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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will remain in the spotlight while a big question remains on who replaces Shreyas Iyer in the middle order

Sidharth Monga29-Nov-20251:37

Saba Karim: ‘Expect Rohit, Kohli to do well in home series’

Big picture – India can’t be complacent despite recent dominance in ODIsWe can sometimes forget the unfortunate part injuries play in a team’s fortunes. India are now going into a third straight international match with a third different captain after Shubman Gill’s neck injury in the Kolkata Test forced him out of action following non-stop cricket for India’s newest three-format obsession. Their ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, is also out with a rib injury he sustained while taking a catch back in Australia.This format, though, is still the ideal sweet spot for India. Or at least this generation of players, up until the injured full-time captain and vice-captain. India have been dominant in ODIs, winning the last Asia Cup and the last Champions Trophy, and losing only the final in the last World Cup.Related

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However, they are careful not to be complacent because the next World Cup takes them to South Africa. So they are always going to be wondering if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will still be good to go in late 2027, how to find a seam-bowling allrounder, how to manage workloads. And this is the format teams play the least of.India’s opponents are nowhere near as dominant in ODIs in recent times but they will be riding the high of having beaten India 2-0 in the Tests. This is a rare full tour as nowadays home teams prefer to split Tests and shorter formats to allegedly maximise the earnings. However, all-format tours have their own charm of one side trying to dominate the other team completely and the other looking for some redemption in the other formats.Also, South Africa are closer to full strength now with the exception of Kagiso Rabada’s injury-enforced absence. The return of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma should add heft to their batting, and Keshav Maharaj should provide them the spin control they missed in Pakistan.These are just three ODIs and they will be forgotten quickly, what with more focus on T20Is right now, but they promise to be cracking contests while they last.Form guideIndia WLLWW
South Africa LWLLWMatthew Breetzke comes to India with a huge reputation to live up to•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: RoKo and Matthew BreetzkeKL Rahul will take over India’s leadership as the selectors have resisted the temptation to go back to Rohit Sharma, who returned to the ODIs, his only active international format, with a century in the third match against Australia. It is a clear sign that Rohit and Virat Kohli will forever remain under extra scrutiny just by the virtue of how old they will be by the World Cup in 2027.Matthew Breetzke comes to India with a big reputation to live up to. He is the only player to have scored 50 or more in each of his first five ODIs, and he averages 67.75 while playing the difficult role of batting in the middle order.Team news: Shubman Gill and Kagiso Rabada are outYashasvi Jaiswal should be the natural replacement for Gill at the top of the order with Ruturaj Gaikwad primed to take Iyer’s slot in the middle order. If Gaikwad gets the nod, Rishabh Pant, who is back in the squad, will struggle to make the starting XI because India will need two allrounders. It remains to be seen if one of those allrounders will be a seam bowler in Nitish Kumar Reddy. In Australia, they played all three while the series was live because they wanted batting depth. If they repeat the formation, all three will get in.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ruturaj Gaikwad/Rishabh Pant, 5 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 9 Harshit Rana, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh Krishna1:09

Karim: An opportunity for Jaiswal ‘to cement his place’

Markram should slot back into the opening role, something South Africa have tried since the last World Cup where he batted at No. 4. Bavuma should take his No. 3 position.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Rubin Hermann, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi NgidiPitch and conditionsThis is only the sixth ODI Ranchi is hosting. There has been only one score of over 300, which was defended successfully, but chases of 270-280 haven’t quite been cakewalks either. The pitch generally is on the slower side; in the last ODI there, Washington Sundar opened the bowling for India. The weather will be perfect to play cricket in, but a lot will depend on dew. Without dew, batting first is not a bad shout in Ranchi.Stats and trivia Since 2006, India and South Africa have played ten bilateral ODI series against each other. The scoreline is 5-5. Bavuma needs 59 runs to become only the 22nd South Africa player to score 2000 ODI runs.Quotes”Rutu, obviously, is a top-class player. We have all seen it. With whatever opportunities, limited opportunities he has got [with India], he has really utilised it and shown what he can do. Unfortunately, in ODI cricket, the top six or top five is quite settled. And they are performing really well.”
“When you add those two names to the line-up, we expect to see a full house tomorrow and that’s exciting. I think obviously two vastly experienced and dangerous players and they can cause a lot of damage to us, but we tend to try to focus on what sort of damage we can cause the opposition.”

