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Rayan Cherki delivered a masterclass in skills to inspire Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Sunderland which showed they mean business in the title race. The Frenchman produced the moment of the game by serving up a header for Phil Foden with an outrageous rabona straight from the streets of Lyon, crowning a dominant win for Pep Guardiola's side after goals from Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.

City were lifted before kick off by Aston Villa's dramatic win over Arsenal. They struggled to get going in the face of an expectedly stubborn gameplan from the visitors, who had lost only one of their previous seven games and were seventh in the table when the game kicked off. Haaland barely saw the ball, let alone a shooting opportunity, in the opening half an hour while Foden and Bernardo Silva both missed the target.

Having seen their more elaborate attempts to break down Sunderland come to nothing, Dias broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with a no-nonsense strike from 30 yards out which went flying into the top corner with the help of a deflection. The hosts suddenly started playing with a lot more confidence and moments later they were 2-0 up, Gvardiol rising highest to head home Foden's corner.

City had squandered a two-goal advantage in their last home game against Leeds and turned a four-goal lead over Fulham in mid-week to a narrow win by a single strike. They had a couple of nervy moments in the second half, including Granit Xhaka hammering the post and Gianluigi Donnarumma saving from Wilson Isidor from point-blank range.

But Cherki's show-stopping moment, which prompted Foden to run straight towards him in gratitude, ensured City took all the points. And they are now breathing down Arsenal's necks, having cut their seven-point gap behind the Gunners from two weeks ago to just two points.

A miserable afternoon for Sunderland was compounded when Luke O'Nien was shown a straight red card in injury time, four minutes after coming off the bench, for a studs-up tackle on Matheus Nunes.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Gianluigi Donnarumma (7/10):

  Made himself big to thwart Wilson Isidor from close range and bail out Dias. His kicking early in the game had been questionable but it's big saves like that which vindicate City's decision to buy him.

  Matheus Nunes (6/10):

  A pretty solid display defensively although his crossing left something to be desired.

  Ruben Dias (6/10):

  Had the audacity to shoot from so far out and was rewarded for it, even withstanding the deflection. Nearly cancelled out his goal by lacking awareness in his box when he was mugged by Isidor but Donnarumma came to the rescue.

  Josko Gvardiol (7/10):

  Defended astutely to ensure there was no repeat of the mad second halves against Leeds and Fulham and played his part in attack. Chipped a pass to Haaland in the first half and then scored a second goal in three games with an athletic leap and bullet header.

  Nico O'Reilly (6/10):

  An energetic display spent more in Sunderland's half than his own.

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  Midfield

  Bernardo Silva (7/10):

  Much better from him compared to recent weeks as he conducted the play with some expert passing.

  Nico Gonzalez (7/10):

  A towering display through the middle, getting the better of Xhaka.

  Phil Foden (7/10):

  Had a frustrating first half but was much better after the break, scoring his fifth goal in three league games and dovetailing nicely with Cherki.

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  Attack

  Rayan Cherki (9/10):

  City's 'free soul' (in Guardiola's words) was in his element here, feeling empowered to try the most audacious of tricks. He laid the ball on for Dias's goal, then produced his ridiculous assist for Foden. He could have had two more assists had Tijjani Reijnders or Haaland had their shooting boots on and he was only denied a goal of his own by a fine Robin Roefs save.

  Erling Haaland (5/10):

  Barely made himself visible, taking just two touches in the first half. Got one opening after fleet footwork from Cherki but sent a tame shot straight at Roefs.

  Jeremy Doku (7/10):

  Caused Sunderland no end of worries with his quick footwork and runs inside, even if none of his trickery actually led to goals.

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  Subs & Manager

  Nathan Ake (6/10):

  A competent 20-minute performance after replacing Gvardiol.

  Tijjani Reijnders (5/10):

  Really should have scored when he missed the near post after a lovely ball from Cherki.

  Omar Marmoush (5/10):

  Had an air-shot when he failed to connect with Cherki's cross.

  Savinho (N/A):

  Replaced Cherki in the 82nd minute.

