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

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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.

Ashwani Kumar might not even have played the game, but he did, and bowled crucial overs to help Mumbai Indians eliminate Gujarat Titans from IPL 2025 and get into Qualifier 2

Shashank Kishore31-May-20252:13

Moody: Ridiculous how far ahead of the rest Bumrah is

B Sai Sudharsan had just missed a scoop off a full Trent Boult delivery. Unhappy that the umpire had not called it a leg-side wide, he signalled for a review. At that stage, Gujarat Titans (GT) needed 99 off 48 to knock Mumbai Indians (MI) out of IPL 2025. It was a proper dogfight.As the third umpire did his work, and concluded that Sai Sudharsan had moved across his stumps too much, Hardik Pandya called his quicks for a conference. A few animated words and a slight shuffling of the fielders later, they dispersed. But the pause didn’t help MI; Boult ended up conceding 18 runs in that over, with Washington Sundar plundering two sixes and a four. Heavy dew, something MI hadn’t anticipated, had set in.Now, Hardik felt the need for another meeting. A message was on its way from the dugout, too, but the umpires politely instructed the reserves to go back. Just then, Suryakumar Yadav signalled for medical help, suggesting that he was cramping. MI now had the time they wanted. Gamesmanship? Genuine injury? Either way, it was a momentum-breaker for GT.Related

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• MI eliminate GT to set up Qualifier 2 with PBKS

In the huddle, Jasprit Bumrah took charge of the conversation. And as they dispersed, Ashwani Kumar looked like he would bowl. Before Hardik asked him to stop and handed the ball to Bumrah instead. In an ideal scenario, Hardik wouldn’t have brought Bumrah on for a third over this early – it was the 14th; but desperate times called for desperate measures.With the equation having been whittled down to 81 off 42, and the Washington-Sai Sudharsan partnership having reached threatening proportions, this was Hardik’s last roll of the dice. And four balls in, his call stood vindicated. A searing yorker had Washington completely off balance as he tried to evade the toe-crusher, and the ball snuck between his legs and smashed into the stumps.Bumrah ran down the pitch, his fists punching the air downwards. MI had the breakthrough they were after. “It’s very simple. Whenever you think the game is going away, just bring him [Bumrah] on,” Hardik said with a grin after the match on the broadcast. “When you have that [Bumrah], it’s a luxury. It’s like Mumbai housing prices – he’s that [precious].”Ashwani Kumar closed out the game for Mumbai Indians•BCCIAshwani bowled the next over. It’s likely he wouldn’t have not played the game, since the team management had been toying with the idea of playing an extra spinner because the surface wasn’t anything like the one that hosted Qualifier 1. While there was consistent bounce, there was no exaggerated seam movement. But the call to bring Ashwani on at that moment – with 77 needed from 36 – was in itself a massive show of faith.Earlier this month, he had come in as a concussion sub for Corbin Bosch and dismissed Jos Buttler at a crucial moment en route figures of 2 for 28. On March 31, he had ended with the best figures on IPL debut – 4 for 24. With Bumrah still recovering from injury then, Ashwani’s performance had been timely, one that helped kickstart a turnaround.On Saturday, as per ESPNcricinfo’s pitch map data, 15 Ashwani deliveries were either full or yorker-length. His focus on nailing what he had been asked to do was unwavering, and a nine-run over at that stage, keeping the equation at 68 off 30, was gold.2:49

Are MI favourites for Qualifier 2?

Ashwani’s eagerness to bowl had been evident from even before MI took the field. Their batting innings had barely wound down when he followed bowling coach Lasith Malinga out to the field, stump in one hand and cone in the other. The warm-up over was done.”We have given him simple plans so that he doesn’t get confused,” coach Mahela Jayawardene said of Ashwani at the post-match press conference. “A lot of guys on the field help him. Booms [Bumrah], Deepak [Chahar], Hardik, all those guys have those chats. But it is all about execution and the pressure and what we have seen in him.”I mean, this is not the first time. We use him tactically when we need to against opposition. In big games, if he can produce this, he will get more confident. What you see is not the full Ashwani. There is much more to come from him; he is a fabulously skilled bowler. We just need to keep grooming him in the right direction.”I think the first season itself, the way he has responded to the challenges that we put him through, he has done brilliantly. I know he hasn’t played much state cricket as well but when we saw him, we saw the skill that he has.”1:54

Have GT been let down by their middle order?

