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Leeds United are ready to sell a first-team player in the January transfer window, and there is now interest from a Champions League giant.

Pressure on Farke ahead of Leeds vs Aston Villa

Daniel Farke arguably appears to be the Premier League manager under the most pressure as club football prepares to make a return.

The Whites go into Sunday’s clash at home to Elland Road off the back of two disappointing away defeats to Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

Leeds’ upcoming fixtures

Date

Aston Villa (h)

November 23rd

Manchester City (a)

November 29th

Chelsea (h)

December 3rd

Liverpool (h)

December 6th

Brentford (a)

December 14th

Crystal Palace (h)

December 21st

Sunderland (a)

December 28th

Now just a point above the relegation zone, Farke insisted that his side aren’t panicking.

Leeds have already been linked with numerous managers to replace Farke in Yorkshire, including former RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose and ex-Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou, both of whom are currently out of work.

However, the 49ers Enterprises are ready to give Farke until January to turn things around, and in the winter transfer market, one player exit could materialise.

Inter Milan keen to sign Leeds goalkeeper Meslier

According to reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Inter Milan are interested in signing Illan Meslier in 2026.

Leeds are ready to sell the goalkeeper in the January transfer window with his contract up at the end of the season, however, Inter, as well as rivals AC Milan, have their eyes on a free transfer in the summer.

Both Milan sides have a good relationship with Meslier’s agent Pini Zahavi, who is looking to find the Frenchman a new permanent home with the goalkeeper failing to make an appearance for Leeds in 2025/26, being preferred to new signing Lucas Perri and Wales number one Karl Darlow.

Of course, should Meslier’s situation remain the same, he’ll be able to pen a pre-contract agreement with Inter or AC Milan in the New Year.

The 49ers may find it tough to recoup the £5m they spent on Meslier back in 2020, which is something that would’ve been hard to believe a few years ago when the ‘keeper was once valued at £50m at Elland Road.

Inter are currently joint-top of the Champions League group with four wins from a possible four, conceding just once during that time.

They have Yann Sommer (36), Raffaele Di Gennaro (32) and Josep Martinez (27) as their current goalkeeping options heading into 2026, and by the looks of it, Meslier could join or replace one of the trio.

Academy star who's never played a senior minute for Leeds could replace Bijol

The Red Sox may have found a solution to their need at first base.

Following the Nationals' decision to designate Nathaniel Lowe for assignment, the veteran first baseman is reportedly finalizing a deal to join the Red Sox, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan.

Lowe, 30, signed with the Nationals this offseason and played in 119 games this year. He has a .665 OPS with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs, but a -0.4 WAR.

Boston has had a hole at first base since Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury in a base running accident. Rafael Devers was approached about taking over at the position, but refused and was eventually traded. Surprisingly, the Red Sox didn't make a move at the trade deadline to address the position, either.

They'll bring Lowe aboard in hopes that he can provide some stability at first base, though he could find himself in a platoon with Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro.

Lowe is in his seventh MLB season and has 105 home runs and 397 RBIs in 805 career games.

Tottenham Hotspur moved up to third in the Premier League table on Sunday night when they travelled to the Hill Dickinson stadium to beat Everton 3-0.

The Lilywhites were not in total control, as they needed Guglielmo Vicario to make two incredibly impressive stops, but they did end the night with a comfortable scoreline.

Micky van de Ven’s first-half performance provided Spurs with a platform to go on and win the match, as he scored two goals to take his tally for the season to five.

Why Micky van de Ven has drawn comparisons to Jan Vertonghen

It feels inevitable that a left-footed centre-back will be compared to Jan Vertonghen at Spurs, particularly when the Belgian star scored five goals from centre-back in his first Premier League season in North London in the 2012/13 campaign, per Sofascore.

Vertonghen scored 14 goals in 314 appearances for Tottenham, per Transfermarkt, so it is easy to understand why some supporters have made the comparison, particularly when van de Ven once revealed that he “learned from” the Belgium international when watching him as a kid.

It was the former Spurs titan’s defensive work that made him a standout star, though, as he earned a place in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions, without scoring a single league goal in the second inclusion.

That is why Tottenham supporters should be looking to another player to compare to Vertonghen, as Kevin Danso’s defensive efforts against Everton were more Vertonghen-esque than van de Ven’s.

