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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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

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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.

A Manchester City star who Pep Guardiola recently called “incredible” now wants to leave in the January transfer window, and a Premier League club have emerged as potential suitors.

Man City could be rocked by multiple departures this winter

The January transfer window is now less than a month away, but Guardiola has insisted it is “too early” to start thinking about potential additions to the squad, with a busy month ahead, as his side look to keep the pressure on Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

With the north Londoners being held to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, following City’s 3-2 victory against Leeds United on Saturday, there is now a five-point gap, and the games are coming thick and fast, with Guardiola’s side set to play seven games this month, including a trip to Fulham tonight.

In truth, there are signs that some additions could be needed this winter, given that the Blues arguably aren’t the side they once were, having only managed to scrape past Leeds, after suffering back-to-back defeats against Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen.

However, Man City could also be rocked by a couple of departures, according to a report from The Daily Mail, which states James Trafford wants out just five months after moving to the Etihad Stadium, while fellow goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is also open to a move.

Trafford was originally told he would be joining as the new first-choice goalkeeper, but the former Burnley man has found game time hard to come by recently, with Gianluigi Donnarumma emerging as the preferred option between the sticks.

The 23-year-old’s chances of going to the World Cup with England are under threat, with Thomas Tuchel only willing to take players receiving regular minutes, which means a January move would make sense, and Newcastle United are expected to make an approach.

"Incredible" Trafford needs to be playing consistently

Guardiola recently made it clear he is a big fan of the Englishman, saying: “With Trafford, I see the training sessions and for a long time I haven’t seen a goalkeeper as good as James. We have two incredible keepers.”

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Having equalled the record for clean sheets in a single season in English football during 2024-25, it is little wonder the £50k-a-week shot-stopper is eager to be playing consistently, particularly considering his chances of going to the World Cup are in jeopardy.

Guardiola’s side are in safe hands, with Donnarumma making a solid start to life at City, keeping six clean sheets in all competitions, while also ranking highly across some key metrics for goalkeepers over the past year.

Gianluigi Donnarumma’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Goals against

0.89 (95th percentile)

Save %

50% (87th percentile)

Clean sheet percentage

35% (80th percentile)

Letting Trafford leave could be risky, given that the goalkeeper could be a quality back-up option for Donnarumma if the Italian were to get injured, but the Englishman is simply too good to play second fiddle, and City shouldn’t stand in his way this January.

If you were to ask Mikel Arteta what a perfect game looked like ahead of kick-off on Wednesday night, he would have described something close to the one Arsenal delivered.

Sure, there were a few moments in the first half where Club Brugge looked threatening, but that is to be expected when a team is so heavily rotated.

Moreover, the Gunners were comfortably the better side for much of the game and came away with their 100% record in the Champions League still intact.

There were impressive performances across the pitch from Arteta’s men, including from one international who, like Noni Madueke, had his best game in an Arsenal shirt so far.

Noni Madueke's performance vs Club Brugge

Wednesday night’s game against Club Brugge could have been a banana-skin fixture for Arsenal.

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After all, the North Londoners were coming off a devastating defeat in the Premier League, were beset by injuries, and had to rotate a significant portion of the side.

However, the Gunners showed why so many consider them to be one of Europe’s best teams and swept the Belgian outfit aside.

The likes of Martin Zubimendi, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White and Piero Hincapie all looked excellent, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Madueke.

The former Chelsea man was the busiest of the attackers in the first half and opened the scoring with a truly sensational solo goal.

The Englishman had the ball by the halfway line, beat one player, rode the challenge of another and then rifled the ball into the top corner from well outside the area.

The dynamic game-changer then continued to be a serious threat throughout the rest of the half, before scoring his second early in the second half, thanks to a smart run and a pinpoint accurate cross from Zubimendi.

All in all, it was a performance that more than justified the man of the match award, and has to go down as his best in an Arsenal shirt thus far.

Fortunately, the same could be said about another starter.

Arsenal's other standout star

Now, there are other players who deserve praise for their performances against Brugge, but the only other starter who comfortably had his best game in an Arsenal shirt was Christian Nørgaard.

The Danish midfielder has been something of a forgotten man since his arrival in the summer, playing just 302 minutes of football before last night.

However, while he did finally get another start on Wednesday night, just his fourth all year, it wasn’t in the middle of the park; it was at centre-back.

Understandably, such a move left some in the fan base feeling a little nervous ahead of kick-off, but there was no need to be, as the 31-year-old was practically faultless for the entire match.

Yes, he did pick up a yellow card, but he also made a crucial interception in the penalty area in the first half, and as football.london’s Tom Canton put it, looked totally ‘unfazed by the unfamiliar position.’

That might sound a little hyperbolic, but the former Brentford captain’s statistics prove otherwise.

