Sean Dyche has now personally requested the signing of a “fantastic” Istanbul Basaksehir defender Jerome Opoku at Nottingham Forest, and his current club may be tempted to cash-in.
Reinforcements may be needed in the January transfer window, given that Forest are looking like they could be involved in a relegation battle this season, although there has been an uptick in results since Dyche arrived just under a month ago.
The 54-year-old has made a solid start in the Premier League, collecting four points from his opening three games in charge and signing off before the international break with a 3-1 win against fellow strugglers Leeds United, which could be an important result come May.
The former Everton boss has experience in relegation battles, having managed to guide the Toffees to safety in the 2022-23 campaign, while also stabilising Burnley in the Premier League, so Evangelos Marinakis should have full trust in his manager as we approach the January transfer window.
Sean Dyche requests signing of Jerome Opoku
Given Dyche’s impressive start, Marinakis may be willing to back him this winter, and the Nottingham Forest boss has now personally requested the signing of Istanbul Basaksehir defender Opoku, according to a report from Africa Foot (via Sport Witness).
The 27-year-old has attracted the attention of a number of Premier League clubs as of late, with Everton making an offer in January, while Fulham are also in the race, so the Tricky Trees may have to fend off competition from elsewhere to secure his signature.
Such is the level of interest in the centre-back, he could become ‘one of the hottest topics’ of the upcoming window, and the Turkish club may be tempted to cash-in, given that his current contract is set to expire in 2027.
The Basaksehir defender hasn’t played in England since a spell at Plymouth Argyle in the 2020-21 campaign, at which point he received plaudits from manager Ryan Lowe, who described the 6 foot 5 colossus as “fantastic”.
Since then, the Ghana international has gone on to establish himself as an important player for Basaksehir, making 14 appearances in all competitions this season and helping his side keep clean sheets in three of their last four matches.
Opoku is yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s top leagues, meaning it would be a risk for Nottingham Forest to make a move, but Dyche knows what it takes to avoid relegation from the top flight, so if the manager wants to make the Basaksehir star his first signing, Marinakis should back him.
Nottingham Forest make contact to sign midfielder Dyche called "terrific"
His two wickets on the opening day slowed down Pakistan’s progress and helped South Africa go to stumps after an “even day”
Danyal Rasool20-Oct-2025
Maharaj took two wickets to set Pakistan back on the opening day•AFP/Getty Images
It may not have seemed that way when Pakistan were 146 for one, but by stumps, South Africa had clawed back enough into the Test for Keshav Maharaj to call it an even day. The left-arm spinner – who did not play the first Test owing to a groin injury – began South Africa’s comeback when he dismissed crowd favourite Babar Azam early on in his innings. In the final session, Maharaj struck once more when he drew Shan Masood into a sweep, which he could only drag to Marco Jansen at square leg. By the end, there was time for Kagiso Rabada to snag a fifth wicket, forcing Pakistan to see off the final half hour cautiously. They finished on 259 for five.”I think it was an even day,” he said. “We managed to control their run rate. When the ball gets softer – which happens quite quickly because the wicket’s quite hard, we managed to just go to old-fashioned Test cricket… I felt if we got one more wicket at night, we’d probably have had a little bit of an upper hand.”Related
South Africa are selecting based on character rather than just stats now
First day in Pindi = first day in Lahore
South Africa, Pakistan share opening-day honours after Masood 87
The first two sessions were shaping up to tell a different story, using the same, frustrating script for the visitors. Having lost the toss and being inserted to field once more, they were sloppy, putting down five catches – just as they had on the first day in Lahore. Abdullah Shafique was the primary beneficiary, with South Africa spurning three opportunities to dismiss him. Earlier, Marco Jansen had nipped one in that Shafique left. The ball had kissed the off stump, only for the bails to be left undisturbed.”As a collective we know how important catches are, not just in the subcontinent. No one means to drop catches; it was nice to see the guys bounce back and take the catches that they did. Bit frustrating but no one means to drop chances.”Simon Harmer bowled 23 overs of spin to complement Maharaj•AFP/Getty Images
The fielding tide for South Africa began to turn when Tony de Zorzi took an excellent catch, which sent Babar on his way. South Africa have placed a lot of faith in their leading offspinner; he bowled 31 overs – the most for any bowler on a day this series. Harmer bowled 23 further overs of spin, but Senuran Muthuswamy, the leading wicket-taker in Lahore, sent down just four.Maharaj, who said he regretted being unable to play in Lahore, called the decision to use Muthuswamy more sparingly “tactical”. “We saw that the wicket didn’t play like Lahore and we felt like we just wanted to try and restrict the Pakistani batters. I don’t think there was an issue. Sen came back nicely with the second spell that he bowled.”In the end, Pakistan scored 54 fewer runs than they did on day one in Lahore, with South Africa drying up the runs, giving the final session a slightly different tinge to the first day they had during the first Test. They will be further encouraged by the knowledge that Pakistan have a collapse in them, something Masood highlighted following the first Test. In the first Test, Pakistan lost their last five for 16 in the first innings, and their last six for 17 in the two innings. One more wicket, and South Africa will know there are opportunities to run through the lower order.”Tomorrow’s an important day,” Maharaj said. The first sessions in the series so far have been quite action-packed. “Hopefully, we can make inroads tomorrow morning. The main thing is to try bowling as many dot balls as we can. We saw for a period of time when we did do it, that it brought us a little bit of reward, and we created opportunities. I think it’s important we start really well tomorrow. Hopefully we can get Saud and Agha early in the morning and open up an end with the lower-order batters. But it’s about just trying to bowl our best balls for long periods of time.”
