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Crammed schedule for 2024-25 highlights impossibility of fielding best players across formats

Matt Roller22-Jul-2024England teams have played three games against West Indies in the last month but only one player – Harry Brook – has featured in all of them. Brook was the only England player to appear in both the T20 World Cup fixture in St Lucia in June and first two Tests in July, and a disjointed forthcoming schedule will ensure the divergence between their squads continues.Australia and India – who have won all three of the global men’s finals in the past 13 months between them – have relied upon an adaptable core of multi-format players who have underpinned their success. Their captain Pat Cummins has been integral to that, with Australia’s regular breaks between Test series allowing him periods of rest in between key series.But England play so much Test cricket that they have little choice but to separate selection between red and white-ball cricket, whether they want to or not. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, they have played 51 matches in just over four years; India have played the second-most Tests, with just 37.Brook was touted as a potential successor as England’s white-ball captain to Jos Buttler, who is understood to be contemplating his options after the manner of their T20 World Cup exit. But England’s next T20I series, against Australia in September, starts the very day after their third Test against Sri Lanka is due to finish: it is simply not feasible for anyone to feature in both.The logistical challenges continue through the rest of the year. If England wish to give any of their Test players preparation for February’s Champions Trophy, September’s ODI series against Australia is theoretically a good opportunity – but they are due to start a three-Test series in Pakistan eight days after the final ODI in Bristol.Jonny Bairstow struggled at the T20 World Cup after playing in all three formats over the winter•Getty ImagesTheir subsequent ODI series begins on October 31, three days after the scheduled fifth day of the third Test in Pakistan, more than 12,000km away in Antigua. In November, there are only eight days between the fifth T20I against West Indies in St Lucia and the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, on November 28. Good luck trying to play in both.England do have a six-month gap between Tests in early 2025, but only a short tour to India (five T20Is, three ODIs) before the Champions Trophy starts. Even their most adaptable multi-format players would struggle with only three 50-over games. “I’m very inexperienced in this format,” Brook said during last year’s World Cup, having not played a single List A game between May 2019 and his ODI debut in South Africa in January 2023. “It does make a big difference, not having played it.”And England’s 2025 home summer is just as chaotic as ever. Four different teams are due to tour: Zimbabwe, West Indies (twice), India and South Africa. They are also due to play three ODIs in Ireland during the home Test series against India, which – like the 2022 series against Netherlands between two Tests against New Zealand – will necessitate split squads.Further down the line, there is a problem that will be familiar to a generation of England captains: the 2025-26 winter includes a World Cup – albeit a T20 one – immediately after an away Ashes series, just as in 2013-14, 2010-11, 2006-07 and 2002-03. Jonny Bairstow, who struggled for form at both the 50- and 20-over World Cups as well as the Test tour of India in between, showed the folly of expecting players to be at their best while constantly on tour.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland have expressed a desire to bring their squads closer together, following Australia and India’s lead. Rob Key, the team director, spoke after the 50-over World Cup about wanting to develop a generation of “multi-format bowlers who bowl at 85-plus miles per hour”. He cited the examples of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, as well as Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.When England picked a second-string ODI squad against Ireland last September, with the main contenders resting up ahead of the World Cup, Zak Crawley stood in as captain. Ahead of Thursday’s Test at Trent Bridge, Crawley outlined his “big aspirations” as a white-ball player. “I’ve got to earn my spot… but absolutely, certainly in my eyes, I want to be part of that team,” he said. It is hard to see how it will happen.This is not an unfortunate accident, nor anything new: the ECB, along with all other full-member boards, signed off on the ICC’s 2023-27 Future Tours Programme which was finalised two years ago. Even though they have played 35% more Tests since the pandemic than second-placed India, it was their board’s decision to commit to those fixtures.Rather than using their schedule as an excuse, England must turn it into an opportunity. They already have different captains and coaches across formats, and have the resources to field separate squads as a matter of course: only their very best players should be considered for selection across all three formats, and a pool of 26 centrally contracted players should enable them to follow this course.Related

