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Taskin starred with the ball, Litton led the way with the bat, and comeback man Saif contributed a fine all-round display

Abhimanyu Bose30-Aug-2025Taskin Ahmed, Saif Hassan and captain Litton Das played starring roles as Bangladesh eased to an eight-wicket win over Netherlands in the first T20I in Sylhet.Taskin took four wickets and Saif, playing his first T20I since October 2023, bagged his first two T20I wickets as Bangladesh restricted the visitors to 136 after asking them to bat. Saif completed his comeback with a quickfire cameo to support Litton’s brisk half-century as Bangladesh won with 6.3 overs to spare.Taskin keeps Netherlands quietMax O’Dowd started well for Netherlands, driving and flicking Shoriful Islam for three fours in the second over. He then launched Mahedi Hasan, who opened the bowling, for a six down the ground in the third.But Taskin struck with his first ball, getting O’Dowd to spoon a catch to cover off a leading edge.Netherlands managed just nine more runs from the 2.5 remaining overs in the powerplay, with their only boundary coming through another leading edge from Teja Nidamanuru that just evaded a leaping cover fielder.Then, Taskin struck again with the first ball of his second over, the eighth of the innings. Vikramjit Singh looked to switch gears and go down the ground, but could only pick out long-on.Saif ends Netherlands counterattackNidamanuru counterattacked, pulling Taskin for a six later in that over before squeezing one past short third for four. That began a stretch that brought Netherlands 27 runs off just 11 balls, before Saif nipped the counterattack in the bud with his maiden international wicket.Netherlands captain Scott Edwards tried to sweep the offspinner but couldn’t get distance on his shot, and Jaker Ali ran to his right to take a brilliant diving catch at long leg. Two balls later, Saif had Nidamanuru holing out to deep midwicket.Mustafizur Rahman got on the board when a short ball drew a top edge from Shariz Ahmad’s attempted pull to leave Netherlands five wickets down in the 13th over.Taskin picked up two more wickets in his remaining two overs, and Netherlands added just 52 to their score over their last eight overs.Saif Hassan struck twice in an over•BCBEmon starts strong, Litton continues the momentumParvez Hossain Emon got Bangladesh off to the perfect start with two fours and a six off the first three balls of the innings, from offspinner Aryan Dutt. He put away two shortish balls either side of point, and when Dutt went fuller, Emon slog-swept him over midwicket.Tanzid Hasan also started with a boundary, clipping Kyle Klein through backward square leg, but Dutt applied the brakes next over when he slid a quick one through Emon’s defences.Litton, however, ensured Bangladesh didn’t let the pressure build. In the fifth over, he drove Dutt through point before flicking him over midwicket next ball. In the last over of the powerplay, Litton crashed left-arm spinner Daniel Doram through the covers before launching him down the ground for his first six.Tanzid did a good job in a support role while Litton kept going after the bowling. He welcomed Shariz Ahmad with back-to-back boundaries in his first over, and punished Klein for straying onto his pads, whipping him fine on the leg side for another six.By the time Tanzid picked out long-on off a full toss in the tenth over, Bangladesh needed just 45 off 65 balls.Saif completes perfect comebackLitton brought up his 13th T20I half-century, off just 26 balls, in the 11th over. Then Saif, having got his eye in while scoring seven off nine balls, let loose, coming down the track to loft Tim Pringle over long-on.Saif then swung Paul van Meekeren into the leg side for a four before sealing the win with back-to-back sixes off Vikramjit in the 14th over.Litton contributed just 10 runs to an unbroken 46-run stand for the third wicket, with Saif finishing unbeaten on 36 off just 19 deliveries – a knock that will encourage the returning batter, whose career T20I strike rate jumped from 81.25 to 106.02after this match.

