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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.

The middle Curran brother talks about comparisons with Tom and Sam and representing the country where their father was born

Firdose Moonda20-May-2025″If they weren’t my brothers, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Ben Curran says. He’s only half-right.Perhaps if it wasn’t for Sam and Tom, who have made headlines for the last decade, ESPNcricinfo would not have requested to interview Ben ahead of Zimbabwe’s first Test in England in 22 years. But that’s not the only reason. Ben is playing for Zimbabwe, the country of his father Kevin’s birth, against England, the country of his and Sam’s birth and the place where his family have significant sporting connections.Kevin, who played 11 ODIs for Zimbabwe between 1983 and 1987, acquired English residency and played county cricket for Northamptonshire for eight years between 1991 and 1999. All three of his sons were born in that time: Tom in Cape Town, while Kevin was playing for Boland, and Ben and Sam in Northampton. By the year 2000, the family were all back in Zimbabwe, on the family farm halfway between Harare and Mutare, where Kevin began his coaching career. Initially, he was an assistant national coach, then had a stint in Namibia and at an academy before being given the main national job.Related

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The brothers were 9, 8 and 6 respectively when Kevin was put in charge of Zimbabwe as head coach, in 2004. It was a time of intense upheaval in the country, both politically and in sporting terms. That same year, the Currans’ farm was among those repossessed as part of Robert Mugabe’s land reform program and 13 of Zimbabwe’s white players staged a walkout over Heath Streak’s sacking as captain and a broader protest over quotas. The Currans survived both events, moved home and Kevin continued coaching, even when Zimbabwe took a self-imposed exile from Tests in 2006.Tom, Ben and Sam were too young to remember any of that in great detail but Ben knows that they were “always around cricket” and encouraged to enjoy it. “Whenever I see friends of my dad, they all tell me they remember me when I was knee-high. We were always there. He just wanted us to enjoy sport and if we wanted to work hard and practice a lot, he was there. He never said, ‘This is what you have to do’, it was up to us to decide if we wanted to go further.All three brothers were lured away from Zimbabwe by a scholarship from Wellington School in Surrey, where they stayed even after Kevin passed away unexpectedly in 2012. He never saw his sons play professionally but their mother, Sarah, has been a constant presence. Three years after Kevin’s death, Sam became the second-youngest player to represent Surrey in first-class cricket. Tom was already a regular in the team but Ben had to wait a little longer.”I didn’t have the immediate success my brothers did,” he says. “It took me until I was a couple of years out of school to get myself the opportunity to play on a professional level but everyone’s got their own path. It doesn’t really happen that quickly for a lot of people. If I take myself out of it, I know that if they weren’t my brothers, we wouldn’t be having the same conversation. There’s no timeline on anything and especially not in professional sport. Not everyone, not just in my family, but in general, has quick success. It just took me a little longer.”And unlike his brothers, Ben didn’t have his success at Surrey either but there was a synchronicity with where he ended up. At the age of 22, he was signed by Northants, the same team his father had played for. That had the potential to heighten the pressure on him even more but he didn’t let it. “As a professional, I distanced myself from the talk,” he says. “It was a lot easier to try and just focus on performing myself.”

“I definitely have an eye on the ODI World Cup. I’m playing in the 50-over side at the minute and I want to get myself into the T20 side. I actually played more T20 cricket in the UK. I definitely want to cement myself in all three sides”

