Sunderland are in talks over completing the signing of a versatile player in the summer transfer window, according to a promising new update.
Who could Sunderland sign this summer?
The Black Cats are reportedly interested in snapping up Clermont midfielder Habib Keita before next season gets underway, but they will have their work cut out getting a deal over the line.
That’s because a host of English clubs are keen on acquiring his signature, with Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and Crystal Palace all keeping tabs on him.
Elsewhere, Sunderland are said to be leading the race to sign Vladyslav Vanat this summer, with the Dynamo Kiev striker a potentially exciting addition for Regis Le Bris, as he looks to have enough firepower in his squad to aid their chances of staying in the Premier League and avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
West Brom youngster Isaac Price has also emerged as a reported target for the Black Cats, with the 21-year-old a player who could have a bright future in the game. The midfielder has already scored six goals in 18 caps for Northern Ireland, summing up his potential.
Sunderland in talks over signing £2.5m midfielder
According to a new report from Africa Foot, Sunderland are in talks with the representatives of Yverdon Sport midfielder Moussa Baradja over a potential £2.5m summer move to the Stadium of Light.
The 24-year-old is looking for a new challenge after his team were relegated from the Swiss Super League last season, and the Black Cats are hoping to “reach an agreement” in the near future following contact.
Baradja isn’t necessarily a player who is well-known to the English audience, but he could be an astute signing by Sunderland, in what is such an important transfer window for them.
Perhaps the Frenchman’s greatest asset is his versatility, allowing him to thrive as a defensive midfielder and a more attack-minded one, as well as being able to do a job on the right wing.
This is sure to appeal to Le Bris, who knows the importance of squad depth ahead of Sunderland’s return to the Premier League, and Baradja would likely come in as a relatively cheap addition, assuming they can get him for just £2.5m.
He has made 29 appearances for Yverdon Sport, chipping in with four goals and three assists in that time, and he will be able to offer quality at both ends of the pitch.
Granted, Sunderland also need to sign players who have proven themselves in the Premier League, but Baradji looks like shrewd business that could ultimately be effective over time.
He's the new Le Fee: Sunderland battling English clubs to sign £1.2m star
Sunderland is monitoring this promising midfielder who could be Regis Le Bris’ next Enzo Le Fee.
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Kelan Sarson
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Still only 24, he wouldn’t be coming in as a quick fix for the Black Cats, instead arriving as a squad player and hopefully becoming a key man as time passes.
Heather Knight got herself into form ahead of England’s series with New Zealand with 66 as Western Storm condemned Sunrisers to the wooden spoon in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.England skipper Knight grabbed her second fifty in a row to average 52 in the competition, to put the disappointing Pakistan T20Is behind her before the White Ferns arrive for three ODIs and five T20s from next Wednesday.Her 74-run stand with 20-year-old Emma Corney – who made a CEC best of 46 – put Storm on track for 142 for seven, with Blaze loanee Sophie Munro picking up four for 23.Despite Grace Scrivens and Jo Gardner’s speedy start, Sunrisers fell 11 runs short to end as the bottom-placed side for the fourth year in a row – with Storm ending their tournament a point and a place better off.Storm chose to bat, and used Corney as a facilitator for Dani Gibson and then Knight to score runs quickly at the other end.Gibson used her feet to good effect as she bashed a trio of boundaries before top-edging to short fine, with the visitors reaching a creditable 44 for one in the powerplay.While Corney confidently ticked the runs along from one end, Knight showed all her experience and skill – with the pair putting on 74 for the second wicket.Devon-raised Corney strode past her previous CEC best of 40 – but fell four runs short of a maiden fifty when she slapped to backward point.It began a Storm collapse, which saw them lose six wickets for 41 runs in the final six overs.Fran Wilson was run out by a sensational direct hit from the boundary from Gardner, Sophie Luff chipped to mid-off, Kate Coppack brilliantly pouched Amanda Jade Wellington at short third before Nat Wraith skied one.But throughout, Knight continued to score at a decent pace, slog-sweeping the only six of the innings, as she brought up back-to-back fifties in 34 balls.She was stumped off the final ball – to hand Munro the fourth of her impressive haul – as Storm reached 142 for seven.In reply, Mady Villiers holed out to deep square in the fourth over, but Grace Scrivens and Gardner blitzed Sunrisers ahead of the rate.But the duo fell within six balls of each other either side of the powerplay to begin a wobble they never recovered from.Scrivens had continued her form from the 42 versus Blaze and unbeaten 62 against Stars to crash a quick-fire 26 – before falling to the last ball of the powerplay – while Gardner distributed three consecutive fours off Gibson.But both offered up simple catches, before Lissy MacLeod was caught and bowled first ball by Chloe Skelton.Amara Carr swept to short fine, Flo Miller was bowled and Amu Surenkumar found deep midwicket as Sunrisers never recovered.Jodi Grewcock held firm with 40 – one of two run outs in the last over – but Storm completed their second win of the competition without further anxiety.