O Vasco da Gama enfrenta o Fluminense nesta quinta-feira (10), às 20h (de Brasília), no Maracanã, pelo primeiro jogo da semifinal da Copa do Brasil. O confronto será transmitido ao vivo na SporTV, na TV fechada, e no Premiere, no pay-per-view, e na Prime Video (streaming).
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFluminenseFluminense tem tabu a quebrar contra o Vasco na Copa do Brasil; relembre os confrontosFluminense10/12/2025VascoMuito trabalho: Vasco tenta ajustar defesa e ataque antes de clássico com o FluminenseVasco10/12/2025Futebol NacionalPolícia frustra planos de organizada do Vasco antes de clássico contra o Fluminense na Copa do BrasilFutebol Nacional09/12/2025Ficha do jogoVASFLUCOPA DO BRASILSEMIFINAL – IDAData e Horaquiota-feira, 10 de dezembro de 2025, às 20hLocalMaracanãÁrbitro Raphael Claus (SP)AssistentesDanilo Ricardo Simon Manis (SP) e Alex Ang Ribeiro (SP)VarDaniel Nobre Bins (RS)Onde assistirVasco X Fluminense: como chegam as equipes?
O Vasco da Gama chega para a partida a primeira partida da semfinal em um momento conturbado. A equipe venceu apenas um dos últimos oito jogos. A equipe concluiu sua participação no Brasileirão no último final de semana, quando o treinador Fernando Diniz optou por utilizar um time alternativo contra o Atlético-MG e acabou goleado por 5 a 0.
Na Copa do Brasil, a equipe segue invicta. Ao todo, são três vitórias e cinco empates na competição. O Gigante da Colina iniciou sua trajetória vencendo União Rondonópolis e Nova Iguaçu (ainda em partidas únicas) e, depois, superou Operário-PR, CSA e Botafogo em jogos de ida e volta.
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Para o confronto, o Cruzmaltino terá o desfalque do lateral-esquerdo Lucas Piton, que sofreu uma lesão no joelho na partida contra o Mirassol. Com isso, Puma Rodríguez, que é lateral-direito de origem, mas já jogou invertido neste ano, será o titular no confronto.
Ao contrário do Vasco, o Fluminense vive seu melhor momento após o Mundial de Clubes. A equipe comandada por Luis Zubeldía está em uma sequência de sete jogos sem perder (cinco vitórias e dois empates). Na última rodada do Brasileirão, o treinador optou por escalar o time titular e venceu o Bahia por 2 a 0, no Maracanã.
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Nesta edição da Copa do Brasil, o Tricolor foi derrotado em apenas uma oportunidade. No primeiro jogo das quartas de final contra o Bahia, na Arena Fonte Nova, o clube baiano venceu por 1 a 0. No total foram oito jogos (seis vitórias, um empate e uma derrota).
Assim como o Vasco, o Fluminense tem um desfalque de peso para a primeira partida. O atacante Canobbio está suspeso e fora da primeira partida da semfinal. Para a vaga, Soteldo, que participou de três gols nos últimos três jogos do Tricolor, deve ser o substituto.
