أشاد رافينها، نجم نادي برشلونة، بقدرات زميله في الفريق، موضحًا أن هذا اللاعب قد ساعد البلوجرانا على البقاء في مجريات اللقاء ومن ثم تحقيق الانتصار.
برشلونة تمكن من تحقيق الانتصار على حساب ديبورتيفو ألافيس بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف واحد، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من عمر الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى.
وعاد رافينها للتواجد من جديد في تشكيلة برشلونة الأساسية، وذلك بعد غياب خلال الفترة الماضية بسبب الإصابة.
وتألق رافينها اليوم وصنع هدفين في فوز برشلونة بثلاثية، لكنه أثنى بشكل خاص على حارس مرمى البرسا، خوان جارسيا.
جارسيا قدم عرضًا مميزًا وساعد في حفاظ برشلونة على شباكه عندما كانت النتيجة 2-1 للبلوجرانا، قبل أن يسجل داني أولمو الهدف الثالث للفريق الكتالوني.
طالع .. أولمو بعد الفوز على ديبورتيفو ألافيس: لم نتأثر بعد الهدف المبكر.. وسعداء بتواجد جميع اللاعبين
وقال رافينها في تصريحات لقناة برشلونة الرسمية: ”كانت أمسية مثالية حققنا فيها الفوز، وفي ذكرى تأسيس النادي، فاجأونا في الدقيقة الأولى لكننا سيطرنا على المباراة، اللعب هنا له طابع خاص”.
وأضاف رافينها في حديثه: ”أنا سعيد بالعودة ومساعدة الفريق، ومن ثم تسجيل الأهداف، وتمرير الكرات الحاسمة والقيام بالأعمال الدفاعية، أتطلع إلى تقديم أفضل ما لدي من لياقة بدنية بعد الإصابة التي عانيت منها”.
وأوضح: ”ندرك أننا لسنا في أفضل حالاتنا، لكننا سنعمل جاهدين للوصول إلى هناك في أسرع وقت ممكن ونحن مقتنعون بما نفعله لإنهاء العام بشكل جيد”.
وعن خوان جارسيا اختتم رافينها: ”ساعدنا تصدي خوان جارسيا على البقاء في المباراة”.
Martin O’Neill’s time in charge of Celtic couldn’t have gone much better really.
The legendary manager saw his beat their Old Firm rivals, reach a cup final and draw level with Hearts at the top of the SPFL table.
It took the Hoops a while to find their new manager but they finally have their man in the form of Wilfried Nancy who arrives following a stint in MLS.
That said, for those at Parkhead, chiefly Liam Scales, he’s not had much time to think about what could be in store under the new boss.
Scales preparing for new era at Celtic
Republic of Ireland international Scales was asked after the 1-0 victory over Dundee on Wednesday evening whether he had been doing his research on the 48-year-old Nancy.
“No, I haven’t had time,” the defender said. “It’s been so busy. Obviously we know bits and pieces but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We need to focus on the games that we have and now is the time where we’re going to have to really focus on the tactical changes and whatever he wants us to do.
“It’s hard to do homework on someone you’ve never met because you don’t want to create a false idea of them. It’s better just to wait and really learn from them in person.”
Nancy arrives ahead of a crucial run of games. Celtic will go top of the Premiership if they beat Hearts on Sunday before facing St Mirren in the League Cup final a week later.
“It doesn’t get much bigger than the week he has come in. It’s probably ideal. You want to come in and be part of massive games and he has a chance to win a trophy early on.
“If you come in and do well over the next three games, it’s the best way you can start a job. We’ll be doing our best to make that happen for him because we want to be successful as a team.”
Scales could be set for new role under Nancy
Scales was in excellent form under O’Neill, notably hailed as Celtic’s “player of the year” by some. Evidently, he thoroughly enjoyed his time with the interim manager in the dugout.
The defender said of O’Neill: “He’s been really good. It’s been a positive four weeks or five weeks. We’ve won a lot of games. We’ve obviously won a cup semi-final and won an away game in Europe as well. They were big wins. It’s just been really enjoyable and positive.