For example, in his 93 minutes of action, the £65k-per-week monster won 100% of his tackles, took 72 touches, won three of four ground duels, made clearances and two interceptions, recovered the ball twice, blocked a shot, completed 50 passes and even played two long balls.

Nørgaard’s game v Brugge
Minutes	93′
Tackles (Won)	3 (3)
Touches	72
Accurate Passes	50/54
Long Balls	2/3
Blocked Shots	1
Recoveries	2
Ground Duels (Won)	4 (3)
Interceptions	2
Clearances	4
All Stats via Sofascore

In fact, the København-born veteran looked so good at the back, both with and without the ball, that there might even need to be a conversation about him playing there against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Ultimately, it was a great night at the office for Arsenal on Wednesday, and like Madueke, Nørgaard undoubtedly put in his best performance since his move in the summer.

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Manchester United are keen to strengthen their attacking ranks under Ruben Amorim and could now be set to raid South America for a bristling talent dubbed the next Neymar Jr.

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The Red Devils find themselves in the middle of the Premier League pack heading into a hectic run of fixtures between now and the New Year, which will offer Amorim some insight regarding where he needs to add steel to help his side continue their recent improvement.

Ultimately, setbacks are part of football, and Monday’s defeat against Everton will sting for the Manchester United support, especially given the difficulty their side had in breaking down the low block David Moyes deployed at Old Trafford.

Delivering an honest assessment of what needs to change going forward, Matthijs De Ligt urged his teammates to bounce back against Crystal Palace on Sunday and show improved urgency in South London.

He stated: “Overall, just a really bad performance. The next game, obviously, is really important now. We have to bounce back from this performance. We had some good performances over the last couple of weeks, and now we had a bad one.

“Now, it’s for us to come back, to stay together and to make clear what has to be better. We lacked maybe the urgency to score the goals, to create the chances – and then you know against a team like Everton, who drop back and are really strong in the air, it’s going to be quite difficult. That basically sums up the night.”

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Wolverhampton Wanderers pair Andre and Joao Gomes have been identified by Manchester United as January targets. Casemiro’s potential contract expiry has led Amorim down the path of searching for a midfielder, and it is clear he is making inroads on that front.

Conversely, the Red Devils are now said to be leading the race for a talent who could become one of South America’s brightest stars in the next few years.

Man Utd leading race to sign Santos star Robinho Jr

According to reports in Spain, Man Utd are leading the race to sign Santos prodigy Robinho Jr, and they have made contact with his entourage over bringing the 17-year-old winger to Old Trafford.

Compared to Neymar by peers in his homeland, he is a recognisable name as the son of former Manchester City and Real Madrid star Robinho, and he may be allowed to leave his current club due to their financial situation.

Robinho Jr’s statistics at Santos

Appearances

13

Goals

0

Assists

1

Santos are unlikely to let the winger go for a modest fee, albeit Manchester United have been tracking his progress for months and see a unique opportunity to develop his talent in England.

This is something that the Brazilian giants are willing to seriously evaluate as they look to bring funds into the club, especially given they are at risk of relegation, potentially creating a scenario where everyone is a winner.

Offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli bowled well for WA but there best result appears to be a draw

AAP24-Nov-2025

Jordan Buckingham took early wickets for South Australia•Getty Images

South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney top-scored to put his side in position to push for victory on the final day of the Sheffield Shield clash against Western Australia.McSweeney and Henry Hunt combined for an 88-run stand for the second wicket as the hosts chase a second consecutive Shield win.Related

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The defending Shield champions were bowled out for 333 at Adelaide Oval in the pink-ball day-night clash and at stumps on day three the visitors were 85 for 2, still trailing by 60 runs.South Australia paceman Jordan Buckingham was a menace under lights and took the key wicket of opener Cameron Bancroft for 41.Hunt continued an impressive season that has returned 385 runs at an average of 42. He was trapped in front by a ball that seamed in from Cameron Gannon who was rewarded for attacking the stumps.McSweeney, who scored a century against WA earlier in the season, was the rock who kept the innings together.Western Australia offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli continued the form that has him vying with Todd Murphy to be the next in line when Test star Nathan Lyon retires.Rocchiccioli has a penchant for breaking partnerships by dismissing the key men in the opposition and it was no different when he cleaned up McSweeney with a ripper. The South Australia captain went back to a vicious offspinner that also skidded through with added pace.Extra bounce and spin from Rocchiccioli had earlier accounted for Jason Sangha.He has 17 wickets for the summer after claiming 38 last season.It was that form which won Rocchiccioli a place in the Australia A side for the India A tour to Lucknow where he took six wickets in three innings in September.

