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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted after his team's north London derby win over Tottenham that he prevented Leandro Trossard from leaving the club in the summer transfer window. Trossard was linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners invested heavily in their squad, but Arteta did not want him to depart. The Belgium international has been in good form so far in the 2025-26 season and shone again in the win over Spurs.

Eze and Trossard down Spurs

Trossard opened the scoring for Arsenal against Tottenham in the 36th minute on Sunday at the Emirates before Eberechi Eze bagged a hat-trick to complete a 4-1 win. The victory moves Arsenal six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table as Arteta's men aim to end their long wait for the title. Eze was one of a host of big-name signings at Arsenal this summer, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke also arriving, leading to speculation Trossard could move on. Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce and Besiktas were just some of the clubs believed to be interested in Trossard, however, the 30-year-old ended up staying and has even been rewarded with a pay increase and a new contract that runs until 2027.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArteta refused to let Trossard go

The Arsenal manager spoke about the situation after the game at the Emirates and admitted there was "no chance" he would have sanctioned an exit for Trossard. He told reporters: "For me it was forbidden for him to leave. No chance. I know the player that he is, and surrounded with the players that we have, he's a player that is going to make a difference for us. I fully agree. It was one of the best games, so aggressive with and without the ball, so effective, he could have scored another one or two goals, and he was involved in so many positive actions. So that's what we need. As I said, I think individually the players were excellent today."

Trossard enjoys 'perfect night' against Spurs

Trossard could not hide his delight after victory over Spurs and admitted it was a perfect day for the Gunners. He told the club's media: "I enjoyed that a lot! I think it was important to get that goal. After that it gave us the edge to go on and score more goals, to create chances. I think we were dominant before, but obviously that gives you that extra bit of confidence to go and win the game. It was a perfect night for us. It was a really good game overall in every aspect, from defence to attack. We're really happy with all the goals we scored as well.

"It was just joy. Everyone was cheering, there's not much to say about it. That's what we really wanted and it's nice that we could give this back to the fans. The atmosphere was amazing, it was so good, they pushed us forward as well. So yeah, it's a really good night today.”

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Arsenal unbeaten when Trossard scores

Trossard's goal continued an incredible record for the Belgian for Arsenal. The 30-year-old has now scored 32 goals for Arsenal and has never been on the losing side when he has found the back of the net for the Gunners. Arsenal have won 24 and drawn eight of the games in which Trossard has struck since his arrival at the club from Brighton in 2023.

Sam Elliott had the final say after New South Wales had suffered a middle-order collapse

AAP20-Oct-2025Charlie Stobo was nearly the hero for New South Wales, as Victoria held on in the last over for their first one-day win of the season.Stobo, batting at No. 8, made 47 from 41 balls in a riveting finish, after NSW had collapsed again at Junction Oval in the wake of last week’s Sheffield Shield loss.Stobo’s impressive knock, which included 19 off the penultimate over from Todd Murphy, brought them to within five runs of a comeback win, before he holed out to Murphy at mid-off off the bowling of seamer Sam Elliott with four balls left.”It was a cracking game in the end … obviously very happy with the result,” said Elliott, who is back from an Australia A white-ball tour of India. “Anyone who says they don’t get nervous is a liar. I was definitely nervous at the end there.”Luckily, we’ve played a lot of cricket together now. Being able to have that clear communication towards the end, that definitely does help.”The game had been shortened to 36 overs per side because of morning rain.The visitors were well on their way at 97 for 3 in the 21st over. Young quick Austin Anlezark then struck twice in three deliveries and part-time spinner Campbell Kellaway took another wicket in the next over to wrest control from NSW.Kellaway starred with 2 for 25 from seven overs with his left-arm spin after anchoring the Victorian innings at No. 3 with 43.Captain Will Sutherland top-scored with 46 from 44 balls after NSW won the toss.Stobo top scored for NSW with four fours and a six in his rearguard knock after taking 3 for 32 to lead their attack.Sam Konstas and Kurtis Patterson gave NSW a solid start with their opening stand of 54, before wickets fell steadily.On Friday, Victorian Test paceman Scott Boland rifled through the NSW tail with five wickets to decide their Sheffield Shield match.”A frustrating week – we were in the game, both games, and we let it slip,” said NSW captain Jack Edwards. He [Stobo] held his nerve, gave us a chance. He showed in the last game as well, what he can do with the bat – he’s a very handy cricketer.”It’s a shame he couldn’t get over the line there. We need to be more ruthless if we want to be a good side. We let them back in the game, they take the opportunity and run with it.”NSW are 2-2 in the One-Day Cup after Monday’s loss, with Victoria 1-3.NSW will regain Test star Steve Smith for their next Shield game from October 28, against Queensland at the Gabba.