  Rico Lewis (N/A):

  Allowed Bernardo a breather by coming on in the 82nd minute.

  Pep Guardiola (7/10):

  Enjoyed his most comfortable 90 minutes in a while as his side kept their composure after a frustrating start and then easily held onto their advantage. His warning a few weeks ago that 'no one wins the title in November' feels particularly insightful now. 

The Tigers are bringing back relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan on a two-year, $19 million contract, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Tuesday night. The contract can max out at $20 million ’s Robert Murray reported.

Detroit acquired Finnegan at the trade deadline this past summer, and proved his worth down the stretch. In 16 game appearances with the Tigers, Finnegan posted a 1.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts, nine hits and three earned runs over 18 innings pitched. He also had four saves and three holds.

He began the 2025 season with the Nationals, for whom he had played his entire MLB career before being traded to the Tigers ahead of the deadline. In 2024, which was his fifth season in Washington, Finnegan was named an All-Star. Finnegan posted a career-high 38 saves that season.

Since 2023, Finnegan has accumulated 90 saves, which is the fifth-most in MLB in that span. Last season, he had 20 saves in Washington before adding the four saves in Detroit, with Will Vest serving as the Tigers’ primary closer.

Zimbabwe could score only 242 runs, their fifth-lowest aggregate in men’s Test matches where they have been bowled out twice

Sampath Bandarupalli09-Aug-2025An innings and 359 runs New Zealand’s margin of victory against Zimbabwe in the second Test in Bulawayo is the third-biggest win for any team in Test cricket, and the biggest for New Zealand. England won by innings and 579 runs against Australia in 1938 at The Oval, while Australia beat South Africa by innings and 360 runs in Johannesburg in 2002.New Zealand’s previous biggest innings win was by 301 runs against Zimbabwe in 2012 in Napier, which also happened to be the previous biggest defeat for Zimbabwe.ESPNcricinfo Ltd181.41 Difference between New Zealand’s batting average (192.66) and bowling average (11.25) over the last three days. Only seven teams have won a men’s Test match with a higher difference in the averages of their batters and bowlers.Only once before have New Zealand won a Test match with a difference of 100 between their batting and bowling averages – 110.10 against Sri Lanka in 2023 in Wellington.Related

• New Zealand script their biggest win after Foulkes and Co flatten Zimbabwe

242 Zimbabwe’s aggregate runs in Bulawayo is their fifth-lowest in a Test match where they have been bowled out twice. It is also their second-lowest at home, behind the 158 runs they made against New Zealand in Harare in 2005.9 for 75 Zakary Foulkes’ match figures, the best for a bowler on Test debut for New Zealand. Only Will O’Rourke had taken nine wickets on debut for New Zealand previously, 9 for 93 against South Africa in Hamilton in 2024.Zakary Foulkes picked the best-ever figures for a New Zealand bowler on Test debut•Zimbabwe CricketFoulkes’ match average of 8.33 is the second-best for any bowler with four-plus wicket hauls in both innings on Test debut. Clarrie Grimmett averaged 7.45 on his debut against England in Sydney in 1925, where he bagged 11 for 82.3 Instances of three batters recording 150-plus scores in the same Test innings, including Devon Conway (153), Henry Nicholls (150*) and Rachin Ravindra (165*) in Bulawayo.Len Hutton (365), Maurice Leyland (187) and Joe Hardstaff (169*) for England against Australia in 1938 at The Oval were the first such trio, while India’s Sunil Gavaskar (176), Mohammad Azharuddin (199) and Kapil Dev (163) replicated it against Sri Lanka in Kanpur in 1986.5 Instances of fast bowlers taking all 20 wickets in a Test match for New Zealand, away from home. The last of the previous four was against India at Southampton in the World Test Championship final in 2021.601 for 3 New Zealand’s first-innings total was their highest in Test cricket against Zimbabwe, surpassing the 582 for 4 in 2016, also in Bulawayo. New Zealand have topped the 600-mark on 12 occasions so far, and their effort against Zimbabwe was their first since the 612 for 9 against Pakistan in 2022.288.80 Nicholls’ batting average while scoring a hundred in Test cricket. Among batters with at least ten hundreds, only Andy Flower (340) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (319.83) average more than Nicholls while scoring a hundred.