VASCO X FLUMINENSE COPA DO BRASIL – SEMIFINAL – IDA 📆 Data e horário: quinta-feira, 11 de dezembro de 2025, às 20h (de Brasília); 📍 Local: Maracanã; 📺 Onde assistir: Premiere, SportTV e Amazon Prime. 🟨 Árbitro: Raphael Claus (SP); 🚩 Assistentes: Danilo Ricardo Simon Manis (SP) e Alex Ang Ribeiro (SP); 🖥️ VAR: Daniel Nobre Bins (RS).
VASCO (Técnico: Fernando Diniz)
Léo Jardim; Paulo Henrique, Carlos Cuesta, Robert Renan e Puma Rodríguez; Thiago Mendes, Barros e Coutinho; Andrés Gómez, Nuno Moreira e Rayan.
FLUMINENSE (Técnico: Luis Zubeldía)
Fábio; Samuel, Thiago Silva, Freytes e Renê; Martinelli, Nonato (Hércules) e Acosta; Soteldo, Serna e Everaldo
تمكن منتخب تونس من تحقيق الفوز على قطر، في إطار منافسات دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب.
وواجه منتخب تونس نظيره القطري، في السابعة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب.
ويقع منتخب تونس في المجموعة الأولى في كأس العرب، رفقة منتخبات قطر وسوريا وفلسطين.
طالع.. ترتيب المجموعة الأولى من كأس العرب 2025
وحقق منتخب تونس الفوز على قطر، بثلاثية نظيفة، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم الأحد.
تقدم منتخب تونس بالهدف الأول في مرمى قطر، في الدقيقة 16 من عمر الشوط الأول، عن طريق محمد علي بن رمضان لاعب الأهلي.
وفي الدقيقة 62 من عمر الشوط الثاني، عزز منتخب تونس تقدمه بالهدف الثاني في مرمى قطر عن طريق اللاعب ياسين مرياح، قبل أن يضيف محمد علي بن رمضان ثالث أهداف تونس في الدقيقة 94 من عمر المباراة.
وبهذه النتيجة رفع منتخب تونس رصيده إلى 4 نقاط في المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب المجموعة، بينما تجمد رصيد قطر عند نقطة وحيدة في المركز الأخير.
وبتلك النتيجة تأكد خروج تونس وقطر من بطولة كأس العرب، بينما تأهلت سوريا وفلسطين إلى دور الثمانية من البطولة. أهداف مباراة تونس وقطر في كأس العرب
India have not yet received the Asia Cup trophy after refusing to accept it from Mohsin Naqvi during the presentation ceremony following the final on September 28
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2025BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is hopeful of a resolution with PCB and Asian Cricket Concil (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi over the Asia Cup trophy dispute after the “ice has been broken” between the two boards during the recent ICC meeting in Dubai.”I was a part of both the informal and formal meeting of the ICC. PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi was also present. During the course of a formal meeting, it was not on agenda but ICC facilitated a meeting between myself and the PCB chief separately in the presence of a senior ICC office-bearer and another senior official,” Saikia told PTI. “It was really good to start the process of negotiation.”Both sides will work out something to solve the issue at the earliest. The ice has been broken now, so various options will be worked out. There will be options from the other side as well and we will also give options on how to settle this issue and come to an amicable solution.”Related
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India refuse to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi
India have not yet received the Asia Cup trophy after beating Pakistan in the final on September 28. There was a standoff at the presentation ceremony with India refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi, the ACC and PCB chair who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, following the cross-border skirmish between the two countries in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam in April.India and Pakistan played each other three times during the Asia Cup – in the group stage, the Super Fours, and the final – with all the fixtures fraught with tension that began with India’s decision not to shake hands with the Pakistan players in their first meeting on September 14. The matches were ill-tempered with Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan all receiving penalties of varying severity from the ICC for their comments or on-field actions.After the final, the presentation ceremony was delayed by more than 90 minutes while Naqvi remained insistent that he be the person handing over the trophy to India, who did not budge from their stance. Eventually the trophy was taken away from the stage and the team has not received it to date.
The U.S. women’s national team will close out January with a friendly against 45th-ranked Chile in Santa Barbara, Calif., marking the program’s first international match in the city. The USWNT will face Chile at UC Santa Barbara, the same campus where the team first held a training camp in 1991 before winning the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.