Spurs have unearthed their new Jan Vertonghen

Van de Ven may have scored two goals and impressed at the top end of the pitch, but it was Danso who was the shining light defensively for Thomas Frank against the Toffees.

The Austria international, as shown in the post above, made the most clearances in a game for the club since Vertonghen made 21 just shy of nine years ago.

It was an incredibly impressive outing from the former Southampton man against Everton, as he was consistently in the right place at the right time to make vital defensive interventions to prevent Vicario from being worked even more than he was.

Minutes

90

90

Tackles won

1/1

0/0

Clearances

18

7

Blocked shots

2

0

Ball recoveries

3

2

Ground duels won

2/2

1/2

Aerial duels won

4/4

1/4

As you can see in the table above, Danso offered far more to the team defensively than van de Ven did, with 11 more clearances, two more blocks, and a higher success rate in his duels on the ground and in the air.

These statistics show that the 27-year-old colossus, who was described as “quick” and “aggressive” by Jamie Redknapp, was the defensive cornerstone for the Lilywhites, and carried the Dutchman to a degree.

The £20m signing from Lens may not be a left-footed centre-back, or a huge goal threat, but he has shown that he has the impressive defensive instincts and qualities to be a Vertonghen-esque figure at the back for Frank.

If he can continue to put in performances like the one he showed against Everton, Cristian Romero may have a job on his hands to find a way of getting back into the starting line-up, as Danso currently looks undroppable.

Worse than Simons: Frank must drop 2/10 Spurs flop who lost 88% duels

Thomas Frank must drop this Tottenham Hotspur flop who was even worse than Xavi Simons.

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Frank appears to have unearthed his own Vertonghen in the defensive monster, who has won 100% of his ground duels in the Premier League this season, and long may it continue as Spurs look to climb up the table.

Lionel Messi helped to inspire Inter Miami to a historic MLS Cup triumph, but the Argentine GOAT was not really in a party mood when wild post-match celebrations were taken in. Club co-owner Sir David Beckham formed part of those, as he led a conga line, but Messi – who has enhanced his status as the most decorated player of all-time – looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world.

Historic win: Inter Miami land MLS Cup in 2025

The Herons have savoured MLS Cup glory for the first time, with impressive progress being made over the course of five years since becoming another expansion franchise in 2020. Acquiring eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi in 2023 represented a notable coup for the club.

He helped them to Leagues Cup success a matter of weeks after arriving in South Florida, before claiming the Supporters’ Shield in record-breaking style last season. Inter Miami have now landed the ultimate prize, with Vancouver being seen off in the 2025 MLS Cup final.

AdvertisementWatch Messi forced to join Beckham's conga line

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The contest took place at Chase Stadium, as the Herons prepare to bid farewell to that venue and move into a new purpose-built home for 2026. They delivered the perfect send-off when overcoming Thomas Muller and the Whitecaps.

Messi was not among the goals in a 3-1 win over Vancouver, but delivered Golden Boot-winning exploits during the regular season – finding the target on 43 occasions across all competitions.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain playmaker now has 47 major titles to his name. He was full of smiles after hoisting the MLS Cup aloft as captain of Inter Miami. Beckham was on hand – alongside wife Victoria – to join in with those celebrations.

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Getty ImagesBack for more: Messi under contract through 2028

The party carried on long after confetti had been cleared from the field, with Inter Miami’s squad getting the chance to let their hair down alongside friends and family. Beckham was front and centre again, with the Manchester United and England legend leading players in a conga as drinks flowed.

Messi was dragged into that performance, seemingly against his wishes. The evergreen 38-year-old looked less than impressed at being forced to parade alongside Sergio Busquets and Rodrigo De Paul.

While not really being in the party spirit, Messi will be back for more with Inter Miami next season. He has committed to a new three-year contract that will take him through 2028. The all-time great also has a World Cup title defence with Argentina on his agenda, with the expectation being that he will form part of the Albiceleste’s plans for the major tournament that is heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

Batter set to link up with Dubai Capitals in December but hopes to impress during Ashes warm-up fixture

Matt Roller13-Oct-2025

Jordan Cox was named PCA Men’s Player of the Year at their awards night last week•Luke Walker/Getty Images for PCA