As Chelsea thrashed Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League, former Stamford Bridge star Pat Nevin was left in awe of Estevao Willian, who scored a stunning individual effort in a true breakout performance for the young Brazilian.

The Blues started as they meant to go on, almost inviting Hansi Flick’s high-line, baiting Barcelona in. The Spaniards were handed plenty of warning signs, too. Wesley Fofana’s hand spared their early blushes, before the linesman’s flag suggested that Flick had picked his tactic well for the trip to Stamford Bridge. But the inevitable was clear.

Come the 27th-minute, Barcelona and Jules Kounde completed the job that Enzo Fernandez believed he’d done twice prior by finding the back of the net to hand Chelsea the lead. The own goal opened the gate in a half of onslaught that simply did not rest after the break, when West London was treated to the Estevao show.

On a night centred around one of the early 2026 Ballon d’Or favourites Lamine Yamal, it was Chelsea’s youngster who shined brightest to score a wonderful goal in the 55th-minute. The 18-year-old is proving to be one of the best signings of the Todd Boehly era.

Aside from Ferran Torres’ wasted effort early on, Barcelona didn’t have a sniff against Enzo Maresca’s dominant side. This was no 2005 display from the Spanish club. Instead, it was excellency from the hosts in the Champions League as they secured their biggest-ever win against Barcelona.

The impressive victory has made it three wins from five in the Champions League and highlighted them as a potential dark horse. They’ve got plenty of history in European football these days and have just added another night to remember.

Pat Nevin blown away by "utterly brilliant" Estevao

When news emerged earlier this week that Cole Palmer has fractured his toe in a home accident, there may have been understandable concern around West London about where the Blues would continue to find their spark. But Estevao wouldn’t have shared that concern. He saw an opportunity – an opportunity that he’s taken with both hands against Barcelona, of all sides.

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He ended the evening with three chances created, one goal, eight touches inside the Barcelona box and deserved praise from Nevin. The former Chelsea man was blown away by the teenage sensation, telling BBC Sport: “You know what? Start believing the hype! Estevao Willian is EXTRA special!

“The way he goes past the first player, there is no space whatsoever and he leaves him for dead. He did it just by pure skill and fast feet. He still had a difficult angle to overcome to finish it but he leathered it into the net.

“He is going to be absolutely and utterly brilliant. It isn’t a question of if, it is a question of when and how good he is going to be.”

