West Ham United have made contact over a summer deal for an “incredible” £20m defender, who has now been identified as a key target, according to a report.
Important summer on the horizion for West Ham
West Ham are set to part ways with a number of long-serving players in the summer, with Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Danny Ings all confirmed to be leaving upon the expiration of their contracts.
As such, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has insisted the Hammers will need to be busy in the summer transfer window, at which point Graham Potter will have the chance to bring in some players more suited to his style of play.
Potter is well-known for his possession-based style of play, which means it could be wise to bring in a new centre-back who is capable of playing out from the back, and the Irons have now made contact over a deal for a defender.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, West Ham United are now serious about signing Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and they have enquired about his potential availability this summer.
Harwood-Bellis has been identified as a key target for the Hammers, and an approach has now been made, with the Saints likely to lose the centre-back, who they originally signed for £20m.
Despite being a part of a struggling side this season, the 23-year-old has impressed West Ham’s scouts this season, and the Englishman’s age means his best years could still be ahead of him.
Harwood-Bellis could be "incredible" signing for West Ham
The 2024-25 campaign was far from ideal for the Saints, but there are some signs the centre-back could be a solid signing for the Irons this summer, having received high praise from Pep Guardiola in the past.
The Manchester City manager said: “I’m happy that he’s settling in the Premier League. He’s an incredible threat for Southampton from set pieces and a composer when they have the ball because the manager insists the way they have to play, they have to be close, to move differently.”
The England international’s attacking quality was also on display during his Three Lions debut, scoring on his debut in the 5-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland back in November.
Having impressed for both club and country at times last season, there are signs that Harwood-Bellis could flourish in a better side, so it is promising news that West Ham are stepping up their pursuit of the former Manchester City man.
With the Premier League title now wrapped up, alongside the relegated sides sinking without a trace, the only real point of drama in England’s elite division rests on the race to finish inside the top five positions.
Newcastle United, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa all find themselves closely bunched together in the thrilling division heading into the final games of the season, with Sunday’s early kick-off between the Magpies and Enzo Maresca’s Blues a potential humdinger in terms of who clinches a coveted European spot.
Brentford's BryanMbeumoreacts
Obviously, Eddie Howe’s men will be hoping Champions League football returns to St James’ Park over any other destination, knowing full well that landing targets such as Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo will be dependent on whether they’re able to make these European dreams a reality.
Newcastle's ongoing Mbeumo pursuit
Adding in Mbeumo would make Newcastle’s already frightening attack even more of a mouth-watering watch, but the Magpies aren’t alone in wanting the Bees’ star-man.
Recent reports suggest that Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all also keen on snapping up the entertaining forward, with this frenzied interest coming about off the back of Brentford allegedly being ready to listen to offers for their £60m-rated ace.
After all, Howe’s men know all about the 25-year-old’s exceptional firepower, considering he rifled home this stunning effort back in December versus the Toon.
Up to 18 league goals now for the season, he would undoubtedly boost Newcastle’s forward positions which already boast the likes of Alexander Isak.
Brentford's BryanMbeumocelebrates scoring their first goal
But, St James’ Park might already be the home of a talent very similar to the in-demand Cameroonian, with many a shout forming now that this enthralling attacker should start in the crunch clash later today versus Chelsea.
Newcastle's own version of Mbeumo
Newcastle fans watching on will pray that their side are at their free-flowing best against the Blues, with only Liverpool and Manchester City scoring more this season in league action than the Magpies’ impressive 66-goal haul.
Isak has chipped in with a sizeable 23 of those strikes, but faces such as Anthony Gordon have also been a joy to watch in this regard, with nine goals and six assists from the ex-Everton man in league action enabling that goal total to steadily increase.
Further, adding Gordon back into the main XI for the tricky challenge of Chelsea could prove to be an inspired alteration when you realise he bagged this sweet strike versus the Blues just last season, away from impressing recently off the substitutes’ bench.
With Jacob Murphy suffering from a crisis in confidence as of late too – with just one weak effort registered against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out – Gordon could even be pushed out to the right flank for the Toon to replace the ex-Norwich City man, with the usually left-sided winger equally capable of making an impact here in what is Mbeumo’s preferred spot on the pitch.
Gordon’s FBref numbers over the last year vs Mbeumo’s
Stat – per 90 mins
Gordon
Mbeumo
Shots
2.27
2.00
Shot-creating actions
4.36
3.82
Attempted passes
37.60
34.60
Pass completion %
72.7%
66.4%
Progressive passes
3.88
3.68
Progressive carries
4.58
3.38
Successful take-ons
1.60
1.33
Touches in attacking penalty area
5.14
4.28
Progressive passes received
8.05
9.07
Stats by FBref
The table above further illuminates their similarities – as noted by FBref – as fast-paced attackers more content with peppering opposition goalkeepers than linking play up, but Gordon does amazingly better his £60m counterpart when taking in many of the numbers, despite Mbeumo being way ahead of the 24-year-old’s goal count.