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'Not a common occurrence'
While Santa Barbara is new for a match, the USWNT have frequently held training camps at the college campus and even played the UCSB women's soccer team that same year they went on to win the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup title.
“Playing in a city for the first time is not a common occurrence at this point in our history," Hayes said, "So I know our players will enjoy being in beautiful Santa Barbara and our staff are really looking forward to January camp and these matches against two tough South American countries."
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USWNT's history with Chile
While the USWNT do not have a long history with Chile, the teams have met before – just three times. Chile are ranked 45th in the world and fifth in CONMEBOL, behind Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay. Their last meeting came in the group stage of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when the U.S. won 3-0. Before that, the sides played two friendlies in 2018.
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'Focused on maximizing every minute'
It’s no surprise that 2026 will carry plenty of weight for the USWNT, who will soon enter the countdown toward the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. To set the tone early, Hayes’ side will play two January friendlies – first against Paraguay and then against Chile.
The Americans enjoyed a historic 2025, finishing with a 12-3-0 record. Hayes also capped her first full calendar year in charge with 25 wins.
“This is the start of an important year for our team, and as always, we’re focused on maximizing every minute we get with the players,” Hayes said.
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What will 2026 bring?
The USWNT finished the 2025 calendar year with back-to-back victories over Italy. Hayes once again experimented with new players and personnel to close out the year, and admirably gave 43 players their senior debuts in 2025, the most in a single year since 2001.
There will likely be a shift to more familiar rosters through 2026 as Hayes fine-tunes her playing pool.
Over the summer, Ange Postecoglou was relieved of his duties as manager of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
He had promised supporters that season three is always the best. Alas, Spurs fans swiftly saw him exit the club, replaced by Thomas Frank.
While Postecoglou had guided the Lilywhites to the Europa League, thus engineering plenty of credit in the bank, they did ultimately finish 17th in the Premier League.
A major trophy was won but their league form was inexcusable. The same could now be said of Spurs under Frank.
Things started off rosy but they have unravelled in recent months. It’s all beginning to become rather Ange, isn’t it? The lack of ability to create goal-scoring opportunities and play attractive football is not rubbing off well on supporters.
Spurs could replace Frank already
As of 30th November 2025, the Dane has only been in charge of Spurs for 171 days. Yet, after a matter of months, Frank is already feeling the heat.
A week ago, the north Londoners put in a drab performance against rivals Arsenal, conceding four in the process. A few days later, while they did look more threatening in attack, they shipped five against European champions PSG.
A defeat against two of the continent’s very best is hardly a surprise, but their 2-1 loss to Fulham only rubbed further salt in the wounds.
This has been a terrible week for Tottenham and it’s hardly a surprise that Fabio Paratici and Co have been told to earmark possible replacements.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
According to reports in Spain, one name to have emerged on the club’s shortlist is former Barcelona player and manager, Xavi.
While the Spaniard is also on the radar of Manchester United, it’s thought that the Spurs board are considering making a change in the dugout if things have not improved by the end of December. In that eventuality, they will look to speak with Xavi about the job.
It’s stated that Spurs and United see Xavi as ‘an ideal coach to lead a new phase’, largely thanks to the fact that he has ‘modern ideas’ and ‘believes in young players’.
Why Xavi would be perfect for Spurs
Spurs have been there and done it before with a big-name manager. Antonio Conte’s spell ended in tears, as did Jose Mourinho’s. He steered them to a League Cup final at Wembley but was remarkably sacked on the eve of that big game.
As a result, caution must be heeded here. Is Xavi really the best port of call? Fears that another Conte or Mourinho situation could play out are understandable.
Yet, the fact of the matter is that Spurs have tried everything now. The relatively untested route of Postecoglou did end with a trophy but his spell was incredibly topsy-turvy. They’ve also been there and done it with a Premier League-proven manager. Nuno Santo ended poorly and the Frank regime is hardly going well, is it?
It’s rather sad. Frank is a nice man. He’s likeable. The first few months saw something of a revival too. Postecoglou’s defence was a total mess but the former Brentford manager had sorted that out.
Across Tottenham’s first seven games under Frank’s stewardship, they kept five clean sheets. There was better organisation and defensively they were far more resolute. Job done, right? The biggest problem under Ange was fixed. Think again.
The honeymoon period is now over. Spurs have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions. Across that time, they have shipped 15 goals. It’s far from ideal.