Jordan Cox, the newly-crowned PCA men’s player of the year, will leave England Lions’ tour to Australia early to take up a lucrative contract with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20.Cox missed out on selection for England’s 16-man Ashes squad after they deemed Ollie Pope to be sufficient wicketkeeping cover for Jamie Smith. He will have a chance to impress Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes first-hand when playing for the Lions in England’s only warm-up fixture but, barring an injury, will arrive in Dubai before the ILT20 starts on December 2.”We have got an agreement,” Cox said at last week’s Toyota PCA Awards. “I won’t be at the Lions as long as people think. I will be there for the first game, maybe the second. It’s mainly to help the England boys get ready for the Test matches, which is the most important thing. When they don’t need me, they will flick me off to Dubai.”The Capitals signed Cox as a replacement player before the ILT20’s recent auction and he is understood to be one of the league’s highest earners, with a contract worth around US$250,000. His exact itinerary is yet to be confirmed, but he is expected to leave the Lions tour before they play Australia A in Brisbane on December 5.After missing out on a Test debut there last winter with an ill-timed thumb injury, Cox is back in New Zealand with England’s T20I squad ahead of the start of the series on Saturday. He capped an excellent summer for Essex and Oval Invincibles with a maiden international half-century in Ireland last month, and is anticipating a busy winter.Brydon Carse hopes his injury problems are behind him, going into the Ashes•Getty Images

“There is some England stuff I’d love to be a part of,” he said, “but if not, there’s a few franchise competitions and I’ll have some fun. My aim is to play Test cricket, but I wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone. If I get a chance, it would be awesome.”It will be nice to show Stokes, Baz and Keysy [Rob Key]. They haven’t watched me live much in red-ball [cricket]. They have come to Hundred or T20 games, but I don’t imagine they are coming to much four-day cricket. Maybe they will see something different that they like – or not – and I’d like to show them [what I can do] in the flesh. That would be really good.”I was close to a Test call-up but hopefully I will get closer. It will be nice to be on the Lions and try to score a few runs against the England bowlers to show them I’m capable… You always notice more outside of the nets: do they mingle well with the group? Are they polite, well-mannered? All that sort of stuff you need to be if you want to be an England player.”Related

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Meanwhile, Brydon Carse – who, like Cox, has arrived in New Zealand ahead of Saturday’s first T20I – has revealed that he has stockpiled specially modified bowling boots ahead of this winter’s tours. Carse struggled with an infected toe last winter and churned through pairs of spikes this summer as he tried to avoid cutting it back open.Carse said he had “absolutely no problems” with his toe this summer, and said that his sponsors have been an “unbelievable” help. “They’ve kitted me out with enough pairs of boots to go away,” he said. “They’ve started cutting holes into my boot for me, specifically made for me, which has been a massive help.”I’ve got a little hole in the second toe [area of the boot]… During that India Test series, I struggled in the first couple of games. I probably went through five or six pairs during the first two Tests. New Balance have been really supportive with me. As long as they keep churning out pairs of boots, I’ll be happy.”Carse spent two weeks training at Loughborough before travelling and said that Stokes and Mark Wood are progressing well in their recovery from injuries: “Ben is looking near enough 100% fit, and so is Mark. It’s exciting to see where they have got to after their setbacks during the summer. They will be raring to go come Australia time.”

Newcastle United have now reignited their interest in James Trafford, who has reportedly made his feelings clear about a potential move away from Manchester City in January.

The Magpies could certainly do with a lift in the winter window amid their current struggles. Eddie Howe’s side have won just three of their opening 11 games in the Premier League so far this season and are paying the price for a chaotic summer.

After defeat against Brentford, the international break couldn’t have been better-timed. It’s allowed record signing Nick Woltemade to find the back of the net for Germany once again and has granted Howe the time he needs to find a solution for his side’s problems.

The towering 23-year-old has been one of the few bright sparks for Newcastle since arriving in the summer, but Alan Shearer still believes he can still go up a few levels.

Speaking after Newcastle’s loss against Brentford, the Premier League’s record goalscorer said: “I’ve said before that as good as Nick Woltemade is with the ball at his feet, he is a problem for Newcastle because he’s not the quickest, and he can’t press, and he doesn’t run in behind.

“Eddie’s teams have always done that. Look at what Alexander Isak did or look at what Callum Wilson did, they all pressed and ran behind. But this guy can’t do that, and that’s a problem for Newcastle.”