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Newcastle will splash the cash on attempting to land Mbeumo after all, knowing they already have their own “nightmare” – as Gordon once confidently labelled himself – attacker in a similar vein to the Bees star.
Anthony Gordon
The former Toffees winger will hope he can live up to his own hype if he is handed a start versus Chelsea, with the Toon needing to be on their A-game from minute one to blow away Maresca’s challengers.
Howe's next version of Joelinton: Newcastle pushing to sign "monster" star
Newcastle are looking to add a robust new presence to their midfield this summer.
On Saturday, the Hoops demolished Dundee United 5-0 at Tannadice, Nicolas Kühn and Adam Idah both bagging braces, as they secured a fourth successive Scottish Premiership title, and a 13th in only 14 seasons.
So now, even with an Old Firm to come on Sunday, Brendan Rodgers’ focus has already, somewhat, turned towards summer plans, so could he snap up a “quality” new wide-forward?
Celtic's winger target
According to a report by Bréhima Diakité of Africa Foot earlier this month, Celtic are ‘monitoring’ Ajaccio winger Moussa Soumano, with Brentford, Leicester City, Leeds United and Atalanta amongst those also interested.
Soumano is just 19-years-old, his 20th birthday is coming up this summer, and he plays for Ajaccio in Ligue 2, scoring four goals and providing two assists for L’ours this season, with the Corsica-based club down in 13th, despite being in France’s top-flight as recently as two seasons ago.
Thus, could Ajaccio be forced to sell their most-prized asset?
How Soumano compares to Celtic's current forwards
Scout Mathieu Duhamel describes Soumano as a “quality” winger, adding that he is “capable of dribbling” with both feet and is a “promising player” who “should leave Ajaccio this summer” in order to “take a step forward” in his development.
Avradeep Mukherjee of Sports Illustrated believes Soumano would be a ‘valuable’ squad member for Rodgers, considering he can play both out wide and as a centre-forward, while the original report notes that he is valued at around €3m (£2.5m).
So how does he compare to Celtic’s current forward options? Well, he’s unlikely to usurp Daizen Maeda in the depth chart, considering the Japanese forward has now scored 33 goals this season.
With four Premiership matches remaining, followed by the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen, Maeda is still on course to break a few records, as the table below highlights.
John Hartson
2004/05
30
Scott McDonald
2007/08
31
Gary Hooper
2011/12
29
Gary Hooper
2012/13
31
Kris Commons
2013/14
32
Leigh Griffiths
2015/16
40
Moussa Dembélé
2016/17
32
Scott Sinclair
2016/17
25
Odsonne Édouard
2019/20
29**
Kyōgo Furuhashi
2022/23
34
Daizen Maeda
2024/25
33*
As shown in the table, since Henrik Larsson’s 41-goal haul in 2003/04, only Leigh Griffiths nine years ago has broken the 40-goal mark in a single Celtic season, with Maeda requiring seven goals from the final five fixtures to match this; it’s very possible.
However, Maeda aside, the other two positions in Celtic’s attack are very much up for grabs.
Kyōgo Furuhashi was sold to Stade Rennais for £10m in January, while Jota, who rejoined the club from Rennes in the winter, is set to spend the next few months on the sidelines, after suffering a knee injury against Dundee United on Saturday, joining in the post-match celebrations at Tannadice on crutches.
Jota, Celtic forward (now Al- Attihad)
Meantime, Kühn’s form has fallen off a cliff since the turn of the year, Yang Hyun-jun, who’s currently sidelined, is very hit-and-miss, while Adam Idah is also yet to establish himself as a regular starter.
Thus, these positions in Celtic’s attack are certainly up for grabs, and Soumano certainly appears to have the talent to come in and stake a claim.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Similar to Maeda, as already alluded to, Soumano is comfortable playing both as a striker and a winger, while his £2.5m valuation would be a bargain, just as the Japanese forward was, arriving from Yokohama F. Marinos for a reported £1.5m back in January 2022.
That deal has proven to be a masterstroke for those at Parkhead – perhaps this could be the next transfer coup?
Celtic set to lose "fantastic" player until 2025/26 after painful injury
The Bhoys will have to do without one of their star men.
Leeds United took a gigantic leap towards promotion back to the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Preston North End at Elland Road on Saturday in the Championship.