Leeds United have held talks to sign a £5m Premier League defender who shares the same representation as current goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Meslier’s Leeds future up in the air after promotion
The Whites enjoyed a brilliant Championship campaign in 2024/25, winning the title in stoppage time on the final day at Plymouth Argyle.
Daniel Farke’s side reached 100 points from their 46 games, but that tally could have been so much more without errors from Meslier. His injury-time blunder away at Sunderland, shaky display against Hull City and mistakes against Swansea City cost Leeds six points.
Farke dropped the Frenchman for the final seven games, with Karl Darlow coming in as Leeds won six of their last seven, keeping five clean sheets in the process.
Meslier’s future at Elland Road is thought to be in doubt, with Leeds on the search for a new first-choice keeper and will offer the Frenchman to other clubs during the summer transfer window.
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The likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone have been linked with moves to Leeds to replace Meslier, but by the looks of things, Leeds are talking to the goalkeeper’s Gol International agency about another client – Alex Moreno.
Leeds open talks for Aston Villa’s Alex Moreno
According to Football Insider, Leeds have opened preliminary talks to sign Aston Villa left-back Moreno this summer.
The Whites have made contact over a transfer, with Villa ready to move the 32-year-old on following his loan spell at Nottingham Forest in 24/25.
The Spaniard made 19 appearances for Forest last season, and a new left-back is among the top priorities at Elland Road with Junior Firpo on course to re-join Real Betis following the expiration of his Leeds contract.
Moreno has been valued at £5m by Villa, and clubs in Spain are also working to land the left-back ahead of Leeds.
He actually made his Villa debut under Unai Emery against Leeds back in 2023, and the Villa manager has described the full-back’s speed as his best attribute.
Regular game time at left-back appears to be on the cards at Leeds with Firpo on course to leave, so that could be something that appeals to Moreno.
Believe it or not, Liverpool fans, the summer transfer window hasn’t actually opened yet. You’d be forgiven for assuming the contrary, with sporting director Richard Hughes moving like a man possessed before the Premier League campaign has even concluded.
Arne Slot has bagged the league title in his maiden year at the helm, and will celebrate in front of the fans as Anfield hosts FA Cup winner Crystal Palace in the final fixture of the top-flight season tomorrow afternoon.
Liverpool manager ArneSlotcelebrates after winning the Premier League
The frustration and negativity around Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave at the end of his contract and join Real Madrid has been offset by a flurry of exciting activity, to be sure.
His direct replacement, Jeremie Frimpong, has completed his medical and will likely be announced next week. Meanwhile, talks for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez are advancing, Fabrizio Romano confirming the news.
These deals in themselves are rather spectacular, but that’s without even acknowledging Florian Wirtz, who looks set to move to Merseyside.
The latest on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool
This one’s moving apace. Liverpool have long held an admiration for Bayer Leverkusen’s Wirtz and have joined Manchester City and Bayern Munich in pursuing a deal for the Germany international, but developments in the past day or two have swung the pendulum in Anfield’s favour.
With Pep Guardiola’s side having pulled out of the race earlier in the week, Liverpool were poised to lock horns with the Bundesliga champions for German football’s brightest talent, and they’ve won the battle.
As per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Liverpool are engaged in official talks with Leverkusen for the talented number ten, having already opened communications through the nearly-complete transfer of Frimpong.
Leverkusen value Wirtz at about €150m (£126m), though whether FSG can engineer a more agreeable figure, and how the structure of the deal will play out, remains to be seen at this stage.
Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong
Any move for the German would make him the most expensive in his country’s history and indeed Liverpool’s record signing – but maybe not for all that long.
isak-wirtz-liverpool
But, Liverpool could also be in the market to add another attacking player on top of Wirtz, and he could an even better signing for the club…
Liverpool confident about signing new striker
As per GIVEMESPORT, Liverpool are growing increasingly confident they can convince Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak to jump ship this summer, financially secure after several windows on the low.
The windfall from winning the Premier League and returning to the Champions League will have helped, of course. However, it will prove strenuous to drive a deal toward completion, for United are holding out for around £120m, though other reports suggest that figure could stretch toward the £150m mark.
Newcastle United's AlexanderIsakcelebrates scoring their first goal
Liverpool know that Eddie Howe will fight tooth and nail to keep his focal frontman at St. James’ Park, but FSG are willing to test Newcastle’s resolve with a formal offer in the coming months.
Why Liverpool should sign Alexander Isak
The justification behind an official bid for Newcastle’s star striker is pretty self-explanatory: he’s an incredible goalscorer, and with a dynamic and nuanced skill set which would be perfect for Slot’s specific system.