“In the game now, the defenders are on the ball a lot and you need to link play. But to go back to basics and just be told that you need to win your headers, you need to win your duels, I’ll keep that with me.”
Liam Scales in action for Celtic.
Whether the centre-back continues his form remains to be seen. After all, Scales could be set for a modified role given Nancy’s preference for a back three. “I’ve played in back threes, I’ve played in back fives, I’ve played in back fours. I just want to be in the team. That’s all I care about.”
Better than Maeda: Celtic star is going to be undroppable under Nancy
This Celtic star who was even better than Daizen Maeda against Dundee should be Wilfried Nancy’s first undroppable star.
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is now having to deal with unsettled players as he also prepares for a vital North London derby this weekend, according to a new report.
Spurs, under the new leadership team of co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange, are bracing for a significant January transfer window where several fringe players could well depart N17.
The most high-profile of them appears inevitable for Yves Bissouma, whose spell at Spurs appears to be nearing a conclusion. The 28-year-old Mali international’s contract expires in June 2026, positioning him for a potential free transfer next year amid ongoing interest from Galatasaray after they failed to sign him in the summer.
Frank has already criticised Bissouma for his punctuality and discipline, explaining at the start of 2025/2026 that the midfielder “has been late several times and the latest time was one too many”.
The midfielder is currently absent with an ankle problem and hasn’t featured in a competitive game all season, but The Mail report Bissouma’s contract includes a one-year extension option — meaning they might not lose him for free next year after all.
Dejan Kulusevski
Knee
29/11/2025
James Maddison
ACL
01/06/2026
Radu Dragusin
Knee
22/11/2025
Ben Davies
Thigh
23/11/2025
Kota Takai
Ankle/Foot
23/11/2025
Mohammed Kudus
Knock
23/11/2025
Randal Kolo Muani
Jaw
23/11/2025
Yves Bissouma
Ankle/Foot
23/11/2025
Lucas Bergvall
Concussion
23/11/2025
Dominic Solanke
Ankle
23/11/2025
Archie Gray
Calf/Shin/Heel
23/11/2025
via Premier Injuries
In any case, they’d also only trigger it if they can’t sell him in the winter, and Bissouma isn’t the only player who could leave in under two months time.
Indeed, Richarlison’s future also hangs in the balance.
The forward’s own contract runs out in 2027, and he’s struggled for consistency not just this season, but ever since his £60 million move from Everton in 2022. Richarlison is believed to be attracting interest from his former club and Frank reportedly views the 28-year-old as ‘expendable’, meaning a January exit for the Brazil international isn’t ruled out despite Dominic Solanke’s injury woes.
On-lookers wouldn’t be at all surprised if one of the aforementioned pair left Spurs in the winter, provided they can sign a replacement for Richarlison, but a much more surprising name has now been touted for the exit door as well.
Mathys Tel keen to leave Tottenham in January and 'unhappy' in London
Just months after his £30 million permanent move from Bayern Munich, Roma have now emerged as potential January suitors for striker Mathys Tel.
Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reports the 20-year-old is unhappy in London and keen on departing Tottenham when the winter window opens, which comes as a shock given he’s basically only just arrived and performed fairly well when called upon.
Tel scored Tottenham’s equaliser against Man United last time out with an excellent finish on the turn, and opened the scoring in Spurs’ 2-1 win away to Leeds just before the October international break.
However, he was also controversially excluded from Tottenham’s 22-man Champions League squad by Frank, owing to the limited numbers they could select due to homegrown quota issues.
Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has identified Tel as his primary target, viewing the youngster as someone with significant room for development who possesses the ideal profile to strengthen Roma’s attacking options.
La Gazzetta even suggests that Spurs could green-light a loan deal as opposed to an outright sale, but given both Randal Kolo Muani and Solanke’s struggles to stay fit, this would be rather unwise.