Cardiff City have released a passionate and powerful statement in relation to the passing of Emiliano Sala. The 28-year-old lost his life when travelling to Wales to complete a transfer in January 2019. A seven-year legal battle is now drawing to a close, with the Bluebirds taking aim at Nantes and Sala’s representatives for the role that they played in “a tragedy that could and should have been avoided”.

Sala tragedy: Plan crashed when travelling to Wales

Argentine striker Sala died when the private plane carrying him from France to Cardiff crashed into the Channel. He was in the process of completing a £15 million switch from Ligue 1 side Nantes. He lost his life alongside pilot David Ibbotson, with the flight having been organised by agent Willie McKay and his son Mark. The journey was unlicensed and a legal dispute has dragged on for several years.

AdvertisementHow much are Cardiff seeking in damages?

Cardiff are seeking £105m ($140m) in damages. They were a Premier League side when agreeing a deal for Sala, but suffered relegation out of the top flight at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

David Anderson, who helped to organise the flight in question, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in the tragedy. On December 8, 2025, proceedings will begin at the Nantes Commercial Court as Cardiff state their case.

The presiding French judge will consider whether Nantes are liable for the financial losses being claimed by Cardiff. If the Bluebirds are successful, then a decision will be made on how much they are owed.

Cardiff City condemn Nantes & McKay in statement

The Welsh outfit have said in a strongly-worded statement: “Nantes' commercial court will finally hear the substance of Cardiff City Football Club's case against FC Nantes. We want FC Nantes to be held accountable for the faults committed by Willie McKay, FC Nantes' true agent. This tragedy, which began nearly seven years ago, cost Emiliano Sala his life.

“It is a tragedy that could and should have been avoided, had the people involved in the transfer on FC Nantes' side not relied on the services of a banned agent, who went on to organise illegal flights to get the deal done. On the eve of the hearing, however, there is hope.

“The hearing marks another step towards uncovering the truth and establishing more accountability in football. This case isn't about harming football: it's about protecting its integrity. This is about ensuring higher standards across our sport, especially surrounding transfers. Because Emiliano Sala deserved better. Because football deserves better.”

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Getty Images SportSala case: When is a verdict expected?

At the hearing in France, the judge will open proceedings – which get underway at 4pm UK time – by delivering an initial summary of the case. All documents submitted by both clubs have been reviewed. Legal teams from each party will then present their respective arguments.

While the matter is now in court, after almost seven years, a final verdict is not expected until the spring of 2026. That means full closure remains some way off, but an end to the lengthy saga is now in sight.

Sala’s body was found in the wreckage of the plane transporting him to the United Kingdom on January 21, 2019. The aircraft in question went down near the Channel Island of Guernsey. Ibbotson’s body was never recovered.

While they were a Premier League outfit at the time of the transfer for Sala being agreed, Cardiff now find themselves in the third tier of English football. They are top of the League One table through 17 fixtures in 2025-26.

The World Test Championship is likely to expand to 12 teams from 2027

Tristan Lavalette11-Nov-2025The next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle is likely to feature all 12 Full Members in one division after plans to split nations into two tiers failed to gain widespread support, while a resurrection for the short-lived ODI Super League is also on the cards.A working group, led by former New Zealand batter Roger Twose, tasked with addressing pressing issues over cricket’s three formats provided recommendations to the ICC board and Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) during last week’s quarterly meetings in Dubai.There had been a sense of urgency behind it with countries already having started conversations for bilateral series that will be part of the next WTC cycle (2027-29).A two-tier system, which has cropped up in talks periodically for over a decade, was again among topics discussed when the working group was formed at the ICC annual conference in July.But doubts over whether a funding model could be implemented contributed to scuppering the two-tier model. It had been mooted that India, England and Australia could support those in division two through a financial distribution, but those talks did not go far.Nations likely to occupy division two, such as West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, were opposed to the idea due to the likely lack of playing opportunities against the bigger nations.Promotion and relegation was also a thorny issue, the big three concerned about the financial impacts of relegation.”We wouldn’t want, as England, we may go through a fallow period, and that means, what, we fall into Division Two and we don’t play Australia and India?” ECB chief Richard Thompson told the BBC in August. “That couldn’t happen. There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here.”Instead the working group has proposed a 12-team WTC, with Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland, potentially part of an expanded league for the next cycle, which begins in July 2027. The teams will be expected to play a minimum number of Tests – the exact number is not yet known – during the cycle. No extra funding is likely to be available for hosting Tests – which has been part of the struggle for members such as Ireland.”It guarantees that everyone is playing Test cricket,” a board director told ESPNcricinfo. “Those that really want to play the format now have opportunities and there is an incentive for other teams to play them.”There were also developments on the white-ball formats, with the ODI Super League possibly to be revived, having been scrapped following the 2023 World Cup.The 13-team league, which only began in July 2020, had been developed in a bid to create more context for the waning 50-over format. But it fell by the wayside amid an increasingly cramped calendar much to the chagrin of smaller Full Members and Associates.The proposal did not detail how many teams would be part of a new league, which can only return from 2028.”The Super League could help revitalise the 50-over format,” one administrator said. “Maybe the problem is not that the format is necessarily dead, it’s finding the proper structure.”There does not appear to be any push to increase the number of teams at 50-over World Cups, which will be a 14-team competition in 2027 after being limited to just ten in the previous two editions.The T20 World Cup is also set to remain at 20 teams even though there is a push from some administrators to incrementally increase it by four, with the aim ultimately of getting to 32 teams.Hall of Famers Matthew Hayden and Hashim Amla with the WTC mace•ICC via Getty