Some of the loudest cheers of the afternoon, however, did not come for Manor Solomon or Jayden Bogle’s first-half goals. Instead, they came from the stands when the news filtered through to fans that Sheffield United had surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to bottom-of-the-table Plymouth Argyle.
Thanks to that result for the Blades, the West Yorkshire outfit are now sat five points clear of third place and only need to rack up seven points from their last four matches to guarantee promotion.
They also have the added insurance of Burnley and Sheffield United still having each other to play later this month, which guarantees that at least one of them will drop more points.
Leeds United manager DanielFarkeapplauds fans
Another one of the biggest roars from the Elland Road stands on Saturday came towards the end of the match when a teasing cross came into the box and was met by the hands of Karl Darlow, who fell onto the floor and removed any danger from the situation, as he continued his Leeds revival.
Why bringing Karl Darlow in has been a masterclass
Whilst some could argue that the English shot-stopper should have been brought into the starting line-up sooner than he was, the former Newcastle United man has been a reassuring figure between the sticks for the Whites.
Illan Meslier simply had to be dropped from the side after his third error that directly led to a goal this season in the 2-1 defeat to Swansea, fumbling a cross that allowed Harry Darling to score.
Daniel Farke replaced him with Darlow for the following match against Luton Town and the experienced colossus has shown his quality in the last three games.
The 34-year-old veteran has proven to be a safe pair of hands in goal, with no thrills or spills, and avoided the kind of controversial moments that have followed Meslier throughout the season.
Appearances
39
3
Goals prevented
-2.73
+0.56
Error led to goal
3
0
Clearances per game
0.9
1.0
Aerial duels won per game
0.5
1.0
Aerial duel success rate
100%
100%
As you can see in the table above, Darlow has been a positive between the sticks with his shot-stopping, compared to Meslier’s underperformance in that department, whilst he has also won twice as many aerial battles per game on average to claim crosses.
These statistics show that Farke has played a masterclass by bringing the Englishman into the team as the new number one because he has been a big upgrade on the French dud on current form, both as a shot-stopper and in terms of the command of his area.
His performances have gained instant respect from the fanbase, who – as shown in the post above – appreciated his cross-claiming efforts against Preston, and he will be hoping to continue this form into the final four matches to propel Leeds to the Premier League.
Darlow, who had only started one league game in more than 18 months at the club prior to the game against Luton, has revived his Elland Road career in recent weeks.
The former Newcastle and Nottingham Forest shot-stopper, however, is not the only Leeds star who has revived his career in West Yorkshire this month, as Patrick Bamford is in a similar boat.
How Patrick Bamford has revived his Leeds career
Prior to the last three Championship games, the former England international had become an afterthought at Elland Road due to his lack of impact on the pitch this season.
Bamford had been an unused substitute in 11 of his previous 19 appearances in the matchday squad in the Championship before that draw with Luton at Kenilworth Road.
TEAMtalk had reported in December that Wrexham and Genoa were both keeping tabs on the £70k-per-week centre-forward’s situation ahead of a possible swoop for his services.
The 31-year-old number nine’s current contract with Leeds is not due to expire until the summer of 2026, though, and this means that an exit from Elland Road this summer is far from guaranteed.
His last few performances off the bench suggest that a move away from the club this year may not be a foregone conclusion, that his prior lack of minutes on the pitch suggested, as he has shown great promise in his cameos.
As you can see in the highlights above, Bamford was incredibly unfortunate not to double the team’s lead against Middlesbrough with 15 minutes to go when he scored a perfectly good goal that was incorrectly ruled out for offside.
The replay showed that the striker timed his run perfectly to receive the pass from Wilfried Gnonto, and he finished equally as impressively, but the linesman got the call wrong – with no VAR to overturn it.
Even without the goal that should have stood, Bamford provided a strong presence at the top end of the pitch in that cameo by winning six of his nine duels in just 17 minutes on the pitch.
Appearances
42
Starts
32
Ground duel success rate
33%
Aerial duel success rate
18%
Duels won per game
1.5
Dribble success rate
31%
Dribbles completed per game
0.3
As you can see in the table above, Joel Piroe – the first-choice centre-forward at Leeds this season – has struggled with the physicality of the Championship this season.
The Dutch marksman, who has scored 15 goals in the league, has been dominated in duels by opposition defenders, losing 74% of his battles overall and only winning 1.5 duels per match.
Bamford, meanwhile, won six duels in just 17 minutes against Middlesbrough and one of his two ground duels in just ten minutes against Preston, which suggests that he could provide more physicality than Piroe.
After that cameo against Preston, Farke told LeedsLive: “You need to handle the pressure and the praise. Everyone senses how much effort Patrick (Bamford) puts in. He deserves all the praise.”