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England have a competitive advantage over most of their rivals in that the majority of franchise T20 leagues take place during their off-season, allowing players the opportunity both to develop and to earn without restriction. It has enabled them to grow a deep pool of white-ball players, even while their Test regulars increasingly specialise in that format.Australia’s limited-overs tour in September gives England the chance to test their bench strength and bring through a new generation of young players. They must be brave in selection: with players involved in the third Test unlikely to be available at the start of the series, marginal calls should lean towards white-ball specialists who can get a proper run over the next 18 months.Take Ben Duckett, who is nailed on as England’s Test opener and has been on the fringes of their white-ball squads. In theory, Duckett should come into the picture for the Champions Trophy, but his availability is limited for their next eight ODIs. The smart play would be to invest in a younger player in a similar role, such as Warwickshire’s Dan Mousley.England have been down this road before, most obviously during the split-squads era of the pandemic: since April 2020, they have used 65 different players in 176 international fixtures. Their forthcoming schedule leaves them with no choice but to double down.

Kohli’s sideways shuffle a sign of India’s batters buying into their new approach

Karthik Krishnaswamy03-Oct-20222:05

Rahul: ‘When batting first, we always try to be aggressive and take a lot of risks’

In an innings containing 25 fours and 13 sixes, this was perhaps not the most eye-catching boundary. But it was significant in two ways.One, it moved India’s score past 190. This was the 10th time in 21 innings this year that India had ticked off that milestone while batting first in T20Is. Across 2020 and 2021, India had only reached 190 three times while batting first, in 16 attempts.Scoring bigger totals more often has significantly improved India’s record while batting first. Duh, you might say, but this transformation has come from a recognition that par is simply not enough, given the advantage chasing teams enjoy in T20 cricket. On Sunday, India made 237 for 3 – their fourth-highest T20I total – and South Africa still gave them a scare.”It is something that all of us came together and we said, you know, this is what we want to do as a team,” Rohit said during the post-match presentation, when asked about India’s batting approach. “Sometimes it has come off; there will be times where it doesn’t come off, but we want to stick to it. We felt that this is the method of moving forward, it has given us results, and we will continue to take that approach.”You need special players to pull off this sort of approach, of course, and India have more than one in their ranks. Rahul is one of them, and while his shot-making ability can sometimes lie puzzlingly dormant in the early parts of his T20 innings, it was in evidence right from the first ball of the match, when he punched Kagiso Rabada past point off the back foot, silkily and with time to spare.He’s taken a bit of time finding his rhythm since coming back from injury in August, and on Wednesday he had battled his way to a slower-than-run-a-ball fifty on a hugely challenging pitch in Thiruvananthapuram. But that back-foot punch off Rabada seemed to flick a switch in him. You know Rahul is in rare and almost unearthly touch when he plays that shot, and when he whips sixes effortlessly off his pads, as he did twice in this innings.It was a standout innings in every way other than the fact that Suryakumar Yadav found a way to upstage it. Suryakumar is in the sort of form where he can seemingly decide to hit any line and any length from any bowler to any part of the ground, and all that’s been written about in ample detail already.His 22-ball 61 in Guwahati, however, brought another facet of his game to light.During his half-century in Thiruvananthapuram, Suryakumar had adopted a scissor-like trigger movement, segueing from an open stance into a side-on position at release, with front foot moving across to the off side and back foot jumping towards the leg side. On Sunday, he used an entirely different trigger movement, starting from the same open position and ending up even more open, with his back foot moving back and across and his front foot remaining stationary.It would be hugely illuminating to hear Suryakumar talk about these technical adjustments. What we do know is that he looked just as comfortable with both set-ups, and just as capable of accessing every part of the field.Dinesh Karthik: India’s most futuristic T20 cricketer?•BCCIAnd to cap it all off, Dinesh Karthik came in with less than two overs remaining and scored an unbeaten 17 off 7. Karthik is 37, and he first played international cricket in 2004, but he’s perhaps India’s most futuristic cricketer, the sort of hyper-specialist that could one day define the way T20 is played. He came in with only 11 balls remaining, but he greatly prefers that to having time to play himself in.Rabada bowled the last over to Karthik with deep backward point, deep cover, long-off, long-on and deep midwicket on the boundary. The plan was to go wide of off stump and short, to try and take away Karthik’s leg-side options. Twice, Karthik stepped across and found himself still having to drag the ball from well outside the line of his body, but he still managed to use his bottom hand and wrists to swat the ball over square leg.Rabada had done little wrong, but it didn’t matter.All through this year, all through the lead-up to the T20 World Cup that begins later this month, India have tried to push themselves to bat in a certain way. It’s not always been smooth; individual batters have struggled for rhythm at times, and there have been flurries of top-order wickets at other times. But in the longer term, good processes beget good outcomes, such as India’s improved bat-first record.On some days, good processes beget immediate outcomes. Sunday was such a day: a day of vindication, a day when almost everything fell into place.