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That said, it would be harsh to suggest that Woltemade is the Magpies’ biggest problem. Before anything, they must address the form of their wingers and perhaps even return for some missed targets such as Trafford from the summer.

Newcastle reignite James Trafford move

According to TeamTalk, Newcastle have now re-opened talks with Trafford via his representatives, as they a January deal with Man City.

The goalkeeper rejected the chance to join the Magpies in the summer, but has since been made to regret his decision after City signed Gianluigi Donnarumma so soon after his return to the Etihad.

Despite interest from Tottenham and West Ham, it is believed Newcastle’s ‘advanced talks’ from the summer, their pull and Saudi-backed ambition hands them an ‘edge’ in the race for his signature — making Howe’s side favourites.

He’s reportedly desperate to leave the Manchester club in an attempt to keep hold of his place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. Newcastle, as a result, are moving ahead of the winter window.

If the 23-year-old could turn back time, then he could be a Newcastle player right now. He returned to Man City ready to take Ederson’s place, but was simply sold a dream by Pep Guardiola and others who quickly welcomed their true replacement for the Brazilian in Donnarumma.

Now, he arguably needs Newcastle more than they need him. With Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope providing them with solid options, Trafford’s arrival would be more of a luxury than a necessity at this stage.

Nonetheless, having been described as “world-class” by Burnley boss Scott Parker last season, the young shot-stopper is still undoubtedly a player full of potential in the Premier League.

Newcastle now ready to race Barcelona to sign De Bruyne-esque talent

Counterattacking 77 suggests middle order is his natural berth – even if he doesn’t want to give up first-drop

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Nov-2024Despite playing 19 Tests together, day two at Hagley Oval was just the eighth time Ollie Pope and Harry Brook have batted together.You’d think a pair who have been locked at No. 3 and No. 5 for the last two years would be finishing each other’s sentences by now, even if the bloke sandwiched between them has been hogging one end. A four-ball duck going into lunch meant partnership-blocker Joe Root was no longer a problem.It was only at the fall of the next wicket – Ben Duckett – that Brook and Pope found themselves together at 71 for 4, New Zealand still ahead by 277 on first innings runs. Over the next 31 overs, they made up for lost time, with an engaging 151-stand that probably made them think “we should do this more often”.Related

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There’s a reason they have not, and it’s because Pope has not been able to stick around for long enough. In fact, eight out of the 32 times Brook has walked to the middle, Pope has been walking the other way.With Pope shifted down to six as the designated wicketkeeper, a union had better odds. Nevertheless, success was not guaranteed.This was only the fourth time they have combined for more than 50 runs, and only the second for a hundred. The first of those was a remarkable 176 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, the pair going at 7.08 an over as England blitzed 506 for 4 on the opening day.Pope was the far more convincing of the two here, more dominant (77 runs to 64) and much less streaky. Glenn Phillips pulled off a stunner of a one-handed catch at backward point, plucking a full-blooded cut out of the air while horizontal to see Pope off. The same Phillips who was responsible for the first of four drops off Brook, who had 18 at the time. Brook finished the day unbeaten with 132 and a pang of guilt.”Brooky, as I was walking off, came and apologised to me,” Pope revealed at stumps. “I was wondering why he made a beeline for me.”A three through the covers off his 62nd ball brought up the century stand with Brook, and also took Pope past 55 – the total number of runs he had managed in the previous series, against Pakistan.Upon returning home from averaging 11 across five innings, he put in the work and consulted England legend Alec Stewart, a long-time confidant at Surrey. It was an open discussion rather than an array of sessions in the nets – “I didn’t get him on the dog stick, he’s too high up for that, I think.” Pope wanted familiar eyes to establish what was going wrong.”It was more about ‘what does it look like when I’m at my best’ because that was a frustrating thing, I wasn’t getting to 20 or 30, to allow myself to go on to that big score.