Given Frank’s limited attacking options, Roma’s apparent optimism about securing a deal may prove very premature. Tottenham need more options up top, not less, and Tel is someone who’s still raw but could pay dividends in the future as he continues to adjust to life in England.
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann once backed Tel to become a ’40 goal a season’ striker, and while he’s still some way off that, letting him leave certainly doesn’t benefit the Lilywhites in any way.
Three-wicket win keeps them in contention at top ahead of clash with champions Surrey
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025Nottinghamshire fended off a strong fightback by Worcestershire to complete a three-wicket win which keeps them at the heart of the race for the Rothesay County Championship title.Chasing a target of 136 at Visit Worcestershire New Road, Haseeb Hameed’s side dipped to 83 for 6 before the lower-middle order stood tall to take them to 136 for 7. After Ben Slater held the chase together early on with a resolute 36 off 94 balls, Liam Patterson-White (23) and Lyndon James (17 not out) held their nerve with crucial contributions when it mattered most.Ben Allison took 3 for 50 as the home side gave it everything but the defeat leaves Worcestershire almost certain to finish bottom of Division One. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire’s win sets up a huge clash with reigning champions and Division One leaders Surrey at The Oval next week.Nottinghamshire resumed on the final morning on 40 for 1 and, to their delight, the rain that has haunted this match was replaced by gorgeous sunshine. Visit Worcestershire New Road looked as magnificent as ever as Slater and Freddie McCann walked to the crease.McCann was soon making the return journey after lifting a pull to deep square leg. When Khurram Shahzad, in a superb spell from the New Road End (8-5-8-1), trapped Joe Clarke lbw, a few Nottinghamshire nerves were jangling at 53 for 3.They were jangling even more after Allison took two wickets in ten balls. Jack Haynes drove to cover and Kyle Verreynne was late on a ball which arrowed in to knock out middle stump.Slater had resisted with skill and patience for 148 minutes but was lured into driving at a wide one from Tom Taylor and nicked it to supply the bowler’s 49th Championship wicket of the season. As runs dried up – three from the last seven overs before lunch – Nottinghamshire dined at 91 for 6.Lunch arrived at a good time for them. It drained the bowlers of momentum and four quickfire fours from Patterson-White straight after the interval put Nottinghamshire back on the front foot. Patterson-White edged Allison to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick with 22 needed from the last three wickets but James, completing his excellent all-round match, and Josh Tongue saw their side to a potentially priceless victory.
England allrounder continues remarkable personal match with Derbyshire on ropes
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025
Ian Holland held Leicestershire’s second innings together•Getty Images
Derbyshire 189 and 98 for 4 need another 347 runs to beat Leicestershire 398 and 236 for 9 (Holland 90, Reece 5-64, Thomson 4-81)Leicestershire closed in on another victory with England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed again playing a starring role on day three of the Rothesay County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby.Ahmed claimed 4 for 41 and 10 wickets in the Division Two match at the Central Co-op County Ground to leave the hosts on 98 for 4 at the close, still 347 runs away from a notional target of 446.Luis Reece celebrated career-best match figures of 11 for 120, taking 5 for 64, before Leicestershire declared on 236 for 9 with Ian Holland scoring 90 from 98 balls and Ben Green 45.Derbyshire chances were always slim at best on a used pitch and despite 41 from opener Caleb Jewell, they were sliding towards defeat when bad light halted play with seven overs still to bowl.Once Leicestershire decided not to enforce the follow-on, it was a question of how quickly they could get to the sort of lead that would put the game beyond Derbyshire.Reece had run through them on the second morning and he threatened to do the same again, removing both openers in his first three overs.Rishi Patel prodded a simple chance to short cover which gave Wayne Madsen his 100th first-class catch at Derby.Madsen held another one to remove Sol Budinger and after some typically flamboyant strokes, Ahmed pulled Reece to deep mid on.When Reece trapped Peter Handscomb lbw, there was still a chance Derbyshire could restrict Leicestershire to a target they had a realistic chance of chasing down but Holland dashed those slim hopes.Although Alex Thomson removed Lewis Hill, Liam Trevaskis and Louis Kimber before lunch, Holland was four short of 50 at the interval with the lead a daunting 345.Holland and Green took that past 400, adding 89 from 85 balls before Green was bowled by Reece who had now taken five wickets in both innings of a match for the first time.The declaration came when Holland drove a return catch to Thomson which left Derbyshire a highly improbable target on a challenging pitch.They made a decent start until Ahmed made his latest mark on the match, taking three wickets either side of tea.David Lloyd pulled a short ball to mid on and Harry Came edged a cut into the gloves of Handscomb in the last over of the afternoon.When Madsen went cheaply for the second time in the match, seeing a defensive shot spin back onto the stumps, his side was in trouble on 52 for 3.Jewell resisted for 110 balls before he was lbw playing back to Ahmed and Leicestershire will be confident of completing a sixth victory on the final day to take another step closer to promotion.