Newcastle United's AlexanderIsakcelebrates scoring their first goal
It’s hard to see a world in which Isak wouldn’t hit the ground running at Liverpool. He’s powerful, athletic, pacy and deadly in front of goal. He’s the finishing piece from which someone like Wirtz could target to create an unstoppable attacking line.
Leverkusen’s man has been hailed as “a defender’s nightmare” by journalist Bence Bocsak, now imagine him combining with Isak, a terror in his own right.
The 25-year-old joined Howe’s side from Real Sociedad in 2022 for a club-record £63m fee and has since hit 73 goal contributions from 108 matches in all competitions, bringing a completeness that could be perfect for Slot’s fluent system.
Described as “the best striker in Europe” by Toon teammate Anthony Gordon, Isak would of course be a stunning addition to a winning Liverpool formula, replacing the flagging Darwin Nunez, the declining Diogo Jota, and taking Slot’s system to the next level.
Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota converse on the bench
It’s for this reason that Isak could be the better signing, surpassing Wirtz, especially with an overreliance on a soon 33-year-old Mohamed Salah being a dangerous thing moving forward.
Isak has just produced his finest campaign, behind only Salah in the Premier League’s scoring charts. It’s frightening to think the pair could ply their trade side by side next term, and with Wirtz nestled in behind them too.
1.
Mohamed Salah
37
28
2.
Alexander Isak
33
23
3.
Erling Haaland
30
21
4.
Chris Wood
35
20
5.
Yoane Wissa
34
19
5=
Bryan Mbeumo
37
19
Salah is one of the greatest goalscorers the Premier League has ever known, but Isak is proving himself quite the menace on Tyneside, five goals behind the Egyptian but having played five matches fewer.
He’s also missed just 18 big chances in the top flight this term, as per Sofacore, denoting a cutting edge that Liverpool’s central striking options simply haven’t showcased since Slot took to the dugout.
Transfer Focus
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Now that is a style Wirtz would delight in playing with. The German ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe this season for assists and the top 7% for both shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, illustrating an approach which would overwhelm Liverpool’s opponents.
While Wirtz has also created 17 big chances in the Bundesliga this season, his creativity is only one facet of a kaleidoscopic skill set. His combativeness, tenacity and workrate all make him the player he is, a superstar in the making.
This just goes to show he’s tailor-made for a place in Slot’s title-winning squad. For sure, Liverpool have a load of technical quality in their ranks, but they are built on their determination and application, flair enabled through hard graft and toil.
Make no mistake, if Liverpool manage, somehow, to sign both Isak and Wirtz, they will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come, if they are not already.
Isak, however, might just take the cake as the cream of an audacious transfer window, should he sign.
Open to leaving: Liverpool “machine” would be finished if FSG sign Wirtz
Liverpool are going punch-for-punch with Bayern Munich in the fight to sign Florian Wirtz.
Barry Ferguson has three more matches left to manage as the interim head coach of Glasgow Rangers before he moves on from Ibrox this summer.
The former Scotland international came in to replace Philippe Clement earlier this year and has only won four of his 12 games in charge of Rangers to date, drawing his most recent clash in the Old Firm derby.
Ferguson, therefore, has not done much to suggest that the new owners, when they complete their takeover, should be looking to hand him the role on a full-time basis moving forward.
In fact, TEAMtalk recently reported that the 49ers want to appoint a fresh face with no prior connection to Rangers, which immediately rules out Ferguson, who has now played for and managed the Light Blues.
The outlet added that Steven Gerrard is also out of the running, because of that stance, and will not be returning to Ibrox for a second stint in the dugout.
Whilst the 49ers will not be pursuing a move for the out-of-contract English tactician, they should be looking for a manager who can be their own version of the Liverpool legend.
Why the 49ers should want their own Steven Gerrard
Back in the summer of 2018, Rangers, who were aiming to put Celtic’s dominant run of league titles to a stop, confirmed the appointment of Gerrard on a four-year contract.
Nathan Patterson, Steven Gerrard
Prior to that summer, the Hoops had won seven Scottish Premiership titles in as many seasons and the Gers needed a manager who could wrestle back control of the league.
Gerrard was a risky appointment, as he had not managed a first-team game by that point, and it was not a move that instantly worked out for the Light Blues, because the English boss needed time to develop a style and to build a squad that was ready to win the title.
Rangers finished in second place, behind Celtic, in the manager’s first two seasons at Ibrox, before they went on to win the division in the 2020/21 campaign, going unbeaten in the process.
Steven Gerrard (Premiership)
20/21
21/22
Matches
38
12
Wins
32
8
Draws
6
3
Defeats
0
1
Points
102
27
Points per game
2.68
2.25
League position
1st (Champions)
1st
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Gerrard’s side won 32 of their 38 matches that season to clinch the Premiership crown and to stop Celtic from winning ten in a row.