The English attacker appears to have revived his Leeds career, with Farke clearly appreciating the effort the forward puts in on the pitch, and it could even be time to bring him into the starting line-up to repeat the masterclass that has been played with Darlow.
Saved by Bogle: Farke must finally drop 5/10 Leeds dud who lost 67% duels
This poor Leeds United underperformer nearly cost his team dear against Preston North End.
He will finish as Sri Lanka’s third-highest run-getter, and their fourth-most capped player in Tests
Shubh Agarwal16-Jun-2025Angelo Mathews has called time on his Test career. Sri Lanka’s first Test against Bangladesh, starting in Galle on Tuesday, will be Mathews’ last. Irrespective of his performance in his farewell Test, Mathews will finish as the third-most prolific Sri Lanka batter in Tests, behind Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. No other batter from the island country has accumulated over 8000 runs in the format.Mathews’ tally of 119 Tests will also be the fourth-highest for Sri Lanka, after Jayawardene (149), Sangakkara (134) and Muthiah Muralidaran (132).Most Test runs for Sri Lanka•Getty ImagesReliable away from homeAt present, Mathews has 4323 runs in Sri Lanka, the third-highest for a Sri Lanka batter, and 3844 runs away from home (including neutral venues), also the third-highest from his country – both only behind Sangakkara and Jayawardene.Among batters with over 6000 Test runs for Sri Lanka, Mathews has the third-highest proportion of runs away from home (47.07%), only behind Dinesh Chandimal (52.11%) and Aravinda de Silva (48.28%).Mathews is also among the only three Sri Lanka batters to average over 40 away from home (minimum 1000 runs outside Sri Lanka), and is just behind Sangakkara. Nine of Mathews’ 16 Test centuries came outside Sri Lanka, joint-third-most alongside Aravinda, and only behind Sangakkara (16) and Jayawardene (11).All four of Mathews’ Player-of-the-Series awards came away from home: against Pakistan in the UAE (2013-14), in England (2014), in Zimbabwe (2020), and in Bangladesh (2022). In 2014, Mathews got 306 runs, including two hundreds, in two Tests on the tour of England, where he led Sri Lanka to their first series win in the country (barring the one-off Test win in 1998).Angelo Mathews’ Player-of-the-Series awards in Tests•Getty ImagesLove affair with NZ, Pakistan and BangladeshAmong the eight countries against whom Mathews played at least five Tests, he averaged 50-plus against three: Bangladesh (55.38), New Zealand (51.21) and Pakistan (50.03).In terms of host nations, Mathews averaged 73 in Bangladesh, with two hundreds – including an innings of 199 in 2022. In New Zealand, Mathews averaged 51.38 for his 668 runs, the most runs for a Sri Lanka batter in the country. That included a knock of 120* in Wellington in 2018, as the match resulted in a draw after a marathon partnership of 274 off 655 deliveries between Mathews and Kusal Mendis.Mathews played six Tests against Pakistan in the UAE, where he averaged 73.37, with one hundred and four fifties. In Pakistan, however, he averaged only 21 across two Tests.The Purple PatchMathews averaged 40-plus as a Test batter for five years in a row from 2011-15. However, he was even more productive from 2013-15, when he surpassed Sangakkara (2355 runs) as Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer by amassing 2378 runs.Mathews averaged 74.6 in 2013, and 77.33 in 2014. After the second Test against Pakistan at home in 2014, he was ranked as the No. 3 Test batter in the world. In 2015, Mathews averaged 42.25 and notched up three tons, as many as he did in the previous two years combined. Mathews also averaged 138.5 in 2020, but played only two Tests that year. His 50-plus average years in 2022 and 2023 included three out of four hundreds against Bangladesh and Ireland.In the three years from 2013-15, Mathews was also the most prolific No. 5 and 6 batter in Tests, scoring 2201 runs at an average of 57.92. Only Misbah-ul-Haq had more 50-plus scores than him (21).In this span, Mathews averaged 121 against South Africa (two Tests), 79.9 against Pakistan (eight Tests), 76.5 against England (two Tests) and 56.5 against India (three Tests).The misfortune in the 90sMathews is the only batter in the world to be dismissed on both 99 and 199 in Tests. He was run-out on 99 in his seventh Test, against India in 2009-10, while trying to come back for a second run to complete what would have been his first Test hundred. Mathews then had to wait for nine more Tests to bring up his first Test century: 105* vs Australia in 2011.Overall, he has so far been dismissed in the 90s five times, the second-most for a Sri Lanka batter, after Jayawardene (six times).Mathews also missed out on what would have been his second double hundred in Tests, when he was out for 199 against Bangladesh in 2022. That made him the second Sri Lanka batter to be out on 199, after Sanath Jayasuriya in 1997. Sangakkara, meanwhile, was left stranded on 199* against Pakistan in Galle in 2012.Steve Waugh has a 99* and 199 to his name.The part-time Test bowlerAn occasional bowler, Mathews picked 33 Test wickets. Younis Khan was his favourite batter to bowl to, as he dismissed him four times while averaging only 24 runs per dismissal. Two of those wickets came in Mathews’ debut Test in 2009.Mathews’ medium-pace seam bowling contributed to Sri Lanka’s win in the Headingley Test in 2014. Before his 160 with the bat in the second innings, Mathews bagged 4 for 44 in the first innings, including the wickets of Gary Ballance and Joe Root.