LOS ANGELES — The Blue Jays lost a heartbreaker on Monday, an 18-inning slog that tied for the longest in postseason history in which they used every position player and reliever on their roster. Their heart and soul and one of the best October players of all time, DH George Springer, is out with an oblique injury for an unknown period of time. They arrived at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday to face the greatest player who ever lived, a man so dangerous that they intentionally walked him a postseason record four times the night before—and he was also starting the game on the mound. 

So naturally, they won Game 4, 6–2, to even the World Series at two games apiece. 

“There’s no choice,” said righty Shane Bieber, who warmed up on Monday to pitch the 19th inning and instead held the Dodgers to one run in 5 ⅓ on Tuesday. “What, are you going to feel sorry for yourself? It’s the World Series. We’re down one game. So now we find ourselves even, with a chance to take the lead, and take the lead back to Toronto after tomorrow.”

If indeed this is the David vs. Goliath matchup some have cast it as, it might be worth remembering that David won the battle.

In today’s game, there is no greater giant than Shohei Ohtani, and at first, it seemed that Game 4 would only burnish the legacy he is writing. In Game 3, he reached base a record-smashing nine times—three more than anyone else ever had in a postseason game. When most starting pitchers would be resting and studying the next day’s hitters, Ohtani was collecting two doubles and two home runs, then racking up five walks—four officially intentional, one unofficially intentional. 

In the moments after Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off homer to bring the game to a merciful end, the Dodgers gathered in the clubhouse, almost punch-drunk. Manager Dave Roberts told them he had never been more proud of them and reminded them that it would take the entire roster to win a World Series. He referenced the way Ohtani had insisted that his masterpiece in Game 4 of the NLCS—six scoreless innings, three home runs—had been a team effort. “Enjoy the s— out of it,” Roberts encouraged. As they cheered, he pointed at his wrist. “Hey!” he added. “We got a game later today!” Behind him, the most important person on that roster giggled as he raised his arms skyward and pantomimed his pitching motion. 

Then he got out of there. Immediately after the game, he had told SI’s Tom Verducci, “I need to go to bed.” It was perhaps the only relatable thing Ohtani has ever said. 

He left the ballpark at 12:10 a.m., sipping a sports drink, and he was guzzling another 16 ½ hours later as he warmed up in left field. He worked around a walk and a single in the first. 

Four and a half minutes later, he was standing on first base. Blue Jays manager John Schneider acknowledged after Game 3 that he did not see much point in pitching to Ohtani going forward, and indeed, even to lead off the game, Bieber walked him.

Finally, in the third, Bieber pitched to him—and by staying low and tight to the zone, he got Ohtani to strike out on a foul tip. 

It marked Ohtani’s first out at Dodger Stadium since Oct. 16. In the meantime, he hit three home runs and walked in NLCS Game 4; hit those two homers and two doubles and took those five walks in World Series Game 3; and walked in the first inning of Game 4. He struck out again, this time looking, in the fifth, and grounded out in the seventh. 