The Light Blues then won eight of their first 12 matches in the following season, taking them to the top of the table, before the manager decided to pursue an opportunity with Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Steven Gerrard
Unfortunately, Rangers have finished second in all four of their seasons without Gerrard at the helm, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, Philippe Clement, and Barry Ferguson have all failed to deliver a title to the Ibrox faithful.
The 49ers should, therefore, want to find their own version of the English boss because they now face the same task that the club faced in 2018: stopping Celtic’s title dominance.
Why Rangers should target Frank Lampard
Back in October 2023, when Beale was relieved of his duties, Sky Sports reported that Frank Lampard had shown an interest in the available post at Ibrox.
Almost two years later, the 49ers must target the English manager to see if he would be interested in the job this time around, should Coventry fail to earn promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Frank Lampard in charge of Coventry City.
It seems unlikely that he would want to ditch the Sky Blues if they make their way to the top-flight in England, but Rangers must attempt to convince Lampard to make the move to Scotland if Coventry do not join Leeds United and Burnley in the top division.
The 46-year-old tactician, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, joined the Sky Blues when they were 17th in the Championship and level on points with the bottom three and led them to a fifth-placed finish, to secure a place in the play-offs.
Speaking on talkSPORT recently, pundit Jermaine Jenas hailed Lampard’s ability to work through criticism and claimed that he has done a “pretty special” job at Coventry, which is hard to argue against when you look at the images above.
The former Chelsea midfielder, who played alongside Gerrard at international level for England in their playing days, has had mixed success throughout his managerial career, but is currently thriving at the CBS Arena.
Frank Lampard’s managerial career
Season
League (club)
Matches
Points per game
Position
24/25
Championship (Coventry)
29
1.79
5th
22/23
Premier League (Chelsea)
9
0.56
12th
22/23
Premier League (Everton)
20
0.75
19th
21/22
Premier League (Everton)
18
1.11
16th
20/21
Premier League (Chelsea)
19
1.53
9th
19/20
Premier League (Chelsea)
38
1.74
4th
18/19
Championship (Derby County)
46
1.61
6th
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Lampard enjoyed early success with sixth and fourth place finishes with Derby County and Chelsea, before being sacked by the Premier League giants and by Everton.
He then endured a dismal interim spell at Chelsea after Graham Potter’s dismissal at Stamford Bridge, earning just 0.56 points per game across nine matches, before taking the Coventry job earlier this season.
Whilst managing at the top of the Premier League may be a step too far for him at this moment in time, Lampard has finished in the play-off positions in both of his seasons in the Championship with Derby and Coventry, which shows that he can motivate and set up a team to win consistently.
Couple that with the respect that his playing career earns him, and there is a compelling argument to suggest that he could be the 49ers’ own version of Gerrard in the new era at Ibrox, as another manager on the up who has something to prove rather than someone who has been there and done it and may not have the same motivation.
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Like Gerrard, Lampard is yet to win a league title and the prospect of doing that at Ibrox could be an attractive and highly-motivating factor for him, which is why the 49ers could tempt him to leave Coventry if his side fails to win the play-offs.
The English tactician has shown promise at Championship level and has proven that he can galvanise a losing team and turn it into a winning one, which is, in essence, what Rangers are in need of.
Three inexperienced seamers tried their best to hold the line but England’s predicament felt like a failure of management
Vithushan Ehantharajah02-Aug-2025Who else but Ben Stokes?No seriously, who else? Any ideas? Anyone? Hello, is this thing on?That’s what it felt like on Saturday. England scrabbling around, looking for something, anything to save them. It was not just day three that was getting away from them, but this fifth Test and a series win.Their regular saviour, their usual captain, their standout bowler, was on the balcony, taking as well-earned a rest as you can have when your right shoulder is hanging by a thread. Meanwhile, Ollie Pope was out there on his home ground stuck in a bad dream.Related
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There he was, sifting through bowling combinations without Chris Woakes, and fields with a cordon seemingly without the ability to catch. At times, it was like watching a man trying to eat soup with his hands, occasionally heading back up to the home dressing room to wash them and ask if anyone had found a spoon, or even a fork, only to be met with big sunnies, white trainers and blank stares.The best you could say of England’s bowlers is that they kept at it in a meaningful way. Not just toiling, but doing so with a degree of hate in their hearts. No one likes being dog-walked in Test cricket as they were for 70 overs. There was plenty of bark and bite to show as much. Reward, too. Or at least souvenirs from the grind. Cool stories for the scars.Josh Tongue bagged his second five-wicket haul in Tests – expensively (5 for 125 from 30 overs) but got them nonetheless. He finishes the series as England’s leading wicket-taker with 19 despite only playing three matches.Gus Atkinson’s 3 for 127 saw him reach into what, for now, are relatively shallow reserves after two months out with a hamstring injury. He came up with 27 overs more work and a few pearlers to add to the first innings five-for. He restated just how good he is by dismissing India skipper Shubman Gill with the first ball after lunch.Jamie Overton doubled his Test tally with two dismissals – as many County Championship wickets as he has for Surrey this season – while bowling at an average speed of 85mph on day two and three. The sprinkling of 89.5mph bolts offered vindication if it were needed (it was) that his inclusion had some merit.