What must it be like to bowl fast in Tests for a non-Big Three nation? Just ask Asitha and Vishwa

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jun-2025If you are a seam bowler specialising in Tests, and hail from a non Big-Three nation, as Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando do, you are charting one of the most difficult and least-rewarding courses in international cricket.Most difficult, because fast bowlers must put their own bodies on the altar of this sport in far more profound ways than batters, spinners, or even wicketkeepers. With every delivery there is the steaming in from dozens of metres away, the ridiculous force that goes through the front leg at the point of delivery, the shoulders, spines, obliques, groins, glutes, calves, feet, all being required to contribute some power to the occasion, and a follow-through that must be navigated safely. If any one of these sectors of your body is even slightly injured, it incapacitates a seam bowler more than similar injuries do for batters or spinners.Related

How captain Dhananjaya is turning Sri Lanka into an image of himself

Nissanka 146*, Chandimal 93 put Sri Lanka in control

Dinusha, seamers make it Sri Lanka's day in rain-hit Colombo

Let’s take Lahiru Kumara as one example. He was the highest wicket-taker against Bangladesh in the away Test series last year, claiming 11 dismissals at an average of 12.63. The man had not played a single international since his last Test in early February, but had played most of a season of domestic cricket since then, and had been in good shape to make an impact on this home series against Bangladesh. But a week out, he busted a hamstring while fielding at training, and was ruled out of the series. He doesn’t get picked in many international white-ball XIs, so this injury will be taking a pretty serious playing opportunity out of his hands. And with a further 11 months before the next Sri Lanka Test is to be played, he has to show substantial willpower to stay in the game till then.(Side note: Lankan seam-bowling hamstrings in the last two decades have had artists’ temperaments. They are capable of jaw-dropping wonders like Dhammika Prasad’s spell on the fourth evening at Headingley, or Lasith Malinga’s rip-snorters. But if hamstrings had ears or lovers, Lankan fast bowling hamstrings are the type that would cut off their own appendages, or fall apart completely after a break up. They are sublime as part of a creative flow state, but absolutely never to be relied upon.)Asitha Fernando toiled hard on a surface not suited to his style•Sri Lanka CricketLeast-rewarding because, three league stints in a year (they don’t even really have to be the fancy leagues) will probably net you more money, for way less work. Plus, you know, the promotional dinners, and the parties. Non Big-Three Test cricket tends not to have a lot of parties. Why train your body to bowl 15-20 overs a day, when you can focus on being at peak performance for four?Matheesha Pathirana, as another example, is very likely the fastest bowler Sri Lanka has ever produced. But at this stage, seems unlikely to ever to play a Test. Chennai Super Kings’ scouts got to him before the Sri Lankan cricket system really had, and CSK have genuinely played a role in developing that talent, and have essentially called dibs. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if at the end of his career, Pathirana is remembered most for his IPL exploits, he will probably have earned more money by several orders of magnitude than he would if his career ends with Sri Lanka performances being the highlight.So pretty soon, it starts to feel like bowling 15-20 overs a day in Test cricket is like getting a several-year loan to buy a reliable Toyota for your family, only for some Crypto kid to pull up next to you at the colour-light in their fully paid-for Bugatti.Cricket slavishly follows the money now, rather than any other kind of value, and yet the likes of Asitha and Vishwa are still out here doing Test cricket justice by bringing everything they have to it. Asitha has bowling figures like 0 for 110, and 0 for 77 on his record, and yet somehow his work has never felt like “toil”. The