Middlesex 217 (Geddes 48, De Caires 43, Lintott 5-37) beat Warwickshire 189 (Shaikh 42, Hollman 4-27) by 28 runsMiddlesex’s completed back-to-back Metro Bank One-Day Cup victories on the road as they beat Warwickshire by 28 runs at Rugby School.The visitors chose to bat on a turning pitch and were bowled out for 217 as Jake Lintott equalled his career-best List A figures of 5 for 37. Captain Ben Geddes struck 48 off 57 balls but while four of Middlesex’s top six passed 30, none reached 50.Warwickshire replied with 189 all out as Luke Hollman added a List A best 4 for 27 to his valuable 33 with the bat. Hamza Shaikh top-scored with 42 off 72 but in a losing cause as the game yielded no individual half-century.Fresh from chasing down a record 387 at Durham two days earlier, Middlesex chose to bat first, forcing the home side to chase on a pitch likely to turn more the longer the match went. The early loss of Joe Cracknell, bowled by Olly Hannon-Dalby, brought in Sam Robson, hero of that record runfest with 169 not out, but this time Robson reached only 17 before a Hannon-Dalby in-ducker shattered his stumps.Joshua De Caires batted fluently for 43 (59) but then lifted Adam Sylvester to deep midwicket. Geddes and Jack Davies added 50 in 11 overs to take their side to 157 for 3 in the 33rd over but attacking the spinners was a risky business and the last seven wickets fell for 60 in 16 overs.Geddes and Davies were lbw to flighted balls from Lintott and Rob Yates respectively. Nathan Fernandes also perished lbw, providing Vansh Jani with his first wicket for Warwickshire.Hollman (33, 40) struck Tazeem Ali out of the ground but skied a reverse sweep at Lintott who then wrapped up the innings with a triple-wicket maiden. With the first two balls of an over he dismissed former Bear Henry Brookes (bowled) and Bear-to-be-next-season Nathan Gilchrist (lbw). Four balls later, James Feldman became the innings’ fifth lbw victim and Lintott had his second career List A five-for.Warwickshire’s reply reached 61 for the loss of only Ed Barnard, whose off stump was disturbed by Toby Roland Jones, but Hollman then struck in successive overs. Zen Malik was bowled and Alex Davies chipped a full toss to mid-off.Brookes struck a big blow against his former club, uprooting the anchor as Yates (38, 55) played on. Hollman collected his third wicket when Kai Smith hammered to backward point. As the spinners turned the screw, Shaikh charged and missed at Fernandes and Jani pulled and missed at De Caires and was lbw.Hollman extracted bounce to find Tazeem Ali’s edge through to wicketkeeper Cracknell and when Lintott lapped Gilchrist to Cracknell, Warwickshire’s last wickets had to find 30. They found just one before De Caires bowled Hannon-Dalby.

Bayern Munich are expected to enter the race to sign Liverpool defender Ibrahim Konate. The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid next summer, with the player able to leave Anfield on a free transfer with his contract running down. The Bavarian giants have ignited interest in the player, with his former RB Leipzig teammate Dayot Upamecano also out of contract in the summer.

• Bayern make contact with Konate's entourage

  Konate's deal with the Premier League Champions expires in June 2026. He is allowed to negotiate a switch to a European side from January. 

  German outlet Bild reports that the 34-time German champions have been in contact with the player's representation, with a view to bringing him back to the Bundesliga. Konate made his reputation during a four-year spell at Leipzig, before completing a £36m switch to Merseyside in 2021. 

  Upamecano's similar contract situation with Bayern could be the impetus for the switch. The France international has been a near ever-present for the Bavarian giants since joining from Leipzig in the same summer that Konate left for England. 

  Los Blancos will be watching both contract sagas with a keen eye. They had been rumoured to be pursuing Konate since the summer, but a Fabrizio Romano report has now suggested they are intent on making Upamecano the latest player to move to the Spanish capital on a free transfer. 

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  Liverpool in similar situation to Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk sagas

  The brewing Konate saga is a familiar story to Liverpool fans. Much of the 2024/25 run-in was dominated by discussions over the futures of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. 

  While their record Premier League goalscorer and club captain decided to stay at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold eventually moved to the Spanish capital for a fee of €10m. The nominal fee was agreed to allow the right back to be released from his contract early to play in the Club World Cup, after he had already agreed personal terms with Los Blancos. 

• Konate struggles for form in 2025-26 season

  Konate, who has played 147 games for the Reds, has been singled out for criticism at times this season, particularly after the 2-1 defeat away at Crystal Palace which started Liverpool's run of five straight defeats in all competitions. Suggestions that concerns over his future have led to poor performances have been quickly rubbished by his manager, Arne Slot however. The Dutchman defended his player back in October following his side's loss to Galatasaray saying it's not just the Frenchman that was found lacking. 