Not long ago, Malan’s place in England’s ODI side looked under threat. Not for the first time, he changed the script with big runs
Matt Roller10-Oct-20235:43
What England did right, what Bangladesh did wrong
Dawid Malan nudged Shakib Al Hasan into the covers, wiped the sweat from his brow and acknowledged the ovation for his first World Cup hundred, with the snow-capped Himalayas providing a postcard backdrop.Jos Buttler had asked his batters to go harder after their nine-wicket loss to New Zealand; Malan responded with 140 off 107 balls, his fastest ODI innings and his highest score.Malan’s innings in Ahmedabad was a false start to his first 50-over World Cup: he was worked over by Matt Henry, battling through a maiden before edging behind for 14 off 24 balls. It extended an underwhelming record at ICC events: across two T20 World Cups, his top score was 41 and his strike rate just 104.24.Related
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But below the mountains of Dharamsala, he was imperious, and thrived on the bounce and carry of a fresh pitch. He survived an early review when replays confirmed Mustafizur Rahman’s bouncer hit him on his shoulder, not his bat; he responded by threading him through extra cover, then slog-swept him for a towering six over backward square-leg.Malan showed his power early on, pulling Mustafizur into the tenth row of seats over midwicket, and then his touch through the middle overs. He seemed to find gaps at ease, as evidenced when reverse-sweeping Shakib for four and deftly steering Shoriful Islam past wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, while his strike rates against seam (129.54) and spin (131.74) were almost identical.”I’m over the moon,” Malan said. “To be able to score a hundred and say that I’ve scored a hundred in a World Cup for England is fantastic. And to win the game is great – though, ultimately, if we don’t get to the business end [of the tournament], it means nothing. Hopefully I can continue contributing and help winning games.”Even when Malan was in the form of his life in T20Is, England did not see him as part of their long-term plans for this World Cup. “Will a 36- or 37-year-old be able to fulfil the high-intensity standard of a World Cup? That is the question for myself and Dawid,” Eoin Morgan said back in 2020, immediately after Malan had reached No. 1 in the ICC’s T20I rankings.
“I’ve wanted to be part of this team for so long and it’s been impossible to break into because the players have been so good. So to get your opportunity and then take it, and to enjoy it as long as it lasts is all that I try to do”Dawid Malan
When Malan strained his groin during last year’s T20 World Cup, ruling him out of the semi-final and final, it looked like a prescient comment. But resilience and persistence are among Malan’s best traits: he has forced his way into their starting XI through sheer weight of runs, and at 36, became the oldest man to score a hundred for England at a World Cup.Last summer, Malan was one of three centurions as England racked up a world-record total of 498 in Amstelveen, but found himself left out of the subsequent home series against India and South Africa as their Test players returned. Malan sought feedback from Rob Key and Matthew Mott, who explained that England saw him primarily as a No. 3.”I said, ‘Look, you’re missing out to Joe Root – who is a pretty good player’,” Mott explained last year. “I loved his response. He said, ‘I do have another gear, but I’ve always been typecast in that role. And I said, ‘Well, if you’ve got it, show us. I don’t want to put any restraints on you because you can definitely evolve as a player’.”Immediately after last year’s T20 World Cup, Malan hit 134 against Australia in the first match of a low-key series, securing his spot on their subsequent tours to South Africa and Bangladesh. He scored hundreds on both, hitting 118 in Kimberley and 114 not out in Mirpur – an innings that demonstrated his ability to adapt to slow subcontinent pitches.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe day after he was named in England’s World Cup squad, Malan was dropped by Trent Rockets in the Hundred after four low scores and looked scratchy in a T20I series against New Zealand. With Harry Brook looming in the wings, Malan’s place appeared to be under threat – then, he rattled off scores of 54, 96 and 124 in the ODI series that followed.His second child was born the day after the first game of that series, and he admitted that it had contributed to a stressful period for him. But if Malan feels the criticism and scrutiny he has attracted through his international career has been unwarranted, then he has also used it to his advantage: “I’m desperate to prove my point and prove people wrong,” he said.There was some irony that Malan was able to celebrate his maiden World Cup century by embracing Root, who made a fluent 82: only recently considered too pedestrian to bat together, their second-wicket partnership was worth 151 in 117 balls. And after reaching his milestone, Malan crashed four successive boundaries off Mehidy Hasan Miraz.”There’s been a lot of strange narratives around over the last couple of