Frank’s first 7 games vs last 7 games
Stat
First 7
Last 7
Wins
5
1
Draws
1
1
Defeats
1
5
Goals scored
14
11
Goals conceded
3
15
Data excludes European Super Cup
Stats via WhoScored.
So, why would Xavi represent an upgrade? Well, in the words of Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, the former midfielder is “the best manager in the world.”
Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, the experience he boasts is extraordinary. As a player, he won the World Cup, two European Championships, eight LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues.
As a manager, he navigated Barca through choppy waters. Under financial pressure, the Spanish giants still won LaLiga and while they did spend big on the likes of Raphinha and Ferran Torres, a lot of the work done in the transfer market was bringing in players on a free transfer.
Xavi was also the boss who gave a certain Lamine Yamal his debut aged 15. He also handed a first-team debut to Fermin Lopez, now a regular in the Barca team and to centre-half Pau Cubarsi.
Speaking about the Spanish manager’s philosophy, Arsene Wenger once said: “Personally, I like Xavi, and I give him credit for having the courage to bring these young players on board. That’s the difficult thing. He believed in them and gave them a chance to play. It’s true that he didn’t win the league last season, but he did win it the season before that. So I think he did a good job.”
The fact of the matter is that the Spaniard trusts young players and this couldn’t be more perfect for a Spurs squad boasting some of the finest young talent around. Take the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Luka Vuskovic and Luca Williams-Barnett as prime examples. The 45-year-old could be game-changing for players like that.
Born and bred in La Masia, it’s hardly a surprise that Xavi also favours attractive and possession-based football. Frank, on the other hand, does not.
Sure, Spurs were more organised during the opening months of the Frank regime but as manager of Tottenham, the fans expect to see exciting football too.
While the Londoners have enjoyed 53.8% of the ball this season, the sixth-best tally in the division, they have struggled big time with their creativity. Their 9.5 shots per game is the third-lowest tally in the entire Premier League. Only Wolves and Burnley are below them. Remarkably, they are also registering no through balls per game. No other team is worse in that regard.
As a consequence, they sit 16th in the league for expected goals, with a record of 14.33 xG.
To put some of those numbers into context, when Xavi won the league with Barca in 2022/23, they enjoyed the most possession in the league (64.8%), and had the second highest volume of shots per game (15.1).
While Xavi had a better team in his armoury, he is clearly a better tactical coach and the fact that he’s won some of football’s biggest honours puts him on a pedestal far above Frank.
He’s played under the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, he’s certainly been able to learn a thing or two. Spurs would certainly be better off should they seal the remarkable capture of Xavi heading into 2026.
As bad as Vicario: Frank must finally bin 5/10 Spurs flop after Fulham
Tottenham were condemned to a third defeat in six days as they were overcome by Fulham’s early flurry.
Former England captain feared missing out on World Cup, but is back in situ after patient rehab
S Sudarshanan01-Oct-2025Imagine the dread. The one thing you worked for so dearly is threatened to be snatched away from you. Imagine the fear. Of missing out of an event you so looked forward to.Imagine being Heather Knight in May.Having relinquished England’s captaincy after nine years, she was looking forward to a summer of cricket back in the ranks, with the goal of the Women’s World Cup at the end of it. She remained a vital cog for England under the new leadership of head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. But an innocuous turn for a single threatened to ruin it all for her. She heard something pop while batting in the 19th over of a T20I in Chelmsford but did not walk off the field until the innings ended.Knight had suffered a right hamstring tendon tear, in which the tendon had detached from the bone. Recovering from such injuries takes anywhere between four to six months; the World Cup was only 17 weeks away, with England’s departure for a pre-tournament camp in Abu Dhabi a week ahead of that. Opting for surgery would have definitely put the former captain out of the competition. So, alongside England’s team of physios and doctors, she decided to try the rest-and-recovery method.”She’s very, very passionate about playing cricket for England and very passionate about the World Cup,” Angela George, National Lead for Physiotherapy – England Women, tells ESPNcricinfo. “So we knew that it was quite simple for us, really, that we needed to explore the conservative management. And we knew also that, if it wasn’t going to work, we would know about it and at least we would have tried. We went for the conservative option, which if you looked at the injury at the time, was about 50-50 as to whether it would be better to surgically repair or more conservatively manage.”Knight had already suffered a hamstring tear on the same leg in 2013. So that left her slightly more prone to injury. The other factor was an increase in her workload. England’s new regime places an importance on players’ participation in domestic cricket, with Knight featuring in the Women’s One Day Cup for Somerset. Of course, she was not left unmonitored. England use a workload monitoring system called Insights 360 that helps to mitigate injuries. But not all injuries can be predicted, let alone prevented.Knight made 37 against India as she continued her comeback•Getty Images”Her feedback to