  "If you are losing a game of football, it doesn’t help if you lose the ball a few times very easily," Slot said. "Ibou has been one of them, but definitely not the only one. Against Galatasaray, apart from the penalty, maybe they got three or four other moments, all from us losing simple balls without any pressure, which happened to him once in the Palace game and once against Galatasaray.

  "If you lose there is so much focus on that moment and, all of a sudden, 90 minutes have been very poor. That’s not the way I analyse a game when I watch it back. I see what we did well and what we did wrong. In the last two games, it has been obvious and clear we have made a few errors, not only him, but also others we are not used to. If you do things that people are not used to then normally the manager gets criticised."

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• Will Liverpool push for Konate's signature?

  Liverpool's willingness to allow another player's contract to run down will inevitably draw questions from the fan base. Now with two of Europe's most vaunted sides sniffing around the player, the idea the Reds can re-sign Van Dijk's partner of the past few seasons look increasingly slim. With the decision to let Jarell Quansah leave for Leverkusen in the summer, Joe Gomez clearly a distant third option in the centre of defence and their pursuit of Marc Guehi failing to materialise in a move, Konate's dwindling contract is not just a distraction for the Reds, it presents a serious problem for the makeup of their squad going forward. 

MatériaMais Notícias

A Copa do Brasil dará duas vagas à Libertadores a partir do próximo ano. Para isso acontecer, a CBF irá tirar uma das seis vagas à competição continental que até 2025 eram garantidas via Brasileirão.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFutebol NacionalAthletico avança por volante da seleção da ColômbiaFutebol Nacional10/12/2025Futebol InternacionalSeleção Brasileira: Éder Militão vai conseguir se recuperar a tempo da Copa do Mundo de 2026?Futebol Internacional10/12/2025Mais EsportesHaak ‘aceita cidadania’, mas recusa seleção brasileiraMais Esportes10/12/2025

➡️Prêmio Brasileirão volta esvaziado após quatro anos sem ser realizado

Os clubes da Série A foram informados sobre a mudança nesta quinta-feira (11). Os dirigentes estão reunidos na CBF para o Conselho Técnico da Série A de 2026, cuja primeira rodada acontecerá no final de semana de 28 de janeiro.

Apesar do aumento do número de vagas à Libertadores via Copa do Brasil, ainda não há uma definição sobre se ela será direta (já para a fase de grupos) ou indireta (para a fase prévia). A CBF também estuda como será feita a distribuição das vagas caso um ou os dois finalistas da Copa já tenham garantido uma vaga na competição continental via Brasileirão.

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A intenção da CBF com a mudança é dar um peso ainda maior à Copa do Brasil, que foi ampliada com a mudança no calendário do futebol brasil. No próximo ano, a competição contará com 126 clubes, ante 92 da edição deste ano.

Até hoje, apenas o campeão da Copa do Brasil garante vaga na Libertadores do ano seguinte, o que tira um pouco do interesse dos clubes principalmente nas fases prévias. O principal atrativo acabava sendo financeiro; o campeão da Copa do Brasil deste ano vai levar R$ 77,1 milhões, fora o montante acumulado nas fases anteriores.

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Tradicionalmente marcado para fevereiro ou março do ano de disputa da competição, o Conselho Técnico da Série A foi antecipado para dezembro, portanto ainda na temporada anterior, por causa da mudança do calendário do futebol nacional.

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Regular white-ball captain Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra return from injuries