word implies a physical limpness that Asitha has simply not allowed to enter his cricketing consciousness.Vishwa Fernando struck twice on the first day•Sri Lanka CricketHe may be a limited bowler in terms of height, pace, and skill, but to watch him operate in Tests is to watch naked and more-or-less relentless ambition. He took 2 for 43 on day one, on an SSC track not especially suited to his bowling (it was a bit slow for a seamer who tends to skid it on). He had had Anamul Haque dropped before he eventually took that wicket in his second over. Late in the day, he got one to pitch on a length, seam away, and hit the top of Nayeem Hasan’s off stump. He was pumped. But then he usually is.Vishwa, meanwhile, has always had the more laidback temperament. His mode of operation has been swing and seam, and he wiled his way through day one, less physically domineering than Asitha, but no less relentless, no less intense in the challenges he poses to batters. He moved it a little into the left-handers early on, but the seam movement had disappeared by the time a ball in the channel drew Najmul Hossain Shanto’s outside edge. Vishwa, a less-than-six-feet medium-pace bowler, will point to the bouncer he bowled the previous ball as a perfect set-up delivery to the wicket-taking one. You could doubt that explanation, but there’s no doubting figures of 2 for 35 off 16 overs – that economy rate being 2.18. There is almost no scorecard in the world in which those are not good figures.Sri Lankan Test seam bowling doesn’t necessarily have so rich a tradition, only three of their quicks (Chaminda Vaas, Malinga, and Suranga Lakmal) have ever taken more than 100 Test wickets. But as Test cricket appears to be winding down in several of its markets, it feels like Asitha and Vishwa are now partakers of a separate, global club of Test bowlers, who have trained their bodies to bowl 15-20 overs a day, and find themselves less valued than bowlers who send down only four.In this group, there are players such as Chris Martin, who took 233 Test wickets for New Zealand and was taking university courses (presumably to broaden job opportunities) well into his 30s, while sharing a dressing room with the likes of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor – each IPL millionaires. Others like Kemar Roach, owner of one of the most vicious inswingers in world cricket, has watched other careers take off into the T20 league stratosphere, while his remained moored to a middling West Indies Test side. Mohammad Abbas, Neil Wagner, Ebadot Hossain, Vernon Philander, Blessing Muzarabani – all these bowlers belong to this genre.Chris Martin leads a pack of Test fast bowlers who are valued lesser than T20 ones•Associated PressFor many in the non Big-Three sphere, it has begun to feel as if the publicity gained from “Saving Test Cricket” has become more profitable than the saving of Test cricket. This is why Bazball is able to equate the health of this format to scoring at between 4 and 4.5 per over, for example, while England has not hosted Bangladesh in the last 14 years, or Zimbabwe in more than 20 until the current summer. Australia have, in previous administrative eras, been hesitant tourists to South Asia. India’s modern top players play roughly half their Tests against the other Big Three teams. Jasprit Bumrah has played 59% of his 46 Tests against Australia and England.Still, what is happening at the SSC is Test cricket too, at least under current definitions. And increasingly Test cricket feels like a concept divorced from merit. Two of the three World Test Championship winners are sides with ailing Test programmes. Cricket has no serious will to fix that.The likes of Asitha and Vishwa will never have the chance to develop their Test-bowling skills as much as bowlers from nations that have stronger cricketing economies do. These are the margins of Test cricket that are most at-risk. If Asitha and Vishwa don’t make it, then who is going to inspire the next generation of Lankan red-ball bowlers?But at least in 2025, these two are still here, still putting their bodies through the seam-bowling rigours, and still taking important wickets. Test cricket is lucky to still have them.