“In seaming conditions, England committed the cardinal sin of being cut more than they were driven. Such a pitch looked prime for Sam Cook, even Matthew Potts. Both of whom have the hardwired game for these surfaces. And yet neither was even considered worthy of the squad”
It was tough not to feel sorry for them. The dichotomy between batting and bowling was felt keenly on a day like this: the former set 374, the latter dragged for 396. It felt like that most when Washington Sundar conducted the in the stands with his sixes in the final partnership. And across the six drops – two from Harry Brook, two from Zak Crawley, one from Ben Duckett and one from sub-fielder Liam Dawson – which cost 152 all in.”Going through from yesterday knowing we were going to bowl a few overs out there, it was obviously going to be a tough ask for us bowlers, but I thought we stuck at it really well,” Tongue said at stumps.Truthfully, though, the task of marshalling a series decider was always going to be tough on the three replacements. Particularly given the series had acquired so much feeling and narrative over the last two Tests, at Lord’s and Old Trafford, which featured none of them. You think jumping out of moving car is hard, try jumping a moving one.Atkinson and Overton were coming in cold. Tongue returning a month after being parked for Jofra Archer after two Tests. Each would have dealt with their own pressures, and here they were exacerbated as they were thrown in together.Even with Woakes available, there would have been struggle. The 36-year-old had bowled just 68 of his 161 overs across the first four Tests in the second innings. Slack would have had to been picked up.But his experience might have jolted them out of bad habits. The lack of game-time showed with their collective inconsistency, which was leapt upon by Yashasvi Jaiswal to the tune of 118.In seaming conditions, they committed the cardinal sin of being cut more than they were driven: Jaiswal sliced and diced 72 of his first 100 runs behind square on the off side. Such a pitch looked prime for Sam Cook. Even Matthew Potts. Both of whom have the hardwired game for these surfaces. And yet neither were even considered worthy of the squad.England’s careful planning fell apart ahead of the fifth Test•PA Photos/Getty ImagesBut more broadly, the gamest pitch of the series, certainly the one with the pace and bounce England have craved throughout the summer, has been used by the second string. And that, ultimately, feels like a failure of management.The plan at the very start of this five-match series was for enough changes of personnel to keep the prime quicks refreshed throughout. And even with injury to Mark Wood, Olly Stone and, initially, Atkinson, there was enough to shuffle through.Certainly, for instance, enough to not get to a stage where Brydon Carse, a superior hit-the-deck bowler to Tongue, was running on fumes in Manchester after four appearances on the bounce. Though Archer’s return was well-managed, it was hard not to wonder how much joy he would have got on this surface.Perhaps England could have kept a couple in the chamber? It is only this week that Manchester hosted its first positive result across six first-class matches this summer. Of the venues to protect your quicks, particularly having already established a 2-1 lead, maybe that was it? Understandably, the prospect of clutching an outright series win with a game to spare was too enticing.The pitches should get some of the ire. England have bowled on 19 of the 23 days of play so far, sending down at least 50 overs on 12 of them. But the batters haven’t helped. On day two, for instance, having made light work of India’s last four first innings wickets in the morning, the bowlers were back at it just 51.2 overs later.Rotating bowlers is never an exact science, though science does come into it. The ECB tracks overs bowled and bodies to manage their quicks, keeping tabs on things like “red zones” – when workloads reach a point that the likelihood of injury increases.The current era take on that information and are particularly meticulous when it comes to the real five-star pace merchants, like Archer and Wood. By and large, they have moved away from leaning heavily on those metrics in favour of a more personable approach.It gives players more agency over their fitness, which they prefer. What they can play through, what they know they should not.Though you wonder, in a series as big as this, ahead of an Ashes, if a player would wilfully pull themselves out of the firing line? Especially in a team moulded in the image of a captain who needed head coach Brendon McCullum and medical advice to sit out this one. Stepping aside would also risk losing that spot altogether. Ollie Pope almost found out when he handed the No. 3 position to Jacob Bethell for last year’s tour of New Zealand.There are different strands of the multiverse where Woakes does not damage his left shoulder. Or Brook holds onto Jaiswal for 20. Or even Dawson on 40. Or Crawley and Deep on 21 to nip a nightwatcher innings of 66 before it really ate away at the team’s souls.But the one strand of note, the one that got away well before this match begun, was a more considered plan with this attack. It is something they must get right come the Ashes this winter. Lessons should be learned from the last two months.Then again, they will also hope for some blind luck. Just look at India: they possess the one generational quick in the series, and have not won any of the three matches he has played. And they could not be happier with how things have panned out.