Manchester City return to action in the Premier League this afternoon as they welcome Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth to The Etihad.
The Cityzens booked their place in the last eight of the League Cup on Wednesday night with a 3-1 win against Championship side Swansea City away from home.
That night in Wales provided some players with an opportunity to show that they deserve to start in the Premier League, and Rayan Cherki grasped that chance with both hands.
The key change Pep must make to the Man City starting XI
France international, Cherki, came off the bench against Villarreal and Aston Villa in the last two games after returning from injury, and finally made a return as a starter against Swansea in the League Cup.
Cherki, as shown in the graphic, was incredibly influential in the 3-1 win over the Welsh outfit, with a staggering 119 touches across the 90 minutes, which led to him creating six chances for the team.
The French magician buried a composed finish into the bottom corner for his goal and played a slick pass through for Omar Marmoush to score in the second half.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Cherki is not the only player who should keep his place in the starting line-up from the win, though, as Pep Guardiola should also unleash Marmoush from the start to make Erling Haaland completely unplayable.
Cherki is not the only Man City star who can make Haaland even better
Haaland has scored 11 goals in nine matches in the Premier League, five more than any other player in the division, so you could argue that he already looks unplayable.
However, the Norway international blanked against Aston Villa last time out in the Premier League, as he only had 0.23 xG worth of chances, with Savinho and Oscar Bobb on the flanks to support him.
Savinho and Bobb, who are goalless in the Premier League this season, did not create any ‘big chances’ between them, which is why Cherki and Marmoush should be unleashed alongside Haaland against the Cherries.
They could provide a tangible threat at the top end of the pitch that the other two forwards have been unable to, which could then create more chances and more space for Haaland because of the attention that they can draw from opposition defenders.
Marmoush, who scored against Swansea, has proven that he can provide a consistent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, for Eintracht Frankfurt and since his move to Manchester City in January.
Appearances
17
16
xG
8.87
5.49
Goals
15
7
Minutes per goal
97
170
Big chances created
11
8
xA
4.14
2.12
As you can see in the table above, the Egypt international produced 15 goals and ‘big chances’ created in 16 appearances in the Premier League last season, which shows that he hit the ground running in English football.
Marmoush, who was described as a “proper maverick” by analyst Ben Mattinson, also has good memories against today’s opponents, as he won the club’s Goal of the Season award with a sensational long-range strike.
The former Bundesliga star has the quality to be a real difference maker for the Cityzens, as evidenced by his statistics, and Cherki, given his output against Swansea, falls into the same bracket.
Their combined presence at the top end of the pitch against Bournemouth could draw some of the attention away from Haaland, giving him more space to work with, which could make him completely unplayable.
Man City closely monitoring Ezri Konsa as Aston Villa may now be forced to sell
Pep Guardiola is looking to bolster his options at the back, having identified Konsa as a target.
ByDominic Lund Oct 31, 2025
The Norwegian star is already the best striker in the Premier League, given his goal return this season, but selecting Cherki and Marmoush could take him to another level entirely.