“I want to be number three, I want to keep trying to make it mine. I’ve had too many low scores there but I’ve also managed to put together some good knocks this year batting at three. It’s a job I want to do going forward”

“We talked about having that calmness at the crease. When I’m playing well there’s that clarity in how I want to play, not trying to rush my way to 20 or 30.”There were cuts over the slips – most of them deliberate – including one from a front-foot square driving position that forced him to readjust after the ball bounced more than expected. He pounced on any width, a sound gameplay given how diligent New Zealand’s seamers had been with their straight lines. On a Friday littered with rogue pull shots, his were immaculate.Did he seem calmer? A bit. Though perhaps even that is all about perception. What might seem skittish and chaotic at No. 3 is brave and proactive at No. 6, especially given the situation that greeted him at the crease. Pope, however, declared he would have done little different had he walked out in the fourth over – when Zak Crawley was dismissed – instead of the 22nd.”If I was batting at three, I’d have tried to play exactly the same way as today. The biggest difference at three is you set the tone a lot more, if you play well you can put your team in a really strong position.”The fun thing at six, you might come in a 350 for 4 and it might be your job to push the game forward. [Or] you can get your team out a tricky situation. Both roles are good fun, just slightly different.”Different roles, different requirements. But it does seem Pope’s natural disposition is for either progressing a good situation or – as he did here – counterattacking out of a bad one. A thoroughbred greyhound has not won Best In Show at Crufts in 67 years, but let it loose into a final bend and watch it rinse a retriever.While that is a tad reductive, it is worth noting Pope was reared as a six. It was from that position he flourished for Surrey at the start of his career, with 885 runs, four centuries and an average of 68.07.Pope cuts the ball away behind square•Phil Walter/Getty ImagesA Test debut against India at Lord’s arrived in the 2018 summer – at No. 4. His maiden innings ended up being the first time he had batted in the opening 20 overs of a first-class match. He will empathise with Jacob Bethell walking out at No. 3 in Christchurch for the first time in his professional career.As tedious as it may be to repeat, an England side with Root batting at three makes the most sense. It would allow Pope to move to No. 5 when Jamie Smith returns to take the gloves back at seven.The one barrier to such a move? Well, Pope.”I want to be number three, I want to keep trying to make it mine. I’ve had too many low scores there but I’ve also managed to put together some good knocks this year batting at three.”It’s a job I want to do going forward and I think my skillset is still developing. It’s definitely a job I want to keep doing.”Given he began out of position and rarely settled thereafter, you can understand why he wants to continue at three. And on paper, he’s doing well enough; despite the Pakistan aberration, the average at first drop is 40.28 from 47 innings, since he pitched for the gig when Ben Stokes became Test captain. Half of the six centuries he has there have come this year, while this half-century took him past 3000 career runs.Ironically, Pope building on this opening knock may scupper his hopes of fully locking down that No. 3 as his own. Though Ollie Robinson arrives into the country on Saturday afternoon to replace the injured Jordan Cox, England may decide to leave Pope as their wicketkeeper to give them a longer look at Bethell.Stokes and Brendon McCullum have shown they are not afraid to get funky with their selections. And shifting Pope to a place where his natural energy flows unencumbered falls right in that bracket.

Cheteshwar Pujara also questioned India’s approach and shot selection on the turning Kolkata pitch

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2025

A dejected Ravindra Jadeja walks back for 18•AFP/Getty Images

India are going through a period of transition in Test cricket, but Cheteshwar Pujara will not accept it as an excuse for losing a Test at home.After India lost their first Test to South Africa, collapsing to 93 all out in the final innings, Pujara questioned the India batters’ approach on a pitch that had uneven bounce and turn from day one, but also said the batters were not the only ones to be blamed.”I don’t buy this that India are losing at home because of transition. I can’t digest that,” Pujara said on JioStar after India lost by 30 runs in Kolkata. “If you lose in England or Australia because of transition, it could be acceptable. But this team has the talent and potential. You look at the first-class record of all the players – Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill… Washy [Washington Sundar] batted at No. 3 in this game – all their records are so good. Still if you lose at home that means something is wrong.Related

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“If you had played the same match on a good wicket, there were much better chances of [India] winning. How do you define Test cricket? On what kind of a wicket are your chances better of winning? On such tracks, your chances decrease and the opposition is at par with you. There’s so much talent in India, even an India A side could beat South Africa. So if you say this loss is because of transition, it’s not acceptable.”After the match, where 189 was the best innings total and only one half-century was scored largely due to the sharp turn, up-and-down bounce and rough patches that made batting a challenge, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had clarified that it was “exactly the pitch we were looking for”.Even though India have often preferred rank turners to gain their home advantage, their choice of such a track in the wake of the 3-0 whitewash to New Zealand at home last year and now this loss – their fourth in the last six home Tests – has raised questions.4:55