Several starts hint at tricks in benign surface, but lack of ruthlessness may cost Australia
Andrew McGlashan19-Jul-20231:38
McGlashan: Australia missed the chance to hurt England
Australia are making it harder work than it might have been to clinch the Ashes. On the opening day at Old Trafford they had the chance of leaving England an enormous task, particularly if the poor weather forecast for the weekend proves correct. Instead, they kept leaving the door ajar.Although Pat Cummins said he would have followed Ben Stokes’ route and inserted – perhaps as much because Australia had left out their spinner – as the day unfolded it didn’t feel like a stand-out bowl-first day. Five of the visitors’ top six fell between 32 and 51 and everyone dismissed, bar Usman Khawaja, had reached double figures.Before the match, Khawaja had called it a series in which batters rarely felt completely settled at the crease. “That is England with Dukes balls and weather and conditions,” he said. “In Australia, sometimes you can kind of lock in and feel like I am in now. Whereas here it doesn’t feel like that. Because the ball is always doing enough, nibbling about.”The series runs tally does support that with only three batters – Khawaja, Travis Head and Stokes – having more than 300 now into the fourth Test. However, shortly before tea Australia were 183 for 3 with Marnus Labuschagne and Head building a productive fourth-wicket stand. Labuschagne had just gone to his first half-century of the series – ending his longest run (eight innings) without a fifty in Test cricket – when he managed to miss what was largely a straight delivery from Moeen Ali.A few moments after the break, Head took on Stuart Broad’s short ball and hooked down to long leg where Joe Root held on to an excellent catch. It was Broad’s 600th Test wicket and Australia were now 187 for 5. From there, the stumps total of 299 for 8 could be viewed as not being too bad, but equally it was a day of missed opportunity.Marnus Labuschagne walks off after his dismissal•Clive Mason/Getty Images “It felt like we were so close to turning it there, Heady and I, to getting a really big partnership together and [I was] probably a little bit lazy, trying to turn it to the leg side and Moeen got me,” Labuschagne said. “Think any [total] with a three in front of it is alright. [But] think where we were and how many guys got themselves in, we’d be slightly disappointed with no one getting a big score.”The wicket is a bit two-paced, it’s quite slow…some wickets I’ve played on here are quite quick on day one. Think [with] the thatchiness of the grass, the ball is sitting in the wicket a little bit so you are getting a bit of inconsistent bounce from that. They showed the ball was nipping for a fair bit of the day and Moeen got a few to spin.”The trend of starts not being converted began in the first session when David Warner edged behind against Chris Woakes after a punchy, if not entirely convincing, 32, slightly above his average of the last two-and-a-half years. The ball following Warner’s departure, Steven Smith might have fallen as well when he top-edged a hook, but Mark Wood was in off the rope at long leg and the ball went over his head.Related
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Woakes' four-for holds together the day for England
James Anderson nears his End-game with a rare point left to prove
After that Smith quickly settled and looked on course to make amends for his light returns at Headingley, which he had partly attributed to the focus on his 100th Test. However, not for the first time in the last couple of weeks, Wood’s pace made the difference when Smith was pinned lbw in the crease, working across a delivery that, against England’s bowlers of lesser speed, he may have played more comfortably into the leg side. A graphic from Sky Sports illustrated the difference the extra eight or nine miles per hour (12-14kph) of Wood made when it came to Smith connecting and missing.When Labuschagne and Head then departed in quick succession, it left Australia’s pair of allrounders – Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green – needing to perform a repair job in which they were partly successful. The decision to omit offspinner Todd Murphy gave them a very long batting order, and one they may be grateful for.Green, who had struggled to find his best rhythm with the bat before missing Headingley with a niggle, was uncertain, especially against Broad who found movement both ways, but Marsh was as commanding as he had been in his comeback game. He punctured the off side with fierce power and was not afraid to go in the air down the ground against pace and spin. He dominated the sixth-wicket partnership of 65 before Woakes’ double-wicket over, and Jonny Bairstow’s brilliant catch, swung things back England’s way.However, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc dug in for 18 overs against the old ball, a sign of the opportunity that had been squandered by the top order before Woakes struck again late in the day. As so often in this series, when the players walked off it was hard to know who was really on top. England are still the team that have to make all the moves, but Australia might have left them with an opening to do so.