O Fortaleza recebe o Sportivo Trinidense nesta quarta-feira (29), pela sexta e última rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana. A bola rola a partir das 21h (de Brasília), no Castelão, com transmissão do Paramount+ (Assine agora e assista esse e mais jogos da Sula pelo Star+ e Paramount +).
continua após a publicidade
Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre São Paulo e Talleres (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).
✅ FICHA TÉCNICA FORTALEZA X SPORTIVO TRINIDENSE COPA SUL-AMERICANA- 6ª RODADA
🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 29 de maio de 2024, às 21h (de Brasília) 📍 Local: Castelão (CE) 📺 Onde assistir: Paramount+ 🟨 Árbitragem: Augusto Aragon, Cristhian Lescano e Ricardo Baren
continua após a publicidade
⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES
Provável escalação do Fortaleza:João Ricardo; Tinga, Brítez, Cardona e Bruno Pacheco; Hércules, Pedro Augusto, Yago Pikachu e Moisés; Pochettino e Juan Martín Lucero.Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda.
Provável escalação do Sportivo Trinidense: Wilson Quiñónez; Sergio Mendoza, Flores, Cesar Benitez e Armando Ruiz Diaz; Riveros, Cristhian Martínez, De la Cruz e Joel Román; Rayer e Alan Pereira. Técnico: José Arrua.
continua após a publicidade
Faça as suas apostas na Libertadores 2024: quem será o campeão? Vem pro Lance! Betting!
Unlike some of their Premier League rivals, Arsenal’s summer signings are looking better with every passing gameweek.
For example, he might’ve started slowly, but Viktor Gyokeres already has six goals to his name this season, and Noni Madueke was just starting to pick up steam before his injury.
Moreover, with Gabriel Magalhães’ recent injury, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie are looking like incredible buys.
With all that said, an argument could be made that Martin Zubimendi has been Arsenal’s best signing of all, so fans should be excited about reports linking the club to someone who could be an heir to the Spaniard and has been compared to Rodri.
Arsenal target their next Martin Zubimendi
With reports coming out about Zubimendi’s move to Arsenal as early as January, the excitement for the move wasn’t quite as intense as it perhaps should’ve been when it finally came to pass in the summer.
However, since then, the Spaniard has more than proven himself to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
Whether it’s putting in a perfectly timed tackle to shield the back four, or driving with the ball and delivering a pinpoint accurate pass to a forward, the former Real Sociedad star really does it all.
Therefore, it makes sense that the club would already be looking for a younger gem who, over the next five to six years, can be moulded into his long-term heir.
According to a recent report from Spain, one of the young prospects that could sign for this purpose is Chema Andrés.
The story has revealed that, alongside Manchester City, Arsenal are already making moves to sign the VfB Stuttgart gem, who has had an excellent start to the season.
However, a potential roadblock for Andrea Berta and Co is that he’s a former Real Madrid prospect, and the Spanish giants have a buy-back clause worth around €13.5m for 2026, which is approximately £12m.
If Arsenal want to sign the young Spaniard, they’ll almost certainly have to pay significantly more than that, but even so, Andrés would be worth it as a future Zubimendi heir.
Why Chema Andrés could be Arsenal's future Zubimendi
So what is it that makes Zubimendi such an incredible footballer and has seen him so quickly become essential to Arsenal’s midfield?
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Well, to put it simply, it’s his impressive combination of defensive nous and sensational ability on the ball, which has seen him already amass a tally of three goal involvements in 11 league games from the six position.
The good news is that, while it’s still very early on in his career, Chema Andrés appears to share this ability to heavily influence play in both halves.
For example, just last month, respected u23 scout Antonio Mango described his defensive abilities as “Rodri-like,” noting that he “simplifies the game and makes the basics look effortless.”
Then, when it comes to going the other way, Mango has praised him for his “expansive passing range”, and fellow talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him an “orchestrator” thanks to his incredible “vision” and “football IQ.”
Unsurprisingly, the 20-year-old “supernova” of a talent, as dubbed by one analyst, also has some incredible underlying numbers to more than justify the hype.