years,” Malan said. “The majority of my cricket for England has been T20 cricket. I’ve always said I can play it like a T20 game if you want me to: just ask me to do it. Rooty is a fantastic player. He will always try to find ways to score and put players under pressure, and when I get in, I try and do that as well.”In Ben Stokes’ absence, Malan’s ability to bat through to the 38th over was important tactically, too. Bangladesh’s gameplan would have been to dismiss him early and give Shakib’s left-arm spin a run at the five right-handers in England’s top six. Instead, by the time Malan was out, Shakib had bowled his full allocation.There was some irony that Dawid Malan was able to celebrate his maiden World Cup century by embracing Joe Root•Getty ImagesWhile his ODI career started late, Malan is now a vastly experienced player. Having made his England debut at 29, he has played over 100 internationals across formats, and nearly 500 domestic games around the world to boot. In List A cricket, he has made 171 appearances in total, the sixth-most of anyone in England’s squad.Quietly, Malan’s success has been a boon to the status of bilateral cricket. Malan has only once had a central contract but, while others have prioritised franchise leagues, he has consistently made himself available for every England tour. He is a useful example for boards to point to: the best way to prove your worth is still through international runs and wickets.”I’m just hungry: hungry to play and do well, hungry to score runs and win games of cricket,” Malan said. “I’ve wanted to be part of this team for so long and it’s been impossible to break into because the players have been so good. So to get your opportunity and then take it, and to enjoy it as long as it lasts is all that I try to do.”Malan now has six ODI hundreds in 23 innings and an average of 63.15, the third-best in the format’s 52-year history. He has long held that 50-over cricket is the format that suits his game best; in Dharamsala, he proved his point.
Wood brings fury, Moeen some late guile, and Curran a magic moment
Andrew Miller15-Aug-2021At the fourth time of asking, and in England’s hour of need, a team performance has broken out at Lord’s. On a two-paced Sunday, it was the support cast who carried the fight – Mark Wood with fury, Moeen Ali with late guile, and Sam Curran with a goldenballs moment to dismiss Virat Kohli, and send shuddering echoes of 2018 through India’s then-rattled dressing room.Though Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane sucked the juice out of the contest in a bloodless 50-over stand (critics might suggest Lord’s unparalleled drainage system has done likewise to the pitch), England’s perseverance came up trumps in the end. Two delicious deliveries late in the day – a spiteful lifter to hand Wood his third wicket, and a moment of magic from Moeen to the dangerous Ravindra Jadeja, has cranked this contest open with a new ball due first thing.”It’s a fantastic Test match,” said Moeen at the close. “It’s great for me personally to come back and to be a part of it, and hopefully tomorrow morning we can bowl them out and chase the runs down.”To judge by the pitch’s character towards the back end of the day, that won’t be a remotely straightforward prospect. With a lead of 154 overnight and four wickets standing, and Rishabh Pant primed for one of his habitual counterattacks, Moeen warned that a target in excess of 220 would be “difficult but not impossible”.”They’ve got Pant, but we’ve got Jimmy,” he added. For those Monday-morning punters, with time to kill and spare £20 notes in their pockets, there could be a treat in store. But either way, given India’s first-day scoreline of 267 for 2, and their dominance of the big moments at Trent Bridge last week, it beggars belief that England are currently favourites to take a 1-0 lead going into next week’s midpoint of the series.Related
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England pull ahead ahead with Mark Wood, Moeen Ali's late strikes
For that, the fourth-day credit belongs largely to Wood, whose efforts all day long could not be faulted – except, of course, the hideous moment when he over-did it, hurtling up the slope at the Pavilion End and jarring his right shoulder as he tumbled over the boundary. Long gone are the days when senior fast bowlers could get away with sticking out a cursory size 12 while escorting a shot to the rope, but this was taking his commitment to self-harming extremes.Moments earlier, however, in what would end up being his solitary over of the evening session, Wood had produced the moment that made England’s disciplined afternoon of toil worthwhile. Pujara had no answer to a spiteful lifter on off stump, and as he traipsed off for 45 from 206 balls, he took with him a passion-killing methodology that India had been rather grateful to fall back on, after their top-order had come off second-best in their bid to own the morning tempo.In the first innings, Wood had been overlooked until play resumed after lunch, with England preferring on that occasion to focus on guile in helpful conditions, not that the tactic paid off in a 126-run opening stand. But this time, the