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Middlesex stutter to 189 for 8 on truncated day at Emirates Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay16-Sep-2025Middlesex 189 for 8 (De Caires 52, Geddes 52, Bailey 4-60) vs Lancashire Tom Bailey took four wickets to ensure Lancashire reduced Middlesex’s already slim promotion hopes still further on a rain-affected second day of the Rothesay County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford.After the first day of the game had been wiped out by rain, only 44 overs’ play was possible between the heavy showers on the second but the visitors ended a long and mostly sunlit evening session on 189 for 8 after Ben Geddes had been dismissed for 52 four overs before the close and Seb Morgan had fallen lbw to Bailey’s last ball of a truncated day.Having been asked to bat first in bowler-friendly conditions, the visitors were also indebted to opener Josh De Caires, who made 52 runs, many of them against the new ball at a time when the players were regularly forced off the field by rain.The match began at noon but barely 20 minutes’ play was possible before a heavy shower forced the players off again. In that time, however, Middlesex lost two wickets in five overs, Sam Robson being caught at second slip by Keaton Jennings off Bailey for 9, and the left-handed Luke Hollman being taken at first slip by Michael Jones for a four-ball nought when James Anderson slanted a ball across him and induced the edge.Two balls later – and probably to Hollman’s intense irritation – more showers blew in on the westerly wind and prevented play resuming for over two hours. An early lunch was taken and Middlesex resumed their innings on 13 for 2.On the bright side, the visitors then added 48 runs in six overs, De Caires hitting three successive fours off Tom Aspinwall and the visitors bringing up their fifty in the tenth over. However, only seven more balls were possible, though, before yet more heavy rain arrived from the direction of the Party Stand with Middlesex on 61 for 2.Play resumed at four o’clock and Middlesex immediately lost two wickets to successive deliveries from Aspinwall. Having put on 54 with de Caires, Leus du Plooy was caught behind for 22 when attempting to drive and Ryan Higgins departed first ball when he appeared surprised by Aspinwall’s pace and edged a catch to Jones at first slip.Geddes joined de Caires and the pair put on another 54 runs during the course of which the Middlesex opener was dropped by Bailey off his own bowling when on 46. De Caires reached his fifty off 65 balls when he nicked Bailey past third slip and to the boundary but the opener was caught behind for 52 three balls later when driving ambitiously at the same bowler.Josh Bohannon was introduced into the attack from the Statham End and struck with his first ball when he bowled Joe Cracknell for 6. By the close, however, Middlesex had recovered to near parity in the conditions with Geddes having reached his 50 off 80 balls with five fours and three sixes, all of the latter having been whacked over the short boundary on the Party Stand side of the ground.Nine balls after reaching that personal landmark, Geddes nicked Bailey high to Jennings’ left at second slip and the former Lancashire skipper took a fine two-handed catch. At the close, Zafar Gohar was 16 not out. Bailey finished the day with figures of 4 for 60 and Aspinwall with 2 for 48.

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Liverpool are plotting ways to get their Premier League season back on track and could now be set to make a surprise move to bring an exciting forward to Anfield.

Arne Slot looks to evade Liverpool pressure after recent results

It goes without saying that Arne Slot has been under pressure at Liverpool in recent weeks, and reports have even began to link Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique with the Anfield hotseat as scrutiny follows the Dutchman.

Nevertheless, football statistician Josh Williams told BBC Radio Merseyside that he doesn’t believe the former Feyenoord manager should be relieved of his duties, stating that the issues he has faced this season can be internally fixed.

He said: “I wouldn’t sack Arne Slot if it can be helped because whoever replaces him will have the same top-heavy, unbalanced squad. There are two playable centre-halfs and no right-backs as it stands and a dwindling star down the right side in Mohamed Salah.

“You can’t really drop him without it being a massive story. Even if it is a coaching issue that can be solved behind the scenes, whoever replaces him has a game every three days now.”

In the cold light of day, Liverpool’s transfer spend of over £400 million in the summer wasn’t bad on paper, with some high-profile stars arriving following their Premier League triumph last term.

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Nevertheless, the Reds have really struggled to generate momentum since the early part of the campaign, which has put them in a position where the January window and beyond have become more important than anyone would’ve liked them to be.

With that in mind, Liverpool could now turn to an unexpected source to bolster their attack as Slot looks for answers within his tactical framework.

Liverpool make enquiry for Everton attacker Iliman Ndiaye

Antoine Semenyo is said to be one of Liverpool’s key targets for January but he’s not the only Premier League winger on their radar.

According to Foot Mercato, Liverpool have made an enquiry for Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, and he is also on the radar of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur after an excellent start to the campaign.

The Senegal international has made 15 appearances across all competitions this term, registering four goals and an assist in total and his versatility is said to appeal to the three clubs who have emerged as suitors.

Lauded by Toffees journalist Patrick Boyland as “one of the best in the league in his position”, Ndiaye is said to be worth in and around the £70 million bracket, likely meaning he would be someone Liverpool need to pay a premium for if they are serious about seeinh him cross Merseyside.