Philander: ‘On that surface 123 was like 350-400’

“You can’t just blame the batters on this kind of a wicket because firstly if you want to play on such wickets, your preparation has to be different,” Pujara said. “Gauti said they asked for this kind of a wicket but it wasn’t easy to bat on. Look at the stats of both teams – only one batter scored a fifty so it shows it wasn’t a good wicket.”If you want to play on such tracks, your batters have to be prepared accordingly and it didn’t look like they were prepared. On such wickets, you have to play different kind of shots, like rely more on sweeps, play a little positive, try to move the scoreboard. But there was an expectation that this wicket would be a bit decent, it would have some turn, and you can bat well and score runs. But this wicket wasn’t like that. If the Indian team wants such turning wickets where the ball turns from ball one, then the batters’ approach will have to be different.”That 3-0 last year had cost India a place in the WTC final and this defeat to South Africa has seen them slip to fourth position on the current WTC table, behind Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka.The second and final Test of the series begins on November 22 in Guwahati. After this series, India’s next WTC series will be two matches in Sri Lanka in August next year. India’s next home series is more than a year away from now, when they host Australia for five Tests in January-February 2027.

England have defended their limited Ashes preparation ahead of the start of their warm-up game against the Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth on Thursday. The three-day match-up is England’s only match practice ahead of next Friday’s first Test at Optus Stadium, which assistant coach Marcus Trescothick described as “the way of the modern game”.Ashes tours have historically started with a series of warm-up fixtures between travelling squads and either domestic or invitational teams, but they have been greatly reduced in recent series as boards look to streamline schedules.England have largely eschewed warm-up fixtures since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over as head coach and captain, preferring training camps and intra-squad matches, but have generally started series strongly. They have won all the first Test in each of their last five overseas tours, including in India, Pakistan and New Zealand last year.”It’s the way that the series are generally done – for us and for other opposition teams – around the world nowadays,” Trescothick told reporters in Perth on Tuesday. “With the volume of cricket that’s played [elsewhere], you don’t have the time for preparations like potentially playing two or three first-class games, which has happened in the past.”I think you generally roll with a prep game, or some facilities – whatever you have available – and you go from there. Of course, most of the guys have been playing in New Zealand for us. Some of the guys have come out from England, but it’s the way of the modern game nowadays.”Michael Vaughan, who opened the batting with Trescothick on England’s 2002-03 tour to Australia, has questioned the value in playing on a club ground which will “bounce really low” ahead of the first Test on an Optus Stadium which is expected to be fast with steep bounce.Related

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But Trescothick said England were “very happy” with their preparation: “We’ve had facilities here with the nets, and obviously then the nets out in the middle, and then we’ve got the preparation game here as well.”In my day, playing at the Waca was very unique and very different, but you prepare yourself for those sorts of changes in facilities and pitches as you go along. We’ll have three days of prep at Optus, just to get used to pitches and we go along with that, and we’ll go from there. We’re very happy at the moment.”Ben Duckett, who will open the batting in next week’s first Test, arrived in Perth last week and said that facing England’s fast bowlers in the nets has provided “pretty good” preparation following a white-ball tour to New Zealand.”I don’t know what the right answer is,” Duckett told the podcast. “We play a lot of cricket at the minute, and we’ve obviously just come off the back of our summer. We’re certainly not lacking any gametime.”I don’t make those plans, but I’m pretty happy getting ready in the nets. If we’re facing Jofra [Archer], Woody [Mark Wood] and those guys everyday, I think that will be pretty good prep.”England’s preparation has been heavily criticised by former players, with Ian Botham suggesting their slimline schedule “borders on arrogance”. It stands in clear contrast to Australia’s build-up, with 14 members of their 15-man squad for the first Test involved in the ongoing round of Sheffield Shield fixtures.