hackles were up from the get-go – fuelled, no doubt, by Anderson’s war of words with Jasprit Bumrah as the players left the field on the third evening. And when Ollie Robinson was withdrawn after just two new-ball overs, with Wood given his licence to cut loose instead, it was clear a different dynamic was about to enter the game.The gambit paid off handsomely for England. KL Rahul, the first-innings centurion, snicked a 93mph lifter to depart for 5, but it was Wood’s duel with Rohit Sharma that reframed the terms of the debate. England’s first bouncer of the match at Trent Bridge had unseated him on the hook on that occasion, and now he was suckered by a similar trap. Wood traded a flat pull for six into the Grandstand for a scuffed steer to Moeen three balls later, and at 27 for 2, India had lost both of their openers before their deficit had been overturned.”I was very pleased for him,” Moeen said of Wood’s impact. “He was telling me in the first innings that he doesn’t get the wickets he would like, and I said these things can happen and they will come. The way he bowled was fantastic and it was a great catch by me at deep square leg!”He fully deserved his wickets and the wicket of Pujara was massive. The way he ran in and banged the wicket with a soft ball on a dead wicket… I thought he was fantastic today.”Out came Kohli with fire in his eyes, to be met inevitably by Anderson – who extended his new-ball spell to a ninth over, and his war of words to an umpteenth volume. The stump mics took on the story: “You swearing at me again are you?” Kohli was overheard saying at one point. “This isn’t your f****** backyard”.Anderson’s notches on the Lord’s honours board might beg to suggest differently, but either way, the heated atmosphere seemed to be suiting England’s purposes perfectly well at that stage. And when Curran – wicketless in his first 41 overs of the series – suckered Kohli with a big booming outswinger across his bows from over the wicket, India were three-down with a lead of 28, and suddenly desperate to pour cold water on the day.”The chat in the afternoon was just to hang in there, basically,” Moeen said. “Don’t try and search too much, just stay in there and something will happen. They came back strong and played really well, but I thought we still managed to contain them really well. We knew if we could get one out we could go bang-bang.”It was in the face of this changed scenario that Moeen’s work began in earnest. In his only previous Test this year, at Chennai back in February, he had picked up eight wickets but been milked at close to four an over – a consequence of red-ball rust on the one hand, and an over-eagerness to exploit helpful conditions on the other.Moeen Ali got his chance at Lord’s•AFP/Getty ImagesThis time, however, he was aided by a pair of opponents with nothing more than survival on their minds, as well as by the same uncluttered mindset that Jonny Bairstow had spoken of after his first-innings fifty – an acceptance of his circumstances after so long without any meaningful red-ball practice, and a willingness to go with the flow as he extended into his role.”It’s probably easier to go from bowling quicker [in white-ball cricket] to slower than it is probably going slower to quicker,” Moeen said. “On the first day I went wicket-to-wicket, one-day style, trying to go at two, three an over. And in the second innings, it was just staying patient really. I found that the hardest without many overs under my belt, but I managed to get a couple of poles at the end which was quite nice.”I was trying to give Root the control [on the first day],” he added. “I’ve struggled to do that in the past, and I think coming in on the back of not bowling much probably helped. I felt good through the lack of bowling, sometimes I over-bowl in practice, and get into bad habits. I just made sure my basics are good and it’s managed to pay off.”It helped too that Wood’s energetic experimentations, particularly in the first innings, had included regular stints from round the wicket, creating a juicy dinner plate of rough outside the right-hander’s off stump, with which he unsettled Rahane particularly, and eventually unseated him at the second attempt, after a bad miss at point from Bairstow on 31.”Initially I bowled a bit too straight today, but when I did bowl one wider it spun and I was pleased with that,” he added. “I struggled to consistently bowl there for a bit, but I still felt like something was going to happen.”Outside of the ubiquitous excellence of Anderson and Root, very little of England’s performance in this match has followed any known script. Each of the extras, as it were, has been ad-libbing his way through the contest, creating their own interpretations of what Test cricket needs to look like in the cluttered summer of 2021. But somehow, and extraordinarily, it’s in danger of coming together, for all that Pant in the first instance, and Jasprit Bumrah and Co. thereafter, will have plenty to say in the denouement.”We are a bowling unit,” Moeen reiterated. “Jimmy got five in the first innings, Woody and I got a few each. It takes a full team effort as a bowling unit, and that’s what we’ve been in this game.”