Any move would see a fair deal of controversy unfold, given Liverpool haven’t signed a player directly from Everton since Abel Xavier in 2002. Still, the 25-year-old is someone who is worth the risk as Slot looks to find new solutions in the final third.

Mayank underwent back surgery post 2025 IPL and was among the most critical questions LSG had to deal with during the retention exercise

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Nov-2025Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to retain India fast bowler Mayank Yadav but will release legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, South Africa batter David Miller and India fast bowler Akash Deep.It is understood that LSG have also decided to retain most of their core set of players including Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Ayush Badoni. Among the bowlers set to be retained are mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi, who finished as LSG’s highest-wicket taker in his maiden IPL. The retention list is also set to include India fast bowler Avesh Khan along with uncapped batters Abdul Samad and Himmat Singh along with India allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed. Among the uncapped bowlers to be retained are left-arm fast bowler Mohsin Khan, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav and M Siddharth.Mayank, who underwent back surgery post 2025 IPL, was among the most critical questions LSG had to deal with during the retention exercise. The Delhi fast bowler, who forced his way to get an international debut last year, with his ability to shoot speeds in the vicinity of the 150kmph-mark consistently, was among the three players LSG had retained ahead of the 2025 mega auction, for INR 11 crore. Mayank, who bagged two Player-of-the-Match awards in IPL 2024, though, played just two matches in the 2025 season before a back injury ruled him out.Related

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Mayank, 23, is currently doing his rehab and is understood to resume bowling soon and is expected to bowl at at least 85% capacity by next February with the aim of getting fully ready come IPL. For LSG his lack of bowling was the critical question, but the think tank, which includes Tom Moody (director of cricket), Justin Langer (head coach) and former India bowling coach Bharat Arun (head of talent), is understood to have agreed it was worth retaining Mayank.Bishnoi, 25, was originally picked by LSG before IPL 2022 for INR 4 crore as an uncapped player. In 2022, when LSG made the playoffs, Bishnoi picked up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 8.44. A year later, now an international, Bishnoi bagged 16 scalps at an economy rate of 7.74 and played a role in LSG reaching the playoffs once again.Bishnoi was retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 mega auction for INR 11 crore. However, in the last two seasons, Bishnoi returned below-par bowling figures. In 2024 he took 10 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 8.77; in 2025 he bagged just nine wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 10.83. Overall for LSG, Bishnoi picked 48 wickets in 53 innings at an economy rate of 8.80 while never winning once the Player-of-the-Match award.It is learnt that it was his inability to develop into a consistent match-winner is what prompted the LSG think tank to release Bishnoi. The legspinner, who has featured in 42 T20Is for India, is understood to have been offered as a trade option to several franchises by LSG, but there were no takers.The decision to release Akash Deep and Miller, who were bought by LSG at the 2025 auction for INR 8 crore and 7.5 crore respectively, comes after their poor returns. Miller, known for his power-hitting and finishing skills, scored 153 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 127.49 in the last IPL season. Akash Deep, who missed the first half of IPL 2025 due to an injury he suffered during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, played six matches, picking three wickets at an economy rate of 12.05.

Liverpool have now reportedly joined Arsenal in the race to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace as the South London club continue their attempts to agree a new deal with the Frenchman.

The Reds could certainly do with an added boost one way or another. They entered the November international break off the back of yet another defeat, this time against Manchester City, and must put their Premier League form behind them against Nottingham Forest this Saturday.

Against Sean Dyche’s side that will be easier said than done, however, and what hasn’t helped Arne Slot is the recent injury news regarding Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz. Both will miss Forest’s visit to Anfield this weekend, with Bradley set to be out for at least three weeks in a major blow.

Slot confirmed the news, telling reporters: “[Andy] Robertson will be with us today. Alisson trained last week and this week so he will be able to play if things work out today.

“We do have some issues after the international break. Conor Bradley is unable to play, Florian Wirtz unable to play. That is far from ideal. Both muscle issues. I don’t expect Conor to be part of the upcoming 22 days, maybe the end unless a miracle happens. Florian maybe should not be that long. Jeremie is out just as long, won’t be available in the next few weeks.”