Deivarayan Muthu12-Oct-2025Kane Williamson will miss the T20I series at home against England, but targets a return for the following ODI series. Williamson, who had returned to New Zealand from overseas on Thursday, had last played international cricket in the Champions Trophy final against India in Dubai in March earlier this year.Williamson, 35, is among a group of players who have a casual contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC). He had earlier made himself unavailable for the three-match T20I series against Australia and missed the Zimbabwe tour to play county cricket and the Hundred as part of his deal with Middlesex.New Zealand coach Rob Walter said that Williamson was also dealing with a “minor medical issue” in the past month and that it was agreed that he needed more time to recover.”He’s obviously a world class player and we’re hoping these two weeks will ensure he’s ready for the ODIs against England and the following tour by West Indies,” Walter said in a statement.Regular white-ball captain Mitchell Santner returned from an abdominal surgery to take charge of the team while fast bowler Ben Sears was sidelined with a left-hamstring injury, sustained during training last week. An MRI scan revealed a hamstring tear, which will require three-four weeks to recover.Sears’ good friend and Wellington team-mate Rachin Ravindra, though, is set to return to action after being ruled out of the Australia T20Is with a facial injury. The allrounder had collided with the boundary boards during fielding practice at Bay Oval in the lead-up to the first T20I.Finn Allen (foot), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Lockie Ferguson (hamstring) were all unavailable due to injury.There was no room for wristspinner Ish Sodhi, who became New Zealand’s most-capped T20I player earlier this month. Ravindra will be the third spin-bowling option behind captain Santner and Bracewell. Mark Chapman can also pitch in with left-arm spin, if needed.”It’s great to have Mitch back,” Walter said. “Alongside being our leader, he’s one of the very best white-ball spinners in the world and his skills and experience will be a welcome addition.”Likewise, it’s nice to welcome back Rachin who was unlucky to miss out on Australia and I know is really excited for this series.”Auckland mates Jimmy Neesham and Bevon Jacobs are part of New Zealand’s T20I squad•Zimbabwe Cricket

Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes have all been retained along with allrounder Jimmy Neesham.Neesham had originally been picked as a replacement player for the Australia T20Is after Ravindra had hurt his face, but he was particularly impressive in the third T20I in Mount Maunganui where he cut through Australia’s middle order with figures of 4 for 26.Neesham, who turned 35 last month, has ambitions of playing for New Zealand in the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.”I want to win a World Cup for New Zealand and that’s the reason I’m still playing and I’m still available,” Neesham said at his press conference after the third T20I against Australia. “It’s a very, very clear goal of mine. What happens with selection in the six months leading up to the tournament is up to powers above me. But no, I’ll just stay ready. If I’m in the squads or not leading up to the tournament, I’ll just take that in my stride and try and provide performances as best as I can when I’m selected in most teams.”The T20I series against England will kick off at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 18. Hagley Oval will also host the second T20I, on October 20, before the teams will shift to Auckland for the third – and final – T20I. The three-match ODI series will run from October 26 to November 1.Williamson could make his New Zealand return at his home ground, Bay Oval, on October 26.

NZ T20I squad

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert (wk)

Celtic have now reportedly been “made aware” of an opportunity to sign Raheem Sterling from Chelsea in the January transfer window, with the winger still frozen out at Stamford Bridge.

It’s a busy time for the Hoops, who were thrown into chaos when Brendan Rodgers made an unexpected decision to resign earlier this season – sparking the return of Martin O’Neill on an interim basis.

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Since then, the 73-year-old has turned back the clock to get Celtic back on track and send the rumour mill into overdrive that he could yet extend his second stint in charge of the club.

O’Neill, however, has often distanced himself from the permanent job and candidates such as Wilfried Nancy and Kjetil Nkutsen are beginning to emerge as potential options to take the reins.

The next two weeks should be crucial for Celtic in their managerial search, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll have a new name in charge by the time that the international break comes to an end.

If their search is ongoing, then O’Neill has reiterated that he’ll be happy to stick around until the club no longer need his services – telling reporters: “I will be here as long as the football board wants me, it’s as simple as that.”

Of course, whoever is in charge will have plenty of work to do in the January transfer window, with Celtic in need of reinforcements and a number of potential options already coming to the fore.

Celtic "made aware" of Raheem Sterling option

As Graeme Bailey told 67 Hail Hail, Celtic have now been “made aware” of the chance to sign Sterling in January, as Chelsea continue to give the four-time Premier League winner the cold shoulder in West London.

Without an appearance all season, the former Manchester City winger desperately needs a move this winter, but must face up to the reality of a significant pay-cut if he is to move onto a club like Celtic. As things stand, Sterling earns an eye-watering £16.9m-a-year at Chelsea.

To put that figure into context, Celtic’s record signing, Adam Idah cost them £11m so, in one swoop, Sterling’s wages alone would beat the Bhoys’ record transfer fee and that’s simply not doable in Glasgow. The Chelsea man will need to make a major sacrifice.