Glasgow Rangers made two huge decisions on Monday as they announced that both CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been removed from their posts at Ibrox.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh revealed to Sky Sports, in the post below, that the Gers need different people in those two leadership positions moving forward in order for the club to be successful.

The Rangers chief was careful not to throw mud at Stewart and Thelwell for their work at Ibrox, but suggested that it was down to their performance in their respective roles, as he stated that they still aligned with the overarching project.

Given that Russell Martin’s tenure lasted 17 matches and several summer signings do not look up to scratch, it is hard to disagree with the club’s decision to part ways with both of them, particularly Thelwell.

Looking at the list of summer signings in the graphic above, it is easier to pick out the players who have flopped or struggled than it is to pick out the successes from the summer transfer window.

The summer signing that Thelwell may go on to be infamous at Ibrox for is Youssef Chermiti, as he arrived from his former club Everton in a big-money deal.

Why Rangers should not have signed Youssef Chermiti

To preface this, supporters and those at the club will, of course, be hoping that the Portugal U21 international goes on to prove everyone wrong and becomes a consistent goalscorer for the Light Blues.

However, at this moment in time, it looks like a deal that the Scottish giants should not have done, particularly for the reported money that was involved in the move.

Thelwell signed Chermiti for Everton from Sporting in a deal worth up to £15m in the summer of 2023, but he did not score a single competitive goal for the Toffees in two years during his time in England.

Then, after moving to Rangers in April, the sporting director signed the centre-forward for a second time, splashing £8m to bring him to Ibrox, in the most expensive Gers deal since Tore Andre Flo joined for £12m in 2000.

It is fair for supporters to expect a player to make an immediate impact in Glasgow when signed for that kind of money, as Chermiti is the club’s most expensive player in 25 years, but that has not been the case.

The former Everton marksman has scored one goal in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, which shows that the forward has failed to deliver much in the way of quality in the final third.

Starts

4

xG

1.29

Goals

0

Big chances missed

4

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Pass accuracy

59%

Duel success rate

35%

As you can see in the table above, Chermiti has been incredibly underwhelming in the Europa League so far this season, failing to score from 1.29 xG after starting all four of his appearances in the competition.

The 21-year-old striker’s dismal form for the club so far suggests that Thelwell made a mistake when he signed the forward for £8m, because he has not made the kind of impact that Rangers should expect from such an expensive signing.

Chermiti, though, is not the only one of the summer signings you could argue that Thelwell should not have signed because of their performances in the 2025/26 campaign.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former Rangers sporting director swooped to bring in Jayden Meghoma on loan from Brentford to bolster Russell Martin’s full-back options, as the ex-Gers boss had worked with the youngster during their time together at Southampton.

Why Rangers should not have signed Jayden Meghoma

During the summer window, Thelwell decided to cash in on the two senior left-back options at Ibrox, selling Jefte to Palmeiras and Ridvan Yilmaz to Besiktas.

Whilst those respective sales were not horrendous decisions in isolation, this issue is that Meghoma was the only signing brought in to replace those two senior players.

4 Lads Had A Dream covered Ally McCoist’s claim that Rangers have “downgraded” across the pitch since last season, and referenced Meghoma in comparison to Jefte as one of the areas in which the team have failed to improve.

It is not the 19-year-old defender’s fault that he has been brought in to be a first-choice option for a team that is expected to win consistently and compete on the European stage, when his experience last season was playing 12 matches on loan at Preston in the English Championship.

Meghoma, unfortunately, does not look ready to be a first-choice left-back at this level at the moment, as evidenced by his statistics in comparison to Jefte’s at Scottish Premiership level.