Andrés’ Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Interceptions
2.11
Top 1%
Clearances
3.65
Top 1%
Dispossessed
0.14
Top 1%
Aerials Won
3.93
Top 1%
Tkl+Int
4.49
Top 4%
Ball Recoveries
6.74
Top 4%
Shots on Target
0.70
Top 5%
SCA (Shot)
0.28
Top 6%
Successful Take-On %
66.7%
Top 6%
Blocks
1.83
Top 7%
Average Shot Distance
14.40
Top 8%
Shots Blocked
0.56
Top 9%
% of Dribblers Tackled
63.6%
Top 10%
npxG: Non-Penalty xG
0.15
Top 11%
Progressive Passes
7.16
Top 11%
Passes Blocked
1.26
Top 11%
% of Aerials Won
62.2%
Top 11%
SCA (Live-ball Pass)
2.53
Top 14%
xG: Expected Goals
0.15
Top 15%
All Stats via FBref
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions, clearances, aerials won, the top 4% for tackles plus interceptions and ball recoveries, the top 5% for shots on target, the top 11% for progressive passes and more, all per 90.
Finally, on top of doing business at the club level, the youngster is also making waves on the international scene.
After making ten appearances for Spain’s u19s, he skipped the u20s altogether and has now made four appearances for the u21s, with the last coming on Tuesday night.
Ultimately, Zubimendi should be Arsenal’s starting six for quite some time, but if they can, they should do what they can to sign Andrés, as at just 20 years old, he could be the long-term heir.
Forget Gabriel: Arsenal "monster" can make Jover's corners more unstoppable
Here’s how Arsenal can replace Gabriel’s set-piece threat while he’s out injured.
It hasn’t quite been a case of having too much of a good thing, but a key plank of Australia’s build towards their ODI World Cup title defence in India and Sri Lanka has been instilling the belief to make the most of their enviable depth.No team has gone back-to-back in the women’s ODI World Cup since Australia’s hat-trick of titles between 1978 and 1988, but few would be surprised if this side achieved the feat. They have lost just three matches in the format since defeating England in Christchurch in the 2022 World Cup final to complete their redemption arc from the semi-final exit of 2017.But two of those losses came in the 2023 Ashes when Australia were exposed across both white-ball formats. While not as seismic as what happened in the 2017 semi-final against India, coupled with their semi-final exit at last year’s T20 World Cup it was a moment when the team challenged itself to remain ahead of the pack.Related
Australia ready to embrace 'little bit of unknowns' at ODI World Cup
Sri Lanka select Prabodhani, Dulani for Women's World Cup
Molineux to make return from injury in ODI World Cup
Gardner picks up cues and tips on oppositions in Hundred
Gardner: India a 'huge threat' in World Cup
“We’re really conscious of the fact that we’re incredibly fortunate to have some huge depth in our side, both batting and bowling,” Ellyse Perry, who will be playing her fifth ODI World Cup, said at a sponsorship announcement for Chemist Warehouse ahead of the team’s departure to India.”So, from that aspect, I think we’ve made a really conscious shift towards wanting to take the game on from the very start and probably keep our foot down for as long as we can. Obviously, you’ve got to adapt to conditions and certain circumstances, but it just feels like there’s a real ethos within the group to make sure that we can utilise everyone’s talent on the day.”It’s going to be one person’s day most of the time, not everyone’s, but if we can kind of really be consistent with that, we’ve got a good chance of being successful more often than not. I think that’s been a big shift for us.”Staying ahead of the chasing pack is not just focused on batting and bowling, either. “The development of the women’s game has been really incredible in the last couple of years,” Perry said. “From an athletic point of view, we’re very conscious of making sure that we’re dominant in that space. We want to run hard between the wickets, be really good in the field, and I think looking at some of our bowling options, [we have] some of the quicker bowlers in the world as well. Hopefully we’re a dynamic side and hopefully that’s successful for us.”Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield have emerged as fulcrums in the batting order•Sportsfile/Getty Images