Pakistan’s attack squeezed Sri Lanka’s batters: their seamers bossed the powerplay, before Mohammad Nawaz claimed three wickets through the middle. Sri Lanka could muster no more than 128 for 7, and Pakistan strode to the target in 15.3 overs, with seven wickets to spare.Sahibzada Farhan led the chase from the top of the order, with 80 not out off 45 balls. His knock, in fact, was the only real fluent innings in this game. Janith Liyanage – the next-best scorer with 41 not out – struck at only 108. On the other hand, Farhan hit five sixes and five fours in the innings. His most productive partnership was with Babar Azam – the two put on 69 together.The victory puts Pakistan at the top of the tri-series table with two victories. Sri Lanka are the only winless side, and also have the worst net run rate by a distance, having now suffered two exceedingly heavy losses.Mohammad Nawaz’s three wickets ensured Sri Lanka never got going•PCB

Pakistan peg Sri Lanka back in the powerplay

Kamil Mishara made the big plays for Sri Lanka early in their innings, hitting 22 off his first 11 balls. But Mishara misread a slower ball from Faheem Ashraf and holed out to mid off. After he was dismissed early in the fourth over, they managed only one further boundary in the powerplay. Then, in Ashraf’s next over, Kusal Mendis was run out attempting a needless second. Sri Lanka finished the powerplay on 44 for 2.

Nawaz dominates the middle overs

Nawaz bowled an unbroken four-over spell starting with the eighth over, took 3 for 16, and was virtually unhittable – so accurate were his overs, and so cleverly did he vary his pace. He didn’t concede a boundary, and his third over was probably the best of the match – he first bowled Kusal Perera with a delivery that ripped through the left-hander’s gate, before slipping a straight one past Dasun Shanaka’s defences. In his final over, he had Kusal Mendis caught excellently on the deep-midwicket boundary by Mohammad Wasim Jr, who tossed the ball in the air as he was going over the rope, before regaining his footing inside the field and completing the catch.

Farhan blasts Sri Lanka

It didn’t take long for him to get going. By the time he’d faced ten balls, Farhan had hit two fours and a six. His main hitting zones were in a broad V, with the vast majority of his boundaries coming in the arc between cover and midwicket. He was especially severe on the legspinners – he hit 23 off 12 against Wanindu Hasaranga, and 21 off 13 off V Viyaskanth. Farhan hit the winning runs – a four down the ground off Eshan Malinga.

Viyaskanth breaks new ground

Never before have Sri Lanka fielded a born-and-raised player from the Jaffna peninsula, although cricket has been popular in the north for well over a century. This is largely because a 27-year Civil War in the region, which prevented many northerners from pursuing cricket. Legspinner V Viyaskanth had played a T20I before, in the Asian Games, to which Sri Lanka sent only an emerging team. This was his first major international appearance, and as such, the first appearance for a Jaffna player in a televised international match. His figures read 0 for 28 from four overs.

Both powerhouses are through to the semis, but there is plenty to play for in Indore

S Sudarshanan21-Oct-20252:09

Preview: England’s middle order in the spotlight

Big picture: First defeat in store, but for whom?Australia and England. Two powerhouses of women’s cricket. Two sides that know how to push oppositions back to the wall. They will clash at Holkar Stadium on Wednesday, at the end of which only one will remain undefeated at the Women’s World Cup 2025. Both teams have already secured their semi-final spots.On paper, Australia sure have the edge. But England would quietly be confident ahead of this contest for two reasons. One, they played in Indore only a couple of days ago. And two, Australia are coming back after a six-day gap.Australia trained on each of the two days leading up to the contest. Their last two games were ones where the top order (read Alyssa Healy) flexed their muscles. Healy scored back-to-back centuries but she is out with a minor calf strain she picked up when Australia had a fitness session on Saturday morning. Their senior pros in Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney have stepped up in different games.Related

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Scenarios – Four teams fight for one spot