There would also be question marks over Sterling’s ability to make an instant impact. Although former Chelsea boss Graham Potter dubbed the winger “excellent” during his time at the club, those days are long gone and he hasn’t played a senior game since a loan spell at Arsenal last season. Even if he were to halve his salary, it would be an expensive gamble for Celtic.

Desmond set to hold talks with "amazing" 4-2-3-1 manager this week

It would be fair to say that this season is going about as well as any Arsenal fan could’ve hoped for back in the summer.

Mikel Arteta’s side are three for three in the Champions League without conceding a goal and currently sit atop the Premier League, seven points ahead of defending champions Liverpool.

However, the North Londoners have to shift their focus from the major competitions ahead of their League Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.

The Gunners must do better in the domestic cups this season, but even so, Arteta should look to replace Declan Rice in the lineup with another international star.

Changes Arteta should make to the team

While this isn’t a game Arteta should take lightly, it is nowhere near as important as the league, and therefore, with the squad he has at his disposal, he should be looking to make some changes.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Starting in goal, Kepa Arrizabalaga should be given another start, and to ensure William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães are given a rest, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie should start together for the first time.

Likewise, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are in need of a rest, and in their place, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White should come back into the side.

At the base of midfield, Martin Zubimendi should be replaced by fellow summer signing Christian Nørgaard, and while there is an argument to also rest Eberechi Eze, it might be good for him to stay in the team following his goal on the weekend.

Moreover, by keeping the former Crystal Palace star in the lineup, Arteta can start Ethan Nwaneri on the right in place of Bukayo Saka, who was reportedly unwell against the Eagles, and therefore shouldn’t be anywhere near the team on Wednesday.

Finally, injuries once again leave the manager with few options when it comes to changing the striker and left-wing setup.

For example, while it would be great to hand Viktor Gyokeres a rest, the fact that Gabriel Martinelli is now out means he’s unlikely to get one.

This is because Leandro Trossard will now have to stay out wide instead of starting down the middle.

With all that said, there is one more regular starter who should be replaced: Rice.

The Arsenal star who should replace Rice

Like many of the other stars in the team, Arteta simply must drop Rice to the bench for the game against Brighton on Wednesday for a couple of reasons.

First of all, he just needs a rest as he’s already played 937 minutes of football for Arsenal this season, and he came off with a slight knock on the weekend.

Second, his importance to the side is massive, as on top of everything he does in open play, his deliveries are also one of the main reasons the team have been so utterly incredible at set-pieces.

With that said, who should come in to replace him?

Well, with Norgaad replacing Zubimendi and Eze potentially keeping his place in the team, the most obvious and best option would be Mikel Merino.

The Spanish international might be just a step below the former West Ham United captain, but he remains a top-level midfielder and someone who is capable of impacting the game in all phases of play.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won, the top 2% for non-penalty goals and touches in the opposition’s penalty area, the top 11% for through ball and more, all per 90.

Average Shot Distance

11.10

Top 1%

SCA (Shot)

0.39

Top 1%

Aerials Won

3.08

Top 1%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.32

Top 2%

Touches (Att Pen)

3.92

Top 2%

Goals

0.32

Top 3%

Goals + Assists

0.49

Top 3%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.24

Top 3%

Shots on Target

0.74

Top 3%

GCA (Shot)

0.07

Top 3%

xG: Expected Goals

0.24

Top 5%

npxG + xAG

0.35

Top 6%

Goals – xG

+0.08

Top 6%

Goals/Shot

0.17

Top 7%

Non-Penalty Goals – npxG

+0.08

Top 7%

Progressive Passes Rec

4.52

Top 8%

Shots Total

1.82

Top 8%

npxG/Shot

0.13

Top 8%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.56

Top 8%

Penalty Kicks Won

0.04

Top 8%

Shots on Target %

40.4%

Top 11%

Through Balls

0.42

Top 11%

Moreover, he has also transformed into a lean, mean goalscoring machine for club and country this year.

Since the start of 2025, he has scored nine goals and provided three assists for the Gunners.

On top of that, the 6 foot 2 titan has scored eight goals and provided one assist for Spain this year, which is a run of form that has seen his manager, Luis de la Fuente, claim he is “on the same level as Pedri and Rodri.”

Ultimately, Merino has proven himself to be an excellent player in most areas of the pitch, and therefore, he should be the one to come in for Rice against Brighton.