us around April was that her hamstrings had been in the best place that they felt for a long time,” George says. “We’ve done a lot of work on strength, motor control, hip mobility and just making sure that her hamstrings are in tip-top shape. But she probably had played a bit more cricket domestically than she had done at this point. So we knew we were on a bit of an edge with it, but fundamentally, sometimes these things just happen. The human body is so complex that, we can’t just say, right, that’s going to go at that point, so stop doing that.”The limited time added to the challenge. There were periods when they could push but also time they had to bide their time in order for her tendon to heal. There were no shortcuts. It was not just about getting Knight fit to board the plane; it was about making sure she was at her best for the World Cup.”As week by week went, we were quite slow to start off with and that caused a bit of frustration for Heather because she just wanted to get going,” George says. “She wasn’t looking for us to take shortcuts because, fundamentally, she has a lot of trust in our team to look after her. Whenever we debated something, we came back to the point that, if we push too early and things break down, she was not going to be happy.”Although Heather was coming to us with frustrations – as I would expect her to, as I would hope her to – and wanted to push us as fast as she can, we were always able to justify our decisions that fundamentally, the body needed to heal and put that part of the tendon back onto the bone.”Related
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Progress was slow for the first three months. They used MRI imaging at every step of her recovery. Knight worked on her upper body strength and on her other leg in this period. They finally pushed forward mid-August.”That was the time that the MRI started looking really good and we were happy that anything that we were putting through her body, the tendon wasn’t reacting to it.”Knight’s work with London Spirit as a team mentor also kept her occupied. Two weeks before England were to depart for Abu Dhabi, they accelerated her recovery through increased workload.”When we brought back a lot of cricketing skills, that’s when she could really show herself that her hamstring did not let her down,” George says. “We knew that because we’d done a lot of work, but she needed to show her own body that, actually, everything was fine.”Throughout the recovery, England’s management remained adamant that, if fit, Knight would be in straightaway for the World Cup. A lack of game-time was not considered a hindrance, given her previous form in the domestic season and the T20Is against West Indies.”We knew that she would not need an awful lot of game-time to get back to her very best,” George says. “Her hamstrings were in such a good place that, actually, we sort of knew that we could afford not to push the playing beforehand. That didn’t sit all that well with Heather because she just wanted to get playing, but we knew we had it in the back of our locker, really.”In her first knock after recovery, Knight made a 48-ball 41 in England’s unofficial warm-up match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, and a fluent 37 in the official warm-up against India in Bengaluru.Imagine the dread in the opposition. Imagine a fit Heather Knight at her best at the World Cup.
Mark Wood is set to miss the second Test at Brisbane as England look to preserve their prized fast bowler for the remainder of the Ashes.Wood was part of an all-pace attack in the opening Test at Perth, his first competitive appearance in close to nine months after returning from knee surgery in March that addressed medial ligament damage. It was also his first Test cap since August 2024, against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.England’s caution around Wood is understandable. At his best, he is the fastest bowler in the world. But his injury history, including recent troubles with his left knee, which requires heavy strapping, and the fact he turns 36 in January means they must constantly monitor his situation.Related
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Stokes: Calling England arrogant is a step too far
Speaking to Fox Cricket during the opening Test in Perth, Wood conceded he would “definitely not play five”.Wood was a doubt ahead of the first Test, having reported tightness in his left hamstring the week before at Lilac Hill after sending down eight overs – two four-over bursts – during the warm-up match against England Lions. He subsequently proved his fitness in the Perth Stadium nets, and bowled with great pace on the first day, clocking Cameron Green in the grille with a brutal 93mph/150kph bouncer.England’s defeat in Perth was swift enough that the match lasted only two days, with Wood bowling just 11 overs altogether, returning 0 for 44. Three of those came in the second innings as Travis Head’s bombastic century ensured Australia achieved their target of 205 in 28.2 overs.Conspicuous by his absence from England’s first training session at Allan Border Field on Saturday ahead of Thursday’s pink-ball Test, it appears Wood is being held back as the tourists seek to bounce back from going 1-0 down. Provided there are no complications, Wood could be back in contention for the third Test in Adelaide, which begins in 18 days.1:10
Ferguson: England didn’t challenge Head’s stumps enough