Only Tahlia McGrath, who has aggregated 43 in three innings, is yet to fire but captaincy could be the right potion for her. She revels under responsibility, and freed of the baggage of worrying about qualification, she could well join the party in batting-friendly conditions. There is little concern in their bowling.Which may make England rethink their strategies. Amy Jones, Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt have had at least one big innings with the bat. But the others haven’t yet stepped up. England’s lower-middle order has been a concern: Nos. 5 to 7 average only 9.25 at this World Cup, the lowest among all teams. At the start of the year, England also lost the multi-format Women’s Ashes 16-0, unable to win a single game. But their leadership has undergone a change since and they will look to turn a leaf on that episode.Charlotte Edwards’ tactics and Sciver-Brunt’s captaincy have served them well. Their come-from-behind win against India would only act as a further boost. They will perhaps play scant respect to the fact that they have lost each of the five meetings against Australia in India.While teams often maintain that “the past doesn’t matter”, Sciver-Brunt would want to pay Australia back after her heroics went in vain at the 2022 World Cup final. A small step will be on Wednesday, when one of the teams will have a first taste of defeat at this World Cup.Form guideAustralia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWWLIn the spotlight: Phoebe Litchfield and Amy JonesWith Healy absent, the onus will now be on Phoebe Litchfield to lay the platform with the bat for Australia. She is coming on the back of 84 not out against Bangladesh. The flat surface in Indore will only play into her hands. England have a plethora of spinners, and Litchfield is a superb exponent of the sweep and the reverse sweep. She showed a glimpse of that in Australia’s opening match at this venue, now it’s time for a longer exhibition.Amy Jones was a little surprised when Edwards first mentioned that she could be back to opening the batting for England. She had played in the middle order for a good part of the last five years. She showed her hunger at home against West Indies but it wasn’t until her half-century against India that she made her presence felt at this World Cup. “I thought at the halfway stage of the tournament, it was a rocky phase,” Jones said. “I have been riding a wave of ups and down with opening, as you do in cricket. But I was pleased to get a bit of a start last game.” Australia better beware.Team news: Voll in for Healy?Georgia Voll is likely to take Alyssa Healy’s batting spot against England•ICC/Getty ImagesHealy’s injury makes it a straight swap for Georgia Voll at the top with Mooney to keep wickets. Australia could also bring back left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux after she was rested for the Bangladesh game.Australia (probable): 1 Georgia Voll, 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Annabel Sutherland, 5 Beth Mooney (wk), 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath (capt), 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Alana King, 10 Darcie Brown/Kim Garth, 11 Megan SchuttEngland may consider bringing Danni Wyatt-Hodge in place of either of Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey or Emma Lamb. The trio has been low on runs and England would not want to take chances against a strong Australian team.England (probable): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Alice Capsey, 7 Emma Lamb/Danni Wyatt Hodge, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren Bell/Lauren FilerPitch and conditions: Another batting belter in storeA black-soil pitch will be used for this fixture. It is expected to be flat. This track is right next to the red-soil one that was used for India vs England. It is the centre pitch at the venue, so expect the square boundaries to be more-or-less equidistant. Indore is expected to be humid and a little cloudy, with a slight probability of rain. There is no threat of a washout, however.Stats and trivia Mooney is 89 away from 3000 ODI runs. She will be the seventh from Australia to the mark Among bowlers, Megan Schutt is three wickets away from leapfrogging Lisa Sthalekar (146) to third on the ODI wicket charts for Australia. She also has 38 wickets in ODI World Cups and needs two more to go past Lyn Fullston as the leading wicket-taker for Australia in the tournament. Sciver-Brunt is four away from 1000 ODI World Cup runs. She will be the third from England to get there Sophie Ecclestone is two away from becoming England’s second-leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket. Jenny Gunn has 136 while Ecclestone has 135. One more wicket will push Ecclestone into the top five among wicket-takers in all women’s internationals. She is currently level on 317 with Shabnim Ismail.Quotes”I don’t think there’s any special ingredient. I feel like we prepare really well. Our players are really adaptable and we try to communicate around conditions. The girls have been fantastic at adapting and being able to get us out of some sticky situations and having different players step up and perform has been really critical for us.”
“Linsey’s been brilliant. For her to get the opportunity [to open the bowling] in 50-over cricket is brilliant. It was a big goal of hers to break into the 50-over team. In the summer, there were questions around: could Linsey and Sophie [Ecclestone] play in the same team. And it’s brilliant to see how she has taken on a different role opening the bowling.”

A Manchester City star on £150,000-a-week is in a protective boot and set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

Pep Guardiola celebrates 1,000th game as manager in Man City win over Liverpool

Prior to the international break, Pep Guardiola took charge of his 1,000th game as a manager as his City side defeated Premier League rivals Liverpool 3-0.

Jeremy Doku was the star of the show on the pitch at the Etihad, rounding off his performance with a goal in the second half after first half strikes from Erling Haaland and Nico Gonzalez.

Talking after the win at the Etihad, Guardiola reflected on his managerial career, which began at Barcelona B in 2007.