Arteta's £120k-p/w "wild horse" looks like this season's Timber at Arsenal

Just like Timber, the international monster is having an incredible season at Arsenal this year.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 28, 2025

Notts on verge of Championship as hosts do their utmost to stay in Division One

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Hampshire 154 for 3 (Albert 37*) lead Surrey 147 (Sundar 3-5, Abbott 3-27, Fuller 3-46) by seven runsSurrey were rolled out for 147 to all but snuff out their Rothesay County Championship title-winning hopes, as Hampshire boosted their chance of remaining in Division One.The defending champions went into the last round 14 points behind Nottinghamshire – whom they lost to last week – but after they collapsed, their hopes of a fourth successive crown dwindled further.Kyle Abbott led the rout with three for 27 – taking his 50th Championship scalp of the season in the process – with James Fuller and Washington Sundar also picking up three-wicket hauls.Hampshire had eased themselves into a first-innings lead, picking up three vital bonus points in their fight for safety.Surrey chose to bat first and gave 17-year-old Ralphie Albert his first-class debut. The all-rounder wasn’t even born when Hampshire’s Liam Dawson made his professional bow.Surrey were massively depleted with Gus Atkinson, Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Tom Curran, Jordan Clark and Cam Steel all unavailable, but even still their display was surprising.Dom Sibley had already been dropped at second slip before he was lbw to Abbott, before the South African drew a loose drive out of Ryan Patel to celebrate his 50th wicket of the season.It is the sixth Championship campaign that Abbott has reached the landmark, and he would later add No. 51 when he bowled Albert.Fuller also grabbed three wickets to gut the rest of the top order, as Rory Burns wafted to a juggling Sundar at first slip before Ben Foakes was bowled by a nip backer and Dan Lawrence skied an attempted pull – the latter walked before the ball was caught having scrapped hard for his innings-high 36.The back end of the innings saw wickets fall to spin. Indian international Sundar was particularly wily in his 20 balls, in which he only conceded five runs while taking three wickets.Ollie Sykes went back to one that skidded into his stumps, Matt Fisher was undone by a stunner that ripped across him and into off stump, while compatriot Rahul Chahar guided to first slip. In the middle of it, Tom Lawes was caught and bowled by Dawson.Surrey were bowled out for 147 inside 44 overs – their lowest total of the season at the least opportune moment as the title slipped away from them.The pitch had offered a fair amount of movement, but not excessive, and wickets were mostly down to batting errors and high-quality bowling rather than the elements.Hampshire further suggested a poor pitch wasn’t to blame as Ali Orr glided through the opening overs.He smashed 18 of the second over of the innings and by the fifth over had already secured a partnership higher than anything Surrey had managed in their innings – their best being the 32 between Lawrence and Sykes.Orr’s fast start was undone by a careless swing down leg side but Fletcha Middleton and Nick Gubbins put on 50 to set the sort of foundation that the visitors couldn’t lay.Both the bowled Gubbins and leg-before Middleton fell to Lawrence – who ended the day with two for 12 after an exceptional nine-over spell of off-spin.But Hampshire avoided any serious wobble as Toby Albert and Ben Brown stayed cautiously positive to take them to close with a lead – despite 13 wickets falling on the opening day.

Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Celtic’s clash with Dundee at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night will be his final game as the interim manager.

The experienced Northern Irish coach has revealed that Wilfried Nancy will take charge for the clash with Hearts at the weekend, ending his time in the dugout.

Speaking after the 2-1 win over Hibernian, O’Neill said: “He (Nancy) is the man that will be coming in. I thought it was over on Sunday, but there’s some paperwork still to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be my final game.

The interim boss has won six of his seven matches in his second spell with the Hoops, winning all four of his league games, and there have been several players who have been big winners from the change in manager.

The biggest winners from Martin O'Neill's time as interim Celtic manager

Callum Osmand, who is currently out with a hamstring injury, was one of the early winners from Brendan Rodgers’ departure, after he scored one goal in three games for O’Neill, having not played a single minute under the previous boss.

On the topic of strikers, Johnny Kenny was another winner of O’Neill’s tenure because the Ireland international scored four goals in the manager’s first four matches in charge, per Sofascore, which has shown that he can deliver quality at first-team level for the Hoops.