Here is the ball-by-ball account, and the pictures, of all ten wickets
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-20214:11
Daniel Vettori: ‘Rare’ Ajaz Patel 10-wicket haul is greatest individual feat in NZ Test cricket
Wicket No. 1: Shubman Gill c Ross Taylor b Ajaz Patel 44•BCCI27.3 to Shubman Gill, he’s caught at slip. One ball after a let-off, Gill goes. Ajaz gets a nice loop going on this one too, Gill tries to push-drive from the crease, gets an edge that settles into Ross Taylor’s extremely safe hands at slip. Important breakthrough for New Zealand with India having looked so comfortable. 80/1Wicket No. 2: Cheteshwar Pujara b Ajaz Patel 0•Associated Press29.2 to Cheteshwar Pujara, he’s got him bowled! One ball after a missed stumping he got Gill. One ball after a failed lbw review, he gets Pujara – who has to go for a duck. Pujara coming down the track – he’s rarely ever even beaten coming down the track to a spinner – but this one is flighted perfectly and dips below his bat, spins viciously away from leg stump to knock back off-stump. Pujara has a slightly stunned look as he walks off. 80/2Wicket No. 3: Virat Kohli lbw b Ajaz Patel 0•BCCI29.6 to Virat Kohli, massive appeal for lbw given and Kohli reviews. What an over this is turning out to be for Ajaz. What a spell. This is really close on whether he’s inside edged it or not. The ball is fitting perfectly between bat and pad as he’s on the front foot to defend. One half of the ball is near the inside edge, the other on the pad. And there’s a spike, but is it due to ball hitting bat first or only with ball hitting pad? There doesn’t seem to be conclusive evidence of bat first, though the seam does wobble a bit when it passes the bat. Third umpire says no conclusive evidence of bat first. Ball tracking has it hitting the stumps flush. And that means Kohli has to go for a duck on his return. He has a word with the umpire for a moment before walking off. This match has turned, and how. 80/3Wicket No. 4: Shreyas Iyer c Tom Blundell b Ajaz Patel 18•Associated Press47.4 to Shreyas Iyer, Ajaz provides NZ with another breakthrough. Full, slides in from left-arm around, as opposed to turning away. Ajaz finds some extra bounce to boot. Iyer has an uncertain prod at it, searching for turn, and ends up inside-edging it onto his thigh pad. The ball lobs up to Blundell who collects it cleanly, having fluffed a stumping earlier in the day 160/4Wicket No. 5 Wriddhiman Saha lbw b Ajaz Patel 27•Associated Press71.4 to Wriddhiman Saha, Ajaz has five. Strikes in the first over of the day. This was plumb enough that Saha opts not to review after a brief discussion with Agarwal. This one went with the arm, Saha misread the length and was moving back to cut, it skids on from a length on off and hits him on the knee roll. Replay show that was umpire’s call on impact but was hitting the stumps 224/5Wicket No. 6: R Ashwin b Ajaz Patel 0•Associated Press71.5 to R Ashwin, what a beauty. That is a peach to get first up and nothing much Ashwin can do about it. Ajaz turning things around for New Zealand within an over, once again. Perfectly geometric arc to the ball, Ashwin is a tall man, stretches forward to defend but the loop is perfect so he cant quite get to the pitch, it lands in front, spins just enough to beat bat, but not too much, so it shaves off-stump. Ashwin didn’t realise he was bowled, it was that fine a margin for the spin. Ajaz got it inch-perfect. Ashwin was actually making the signal to review because he thought he’d been given caught behind. 224/6Wicket No. 7: Mayank Agarwal c Tom Blundell b Ajaz Patel 150•BCCI99.5 to Mayank Agarwal, he’s got him. Ajaz on track for the magic ten. Crucial, crucial strike and a great ball to get it. A bit of a misjudgement in length perhaps from Agarwal after exemplary concentration throughout. Ajaz gets this to dip and drift again like he has all through, Agarwal goes on the back foot, but the grip and turn mean his hands follow the ball a bit, just enough to snaffle a thin edge that is well caught by the keeper standing up. The end of a fantastic knock. 291/7Wicket No. 8: Axar Patel lbw b Ajaz Patel 52•BCCI107.5 to Axar Patel, pads up to one outside off, turning in. Ajaz appeals. No shot offered so he can be given lbw. They take the review. He stretched his front leg out a fair way so that has to turn a bit to threaten the stumps. And it is! three reds on the review. Turning enough to take out off stump full. Stunning review from Ajaz, and he has eight now. He can smell that ten-for, as can everyone else. End of an important innings by Axar. 316/8Wicket No. 9: Jayant Yadav c Rachin Ravindra b Ajaz Patel 12•BCCI109.2 to Jayant Yadav, he’s holed out to long-off and Ajaz has nine! We are one step away from history. Jayant looking for quick runs, dances down the track, gets to the pitch too and was hitting with the turn. Right idea perhaps, but wrong execution. Can’t time it well and the ball goes flat. There’s a fielder right there and he gobbles it up. 321/9Wicket No. 10: Mohammed Siraj c Rachin Ravindra b Ajaz Patel 4•BCCI109.5 to Mohammed Siraj, history! Ajaz becomes the third bowler in Test cricket to take all ten. Ajaz Patel has joined Jim Laker and Anil Kumble. Stunning, stunning feat and even the Indian dressing room is applauding. Ajaz roars out and pumps his fist. A Mumbai-born boy, coming to Wankhede and making history. What a moment. This was tossed up on the stumps and Siraj slogged across the line, got a steepling top edge as he sliced it. Hearts in mouths moment as the ball swirls high, but mid-on calmly takes it. Rachin Ravindra the man. The duo that had denied India victory in Kanpur combines for another historic moment. 325/10
On Thursday night the Twins played their first game at Target Field since the Pohlad family announced they would not be selling the team. Minnesota proceded to go out and lose to the Tigers in extra innings with manager Rocco Baldelli getting ejected following a colorful argument about whether or not a foul tip was caught or not.