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers hoped to seize control of the World Series in Game 4 but they weren't able to get it done at home, losing 6-2 to the Blue Jays. The series is now tied up at 2-2 and suddenly it looks like Los Angeles could be in trouble, partly because while Ohtani has done virtually everything he can thus far, some of his star teammates are not having the same kind of success.
The biggest name that hasn't stepped up enough in the World Series is Mookie Betts. The 2018 AL MVP is an eight-time All-Star but he hasn't been himself at the plate against the Blue Jays. He has just three hits in 19 at-bats and has yet to knock in a run.
Moments after Game 4, in which Betts went 1-for-4 with his only hit being a single in the eighth inning, Alex Rodriguez seemed to call out the Dodgers' star shortstop, saying his struggles could hurt Ohtani the rest of the series.
"When I look at that lineup, the one guy that you have to circle is the great, great Mookie Betts because if Mookie doesn’t get going that means that Shohei may not get one more at-bat for the rest of series and that’s something to watch," Rodriguez said.
David Ortiz then chimed in with what he thinks has gone wrong for the Dodgers and what the team's other stars need to do to pick up Ohtani.
"Shohei has a hard job to do because he has to pitch and he has to hit but he’s more critical because if he doesn’t hit [the Dodgers] don’t hit," Ortiz said. "It seems like every night when they get going it’s because of [Ohtani]. Now you have a lot of superstars on the ball club, you have a lot of professional hitters that until this point they haven’t been able to come through collectively."
Here's that complete conversation from Fox's postgame show.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted there could be some lineup changes for Game 5, saying in his postgame press conference: “I’m going to think long and hard, and it might look a little bit different tomorrow.”
The Dodgers need their other stars to pick it up, and fast. The Blue Jays were resilient in Game 4 and if they can win Game 5 they will head home with a 3-2 lead and will only need to win one game at Rogers Centre to claim their first World Series title since 1993.
Game 5 is a crucial game for both teams. We'll have to wait and see what changes the Dodgers make, if any, and if Betts can finally get going at the plate.
Renuka Singh Thakur also enjoyed a stellar outing as India took a 1-0 lead in the ODI series
Namooh Shah22-Dec-2024211 India’s victory margin was their second-biggest by runs in women’s ODIs, bettered only by their 249-run win over Ireland in Potchefstroom in 2017. It is their biggest win at home, as well as the biggest defeat by runs for West indies in women’s ODIs314 for 9 is India’s second-highest women’s ODI total at home, behind their 325 for 3 against South Africa in Bengaluru six months ago.Related
Renuka, Mandhana consign West Indies to record loss
1602 runs scored by Smriti Mandhana in 2024, the most by any player in a year in women’s international cricket, with Laura Wolvaardt in second place with 1593 runs, also in 2024.110 The partnership between Smriti Mandhana and debutant Pratika Rawal was the first century opening stand for India in women’s ODIs since the 174* between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma against Sri Lanka in 2022, and their first at home since 2018.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 Mandhana was dismissed in the 90s for the fourth time, the joint-most in women’s ODIs alongside West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor.4 Zaida James (5 for 45) and Renuka Thakur (5 for 29) took five-fors in the same match. It was the fourth time two bowlers had done this in women’s ODIs.7 Batters have shared century stands with Smriti Mandhana in women’s ODIs. Only Mithali Raj has bettered this among India players, having shared century stands with 15 different batters.2 Both Qiana Joseph and Hayley Matthews fell for ducks. It was the first time since 2019 that a team had lost both openers for ducks in a women’s ODI.
The Cincinnati Reds announced Monday that the team had designated veteran infielder Jeimer Candelario for assignment after reinstating him from the injured list.
Candelario had been on the 10-day IL since late April while dealing with a lumbar spine strain. In his absence, the Reds have used a variation of different players at third base, including the likes of Gavin Lux, Santiago Espinal and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
Prior to the back injury, Candelario had been struggling through his first 22 games of the season. He had a .113 batting average with two home runs, 10 RBIs and an abysmal 11 OPS+.
Candelairo signed with the Reds after a strong 2023 season in which he hit a career-high 23 home runs while spending time with the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. He joined the team on a three-year, $45 million deal but hasn't lived up to expectations in Cincinnati. He posted a .707 OPS in his first year with the team, with 20 home runs and 56 RBIs in 112 games and had a -0.7 bWAR.
With Candelario out of the picture, third base will remain a platoon for the time being, but could potentially be open for Noelvi Marte to take over at the position when he returns from his oblique injury.