Without Bradley, the Reds will only have Calvin Ramsay to call on at right-back, unless they decide to pull Dominik Szoboszlai from midfield again. With games coming thick and fast, it’s the last thing they needed.

However, Liverpool’s focus seemingly remains on improving their frontline even further. Despite breaking their transfer record to sign Alexander Isak in the summer, Anfield chiefs have now set their sights on Mateta.

Liverpool eyeing Jean-Philippe Mateta deal

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are eyeing a move to sign Mateta, who has also attracted the interest of Arsenal now that he’s almost into the final year of his Crystal Palace contract.

Better signing than Semenyo: Liverpool enter race for £100m "superstar"

Liverpool are weighing up a 2026 bid for one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 21, 2025

The South London club are desperately attempting to tie their striker down to a new deal, but talks are yet to reach a conclusion. The longer negotiations go on, the more encouragement that the likes of Liverpool will have to move in and secure the Frenchman.

Minutes

959

632

Goals

6

3

Assists

0

1

Expected Goals

8.1

2.3

Although there will be some concerns that Mateta has underperformed his expected goals, the threat that he creates is clear. It speaks volumes of his quality that he’s outscored Hugo Ekitike so far this season, who many believe has made a solid start to life at Anfield.

Dubbed “amazing” by Palace boss Oliver Glasner, Mateta has become one of the best strikers in the Premier League in the last two years and may finally earn a big move as a result.

Diaz 2.0: Liverpool prepare £88m bid to sign "the best player in the world"

After his public spat with Atalanta manager Ivan Juric, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly ready to accelerate their move to sign Ademola Lookman in 2026.

It comes as no surprise that those in North London have identified an attacking target. Thomas Frank’s side have lacked conviction at times this season, with their striker problem recently made worse by Randal Kolo Muani’s injury. Despite initial news indicating that his injury is not serious, reports are now claiming that the Frenchman has suffered a fractured jaw.

The injury comes at a frustrating time for the forward, who is yet to score a goal for Tottenham in a difficult run of form. Even in the middle of that form, however, Frank could do with having Kolo Muani available.

With Dominic Solanke still sidelined, the Dane has just Richarlison and academy graduate Dane Scarlett to call on against Arsenal in his first official North London derby in charge of Tottenham.

It’s an attacking problem that Spurs know they must address and club chiefs have already reportedly set their sights on Rodrygo to do exactly that. The Real Madrid star has an uncertain future in Spain after falling out of favour under Xabi Alonso and Spurs are reportedly willing to spend as much as £70m to secure his signature as a result.

There’s no doubt that the Brazilian would be a statement signing as one of the best wingers in the world, but he may not be the only one that the Lilywhites pursue in 2026.

In an attacking overhaul, those in North London have also set their sights on Lookman and are reportedly ready to step things up in the race for his arrival.

Tottenham ready to accelerate Lookman move

As reported by TuttoJuve, Tottenham are now ready to accelerate their move to sign Lookman in 2026 with the talented forward desperate to move on from the Italian club.

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The former Fulham ace was denied a move away in the summer, despite handing in a transfer request, and has since fallen out with manager Juric and removed Atalanta from his Twitter bio. Ever since he was denied a summer switch, an exit has simply looked inevitable.

As the saga continues, it’s Spurs who are attempting to take full advantage to welcome the Nigerian back to the Premier League. Although the Lilywhites won’t be the only club in the race, the fact that Lookman is represented by the same agency as Mohammed Kudus could provide them with an unexpected advantage in any negotiations.

It’s certainly a transfer race that would be worth winning, too. Before their recent disagreement, Juric went as far as to describe Lookman as “spectacular” and there’s little doubt that he’s still Atalanta’s most important player.