The emotions from the loss, coupled with the recent news about the team's ownership situation, had the words "sell the team" fresh on everyone's mind and that became especially apparent during the team's postgame show where fans could be heard loudly chanting the request.
The Twins entered the season with a mid-range payroll, well above teams like the Marlins and Athletics, but far behind real contenders who are spending about twice as much each season in an attempt to put a competitive team on the field.
Two years removed from their last postseason appearance, Minnesota is currently 57-64, seven games out of the wild card.
South Africa were bowled out for 74, their lowest T20I score
Sidharth Monga09-Dec-2025
Hardik Pandya hit a rapid fifty•Getty Images
India are massive favourites in their title defence at a home T20 World Cup, but a potential stumbling block is the T20 lottery of losing the toss and having to bat on a damp pitch on a dewy night. That scenario presented itself on the first night of their 10-match lead-in to the World Cup, and they responded emphatically.Hardik Pandya rose above the conditions to score 59 off 28 to take India to 175 in an innings where almost everyone else struggled, and the bowlers used whatever help they could muster from the pitch to bowl South Africa out for their lowest T20I score. A 102-run win after losing the toss should put other contenders on notice.India’s early strugglesFrom ball one, it was apparent India were in on a sticky pitch that would get better as the night went on. Shubman Gill, returning from his neck injury, and captain Suryakumar Yadav ended up lobbing shots to mid-off and mid-on off Lungi Ngidi.Lungi Ngidi struck in each of his two overs in the powerplay•Associated Press
India played three left-hand batters in the middle order to possibly delay the use of Keshav Maharaj, but none of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel got going. Tilak and Axar scored 49 between them off 53 balls as the tall South Africa fast bowlers kept drawing steep bounce from the pitch. Abhishek, starved of strike in the early goings, fell to another special catch by Marco Jansen on this tour to have his innings cut short at 17 off 12.Hardik carries IndiaWhen Hardik came in at 78 for 4 in the 12th over, there was a good chance of India ending up with a below-par total on a pitch that would get quicker and friendlier with the dew.Aiden Markram thought he could now bowl Maharaj with Hardik going only at about a run a ball against left-arm spin over his T20 career. On this night, though, he took Maharaj down for two disdainful no-look sixes to start India’s revival. The returning Anrich Nortje had been too hot to handle for the others but Hardik hit two fours off him: one using his pace, and one an off-drive after charging at him. He helped India take 30 off the last two overs as everyone bar Jansen had his figures rearranged. The ramp off Nortje to bring up his fifty made Hardik only the fourth India player to hit 100 T20I sixes.Arshdeep Singh took a wicket in the first over•Getty Images
Arshdeep sets the toneIndia needed to make the most of the brief period of new-ball movement if they were to compete on a pitch expected to get better. It did indeed look better from the way Tristan Stubbs timed the ball, but Arshdeep Singh got India off to just the start they needed. First he brought Stubbs in with Quinton de Kock’s wicket for a duck off an awayswinger that also seamed away. In his second over, Arshdeep began to bowl wobble-seam, which brought him Stubbs’ wicket for 14 off 9, giving Jitesh Sharma the first of three smart catches.Spinners drive home advantage, Bumrah caps it offHitting still looked easier than it had done in the first innings, but India never went more than 16 balls without a wicket. The 16-ball stand was the most threatening, with Dewald Brevis getting the better of Varun Chakravarthy in the fifth over, but Markram went back to an Axar length ball and was bowled leg stump.As if his batting was not enough, Hardik took the wicket of David Miller first ball: an inside edge onto the pad taken diving forward by Jitesh. Varun then took out Donovan Ferreira and Marco Jansen, one with a quick delivery, the other with a slower one.The procession continued and Jasprit Bumrah went to 100 T20I wickets and beyond, becoming only the fifth bowler in the world to have reached that milestone in all three formats. Shivam Dube, probably picked in the squad ahead of Rinku Singh because of his bowling ability, gave the team management one final reason to smile with the last wicket of the night.