Wood was England’s best bowler on show on the 2021-22 tour (17 wickets at 26.64) and he took nine wickets in final Test at Hobart – England’s last pink-ball match in Australia. Nevertheless, he will be parked this week, with Josh Tongue likeliest to take his spot.Tongue is in prime position to state his case this weekend as part of a Lions side taking on the Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day pink-ball match in Canberra. Tongue is one of three Ashes squad members, along with Matthew Potts and Jacob Bethell, who have been released to take part in the match. While Potts will also be considered to replace Wood, Tongue’s extra pace, steepling bounce and knack of bowling the odd worldie has him front of the queue.Wood admitted to being emotional after the eight-wicket defeat in Perth, even looking into camper vans to drive across the country from Western Australia to Queensland so as not to stew during the extra time off. Speaking on Saturday, Test captain Ben Stokes understood where his long-time friend was coming from.Josh Tongue will likely head the queue to be Mark Wood’s replacement•Getty Images
“He’s so passionate about what he does, some people take disappointment different to others,” Stokes said. “I’ve known Woody a long time, we’re good mates, not just because we play cricket together. He’s just as disappointed as anyone else in the dressing room, we’ve reflected this week, we’ve done all that and now we’re focused on what we’ve got to do here in Brisbane.”Meanwhile, Stokes admitted he was “completely wrong” to refer to former players as “has-beens”. Prior to the first Test, Stokes used the latter term when searching for the former after England’s preparations for the Ashes had come under fire for amounting to a single, three-day warm-up match against the Lions at Lilac Hill.Sir Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and Michael Atherton were three former England captains to take issue with the light lead-in to the series, with Michael Vaughan using his column in the to take umbrage with the comments. Asked if he regretted them, Stokes said: “You know exactly what I meant by that. Everyone knows it was a slip of the tongue.”I’ve explained that off record. I got the words I said there completely wrong. I think everyone knows that, I just never got asked about it on camera for me to say I got my words wrong. ‘Has-beens’ is a horrible word. It’s the only thing that managed to come out of my mouth in that moment.”God, I’m going to be one of those one day. It’s a complete wrong wording and I think everyone does know that it’s not at all what I meant by that.”
Cricketers who bowl at high pace will break, sooner or later. That is, and has always been, a given
Greg Chappell02-Dec-2025Imagine a javelin thrower sprinting flat-out before planting their front leg and unleashing the spear with every ounce of power. Biomechanists describe that sudden stop – all that forward momentum slamming to an abrupt halt – as the equivalent of a low-speed car crash. Now picture doing similar a few hundred times over the course of five days, while trying to hit a spot the size of a saucer 22 yards away. That, in essence, is what a Test-match fast bowler signs up for: a deliberate act of repeated self-destruction, which the human body was never designed for.A couple of weeks ago, as Australia began the Ashes without Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood – two of the finest fast bowlers of their generation – the old conversation resurfaced: why do fast bowlers break down so often, and what, if anything, can be done about it?The brutal truth is that bowling seriously fast means living permanently on the edge of what the skeleton, soft tissue, ligaments, tendons and nervous system can endure. Speed comes at a price, and the bill usually arrives in two instalments: once in adolescence, when bones are still growing, and then around 30, when the years of accumulated impact finally catch up.Related
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Cummins knows both chapters intimately. As a prodigiously quick teenager, he suffered lumbar stress fractures – tiny cracks in the lower spine caused by the explosive twist and arch of the delivery stride. He missed almost two full years. Now, at 32, he is in the second danger zone, managing a body that has carried an enormous workload as captain and strike bowler. Hazlewood’s troubles have had more to do with soft tissue – side strains, hamstrings, shoulders – the classic toll borne by a tall man repeatedly bracing against huge ground-reaction forces.History is littered with similar stories. Dennis Lillee was told in 1973 that multiple spinal stress fractures had ended his career. A relentless two-year schedule with no proper off season had broken him. He rebuilt himself through pioneering strength work, remodelled his action and returned stronger, eventually claiming a world-record tally. I know no one with such iron will.Dale Steyn, among the most electrifying bowlers of the 21st century, alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Mark Wood and Kagiso Rabada, fractured part of his shoulder blade in 2016; the screw inserted to fix it marked the beginning of the end, sadly. Bumrah and Cameron Green have recently undergone surgery involving screws and titanium wire to bind vertebrae together to stabilise stress fractures. Very few men of pace seem to avoid the inevitable.The almost indestructible Jeff Thomson – owner of the most efficient, whip-like side-on action ever seen – only suffered one serious injury in his career, and that came from colliding with a fieldsman, not from bowling itself. Ironically, when being scanned for something else, it was discovered that he had had three undiagnosed stress fractures. One can assume that he was on the verge of joining the statistics when an off-season break gave his body time to heal.Glenn McGrath was another thoroughbred who played at the highest level for 14 years and took 563 Test wickets with minimal injury problems because he had a textbook, efficient action. His one major injury came from treading on a stray ball at Edgbaston in 2005. Accuracy, rather than raw speed, was his weapon – a hallmark of those who enjoyed genuine longevity.