Italian national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has apologised to fans after Italy’s heavy 4-1 defeat to Norway. The coach believes the match was split into two distinct halves, with Italy performing well in the first but collapsing in the second due to fear and fragility. Italy now wait for the draw to learn who they will face in the play off in March.

Norway's historic qualification to the World Cup finals

Italy entered their decisive qualifier against Norway needing a near-impossible 9-0 victory to secure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Despite the daunting task, they made a promising start when Pio Esposito opened the scoring, giving Italy a 1-0 lead that they held until half-time. However, the match dramatically shifted after the break.

Norway responded with authority as Antonio Nusa equalised, before Erling Haaland struck twice to put the visitors firmly in control. Jorgen Strand Larsen added a fourth, sealing a dominant 4-1 win for Norway at the San Siro. The result confirmed Norway’s return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

The match also saw a tense incident involving Italian defender Gianluca Mancini, who provoked Haaland, prompting the Norwegian striker to react angrily. Haaland had to be restrained by his club teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma before the situation escalated.

Manchester City goalkeeper Donnarumma commented on the loss, believing that Italy switched off in the second half when he said “the big problem was that we stopped playing in the second half.” 

He added: “It was a totally different match in the first half, we never let them out of their own half. We’ve got to do that for 95 minutes rather than 45, that is for sure.”

AdvertisementGetty ImagesGattuso's apology to the fans

Earlier, Gattuso criticised the travelling supporters who protested against the Italian team after their late 2-0 win over Moldova. However, following Italy’s 4-1 loss to Norway, Gattuso apologised in the post-match press conference. He said: “We must apologise to our fans because 4-1 is a heavy defeat. It's a shame because we had a very good first half, where we played as a real team.

“There were two games. In the first half, the team played very well, We lacked distance, we were more compact in the first half, we never gave them any space.

“In the second half, we struggled enormously. We gave our opponents space, we let them into our area.

“There is a lot of disappointment. The lads deserved a different evening, but instead we got everything wrong and they hurt us.”

Gattuso also pointed to the turning point of the match, noting that Norway’s goal immediately after  the restart created fear. He said: “The game changed when they had their first shot on goal in the first 30 seconds of the second half.

“In the second half we conceded a goal after 30 seconds [two goals within 30 seconds] and then our fragility came to the fore.”

He then outlined how Italy must improve ahead of the play off in March 2026. He said “Matches last 95 minutes, and in this one our flaws came to the fore. If we concede a few goals, we start to panic. We'll face up to it, take responsibility, and in March we'll need 95 minutes like the first half. There's not much time between now and March, we need to work on our weaknesses.”

Italy's qualification scenario

For Italy, the defeat means they must once again face the pressure of the play offs. The Azzurri will learn their path to the 2026 World Cup when the European play off draw takes place on Thursday, and they are assured of being one of the top seeds. Despite this advantage, the stakes remain high. Italy have not appeared in a World Cup since 2014, suffering painful play off exits to Sweden in 2018 and North Macedonia in 2022. The upcoming play offs therefore represent a crucial opportunity for the national team to finally return to the sport’s biggest stage and end over a decade of absence.

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GettyGattuso prepares for the playoffs

Gattuso will use the coming months to carefully assess the team’s strengths and weaknesses, aiming to develop tactical solutions that give the Azzurri the best chance of returning to the World Cup.

