects the soaring value of Europe’s top football competitions. The current set of Champions League rights is estimated at close to £3 billion per season, highlighting just how fiercely broadcasters compete for a slice of the action. UEFA’s revamped tournament format, which launched in 2024, might be a factor in driving the value even higher.

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• AFP
  

  What happens to the Super League?

  While the broadcast landscape transforms, UEFA is simultaneously working through another massive development, which is a renewed proposal for a European Super League. According to a confidential eight-month negotiation process has been underway involving UEFA, A22 Sports Management (the Super League’s backers), and powerhouse clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. The discussions aim to bring an end to years of conflict by reshaping the structure of elite European competitions in a way that satisfies all parties. The most groundbreaking element of the proposal may be its broadcasting model. The Super League concept introduces UNIFY, a global streaming service offering both free, ad-supported broadcasts and premium paid options. Designed to give worldwide supporters unrestricted access to every match, UNIFY marks a radical departure from the existing broadcasting service. 

  With Paramount+ preparing its UK takeover and UEFA weighing fundamental structural changes to European football, the mid-2020s are shaping up to be an era of profound change. How these developments intersect, and whether the new Super League format might redefine the broadcasting landscape once again, remains an open question.

Celtic have now been told how long they’ll have to wait to appoint Kjetil Knutsen with their search for a new manager taking another frustrating blow.

The Bhoys have been in no rush. After Brendan Rodgers’ shock exit, they know that they can’t afford to get their next appointment wrong and have handed Martin O’Neill the position on an interim basis to buy themselves some time.

Pumas now happy for Juarez to join Celtic as Hoops eye secret release clause

A boost for the Bhoys…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 8, 2025

To the 73-year-old’s credit, he has so far rolled back the years in the dugout. A Champions League defeat at the hands of Midtjylland aside and victories over Old Firm rivals Rangers and Falkirk have represented a step in the right direction.

Even after those three games, however, O’Neill has continued to distance himself from the permanent job. In midweek, he told reporters that he’ll be at Celtic until they no longer need him, before revealing that he’d be “absolutely fine” if Sunday’s Kilmarnock clash is his final game.

Alas, as the search for the next Celtic manager has continued, so have the rumours that they could yet turn to O’Neill until at least the end of the season. And it’s easy to see why. The Northern Irishman is about as experienced as it gets, representing a safe option until the right candidate emerges.

A decision to keep their interim boss until at least next year would also allow Parkhead chiefs to play the long game and perhaps land a frontrunner for the job in the long-term.

Celtic handed fresh Knutsen problem

As Graeme Bailey told 67 Hail Hail, Knutsen wants to finish his Champions League campaign with Bodo/Glimt before taking any job with Celtic. This means that the Bhoys could be forced to wait until next year with the Norwegian side’s last group game coming in 2026.

As things stand, they sit 29th and unlikely to qualify for the next stage. This means that their final Champions League game may well be against Atletico Madrid in January before Bodo take a break from football altogether until March. It’s then that it would make perfect sense for Knutsen to take the job.

What also helps Celtic’s pursuit is that the 57-year-old is reportedly keen to take the job if he gets his Champions League wish. So, the big question for Celtic will be whether he’s worth the wait.

A deeper dive into his history suggests that the Bodo/Glimt boss is certainly an interesting option. Having managed the club since 2018, Knutsen can boast four Norwegian league titles and showed his managerial expertise in full with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on the European stage this season.

Andy Robertson makes Celtic return decision

Cricket Australia will trial an injury replacement rule in the first five rounds of this season’s Sheffield Shield competition, and allow the opposition to make a corresponding substitution, with a view to passing on the findings to the ICC as discussions continue about the introduction of injury substitutes in Test cricket.CA has communicated with the six state teams in recent weeks, outlining the details of the rule which will be implemented across the first half of the season, which starts on Saturday. It will differ significantly from the “serious injury replacement substitute” rule the BCCI has brought into India’s domestic first-class competition recently.The Australian version has been designed with the aim of covering all injuries, preventing fit fast bowlers from being overloaded for the remainder of the match if they lose a fast-bowling mate early in the game, and to maintain competitive balance within matches while trying to avoid any manipulation.Related

• Abbott first to be subbed out under new Sheffield Shield injury rule

• Salzmann, Lyon give New South Wales hope after Konstas misses again

• Van Heerden becomes first injury substitute under new trial

• Gambhir bats for injury replacements in Tests, Stokes finds idea 'ridiculous'

• BCCI introduces 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule in multi-day competitions

Currently, teams can make unlimited concussion substitutions across all four days of a Shield game – and that will remain unchanged – but under the trial there will be an additional like-for-like injury replacement available to both teams up until stumps on day two.Teams will be allowed to replace any player with another player of the same skill set (for example, a fast bowler for a fast bowler, a batter for a batter, a spinner for a spinner) as a result of any injury or illness that has occurred from any point after the toss. Teams will need to make a request to the match referee, who will determine the legitimacy of the injury and approve the replacement.This differs from the BCCI rule, which dictates the injury has to have happened during the game and needs to be external (like taking a blow resulting in a deep cut or fracture) rather than internal (like a hamstring strain).The issue was in the spotlight during the recent England-India Test series where both sides had players suffer significant external injuries: Rishabh Pant with a fractured foot at Old Trafford and Chris Woakes with a dislocated shoulder at The Oval.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

An interesting element to what CA is introducing is the ability for the opposition to match a substitution. If a team uses the injury replacement rule, the opposition will be allowed to bring in a “tactical substitute” in response by the close of day two. But that substitute must be the same type of player as was injured in the opposition.For example, in the round one clash this week between Western Australia and New South Wales at the WACA ground, if a WA fast bowler was injured and was replaced by another WA fast bowler, NSW could make a tactical substitution but could only swap out a fast bowler for a fast bowler. They could not make a tactical substitution like swapping a batter for a batter because of form in the first innings.The match referee can also put restrictions on the involvement of both replacement players. A batter may be instructed that they cannot bowl if they are replacing a batter who does not regularly bowl. The replacement players also automatically inherit any warnings that have been imposed on the replaced player, such as for running on the pitch.Another key element is that in the case of the player who is ruled out through injury or illness, they will undergo a mandatory 12-day non-playing period that starts from the second day of the match that they were subbed out of.This means that if a player were to be replaced for injury in the first two days of round one, their non-playing period would start from October 5, meaning they would not be eligible to play in the One-Day Cup matches on October 9 or the second Shield round, which begins on October 15.There is a slight wrinkle for the states to manage in that teams will only initially be permitted to travel with 12 players, as has been the norm in Australian domestic cricket for many years, with the exception being Western Australia or teams travelling to Western Australia due to the length of that flight and the difficulty in getting other reserve players there on short notice. WA, when they travel interstate, and teams who travel to WA, are permitted to have a squad of 13.Teams who are playing away from home on the east coast will be able to fly an injury replacement in at short notice if needed on the first two days of a game if the 12th man is not a like for like. The states have been encouraged to carry a spare fast bowler as the 12th player on most occasions as the majority of replacements will be to fast bowlers based off the injury data CA has used to help form this new rule. CA wanted to avoid teams carrying large squads unnecessarily.The ICC has agreed that all matches during the trial period will retain first-class status. During the first five rounds, CA will be sourcing feedback from the states on the success of the trial and it is leaving open the possibility of continuing it further into round six and or round seven. CA will also look at potential alterations to the trial from round seven onwards or cancelling it altogether.