Three major names from the side that emerged from the heartache of 2017 into one of the most dominant sporting teams in history – with a record winning run of 26 ODIs – won’t be in India: Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes have retired, while Jess Jonassen has not been able to regain the spot she lost nearly two years ago, an example of the riches available to Australia.”[There’s been] some fairly big changes to our group over the last four years,” Perry said. “But in the last particularly 12 months, we’ve had a fairly stable group and some really amazing young talent emerge as mainstays as well, contributing consistently in every match. From that perspective, [it’s] definitely a slightly different-looking team, but I think still a really stable and established team.”The likes of Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland have emerged as fulcrums in the batting order, while Georgia Voll had a breakout first year in international cricket. Voll may struggle to start the World Cup but will keep the incumbents on their toes. Perhaps the slight unknown, and potentially a factor at last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, is the pressure of knockout cricket.Speaking last week when the squad was named, captain Alyssa Healy said, “I had to watch something on the 2022 World Cup and just how much our team support staff and our squad has changed in that period of time, I think no one’s probably noticed that as much simply because of the way that players have had opportunity over the last couple of years.”1:24
Gardner on using the Hundred to gauge the opposition
Last season, there was a subtle shift in the batting order with Sutherland promoted to No. 5 and Tahlia McGrath moved to a finishing role at No. 7. Sutherland’s development into a world-class allrounder had almost demanded the move but it felt a significant nod to the next generation; she responded with back-to-back centuries against India and New Zealand. Nothing in elite sport is certain, but she’s the type of player who could shine at this World Cup.”Annabel’s been absolutely superb for the last 12 months, probably before that,” Perry said. “And to think that she’s only still so young is quite incredible. Obviously, she won the Belinda Clark Medal last year, and she’s been such a big contributor to our team in the last little bit.”I think her coupled with Phoebe Litchfield, the way that she’s been playing, Georgia Voll as well, since she’s had an opportunity at an international level… there’s some really, really special young players that we’ve got in the group. I think they balance out the experience that we have as well.”I’m sure Annabel’s going to have a wonderful tournament. She works exceptionally hard at her game. She’s never standing still.”Australia fly out to India on Wednesday ahead of their three-match series with the hosts before the World Cup. “It feels like with the women’s game, every World Cup just gets a little bit bigger, more competitive, and there’s more on the line,” Perry said.
There were also call-ups for legspinner Shariz Ahmed and left-arm pacer Ben Fletcher
Mohammad Isam20-Aug-2025Vikramjit Singh is one of three players poised to make a return into the Netherlands squad for their three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, to be held later this month. The left-handed opener wasn’t in the side during their T20 World Cup qualifiers at home, having last played in the tri-series in Glasgow in June.Apart from Vikramjit, there were call-ups for legspinner Shariz Ahmed and left-arm pacer Ben Fletcher, who also last played in the Glasgow tri-series. Shariz returns after his last international in Muscat last year.Left-arm quick Fred Klaassen and left-arm spinner Tim Pringle have also been included in the squad, with both having last appeared for Netherlands in the format in 2024.Netherlands will be without experienced allrounders Bas de Leede and Roelof van der Merwe, both having excelled with the ball during the World Cup qualifiers. Batter Michael Levitt misses out, as do Zach Lion-Cachet and Hidde Overdijk.Netherlands, however, have most of their squad members from the previous assignment. Captain Scott Edwards is their batting lynchpin, along with Max O’Dowd, who top-scored for Netherlands in the T20 World Cup qualifier.Pacer Kyle Klein, who took seven wickets in the qualifiers, is in the squad alongside Paul van Meekeren and Aryan Dutt. Shariz is also an interesting choice, if he can master the conditions in Sylhet, where the three T20Is will be played on August 30, and September 1 and 3.IN: Vikramjit Singh, Shariz Ahmed, Ben Fletcher, Fred Klaassen, Tim PringleOUT: Bas de Leede, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Hidde Overdijk, Roelof van der MerweNetherlands squad: Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Noah Croes, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Saqib Zulfiqar, Ryan Klein, Kyle Klein, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Shariz Ahmad, Ben Fletcher, Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Tim Pringle