Sussex 288 for 7 (Carter 68, Carson 50*, Cohen 4-65) beat Kent 287 for 9 (52 Evison, Hudson-Prentice 3-65) by 3 wickets A remarkable and unbroken eighth wicket stand of 88 in 11 overs between Jack Carson and Archie Lenham saw Sussex to an unlikely three-wicket win over Kent with ten balls to spare in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at Arundel.Kent looked home and dry in their opening game when they had Sussex 200 for 7 in the 38th over. They had weathered a fifth wicket stand of 90 between Oli Carter (68) and John Simpson (50) and then dismissed the dangerous Danny Lamb for 16.But Carson struck his maiden List A fifty off 43 balls, with five fours and a six. And Lenham made 45 off 38 with six fours and a six. The match was still in doubt with 22 needed off the last three overs. And it was leg-spinner Lenham who settled the argument when he hit Michael Cohen for 14 off three balls, an on-drive for six, a square slash for four and an off-drive for another boundary.That left Sussex needing five from the last two overs and Carson hit the first two deliveries from Fred Klassen for four.Earlier, Cohen, a South African-born left-arm seamer who is qualified to play for France, looked set to be the hero of the day. He had made a memorable first appearance for Kent when he took three wickets in his opening spell before returning to dismiss danger man Carter.Cohen, whose debut had been delayed by injury, struck with his second ball when he had Danial Ibrahim lbw and broke through again with the first ball of his second over when he bowled one across the left-handed Tom Haines to have the batsman caught behind.Fynn Hudson-Prentice looked anxious to dispel local concerns that he was batting too high in the order at No 4 when he flicked Cohen for two leg-side fours before driving him for two more. But Sussex kept losing wickets. Tom Clark had his middle stump knocked back by Klaassen as he went for an extravagant off-side stroke to make it 50 for three and in the next over the dangerous Hudson-Prentice was caught at backward square-leg.Sussex, who had lost their opening game against Durham, decided to bowl first on a slow pitch and made a good start. Jaydn Denly, driving, was well caught by Henry Crocombe at backward point off the last delivery of the first over and opening partner Ben Compton was caught behind off Ari Karvelas to make it 27 for 2 in the sixth over.Kent rebuilt through Joey Evison and and Chris Benjamin, who added 81 in 14 overs before both were dismissed by exceptional pieces of fielding. Lamb came on to bowl the 20th over and off his first delivery he produced an outstanding one-handed catch, flinging himself to his left, to dismiss the bewildered Benjamin. And in the next over Carter held on to a stinging catch at short midwicket to end Evison’s innings, a 54-ball 52 which included ten fours.For the second time Kent, winners of the competition in 2022, regrouped again, first through captain Harry Finch – a former Sussex player – and the Orpington-born Ekansh Singh, a recent century maker for the England Under-19 side, who put on 89 in 17 overs, and then again through Jack Leaning and Mo Rizvi, making his debut in the competition. They put on 75 before the innings ended as it had started, with a flurry of wickets.

ESPNcricinfo understands Kishan’s injury was the reason he wasn’t selected as back-up wicketkeeper for the fifth Test in England

Shashank Kishore18-Aug-2025Ishan Kishan will miss East Zone’s season-opening Duleep Trophy fixture as he is yet to fully recover from a minor injury he suffered in the UK during his stint at Nottinghamshire. He has been replaced by Odisha’s Aashirwad Swain in East Zone’s squad.ESPNcricinfo understands Kishan required multiple stitches after falling off an e-bike, and it’s due to this that he wasn’t considered as a replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant ahead of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval. Subsequently, Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan was flown in as the back-up to Dhruv Jurel.Related

• Setbacks in the past, Kushagra hopes to remain 'in the eyes of the selectors'

• Iyer, Sarfaraz in West Zone squad

• Shubman Gill to lead North Zone in Duleep Trophy

• Kuldeep, Khaleel in Jurel-led Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

• BCCI introduces 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule in multi-day competitions

Kishan’s injury doesn’t appear to be a serious one. The decision to keep him out is a precautionary measure since he’s likely to be in the running for the India A squad that will play two four-day fixtures at home against Australia next month.For now, Kishan will continue to recuperate and undergo a fitness assessment at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. In Kishan’s absence, it’s likely Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra will be the first-choice wicketkeeper.