Over the next four years, Ben played semi-regularly but did not have any breakout success. He averaged 25.82, never scored a hundred and, understandably, was never part of the national team conversation. Although eligible to play for England, without the numbers to back it up, he never seriously entertained the thought. “When I was playing county cricket, I was just trying to focus on performing there. I didn’t really think too far ahead about what may or may not come.”Then, in 2022, he lost his contract and decided to return home and try again. “It was a conscious decision I made to go back and I obviously had ambitions to represent Zimbabwe,” he says, aware of the challenges that would face him.”The pitches are a lot slower and with the Kookaburra ball, there’s not as much lateral movement, so it’s about getting used to that, so they might have ring fields instead of more fielders behind the bat and a lot of more dismissals might be in front of the bat. It was about realising that there might not be as many scoring options, but you’ve got to find a way.”In what may be as much of an indicator of the difference in standards between England and Zimbabwe as of Curran feeling more comfortable in a familiar environment, in his first season, he averaged 41.77 in Zimbabwe’s first-class competition and finished eighth on the run-charts. In his second summer, he was up to seventh and by the end of his third, Curran was the second-highest run-scorer in the Logan Cup, averaging 75.30, with three hundreds from seven matches.It was during the last of those that he was also selected for Zimbabwe and made his international debut at Harare Sports Club, in an ODI against Afghanistan last December. A Test appearance soon followed, in the Boxing Day match in Bulawayo. Now Ben is all but a regular and sees himself that way. “It feels like I’ve been playing for a lot longer than just [since] December,” he says.Curran scored a half-century on Test debut•Zimbabwe CricketIt helps that he has performed relatively well. In his first Test innings, Ben scored 68 and in his sixth ODI, he raised his bat in celebration of a century to a jubilant crowd, who showed him the appreciation every international dreams of.”What I have been trying to do is just stay really present and take it all in,” he says. “I remember when I was on about 90-odd and we were in a good position in the game and I looked at the grandstand and everyone was singing and cheering. That was a standout moment, and made me appreciate where I am and what I’m actually doing.”Zimbabwe won the match against Ireland by nine wickets and Ben was there at the end to seal a series victory that could become the building block for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which they are co-hosting. Zimbabwe have not played at a 50-over World Cup since 2015 – and have been through two heartbreaking qualifying campaigns which saw them miss out – and see 2027 as an opportunity to underline their importance among the game’s top nations. That includes being able to have some of the formats best players and Ben hopes to be among those, at least for Zimbabwe.”I definitely have an eye on the ODI World Cup. I’m playing in the 50-over side at the minute and I want to get myself into the T20 side. I actually played more T20 cricket in the UK. I definitely want to cement myself in all three sides.”He played 23 T20s for Northants and scored three fifties with a strike rate of 126.84 but has only played 12 in Zimbabwe, and none for the national side. Whether that changes as they look towards the T20 World Cup Qualifiers remains to be seen. For now, their focus is on Tests and they are due to play 11 this year – as many as Australia and more than anyone else – in the hope of forcing their case for a World Test Championship spot.A match against England, given its profile, puts the conversation centre stage and gives the players a brighter spotlight than usual. For Ben, it’s about that and much more. There’s a touch of sibling rivalry even though neither Tom nor Sam are playing. He expects both to be around the match and hopefully cheering for him. He also expects the comparisons to keep being made but is confident he is carving his own path in his own way. “I’m enjoying my cricket,” he says. “The environment, where the guys and the team are in a good place and really wanting to take Zimbabwe cricket forward. I feel as though the timing is right for me.”

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.

The Detroit Tigers are fortifying the back end of their starting rotation, striking a deal within their own division in order to acquire another established arm.

According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Tigers have agreed to trade for Chris Paddack in a deal with the rival Twins. Detroit is sending Minnesota 19-year-old minor league catcher/first baseman Enrique Jimenez in the deal, according to 's Robert Murray.

Paddack, 29, is in his seventh MLB season and has spent the last four years in Minnesota. In 2025, he owns a 4.95 ERA with 83 strikeouts, 27 walks and 17 home runs surrendered across 111 innings.

He'll join a starting rotation in Detroit that currently consists of Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olsen, Casey Mize and Dietrich Ennis.

The Tigers enjoyed a superb first half of the season but have struggled recently, losing eight of their last 10 games. Now sitting at 61–46 with just a few days until the trade deadline, they chose to strike early and bring in Paddack to shore up their rotation ahead of their postseason push.

Leeds United’s winless run in the Premier League continued at the hands of Manchester City yesterday, with Daniel Farke’s side suffering a 3-2 defeat at the Etihad.

At one stage, it appeared as though the Whites would endure another battering, as they did at Arsenal, but it was anything but that against Pep Guardiola’s men.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both hit the back of the net in the second half, subsequently restoring parity after trailing by two goals going into the break.

However, Phil Foden’s strike in stoppage time took some of the gloss off the impressive second-half showing, which should have earned Farke’s men a crucial point.

Despite the fightback, numerous players chosen by the manager at the Etihad struggled to produce the goods, which could lead to yet more changes in their next clash.

Leeds’ poor performers against Man City

Wilfried Gnonto is a player who the Leeds fans have been crying out to start in recent weeks, having only featured in five outings before the trip to face Man City yesterday.

However, the Italian was handed his chance to shine, but struggled to take full advantage of the opportunity handed his way, as seen by his tally of zero crosses and dribbles completed.

He was even fortunate not to be sent off, with his high challenge on Tijjani Reijnders somehow going unpunished – before being replaced at the break by Farke.

Gnonto wasn’t the only player who struggled against Guardiola’s men, with centre-back Pascal Struijk coming under fire for numerous errors throughout the contest.

The Dutchman was only able to win 50% of the aerial battles he entered at the Etihad, often being dominated in the air and resulting in added chances for the hosts.