Appearances

33

9

Key passes per game

1.0

0.7

Assists

4

1

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.3

3.3

Clearances per game

2.9

1.3

Duels won per game

5.5

4.0

Aerial duel success rate

57%

25%

Error led to shot or goal

1

2

As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian defender’s performances in the league last season were far more impressive than what the English teenager has produced in the division this term, offensively and defensively.

These statistics back up the claim that Rangers have “downgraded” by selling Jefte to sign Meghoma on loan, which adds more fuel to the fire surrounding the criticism of Thelwell’s summer recruitment.

Like Chermiti, it seems like Meghoma has been signed to fill a role that he is not ready to fill at this point in his development. They are both young players who have time to develop and improve, but neither of them look ready to be key players for Danny Rohl in the present.

Therefore, the signing of Meghoma was one of Thelwell’s worst clangers of the summer, alongside Chermiti, because he has failed to adequately replace Jefte at left-back, and it remains to be seen if either of them will end up being good enough this season.

Thelwell signing is a bigger waste of time than Chermiti & Miovski at Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers flop is a bigger waste of time this season than both Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti.

ByDan Emery Nov 24, 2025

Wednesday was an incredible sports night for the city of Toronto. The Maple Leafs, who enter this year with high hopes of finally breaking through for a Stanley Cup, skated past the Canadiens in the NHL season-opener. Then, more crucially, the Blue Jays completed a four-game series win over the rival Yankees to secure a spot in the American League Championship Series.

Fans who stuck around Scotiabank Arena after the Leafs' win were able to experience both moments as the team did a very smart thing and put the final innings of Blue Jays-Yankees on the scoreboard.

That led to a great payoff as those in the building were treated to an electric air-horn punctuation to the Blue Jays recording the final out of the night.

That's how it's done right there.

There's a chance there will be further opportunity for cross-promotion as the Maple Leafs host the Red Wings on Monday afternoon in advance of ALCS Game 2 in town. There's a decent chance the Blue Jays will be hosting the Tigers, setting up a pretty unique doubleheader.

Former Chelsea star Jeremie Boga and Nice team-mate Terem Moffi have reportedly been placed on leave after allegedly being assaulted by the club’s own supporters in an “unbelievable and scary” incident. Disgruntled fans took their anger out on senior players after a frustrating 3-1 defeat at Lorient, with many descending on the team’s training base.

Nice Ultras descend on training ground

Nice were gifted the lead against Lorient on Sunday, as Arthur Avom put through his own net, but a dramatic collapse was endured from there. Franck Haise’s side found themselves 2-1 down at the interval, and conceded a third early in the second half.

Those watching on from afar were less than impressed by what they saw. According to , some 400 Ultras headed down to Nice’s training ground and waited for the first-team squad to return. The atmosphere is said to have been “very tense” before players arrived.

AdvertisementGettyPlayers attacked by angry supporters

ESPN reports that “two supporters got on the team bus to express their anger before the violence erupted when the players stepped off”. Moffi and Boga were among those caught up in events which escalated quickly.

They are said to have been “punched, spat at, kicked and insulted by the Ultras”. Eye witnesses reported as much to ESPN after Nice’s coach returned to familiar surroundings after a journey from the nearby airport.

Sources have told ESPN how Moffi has been put on “sick leave” for a week, and Boga for five days. The duo are said to have attended a local police station on Monday, at which they sought to press charges against the alleged assailants. Police forces are yet to comment on the matter.

Nice have, however, released a statement. Addressing the unfortunate scenes that played out when the team returned from a disappointing trip out on the road, the Ligue 1 outfit said: “On Sunday, on their return from Lorient, the Eaglets were welcomed at the training ground by an important gathering.

“The club understands the frustration created by the succession of poor displays and performances far from its values. However, the excesses we saw during this gathering are unacceptable. A few members of the club have been attacked. OGC Nice give them its full support and condemn these acts with the highest toughness.”