Akash Deep advised rest

Meanwhile, East Zone will also be without India fast bowler Akash Deep, who has been advised rest. Akash’s nature of niggle or injury – if any – is unknown, and his fitness assessment has been set for a later date.Akash was on the recent Test tour to England, where he missed the fourth Test in Manchester due to a back niggle. He subsequently returned for the decider, where he struck a maiden half-century after coming in as a nightwatcher in the second innings.Overall, Akash enjoyed a decent series – picking up 13 wickets in three Tests, including a match-winning ten-wicket haul in India’s series-levelling win in Birmingham. Akash has been replaced by Assam’s Mukhtar Hussain in the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led squad.East Zone open their campaign against the Shubman Gill-led North Zone in the quarterfinal starting August 28. All matches will be played at the CoE, in the outskirts of Bengaluru.Riyan Parag, the India and Assam allrounder, has been named as Easwaran’s deputy. The squad also comprises two other India internationals in Mohammed Shami, who has played just one first-class game in the last two years, and Mukesh Kumar.East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy opener: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Aasirwad Swain (wk), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Mukhtar Hussain and Mohammed Shami

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has finally opened up on the moment he snubbed head coach Thomas Frank after the club's 1-0 loss to Chelsea last weekend. The Dutchman, who captained the side on the night, was part of a Spurs team that registered their lowest-ever expected goals tally in a Premier League match. Clearly frustrated, the defender blanked his manager and headed straight down the tunnel at full-time, to a chorus of boos in north London.

Van de Ven's awkward moment

It was a night to forget for every Spurs player and fan as their fierce rivals, Chelsea, picked up another win at their home stadium. In the six years it has been open, the Blues have only ever lost once to Tottenham, and they barely had to get out of second gear to collect three points in the latest instalment. Van de Ven was caught up in the moment when their opponents scored their goal, losing the ball to Moises Caicedo before Joao Pedro opened the scoring. And with the crowd clearly frustrated at full-time, the giant defender, alongside team-mate Djed Spence, offered no appreciation for those who had sat and watched a difficult 90 minutes, despite Frank appearing to tell his players to show some recognition. 

However, the Spurs boss did reveal both players came and apologised the morning after. He said: "Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday and just said they wanted to say sorry for the situation. They didn't want it to look bad or any misconception that you can get in this beautiful media world. So there was no disrespect meant at all towards me or the team. They were just frustrated with the performance from us and the booing during the game.

"If they didn't come in, of course I would have had to ask them about the situation they are working in. How they are feeling, why they are doing it? Because we all have a perception," he said. "Whether it was because their mum wasn't well or they didn't like the head coach or they were irritated by the performance because they lost, or whatever. Of course, I am happy that they were coming in because that means they care – I think that is very good. They care about the team, the club and, in this case, me. I am happy with that."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSpurs bounce back

Tottenham responded admirably to the weekend's setback, with Van de Ven starring in the 4-0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League. The performance included a Puskas Award contender from the defender, who channelled his inner Heung-Min Son, running the length of the pitch, beating a handful of players and slotting past the goalkeeper like a seasoned frontman. A wave of emotion could then be seen leaving the former Wolfsburg ace as he screamed in relief while sliding towards the celebrating Spurs fans.

No disrespect intended

Unsurprisingly, Van de Ven was summoned for post-match interviews with multiple media sites after the game, but he was also forced to answer for his actions at the end of Saturday's game. He said: "To be honest it’s in the past so I don’t want to make it bigger than it is. Djed and I walked off, we were just frustrated after the game and everything got really exploded by the media, it was nothing big. Everyone thinks it was the gaffer – there was nothing to do with the gaffer. We were just frustrated after the game because of a bad performance, from myself as well. We want to play well and I didn’t play well in my opinion so I was just frustrated and I just wanted to go quick inside. As I said, it got exploded by the media out of nowhere."

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Getty Images SportMomentum ahead of Man Utd

Tuesday night's win comes at a timely moment for Spurs, who are home again on Saturday when they welcome Manchester United. The Red Devils will be looking for revenge, having lost four times to the London club last season – including in the Europa League final. Tottenham currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, only ahead of United on goal difference.