If Ashwani’s second over went for nine, his third, which came on the back of Richard Gleeson dismissing Sai Sudharsan, was equally noteworthy as he denied Rahul Tewatia and Sherfane Rutherford – two powerful left-hand batters who pride themselves on finishing games. Again, he conceded just nine to leave GT needing 45 off 18.Bumrah and Boult then took over to leave GT needing 24 from the last over. This was now Ashwani’s chance to close out the game he had played a massive part in already. But Gleeson had the ball. It felt as if Ashwani was robbed of his opportunity.Not quite. As Gleeson walked off clutching his hamstring three balls in, Hardik threw the ball to Ashwani to complete the job. But even with 21 to defend off three balls, Bumrah kept signalling to him from short fine leg, trying to make sure he didn’t bowl a wide or no-ball. Suryakumar and Hardik ran in from their positions to speak to him. And when he had M Shahrukh Khan tamely chipping a full delivery to extra cover with his first ball of the over, they were all over him.Bumrah had brought the fire, and Ashwani the calm. At the end of it, MI were within two wins of a sixth IPL crown.

Arne Slot's future is in the spotlight after Liverpool's 3-0 Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday at Anfield plunged the Reds deeper into crisis. The loss was Liverpool's sixth in seven Premier League matches and means Slot's side are in the bottom half of the table after 12 games played. Questions are now being asked of the Dutchman and his methods, particularly after a big-spending summer that saw costly stars such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike arrive.

• Liverpool's stance on Slot's future revealed

  Despite Liverpool's dismal start to the season, the Reds currently have no intention of sacking Slot, according to Fabrizio Romano. The transfer guru offered an update on the situation on YouTube, explaining: "What’s going on with Arne Slot? Guys, at the moment I have no information that the Liverpool owners are thinking of making an immediate decision about Arne Slot. So Liverpool are NOT thinking of changing the manager right now. Of course, they – the owners, the club – want to see different results, they expect a lot more from Arne Slot and his team. Surely Liverpool expect to see something different from both the manager and the players, because it’s not just Arne Slot. The players also have to take responsibility, as Virgil van Dijk said, so it’s like the players and the manager.

  "Arne Slot knows that the situation is dangerous, complicated, but at the same time he feels the support and trust of the club. Liverpool are NOT in talks with any other manager and are not even considering the possibility of sacking the manager. This is the current situation. Of course, the results have to change, and quickly, both in the Champions League and in the Premier League, especially in the Premier League, because Liverpool are really in a complicated situation. This is the feeling today."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Liverpool 'going backwards' under Slot

  Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown feels that Liverpool are going backwards under Slot. The manager spent heavily in the summer to rebuild his squad, with Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerez and Giovanni Leoni also arriving, but has seen his team go on to lose half of their Premier League matches. Keown told BBC Sport: "Whether it's a crisis, I don't know. It's certainly a major problem for the manager to go six defeats from seven. Unthinkable. The wheels are coming off now for Arne Slot. It was Jurgen Klopp's team and he has tried to come in and make changes, but he has spent £450m on players and they are going backwards."

• Van Dijk admits Liverpool are in a mess

  Slot admitted the defeat to Nottingham Forest was a "very, very bad result" and captain Virgil van Dijk says the team are in a "mess". The Dutch star also feels the players are letting their manager down and has called on the squad to improve quickly.

  "We had a great three or four days’ preparation but in a game you are dealing with facts and the facts are we conceded a set piece in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half," he told reporters. "We are definitely letting him [Slot] down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. You look at yourself first and then you help each other, you help each other get out of this mess because at the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact. As the champions we can’t be in the situation we are in right now. What are we going to do about it? We’re going to try to turn it around and that’s the mentality everyone should have."