“I think my period at Barcelona B is the foundation for many things. To realise that I was able to do it and learn a lot.

“I will never forget the guys in that first season. For me, it has been so special to make 1,000 games in front of my family and especially against Liverpool. I have a huge respect for that club.”

Over the last 18 years, Guardiola has won 716 games in charge and looks set to lead City in another title battle with league leaders Arsenal.

Wins

716

Draws

156

Losses

128

Trophies

40

Goals scored

2,445

Goals conceded

813

However, he will have to do that for large parts of the season without one of his trusted midfielders.

Injury update on Man City’s Mateo Kovacic

According to reports relayed by Sport Witness, Mateo Kovacic underwent successful surgery last Friday on ‘calcifications’ that had grown in his heel.

The midfielder, who has made just one Premier League appearance all season following Achilles surgery in the summer, is now set to travel down to London next week to have stitches removed.

Now in a protective boot, a rehabilitation programme usually lasts four months, so Kovacic, on £150,000-a-week, will hopefully return by March as he looks to get minutes before the World Cup with Croatia.

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Pep Guardiola is the longest-serving manager in the Premier League, but his time at the Etihad Stadium could be coming to an end.

ByDominic Lund Nov 12, 2025

Between now and March, Man City currently have 22 games scheduled in all competitions plus the FA Cup third round tie that has yet to be drawn.

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic is hoping to have Kovacic recovered in time for the World Cup next summer, recently saying: “I hope Kovacic won’t miss the World Cup. He has similar problems to those he had four or five months ago.

”We believe he’ll be with us at the World Cup. I’d like him to be back in March. It must be tough for him. The injury and the surgery are taking a psychological toll on him. I hope Kovacic gets through it all.”

Man City leading race for Rodrygo with Real Madrid future now in major doubt

Celtic are consulting the managerial market in an attempt to bring in a new boss and are reportedly now ready to present a formal approach to their preferred candidate.

Undoubtedly, the feeling around Parkhead has changed dramatically in the last couple of weeks since Martin O’Neill was appointed in interim charge to lead the Scottish Premiership champions.

Joyous scenes against Falkirk and Rangers were tempered by a disappointing first-half collapse against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League last Thursday. However, Celtic signed off for the international break with a 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock to close the gap on Heart of Midlothian to seven points.

Furthermore, a game in hand will serve as an opportunity to move within four points of the league leaders, though, who will be in charge to lead the Bhoys’ defence of the Scottish top-flight crown?

Wales boss Craig Bellamy has ruled himself out of the Celtic vacancy. Nevertheless, Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy is the latest name to enter the running after his strong start to the campaign at the League One outfit.

Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, Nicky Hayen, and Efrain Juarez are also on the Bhoys’ radar. Meanwhile, Wilfried Nancy is the wildcard choice after his sterling work at Columbus Crew.

With several pivotal fixtures to come and off-field tension between supporters and the hierarchy continuing to linger, there is a feeling that Celtic must get this appointment right to move forward in unison.

Difficult away clashes against St Mirren, Feyenoord and Hibernian linger on the other side of the international break, so it is fair to say time if of the essence if the Bhoys are to bring someone into the fold on a full-time basis, and they may just be about to pull off that feat.

Celtic readying formal approach for Kjetil Knutsen

According to TEAMtalk, Celtic are readying an official approach for Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen after discovering that the 57-year-old is keen to take on a new challenge and is excited by the thought of taking over at Parkhead.

The report make it clear that he is still the standout foreign candidate, albeit the Bhoys also want an interview with Ipswich boss McKenna despite the fact Dermot Desmond may have to pay £5 million to secure him from Portman Road.

Ferencvaros boss Robbie Keane, a former Celtic player, has yet to receive a phone call regarding the vacant position. Still, it is said that he would ‘sprint to the table if asked’ to succeed O’Neill at the helm of the Scottish champions.

The Bhoys want to come to a resolution by December at the latest and they could now be closer to finding their next permanent manager if Knutsen was able to finalise contract terms.

An alternative Celtic manager candidate has a secret release clause

Nevertheless, nothing is signed and sealed until ink physically exists on paper, so there is still a long way to go before supporters know who their next leader will be.