He also nearly produced a costly mistake after slipping on the greasy turf, but luckily for the player and the team, his error only led to a corner rather than a goal.

The Leeds star who needs to be dropped after Man City

Going away to the Etihad and trying to get a result is no mean feat, with the former champions boasting one of the best home records in the division over recent seasons.

It’s a feat achieved by the Whites in years gone by, but unfortunately for Farke, he was unable to match the achievements previously achieved by Marcelo Bielsa.

As previously mentioned, there are certainly positives for the manager to pick out from the contest – as seen by their response to get themselves off the canvas in the second half.

However, multiple players’ showings will be a cause for concern for the German, which could certainly result in shape and personal changes ahead of their next top-flight outing.

Jayden Bogle is a player who has been a consistent starter for the Whites in 2025/26, as seen by his total of 13 appearances – subsequently not missing a single game to date.

Despite the faith shown in him by Farke once again yesterday, he was unable to produce one of his best showings, and often struggled to contain Jeremy Doku.

The Englishman’s underlying stats from the defeat further showcase his struggles, which could see the manager shuffle his pack and drop the 25-year-old as a result.

Jayden Bogle – stats against Man City

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

90

Touches

46

Passes completed

63%

Possession lost

14x

Dribbles completed

0

Long balls completed

0

Crosses completed

1

Tackles made

0

Stats via FotMob

He only managed to complete 63% of the passes he attempted, subsequently losing possession on 14 separate occasions – highlighting his struggles with the ball at his feet.

Other numbers, such as zero dribbles, zero long balls and just 46 touches of the ball – a tally that was fewer than goalkeeper Lucas Perri, who managed 56 – showcase his lack of impact on proceedings.

Out of possession, Bogle was just as disappointing, as he was unable to make a single tackle, whilst making no blocks and just a single interception in his 90-minute display.

There’s little disputing that the full-back has been an excellent option for Farke in 2025/26 to date, but he will no doubt be concerned by the lack of impact against City.

As a result, the German should look to shuffle his options around in midweek, with a huge reaction needed to make amends for the disappointing defeat yesterday.

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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.

The former India wicketkeeper-batter was unveiled as a replacement player, a day before the ILT20’s first player auction

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2025Sharjah Warriorz have signed former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik for the upcoming season of the ILT20 in the UAE. Warriorz unveiled Karthik as a replacement for Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis, ahead of the league’s first player auction on October 1.At Warriorz, Karthik, 40, will reunite with the big-hitting Tim David with whom he had won IPL 2025 though as a batting coach and mentor at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).”I am very excited to be joining the Sharjah Warriorz team for the DP World ILT20 tournament,” Karthik said in a statement. “I know they are a young team, aspiring to do some special things, and I am happy to be here. Sharjah is also one of those iconic stadiums one always wants to play at. And to be a part of the franchise Sharjah Warriorz, makes a dream come true.”Related

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Warriorz head coach JP Duminy welcomed Karthik into their set-up. “Dinesh Karthik is one of the most experienced hands and an incredibly innovative mind when it comes to T20 cricket, and I am chuffed to have him in our corner,” Duminy said. “The whole world has seen what he is capable of with the bat, and his explosive batting, dynamic personality, and immense experience will surely benefit the younger players significantly during the course of the tournament. I look forward to working with him closely.”This will be Karthik’s fourth stint as a player in franchise cricket outside of the IPL after being part of Bangla Tigers in the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10, Southern Superstars in the 2024 Legends League, and Paarl Royals in the 2025 SA20. Karthik forayed into the global franchise circuit after retiring from Indian and international cricket in June 2024.Dinesh Karthik represented Paarl Royals in the 2025 SA20•SA20Karthik brings with him a wealth of T20 experience: he has played 412 matches so far, scoring 7537 runs at an average of 27.01 and strike rate of 136.66. In the IPL, he played for six teams, which included leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He also was among the fittest players in the IPL, having missed just two matches across 17 seasons.In the upcoming season of the ILT20, Karthik could play with or against R Ashwin, his former India and Tamil Nadu team-mate. Ashwin has entered the ILT20 auction with the highest base price – the only player at the auction with a base price in six figures.With LPL 2025 set to clash with the ILT20, Mendis has pulled out along with allrounder Dasun Shanaka, who was earlier retained by defending champions Dubai Capitals.

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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• India need a first-innings fix, and quickly

• Siraj fined, Head reprimanded for Adelaide Test altercation

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.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that he expects the team to be active at the trade deadline as the team looks to upgrade its rotation, bullpen and infield ahead of the second half of the season.