To watch someone repeatedly hurl a ball at 90mph and above is to witness athletic beauty and impending breakdown in the same glorious, terrifying motion
The bowlers who lasted shared one overwhelming trait: a lean, strong frame that absorbed shock rather than fought it. Richard Hadlee shortened his run-up mid-career, sacrificing a yard of pace for extra durability. Courtney Walsh, tall and whippy, bowled until he was 38, amassing 519 Test wickets with an action so smooth, it looked effortless. Lillee advised a struggling Brett Lee to use top-end pace sparingly; Brett eventually heeded the lesson and prolonged his career with clever variations.Fred Trueman seemed unbreakable but he often enjoyed six-month winters in his 67-Test career. By contrast, James Anderson played 188, plus nearly 200 ODIs – an unfathomable feat. As a 19-year-old, I faced Trueman at the dawn of my career and the dusk of his. I was told that he bowled within himself for much of his county career, saving top speed for England; as did John Snow. Anderson and Stuart Broad pushed the envelope by eventually playing Test cricket only.Wood’s ballistic action has limited him to 38 Tests in ten years; his latest knee injury stemmed directly from the explosive leg drive that produces his 90mph-plus thunderbolts. Mitchell Starc, lean and superbly athletic, has dodged serious trouble across 100 Tests and multiple formats, and is in prime bowling form.Modern schedules are merciless: more overs, shorter recovery windows, three formats, year-round. Development coaches now preach “load management”, and Einstein’s maxim – keep it as simple as possible but no simpler. Young fast bowlers must build a broad athletic base first – by running, jumping, throwing – before specialist skills are layered on. Rush the process, or allow mixed actions full of side-bend, hyperextension and counter-rotation, and the body will rebel. Shaun Tait’s slinging arm could produce ball speeds of 100mph, yet he rarely lasted more than a few matches before something broke.Careful monitoring of bowling loads through growth spurts is non-negotiable, as is intelligent balancing once a bowler turns professional. Even so, physics cannot be cheated: the front leg takes up to eight times the body’s weight, the torso rotates violently, the arm whips through at startling speed. Something eventually gives.Freaks among us: Jeff Thomson’s bodily strength helped him survive the punishment his action meted out to his frame•Adrian Murrell/Getty ImagesMany strength programmes now include yoga, pilates and elements of tai chi to improve mobility, core control and shock absorption. A lean, strong, flexible athlete recovers faster and breaks less often than one who relies only on heavy iron in the gym.Thomson possessed freakish natural strength and elasticity. Most mortals do not. Copy his action without his gifts – as countless club cricketers discovered in the 1970s and ’80s – and you were soon limping away after a couple of fiery spells.Australia’s current injury list is a reminder that no amount of science has yet annulled the laws of nature. Cummins and Hazlewood will be replaced by eager youngsters, and the cycle will continue. Some will have the resilient architecture that allows a long career; others will flare brightly, then burn out.This Ashes series has already been profoundly shaped by the absence of two world-class operators. In the end, the urn will almost certainly go to the team that best manages to keep its premier fast bowlers fit and firing longest.Fast bowling remains cricket’s ultimate contradiction: the most thrilling sight in the sport is also its most self-destructive. To watch someone repeatedly hurl a ball at 90mph and above is to witness athletic beauty and impending breakdown in the same glorious, terrifying motion. The great ones merely postpone the inevitable. The rest of us marvel – and wince – at the extraordinary price they pay.