Nice results: Why supporters have lost their cool

Tempers have boiled over at Nice following a run of six straight defeats in all competitions. They have come unstuck against Paris Saint-Germain, Metz, Marseille and Lorient in Ligue 1, while also dropping points in Europa League clashes with Freiburg and Porto.

Moffi and Boga are said to have been targeted as they stand accused of “having a poor attitude in recent weeks”. Sources told ESPN how the former was “punched, kicked, had his hair pulled and needed the help of his goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf to get out of the crowd and safely inside the club's building” during the aforementioned bus attack.

Sporting director Florian Maurice required protection from security forces as he made his way back to his car and headed away from the scene. Somewhat surprisingly, manager Haise was cheered by the crowd as some Ultras told him that he retains their full support – despite the recent sequence of results. Club captain Melvin Bard and local midfielder Sofiane Diop were also spared abuse from angry fans.

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gettyOfficials blamed for allowing scary scenes to take place

After seeing Moffi and Boga attacked, the rest of Nice’s squad were able to make their way safely into the club’s training centre. Many were, however, left “shocked and traumatised, blaming the lack of security and safety” on team officials. One player told ESPN: “How can they not protect us more? It was unbelievable and scary.”

Nice’s struggles for form have seen them slip to 10th in the Ligue 1 table. They will be hoping to enjoy a return to winning ways on Sunday when playing host to Angers – who sit two places and one point below them in the standings.

It remains to be seen when Moffi and Ivory Coast international Boga – who is a product of Chelsea’s academy system – will grace the field again as inevitable questions are asked of their respective futures.

Initially known largely as a finisher, twice this year Gardner has forged outstanding centuries with Australia in trouble

Vishal Dikshit02-Oct-20253:43

Australia’s batting depth comes to the fore

There’s always some sort of inevitability and invincibility about this Australia side, especially in ODIs. That they are the favourites to lift this World Cup, too. That they will be hard to match on most days. That they will come out all guns blazing with the bat. And such is the enviable depth in their batting line-up that someone or the other will step up for a rescue act, if their backs are against the wall.The last of those shone the brightest in their opening World Cup fixture against New Zealand in the form of a counter-attacking century from Ashleigh Gardner. While an Australian fighting back for her team was rather predictable, the way it was played was still a stunning vindication of Gardner’s, and the team’s, belief in the opening match of a major tournament.A Gardner ODI century at No. 6 to salvage Australia’s ship from troubled waters of 128 for 5 against one of their top rivals also rolled out with a sense of déjà vu. She had scored her maiden ODI century in a similar situation earlier this year, against England in the Ashes, when Australia were 59 for 4 in the third ODI in Hobart, where Australia had opted to bat – just like in Indore – before suffering an early stutter.Related