Associate members have also put forward a proposal into revamping the T20 World Cup qualifying format. In a similar concept to the men’s Olympic qualifying pathway, and commonly seen in other major sports, a global qualifier would determine the final spots and may feature not only Associates but Full Members who did not automatically qualify through rankings.A global qualifier is hoped to provide a revenue source for Associates, while appeasing some Asian nations who believe the current regional pathway limits their chances of qualifying for T20 World Cups.Associate administrators hope the global tournament can be part of the qualification process for the 2028 T20 World Cup.Despite having some influential support, with leagues popping up around the globe, the 90-minute T10 won’t be an official format.The board is expected to debate these issues at the next ICC meetings early next year.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl recently revealed that he needs players who “understand” what it means to play for the Ibrox giants.

With the January transfer window less than a month away, the German manager said that he has learned which of his players are up to the task of playing for the club.

Whilst he said that he knows which players need to improve, the window will provide him with a chance to replace those players instead of trying to help them improve.

Rangers lining up move for new midfielder

Despite sporting director Kevin Thelwell’s departure at the start of last week, there is already work going on in the background to bolster the former Sheffield Wednesday manager’s side.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to GIVEMESPORT, Glasgow Rangers are one of the clubs eyeing up a deal to sign exciting Tromso central midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl in the upcoming January transfer window.

The report claims that the Light Blues have sent scouts to watch the 20-year-old talent in action in recent weeks, as Rohl lines up a move to sign the midfield whiz.

It adds, though, that Premier League side Sunderland are also interested in Hjerto-Dahl, which means that there could be some stiff competition for his signature in January.

GIVEMESPORT also reports that the Norwegian youngster is not expected to cost a fortune, although no exact price tag has been mentioned.

Why Rangers should sign Hjerto-Dahl

Rangers should push to beat Sunderland to a deal for the 20-year-old central midfielder because he could be a Nicolas Raskin repeat for the Scottish Premiership giants.

The Gers signed the Belgian star from Standard Liege in January 2023 for a fairly modest fee of £1.7m, in a move that could be replicated by Hjerto-Dahl, who could sign in January for another modest fee, given that he is not expected to cost a fortune.

On top of the Tromso midfielder potentially joining in a similar transfer deal, the Norwegian gem could also offer similar qualities to Raskin in the middle of the park with his performances.

Hjerto-Dahl, who was described as a “unicorn” by Belgian scout Elijah Michiels, is another central midfielder who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch as a natural number eight.

The Rangers and Sunderland transfer target has been a regular for Tromso in the Eliteserien in the 2025 campaign, starting 28 of his 30 appearances, and has shown some promising signs with his displays.

Appearances

30

33

Goals

4

4

Assists

4

10

Successful dribbles per game

1.3

1.0

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.5

3.4

Possession won in final third

0.6

0.5

Duels won per game

5.1

6.6

As you can see in the table above, he has some fairly similar statistics in comparison to Raskin’s full season in the Premiership last term, with his work in and out of possession, which is why he is such an exciting prospect.

Given that Hjerto-Dahl is four years younger than the Belgium international, his statistics in comparison to the Rangers star’s are fairly impressive, as they show that he can impact games as a scorer and a creator of goals, without neglecting the defensive side of the game.

The Norway U21 international could arrive in January and use the first five months to adjust to Scottish football and life in Glasgow, as Raskin did in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, before being ready to shine in the 2026/27 campaign.

Whilst supporters may not want to hear about long-term signings and preparing for next season, the reality of the situation is that the Gers are already nine points off first place in the league, have not won a game in the Europa League, and are already out of the League Cup.

Worse than Miovski: Ibrox flop just played his worst game for Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers flop played his worst game for the club in the 2-1 defeat to Dundee United on Wednesday.

ByDan Emery Dec 4, 2025

Instead of chasing short-term results and signings, Rangers need to ensure that they have a long-term strategy in place that will ensure that they are competitive in the long run, which Hjerto-Dahl will, hopefully, be a part of.