The Australia allrounder is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Nov-20254:35

Chatter: What type of players could attract most attention at this WPL auction?

Australian bowling allrounder Jess Jonassen is understood to have pulled out of the WPL auction due to injury. Jonassen’s exit was disclosed to franchises by the WPL at the pre-auction briefing on Wednesday.The WPL has also told franchises that batter Pratika Rawal, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia and seamer VJ Joshitha are all injured though their names are part of the auction pool. However, these three players cannot be part of the mandatory 15-person squad. In case any franchise picks these players, they will not be allowed a replacement.Rawal listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Bhatia at INR 30 lakh. Meanwhile, Joshitha will invite bids from INR 10 lakh.The WPL has also told franchises that India fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar is not fully fit but will be part of the auction. Kashvee Gautam, meanwhile, has been declared fit. Vastrakar has listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Gautam at INR 30 lakh.Related

• WPL 2026 auction – what teams need, what they can do about it

• Wolvaardt, Healy, Ecclestone – Which WPL team needs which superstar

• Deepti, Wolvaardt, Ecclestone, Healy in marquee set

Jonassen, 33, has made a big impact in the WPL, winning five Player-of-the-Match awards. Only Harmanpreet Kaur has won more Player-of-the-Match awards (7) in the WPL. It is understood that Jonassen is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time.Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players in the marquee set.

Beau Webster has done everything in his power to keep his Test spot, taking five wickets for Tasmania against South Australia with Alex Carey making 59

AAP11-Nov-2025Beau Webster has taken his first five-wicket haul of the summer for Tasmania – but it came on a day when his chances of keeping his Test spot took a hit.Webster claimed 5 for 50 for the Tigers in Hobart on Tuesday to help dismiss South Australia for 177 in reply to the hosts’ first-innings 209. Tasmania then collapsed by losing nine wickets in an extended last session to reach stumps on day two at 177 for 9, with Henry Thornton taking two wickets in the final over to keep the hosts’ lead to 209 with a tight finish looming.Webster was out for eight as Tasmania crumbled, but was still the star of the day and did everything in his power with the ball to keep his Test spot.Related

• Webster bags eight for the match but Tasmania lose to South Australia

• Webster, Weatherald miss out as Doggett bags five

• Ashes squad talking points: Kingmaker Green to dictate Australia's plans

• Mark Taylor unsure over Cameron Green's position

However, his wickets came just as Cameron Green was returning to bowl for Western Australia for the first time in six weeks, after battling side soreness.Green bowled with good pace and bounce at the WACA, taking an early wicket and dispelling any concerns over his fitness. If Green is fit to bowl in the first Test from November 21, selectors will be left to decide between keeping Webster or picking a specialist opener in Tasmania teammate Jake Weatherald.A key consideration will also no doubt be that Weatherald’s inclusion would allow Marnus Labuschagne to bat in his preferred position of No.3. Weatherald looked in touch for his 30 on Tuesday, before edging a ball back onto his own stumps off Liam Scott for a pair of squandered starts in this match, after a first-innings 23. He hit Nathan McAndrew for three boundaries in one over, pulling him twice to the rope before a glorious cover drive to the fence.Earlier, Webster was easily Tasmania’s best bowler on Tuesday after having Travis Head caught behind on the opening evening. The seamer bowled Liam Scott through the gate with a ball that swung back in at the right-hander, then also drew Jake Doran’s edge soon afterwards.Beau Webster celebrates his fourth career five-wicket haul•Getty Images

Nathan McAndrew followed in a similar fashion, before Brendan Doggett was the last to go when Webster took the tailender’s off stump.Webster has taken eight wickets at 23.25 since debuting for Australia at the SCG, while also proving a reliable man with the bat at No.6.”Beau does what Beau does, just gets in a nice area,” Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey said. “In conditions like that he gets a lot out of it, and that’s what I’ve seen in his Test career so far.”With wickets that have a bit in it, he comes to the fore and got his five-wicket haul today.”Jake Weatherald, I think, is a really quality player and looked really good for his 30.”Alex Carey drives through cover•Getty Images