Gardner upstages Devine as Australia kick off with a win

Devine lauds NZ's fighting spirit on 'physically and mentally draining' day

Against New Zealand on Wednesday, Gardner was still fresh to the middle when Australia lost their fifth wicket in the 22nd over on a flat pitch, looking far from in a position to put up a big total. Three of those five Australia had lost when they tried to fetch boundaries or counterattack and all ended up handing out catches in the 30-yard circle. One of the biggest comforts of the one-day format is there is opportunity to rebuild after an early wobble before it’s time to take off again in the end overs.But that’s where Australia’s approach shone through from Gardner, who wasn’t interested in consolidating. She knew she had the comfort of the depth in Australia’s line-up – with allrounder Kim Garth slotted at No. 9 – she was aware that anything under 300 wouldn’t be enough on a flat deck, and she never took her foot off the pedal.Gardner reeled off a boundary against each of Lea Tahuhu and Amelia Kerr within the first eight balls she faced, initially without taking much risk. Her idea, she said after the game, was to keep the scoreboard going and even if the field was spread out, all she had to do was find the gaps to reach the short boundaries with the help of the quick outfield.When Bree Illing returned for her second spell, Gardner danced down the pitch against the left-arm quick to muscle the ball over mid-on for four. The fall of previous wickets while trying to take the aerial route was not going to bog her down, she knew her task was to score runs, and quickly. When it turned out to be a no-ball, Gardner smacked the free hit again on the leg side for four more. And she was off.Ashleigh Gardner did not take a backward step despite Australia’s tricky position•Associated Press”I was just trying to hit the boundary riders hard, run really hard with my partner and just be really clear in my thinking,” Gardner said at the press conference. “I guess that’s what I was able to do today which is why I was just so clear in where I wanted to score. And I was just really proactive with taking positive options because if I go into my shell, that’s probably when I won’t bat the best. So for me it’s sticking to my strengths. Yes, the scoreboard was saying something, but I was trying to take that out of it.”Soon Gardner was in the 40s and even though a sixth wicket fell at the other end – Tahlia McGrath chipping to midwicket – Gardner had ensured Australia were going at run a ball after 32 overs. With 18 overs to go and just four wickets left, would she now be more watchful?Two balls later, she shimmied down the track for her first six that took her to fifty off 43 balls. Gardner was looking incredibly hard to get out now, and she pushed the run rate to 6.30 by the 40th over even though a seventh wicket had gone down. A bit of unnecessary risk and Australia ran the danger of being bowled out for an under-par score.But what was a par score on a ground where no women’s internationals had been played before and on a fresh pitch for the first match of this season? When both teams had trained at the day before, they knew it was going to be a belter, so Gardner thought they had to keep going.’When I’m clear and I’m not thinking too much, I think that’s when I play my best innings’•Getty Images”I always knew that we probably needed around the 320,” Gardner said. “I think it was maybe eight overs to go when I was batting with Kim Garth, and I said we ideally need about 310-320 here minimum. I guess as you saw there today, once you kind of got set, you can really flourish from there, and once you had the pace of the wicket, that really helped as well.”I think when people got in trouble, it was a little bit two-paced at times and they probably were just second-guessing themselves rather than just having that clarity and I guess the shot decisions that they wanted to make. For me, it was obviously being able to do that and just being really clear in my mind because when I’m clear and I’m not thinking too much, I think that’s when I play my best innings.”And the best part of her innings came towards the end when she took just 34 balls to race from 50 to 100 by finding the boundaries more regularly and brought up a magnificent 77-ball century with the first of back-to-back fours off the now-tired New Zealand bowlers.For New Zealand, Gardner’s blitz might have brought back memories of the 2022 World Cup game in Wellington when she had walked out at 214 for 5 with five overs to go, and smashed an unbeaten 48 off just 18 balls, striking at 266.67 to set up a match-winning total of 269.But the difference in the Gardner of early 2022 and late 2025 is that then she was primarily a finisher, having faced more than 50 deliveries in an ODI just once. Having had to bat for longer durations and in more demanding situations in the last 18 months, especially in Hobart earlier this year with her 102 off 117 balls, Gardner has shown she is not just a finisher, but a more mature batter who can build an innings and then give it a finisher’s garnish.

The Sun Group, an Indian media conglomerate, had completed a £100 million takeover of the franchise earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2025Northern Superchargers have been renamed ‘Sunrisers Leeds’ by their new owners, one of three anticipated name changes in the Hundred ahead of the 2026 season.The Sun Group, an Indian media conglomerate based in Chennai, completed a £100 million takeover of the Leeds-based franchise earlier this year. Yorkshire opted to sell their 51% stake in the Superchargers on top of the ECB’s 49%, meaning that the Sun Group owns 100% of the company’s shares.The new owners have now filed documents to Companies House in the UK, which confirm that the Superchargers name will be discontinued. The new name ‘Sunrisers Leeds’ falls in line with their other franchise brands: Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20.

The company formerly known as Northern Superchargers has officially become Sunrisers Leeds

One of three likely name changes in the Hundred for 2026, along with Manchester Super Giants and MI London pic.twitter.com/bVSXnyxKAe

— Matt Roller (@mroller98) November 4, 2025