Forget Spence: Frank has a future superstar who can end Porro's Spurs career

The 4pm starts, designed to better suit a UK TV audience, were a disaster, for the team batting first and the locals who can’t watch the match

Cameron Ponsonby18-Nov-2024Well, here we go again. It’s time to learn.I hate learning. In the wider educational sense, I understand it has its benefits. The pen being mightier than the sword and all that. But in a cricket context, it is code for low-stakes cricket.This was true for the ODI series, where a sub-strength England took on a West Indies side who hadn’t qualified for the Champions Trophy and duly took their beating. But it shouldn’t have been the case for the T20 series, where the West Indies are a cohesive, exciting cricket team taking on an England side boosted by the return of a white-ball genius in Jos Buttler and sporting young talents like Jacob Bethell. This was set to be a lot of fun.But forget Phil Salt and Akeal Hosein for a second. Because the fundamental takeaway from this series is an administrative one. Don’t mess with timings. The 4pm starts, designed to better suit a UK TV audience, were a disaster, creating a double disadvantage for the team batting first, with the wickets being at their worst under the afternoon sun, before dew settles in the evening making the pitch good for batting and the ball slippery for bowling. No team won a match on this tour after losing the toss.Related

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After the deciding ODI, Liam Livingstone said he’d never played a match where conditions had altered so much from one innings to the next. “It’s no excuse,” he said to remain professional. “But even if we’d got 350 I don’t think it’d have been enough,” he added to say what he really meant.West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell was consistent on the issue throughout. After losing the first match of the series, he said, “the best case is for the games to start at 7pm. When we looked at the schedule and realised it would start at 4pm, we knew that would be a problem.”And then after the coin fell his way and his team won the fourth match: “It’s one of the first times I’ve seen in the Caribbean that once you win the toss, you win the game. It’s too skewed.”We all get it. Cricket bends to the will of the broadcaster. These are shows designed for those on the sofa at home, not for those in attendance at the ground – and that is true across sports and has been the case for a long time. The ultimate example of this is US car manufacturer Chevrolet’s sponsorship of Manchester United. From 2012 to 2019, they spent $559m for their logo to be on the front of United’s shirt. Chevrolet doesn’t sell cars in the UK.The argument goes that this is where the money comes from. Cricket needs cash and so it is better to have a few thousand fewer people in the ground with an inconvenient start time, but with more money gained as a result from the broadcast rights being of a greater value.

“The best case is for the games to start at 7pm. When we looked at the schedule and realised it would start at 4pm, we knew that would be a problem.”Rovman Powell, West Indies T20 captain

As a matter of opinion, that argument is short-sighted. Because the TV product you’re selling will lose value over time if every time people turn on the TV they see empty stands. Keep selling a crappy product and those TV rights will drop in value. And then eventually you’re left with no one watching in the crowd and no one watching at home either.But as a matter of fact, shifting times cannot impact the integrity of the result. That is ludicrous and devalues the sport.In every T20I match across the series, the stands started off empty and then gradually filled as the match ebbed into the times that they should have originally been starting. By the end of Saturday’s match at Kensington Oval, there was a superb atmosphere supporting what was a genuinely excellent sporting event and then even in the seemingly sparsely attended fourth T20I in St Lucia, when the West Indies chase got going later in the atmosphere was excellent.At risk of labouring the point. There is a genuine desire and enjoyment of cricket in the Caribbean. Put it at a time when locals can watch and stop playing Sweet Caroline. We’re not at Edgbaston. If then it fails. Fine. But give it a chance. Don’t, as happened here, put it at a time where the main event took place thirty minutes before a ball was bowled.For what it’s worth, we did have one match where the toss wasn’t set to be the be-all and end-all. Ahead of the fifth T20I, Sherfane Rutherford said he reckoned on this occasion, because of how good the pitch was after it had been baked by three days of sun, that the toss shouldn’t matter. And then it rained. Good stuff.The lopsided nature of the contest also framed how much the teams could really learn themselves. West Indies are searching for greater depth in bowling, but spent three matches having to defend inadequate totals because they’d lost the toss. That doesn’t help anyone. England, blessed with playing in favourable conditions, were excellent. You can’t blame a team for making the most of their opportunity. Saqib Mahmood, in particular, was superb, Bethell is worth the hype, Buttler is back with a smile on his face, Salt is superb against the West Indies and Jamie Overton could be anything. But in the one game England had to bowl second, West Indies were 136 for one in nine overs.At the end of it all, England posed with the T20 trophy in the pavilion at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground as the rain fell outside. Bethell is in the middle, holding the cup. And if you zoom in close enough, you can see it engraved with West Indies vs England T20 Series 2024: The Caveat Cup.