Carey (59) was the only South Australian to pass 50, as he played a counter-attacking role in a low-scoring game. On a day when rain, storms and even hail stopped play, the Australian Test wicketkeeper regularly charged the quicks. He used his feet to hit Jackson Bird over the mid-wicket fence, and played another cracking cover drive against Webster.But when Carey guided Gabe Bell to Webster at second slip on 59, it kick-started a collapse of 6 for 33 to end South Australia’s innings.South Australia then went through the Tasmanians by taking nine wickets in an extended final session, with Ben Manenti taking 3 for 26.

Ivan Toney’s much-speculated reunion with former Brentford boss Thomas Frank is increasingly unlikely, with the striker reportedly now expected to remain at Al-Ahli beyond January, and potentially beyond next summer. The 29-year-old forward has adapted seamlessly to life in the Saudi Pro League since joining the Jeddah club in 2024 for around £40 million ($53m), and a potential return to English shores is currently not on the cards.

• Toney expected to remain in Saudi Arabia

  Toney's tally of 42 goals in 62 matches, including 12 this season, has made him one of the division’s most prolific imports. He also fired Al-Ahli to the Asian Champions League title and netted 30 goals across all competitions last campaign. But with the 2026 World Cup creeping into view and England manager Thomas Tuchel offering no assurances over selection, speculation has intensified over whether Toney might seek a return to the Premier League. Spurs, West Ham, and Manchester United have all held early discussions about the possibility of bringing him back to England. However, every indication from Saudi Arabia suggests he is going nowhere, as revealed by

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  Al-Ahli dig in: No sale in January

  Al-Ahli’s new sporting director, Rui Pedro Braz, has absolutely no intention of sanctioning a sale or loan in January. The club, backed by significant state investment, would only consider parting with Toney if an elite-level replacement were secured, something they regard as extremely unlikely mid-season. The Saudi side are also buoyed by Toney’s contentment in his current surroundings. talkSPORT reports that his camp has communicated to interested Premier League clubs that the striker is settled, well-paid and not currently pushing for a move. His contract runs until 2028, and his financial terms, worth over £400,000 per week tax-free, create a barrier to any potential return. Moreover, Toney must remain abroad until at least April 2026 to retain his non-UK tax residency status. Any premature return would incur significant tax liabilities, further complicating any approach from English clubs.

  Braz said: "Ivan Toney is a top player, a top striker. The rumours around his possible exit in January are not based on reality. It’s just not true. We’re counting on him, it makes zero sense to address this subject in November."

• Toney still holding out hope for England recall

  Despite diminishing international minutes, Toney remains optimistic that strong form in Saudi Arabia can help him re-establish himself in the England squad before the World Cup. Between March and July 2024, he earned five caps and even contributed at Euro 2024, assisting Harry Kane’s extra-time winner against Slovakia and scoring in the shootout win over Switzerland. Yet since moving to the Middle East, he has been called up just once and played only in England’s 3-1 loss to Senegal. However, Toney insists he has not sought clarification from Thomas Tuchel regarding his standing in the squad.

  He said: "I have to concentrate on myself, give myself the best chance possible, and who knows? If I am selected, I will do my best for my country, but if not I’ll be cheering the boys on. I don’t expect to have a conversation with him. I am sure he has other things to be concentrating on. My job is to do well. It is what it is. If you are good enough, you are good enough; it doesn’t matter where you are playing in the world. As long as you are doing the right things and scoring goals, then you give yourself a chance."

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  Saudi League detractors brushed aside

  With criticism of the Saudi Pro League coming from sections of the European football community, Toney has staunchly defended the competition’s standard. 

  "The standard in Saudi Arabia is high. They can play football here. The players are not as known as in the Premier League, but there are many who can play there," Toney told in September.

  After a brief break, Toney will be back in action against Damac in the Saudi League on December 19. Meanwhile, Tottenham will look to bounce back to winning ways after two heavy defeats to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain when they host Fulham on Sunday.