It was one of those moments. Tim David, one of the best when it comes to smashing a lot of runs in not many balls, seemed to miss with a big swing against an over-pitched Mohammad Amir delivery. The Trinbago Knight Riders boys heard an edge. Nicholas Pooran reviewed. Replays showed a gap between bat and ball, but Snicko showed a spike.David had to go. That left St Lucia Kings at 113 for 4 in 14-and-a-half overs, their finisher gone in a chase of 184. Despite the best efforts from the remaining batters, they fell 18 short in their CPL 2025 game in Gros Islet.It would, however, be unfair to say Knight Riders weren’t deserving winners. Having won one and lost one that they might have won in their season so far, they came into this game determined to notch up another two points, none of them more than Kieron Pollard, who had fluffed his lines so badly in the previous game.Kieron Pollard smashed 65 off just 29 balls•CPL T20 via Getty Images

After they were sent in, Knight Riders got an excellent start courtesy their form batter, Colin Munro, despite Alex Hales’s struggles. Hales was the first to go after scoring 10 in eight balls, but Munro made sure the opening wicket was worth 47 runs in 4.1 overs, and Knight Riders ended the powerplay with 58 on the board.Munro scored 43 in 30 balls, and Pooran chipped in with 34 in 30 balls, but it was really down to Pollard’s statement innings – 65 in 29 balls – that pushed Knight Riders to what eventually proved to be a winning total.Pollard walked out at 78 for 3 in the 11th over, hammered six sixes and four fours, with David Wiese, the opposition captain, picked for special treatment – 24 runs, including three sixes in a row in the 17th over the highlight. Though Pollard fell in the 19th, in a one-run over from Oshane Thomas against the run of play, he had done enough to give Knight Riders the advantage.Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert put together 74 for the first wicket•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Kings weren’t to be outdone just yet. Tim Seifert, with 35 in 24 balls, and Johnson Charles, with 47 in 37 balls, gave the chase a rollicking start. They scored 60 in the powerplay and motored along to 74 before Seifert fell in the ninth over.They needed someone to keep the momentum going, but Roston Chase wasn’t the man for the job on the day. David might have been but couldn’t be. In the end, the onus was on the lower-middle order to do the heavy lifting.Delano Potgieter and Ackeem Auguste did play handy cameos, but Kings needed someone to bat on and finish the game. They did not come close to the finish line by the time Russell had delivered the final over.The win lifted Knight Riders to third place, with four points from three games, the same as second-placed Guyana Amazon Warriors and fourth-placed St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, while Kings were at fifth.

The first ODI of the three-ODI, five-T20I tour is set to be played at the Kotambi Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2025

Vadodara is set to host its first men’s international match in more than 15 years during New Zealand’s white-ball tour of India in January 2026. The first ODI on January 11, which kicks off the tour, will take place at the newly built Kotambi Stadium, which has already hosted three Women’s ODIs between India and West Indies in December 2024, as well as six matches during the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL).New Zealand were also involved when Vadodara hosted its last men’s international game, an ODI at the Reliance Stadium in December 2010. Current India head coach Gautam Gambhir scored a Player-of-the-Match-winning century in that game, and Virat Kohli – who has retired from T20Is and Tests but remains an ODI player – an unbeaten 63.New Zealand’s 2025-26 tour of India is set to comprise three ODIs and five T20Is. It is set to be the first meeting between the two sides since India’s victory over New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy in March.After Vadodara, the teams will remain in Gujarat, with Rajkot set to host the second ODI on January 14, before the ODI series concludes in Indore on January 18. This match starts the central-India leg of the tour, with Nagpur (January 21) and Raipur (January 23) to host the first two T20Is.The teams will then move east before travelling southwards to conclude the tour, with Guwahati (January 25), Visakhapatnam (January 28) and Thiruvananthapuram (January 31) hosting the third, fourth and fifth T20Is.As things stand, these five T20Is could be the last ones for India before the start of the T20 World Cup in February-March 2026. New Zealand, meanwhile, are scheduled to play three T20Is against Afghanistan immediately after the India tour.India, winners of the 2024 edition in the West Indies and the USA, are set to co-host the 2026 T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka.