Reo Hatate has also improved under the interim boss. He has provided two goals and three assists in seven games for the Northern Irishman, per Sofascore, after a return of one goal and no assists in 13 games for Rodgers.

The biggest winner of O’Neill’s tenure, however, has been centre-back Auston Trusty, who has played every single minute of the seven games, having only made two appearances as a substitute in the league for the last manager this season.

Why Wilfried Nancy may drop Auston Trusty

Despite playing every single minute of the last seven Celtic games, the USA international is one of the players who could be on the chopping block when Nancy finally comes through the door.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Trusty has been playing as a right-sided centre-back because of the injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers, and the French tactician may want a naturally right-footed option in that position.

If Nancy wants that natural balance at the back, whether that is by signing a centre-back in January or giving a chance to another player in the squad, then Trusty could have to compete with Liam Scales for a starting berth as the left-sided centre-back.

24/25 + 25/26 Premiership	Trusty	Scales
Appearances	28	39
Clean sheets	13	22
Dribbled past	11x	8x
Error led to shot	5	2
Error led to goal	1	0
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Ireland international has been the more reliable performer for the Scottish giants at the heart of the defence in the Premiership since the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

Trusty, who was hailed as a “powerful” player by Rodgers, made an error leading to a shot with a loose pass on Sunday, and that was his fifth in just 28 league games for the club.

He has also been dribbled past three more times than Scales, despite the Irishman playing 11 more games, which shows that opposition players find it easier to play against him than his fellow left-footed defender.

Trusty, to his credit, has been solid in his duels in the Premiership this season, winning 62% of his physical battles, per Sofascore, but his errors over the past 18 months or so and the fact that he is currently a left-footer playing on the right may come into consideration ahead of the January transfer window.

Nancy may want to bring in a naturally right-footed player to start games in that role, leaving Trusty and Scales to compete for one place. That is why he may end up dropping the American, who has been the biggest winner from O’Neill’s tenure, once he has a right-footed defender available to select.

His performances at Premiership level since his £6m move from Sheffield United suggest that Scales would be the better option for the new boss at left-centre-back, but we will have to wait and see how it plays out in reality.

Celtic flop who was "really shaky" v Hibs is the first player Nancy must bin

This Celtic flop is the first player who should be sold by incoming manager Wilfried Nancy in January.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 30, 2025

Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young award in 2024 by winning the pitching Triple Crown and leading the AL in wins, strikeouts and ERA. In 2025 he proceeded to have an even better statistical season, lowering his ERA and WHIP and striking out even more batters than he did during his Cy Young season.

About to enter his age 29 season, Skubal has one more campaign under Detroit's control before he becomes a free agent. As of right now, he's due to make $22.5 million next season, which is about half what Max Scherzer got annually from the Mets when they signed him to a three-year deal back in 2022.

The Tigers made Skubal an offer last offseason that was deemed "non-competitive" and it seems that another incredible season on the mound did not convince them to make whatever he considers a competitive offer.

According to Jon Heyman of the , the two sides are about a quarter of a billion dollars apart. No, seriously. In the words of Heyman, "Yep, that’s not a misprint. It’s close to $250 million."

While the total money or number of years is not clear, Heyman says that the "baseline for Skubal is seen as $400M." So the Tigers could be doing anything from making an insultingly low offer to being right there on the average salary, but far apart on the length of the contract.

Either way, they're going to have to pay Skubal to keep him.

Who is the highest paid pitcher in MLB?

For Skubal to crack the top five highest-paid pitchers, he'd need more than $35 million a year, which is exactly what Corbin Burnes is getting from the Diamondbacks. Shohei Ohtani has an average salary of $70 million, but unless Skubal can hit 50-plus home runs a season as a designated hitter, he should probably focus on what these guys are making.

Here are the five pitchers with contracts worth an average annual value of over $30 million, when they signed those deals and how long they are.

Pitcher	Average Annual Value	Signed	Contract Length
Zack Wheeler	$42,000,000	2025	3 years
Jacob deGrom	$37,000,000	2023	5 years
Blake Snell	$36,400,000	2025	5 years + club option
Gerrit Cole	$36,000,000	2019	9 years
Corbin Burnes	$35,000,000	2024	6 years