As the Yankees are expected to be buyers, one team potentially looking to sell at the deadline would make an excellent trade partner for New York. Multiple MLB insiders, including ESPN's Jeff Passan, MLB Network's Jon Morosi and MLB.com's Bryan Hoch have linked the Yankees with a potential swoop for a pair of Arizona Diamondbacks standouts.

Passan wrote Thursday that he considers third baseman Eugenio Suarez to be the "main target" for the organization and noted that the team could look to solve two of its needs by also attempting to trade for starting pitcher Zac Gallen, or even Merrill Kelly.

Those thoughts were echoed by Morosi on Thursday's episode of when he called Gallen a "really strong fit" with the Yankees. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch said all three D-Backs players would "make sense" for New York to pursue, too.

Suarez, 33, has a .883 OPS with 29 home runs (tied fourth in MLB) and 75 RBIs (tied for fifth in MLB). Gallen, 29, has struggled a bit this year with a 5.15 ERA, but has a great track record and has only had an ERA over 3.65 in one other season of his career. Kelly, 36, has a 3.41 ERA across 19 starts with 107 strikeouts in 111 innings.

All three are on expiring contracts, and with Arizona sitting at 46–47 in a crowded National League, they may look to recoup some value for the veterans at the deadline. And if they're selling, expect the Yankees to be among the teams looking to buy.

There is a two-day match in Canberra next weekend but Ben Stokes indicated Test squad members were unlikely to feature

Matt Roller23-Nov-20252:13

Stokes defends attacking approach after batting collapse

England are unlikely to send any of the players involved in their eight-wicket thrashing in Perth to Canberra for next week’s pink-ball tour match, a decision which former captain Michael Vaughan has described as “amateurish”.The speed of Australia’s win in a chaotic first Ashes Test has left England with 11 days before the start of the second, day-night Test in Brisbane on December 4. There is a two-day, pink-ball match scheduled between a Prime Minister’s XI and an England XI on November 29, but England Lions have long been scheduled to fulfil that fixture rather than the main touring party.Related

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Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, said after the first Test that England would consider sending some players to Canberra. “I haven’t even thought about it just yet, to be honest, because I planned on us being a little bit longer than two days,” he told the BBC’s . “We’ll let the dust settle tonight and then we’ll have a good think about it tomorrow.”But Ben Stokes, their captain, suggested that England will stick to their guns and head straight to Brisbane on November 26 to prepare for the second Test at the Gabba. “That’s how it was done a long time ago,” he replied, when asked if his side should look to play another competitive match in the aftermath of their heavy defeat.”We prepare incredibly well,” Stokes said. “We work incredibly hard every single day that we get the opportunity to work on our game, and that’s what we’ll keep on doing because we believe and we trust in our process.England folded twice in Perth but it’s currently unlikely any of the batters will play in Canberra•Getty Images”If the results don’t go the way in our favour, that’s not going to differ from that (sic) because, hand on heart, we know that we put every little bit or ounce of ourselves into our training, and we know and believe that this is the best way for this team to operate.”Alastair Cook, England’s leading run-scorer in their most recent series win in Australia in 2010-11, urged them to reconsider. “In this situation, I would want to go and play in the pink-ball game against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, not just leave it to the Lions players,” he wrote in his column.”It can be an uncomfortable decision as you are opening yourself up to failing again, but putting yourself under pressure can have long-term benefits. However much you practise in the nets, you cannot replicate the feeling of time in the middle.”Vaughan, the top-scorer in the 2002-03 Ashes, went even harder, suggesting that England should go into the tour match at full strength – including fielding the fast bowlers that played in Perth. “It’s amateurish if they don’t go and play now,” he said. “What harm is playing two days of cricket with a pink ball under lights?”They’ve played two days of cricket. They’ve been out in the field for, what, 70 [67.3] overs? Look, they’re professional cricketers. I can’t be so old-school to suggest that by playing cricket, you might get a little bit better… My method would be, you’ve got a pink-ball, two-day game: you go and grab it, go and take it. Play those two days, and make sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance.”It’s not being old-school to suggest that a pink ball is different to a red ball. Playing under the lights is different. Australia have won pretty much every pink-ball game in Australia: they’ve lost once. I’m not too old-school to suggest that they should play in that game… I’d like to know why they wouldn’t.”England released three unused members of their Test squad – Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Matthew Potts – to play for the Lions in their ongoing tour match against a Cricket Australia XI at Lilac Hill from the second day of the first Test, and may take a similar approach for the PM’s XI fixture.The PM’s XI will be captained by Peter Handscomb and features three other players with Test match experience in top-order batters Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney, and veteran seamer Peter Siddle.