Head coach admits team remains a work in progress as attention turns to T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2025

Charlotte Edwards speaks to the media after England’s semi-final exit•ICC via Getty Images

Charlotte Edwards, England’s head coach, says that her team’s flawed World Cup campaign has made her all the more hungry to instigate the necessary changes, after stating it is “time to look to the future” following a crushing semi-final defeat to South Africa in Guwahati.Speaking to Sky Sports, just moments after England’s 125-run defeat, Edwards acknowledged the brilliance of South Africa’s matchwinners – Laura Wolvaardt, who was Player of the Match for her 169 from 143 balls, and Marizanne Kapp, whose five-wicket haul included a first-over double-wicket maiden to wreck England’s hopes of achieving a 320 target.However, having stated before the tournament that a semi-final berth was the bare minimum that should be expected of her squad, Edwards did not shy away from the underlying fragility of England’s campaign. Despite qualifying in second place with five wins out of seven in the group stages, their performances against Bangladesh and Pakistan had already exposed the weaknesses in their batting, before the tournament favourites Australia maintained the stranglehold of last winter’s Ashes whitewash with an emphatic six-wicket win in Indore.Edwards took over from her predecessor Jon Lewis back in April, but held back from wholesale changes to her squad for this winter, instead focusing on improvements within the existing set-up. These were arguably on display at times during the campaign just gone, not least in a gritty performance to beat the tournament hosts, and fellow semi-finalists, India by four runs in their group-stage clash in Indore.However, with the World Cup marking the end of this four-year ODI cycle, and with a home T20 World Cup looming next summer, Edwards accepts that it’s time to step up the squad’s overhaul, starting with a series of training camps from December to March, at which the next generation will be given a chance to prove its readiness.”I’m a winner,” Edwards said. “I don’t like losing. When I came into this role, I knew it wasn’t going to change overnight. I’ve seen some really positive things to come out of this trip. I think we’ve performed a little bit better under pressure, but certain moments we haven’t seized, and that’s going to be an ongoing thing.”Overall, we are making progress, and that’s the most important thing. But ultimately, you’re defined on your results. And today we’re going out of a World Cup in the semi-final stage, where we were all hopeful we could really make that final.””I knew it wasn’t going to be a quick fix. We’ve got some areas we need to work on, but that probably makes me more hungry now to go back home and work with these players over over the winter period.”A number of England’s players are due to head to Australia for next month’s WBBL. Thereafter, however, Edwards has earmarked a series of training camps, in Oman and South Africa, at which the players will be pitted against one another in an arrangement similar to the North versus South fixtures that Andrew Strauss, England’s former men’s director of cricket, began in 2018.Nat Sciver-Brunt after the defeat in the semi-final•ICC via Getty Images

“We’ve got a new cycle now of ODI cricket, haven’t we, but first and foremost it’s the T20 World Cup,” Edwards said. “There’ll be a group of players that will be training from December through til March. We’re going to spend time with these players and hopefully upskill them, and hopefully they can deal with these occasions better.”That’s exciting for me. As an international coach, it’s rare to get time with players to actually advance their games. We’ve got an opportunity this winter to hopefully do that with some of our younger players. and I’m looking forward to getting that underway in December.”Edwards namechecked the likes of Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson, who missed this tournament through injury, while other names who will come into consideration for future campaigns include the likes of Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Davina Perrin, the breakout star of this year’s Women’s Hundred.”We’ve targeted 13 to 15 players who we’re going to work really, really hard with,” she said. “[This tournament] was too early. The players that had got this far, we wanted to stick with them, but it’s exciting now. We’ve got a new group of players coming through. We’ll go home and reassess. We won’t make too many rash decisions, but we’ve got to look at the future now. And we’ve got some unbelievable talent coming through.”England’s defeat to South Africa was especially painful given that they had beaten the same opponents at the same venue in their tournament opener, after bowling them out for 69. This time, however, the match was played on a bouncier red-soil surface that was more conducive to the seamers, most notably Kapp with her match-sealing figures of 5 for 20.Asked whether there had been any temptation to tinker with the spin-heavy line-up that had brought them this far, Edwards replied: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We’ve stuck with that combination. It’s done us really well throughout the [competition].”England had seemed competitive, having reduced South Africa to 202 for 6 going into the final ten overs of their innings. But then Wolvaardt cut loose, adding 119 runs in partnership with Chloe Tryon, before Nadine de Klerk helped add the finishing touches.”At times, we just didn’t hit our straps today, certainly that back 10 really cost us,” Edwards said. “If we’d have kept them to 280, which probably was a par score, we may have been able to chase that down, but, yeah, it wasn’t to be.”It’s going to be a sad dressing-room,” she added. “I don’t think I’ll say too much tonight. I don’t think there’s anything you can say tonight that’s going to make things better. As we all know, life moves on very quickly. These girls will be off to Australia soon. But yeah, I’m hurting too.”