Newcastle United ended a long wait for an away win in the Premier League this season with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Everton at the Hill Dickinson on Saturday.

Eddie Howe will have been delighted with how clinical his team were in the final third, as Malick Thiaw scored twice, either side of goals from Nick Woltemade and Lewis Miley.

Woltemade has now scored five goals in the Premier League this season since his £69m move from Stuttgart during the summer transfer window, after he replaced Alexander Isak.

The Germany international’s impressive form has not been great news for everyone at St. James’ Park, though, because it has meant that opportunities for other forwards in the squad have been limited.

Newcastle forward seeking January transfer

Woltemade is the guaranteed first-choice number nine for the Magpies, as evidenced by ten starts in ten Premier League outings, and that has left another player to consider their future at the club.

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 German outlet BILD, via Newcastle World, Newcastle United centre-forward William Osula ‘wants to leave’ St. James’ Park in the January transfer window in search of regular first-team football.

The report claims that Eintracht Frankfurt, who were keen on him in the summer, remain interested in a potential deal to snap him up from the Magpies ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Newcastle World notes that Frankfurt came close to signing the Dane on a permanent deal for £30m in the summer before they pursued a loan move at the last minute, which led to a breakdown in negotiations.

It adds that a similar transfer fee to that £30m offer could see a transfer done in January, and PIF must now move to cash in on the forward in the German side are willing to put that kind of money on the table again.

Why Newcastle should sell William Osula

Osula, who is currently out with an ankle injury, is clearly a talented prospect who could become a key player for the Magpies in the future. He has scored three goals in just 370 minutes this season, per Sofascore, including a goal against Liverpool in the Premier League.

At 22, the Danish marksman has the majority of his career left ahead of him to develop and improve, but it is a question of when and where his development will happen, because he needs to be playing games in order to progress.

Woltemade is only a year older than Osula and Newcastle have Yoane Wissa to come back from injury, which means that there is no visible short-term route to him being a first-choice option for Howe.

Where Osula would rank in Newcastle’s record sales
Player	Fee
Alexander Isak	£125m
Andy Carroll	£35m
Elliot Anderson	£35m
Yankuba Minteh	£30m
Moussa Sissoko	£30m
Ayoze Perez	£30m
Will Osula	£30m (rumoured)
Gini Wijnaldum	£25m
Allan Saint-Maximin	£23m
Aleksandar Mitrovic	£22m
Fees via Football FanCast

As you can see in the table above, selling the 22-year-old to Frankfurt, or any other team, for £30m in January would make the youngster one of the most expensive sales in the club’s history, with only three players having been sold for more.

Osula was once described by former teammate Curtis Davies as being like “a poor man’s Haaland” with his physicality in the number nine role, and you saw a glimpse of that with the way he bundled his way through to score against Liverpool.

However, it does not appear as though he will get the time on the pitch that is needed for him to realise his potential at Newcastle, because of Woltemade and Wissa, which may be why he now wants to leave the club in January.

PIF and Howe should not step in his way because selling him for a potential fee of £30m could be the best possible outcome for all parties involved. Osula would get to go and pursue regular football and find a new home, whilst the Magpies would have funds available to bolster their squad in other areas.

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Therefore, PIF should axe the Danish striker when the January transfer window opens for business, should Frankfurt make a significant offer for his services, as it may be the right decision for the club and the player.