Everton have now gone three games without a win in the Premier League, but they have eight points after six matches and sit ninth in the standings.

The corresponding point from the 2024/25 campaign? The Toffees had four points on the board, having woefully lost four straight to kick off the term under Sean Dyche’s wing.

The draw against West Ham United on Monday night was probably a fair reflection of the fixture contested. The hosts started on the front foot and were well worth their money when Michael Keane rose and powered home from James Garner’s swept cross.

But Everton let the game get away with them, and United were playing with a new sense of iron about their will, having dismissed Graham Potter days before and replaced him with Nuno Espirito Santo.

Still, not everyone in blue covered themselves in glory. Beto toiled at number nine once again, but Jake O’Brien was also culpable for a poor performance at right-back.

Jake O'Brien raises questions

Everton signed O’Brien from Lyon for just over £16m in July 2024. Formerly of Crystal Palace’s academy system, the Republic of Ireland international had been hailed by journalist Zach Lowy as a “revelation in defence” for the French side, before completing his switch.

Last season, he struggled to break his way into the team before Moyes’ appointment, but thereafter, he played consistently from the outset at right-back, starting 17 times across the second half of the season.

So far this term, he has played every minute of the Hill Dickinson Stadium side’s Premier League campaign, though the recent draw to West Ham ended up shining a light on the need for a natural right-sided defender, one who can defend and attack with equal sharpness.

The Liverpool Echo handed the 6 foot 6 Toffee a 5/10 match rating after a performance that left plenty to be desired, while former Everton writer Adam Jones criticised the deployment, saying, “O’Brien at right-back just does not work in the long term.”

The Irishman is industrious and has been a shrewd signing for the Merseysiders, but it does beg the question as to why a high-level right-back was not signed this summer, with Ashley Young gone and Nathan Patterson unable to shake persistent injury problems.

Moreover, Everton have signed Jack Grealish on loan, and while the silky playmaker is flourishing on Merseyside, it has shifted Iliman Ndiaye out onto the right flank.

Everton's Iliman Ndiaye problem

When Everton welcomed Grealish to the pack, Moyes would have known that this would limit Ndiaye’s playing time from his favoured left flank.

Last season, the Senegalese winger was Everton’s most potent threat, finishing the campaign as their top scorer with 11 goals across all competitions.

Hailed by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp for his “dynamite” qualities on the ball, the 25-year-old also ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe for successful take-ons and the top 8% for tackles won per 90, data courtesy of FBref.

Four of his Premier League goals with the Blues have been struck with his left foot, but Ndiaye is clearly more comfortable arcing into space to unleash with his right, having only featured twice as a right winger across the entirety of the 2024/25 season.

Could it be said that he is being wasted in this new role? It perhaps bears testament to Ndiaye’s remarkable skill that he has hardly fallen by the wayside in this new role, but the sense that he would be performing at a higher level in his previous role cannot be shaken at this moment.

The player’s speed and athleticism lend themselves to joy across the frontline; and indeed, Ndiaye has played all around the park, though Moyes has been the principal architect of his new home in unfamiliar territory.

Grealish, too, operates at his best in a left-sided midfield zone, but Moyes will be aware that both of his mavericks can play in a centralised attacking position, and maybe that’s food for thought, especially if Tyler Dibling makes the necessary developments over the next few weeks and months and nails down a prominent role at Everton.

But this does loop back to O’Brien. Is the hulking defender the option on the right side of the defence? Does he provide the requisite creative support?

Ndiaye’s defensive focus has been sharpened since joining Everton from Marseille for £15m just over one year ago. However, he in turn needs help from the full-back behind him.

Given that Beto and Thierno Barry are struggling at number nine right now, and Ndiaye is Everton’s deadliest goal threat, there’s a chance that Moyes opts to field him as a centre-forward at some stage. In any case, appeasing the star is crucial if the club hope to stay competitive.

Ndiaye might have received a bit of criticism in recent weeks, but he’s still been dangerous across the opening weeks of the campaign, scoring two goals and assisting another.

But if Grealish becomes a permanent fixture on Merseyside, and Ndiaye is told that he will play off the right with regularity, a few more tweaks might be needed in the transfer market to achieve the kind of balance that will propel Everton into the ascendancy.

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