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• AFP
  

  Liverpool back in Champions League action

  Liverpool will turn their attentions back to the Champions League next and a visit from PSV. The Reds have been in better form in Europe, beating Real Madrid last time out and starting the campaign with three wins from four. PSV currently sit top of the Eredivisie table but have managed just one win – a 6-2 thrashing of Serie A champions Napoli – so far in the Champions League. Anything other than a victory against PSV, will pile more pressure on Slot ahead of a Premier League fixture against West Ham on Sunday.

Real Madrid have now informed Liverpool about their final decision on Ibrahima Konate as 2026 approaches.

Arne Slot reveals "conversation" with Liverpool hierarchy

Arne Slot’s dream Anfield move commenced with a Premier League title in his debut season, but since then he’s endured the ultimate nightmare. The Reds are in historically bad form, losing nine of their last 12 games in all competitions, and serious questions are beginning to be asked about the Dutchman’s tenure.

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Liverpool have never been a sacking club, but recent reports have dropped names like Ange Postecoglou and Andoni Iraola as the pressure continues to grow on Slot. Whether Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes decide to pull the trigger on either of those names remains to be seen, however.

Slot’s had his say on the matter, revealing conversations with Liverpool’s hierarchy and telling his squad to “fight on” in the face of their disastrous run.

Up next, the Premier League champions travel to West Ham United in desperate need of three points. It is simply a must-win game for Slot, who will only have the backing of the club’s hierarchy for so long.

Ahead of their trip to the London Stadium, fixing their defensive issues should be Liverpool’s priority – starting with solving Konate’s form just days after he’s been informed about Real Madrid’s final transfer decision.

Real Madrid inform Liverpool about final Konate decision

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Real Madrid have now told Liverpool that they have no interest in signing Konate, despite rumours that they were set to pursue the Frenchman at the end of his contract next summer.

The Reds looked destined for a Trent Alexander-Arnold repeat, but Konate has seemingly played himself out of a move to the Bernabeu next summer – leaving the ball firmly in Liverpool’s court.

Whether both parties can now strike an agreement over a new contract is the big question. Konate’s recent form has left him in a weaker negotiating position, but there’s no doubt that he’s an important member of Slot’s backline at his best.

Dubbed “tremendous” by former Manchester City star Micah Richards last season, the Frenchman simply has to get back to his best if Liverpool are to turn their torrid run of form around.

He’s one of just two fully fit central defenders, with Joe Gomez not yet ready to step in, so has no choice but to play himself into form – especially if he’s after a pay rise up from his current £70,000-a-week deal.

"Oh my god", "Sackable" – Carragher rips into Liverpool star in behind-scenes footage

Bilal Sami replaces Saleem in Afghanistan’s squad for the three-match series in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2025

Mohammad Saleem last played for Afghanistan in February 2024•AFP/Getty Images

Afghanistan’s right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Saleem has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi due to a groin (adductor) overload.As a result, Saleem will report to the ACB’s High Performance Center for rehabilitation, a release by the Afghanistan Cricket Board said.In Saleem’s place, right-arm medium-pace bowler Bilal Sami will be joining Afghanistan’s squad for the ODIs against Bangladesh.Twenty-three-year-old Saleem has played two ODIs so far, with both of those matches coming against Bangladesh in July 2023. He last played for Afghanistan in his solitary Test, which was against Sri Lanka in Colombo in February 2024.Saleem’s replacement Sami, meanwhile, has played for Afghanistan only once, which was on ODI debut against Zimbabwe in December 2024. Sami, 21, has played 25 List A games, where he has 44 wickets at an average of 25.72. He represented Afghanistan Under-19 at the World Cup in 2022, where he got four wickets in five matches.Sami was recently in action at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament, Afghanistan’s domestic List A competition, which ended in September. There, he was his team Speen Ghar Region’s second-highest wicket-taker with ten wickets at an average of 22.90, and an economy rate of 4.97.Afghanistan’s first ODI against Bangladesh will take place on Wednesday, October 8.

Are the glory days heading back to Stamford Bridge?

Having enjoyed so much success during the two decades of Roman Abramovich’s ownership, Chelsea supporters cannot help but hark back to the past and hope that current players can replicate those from then.

While they may never see a player as good in their position as Petr Čech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard or Dider Drogba ever again, did an up-and-coming Chelsea youngster put in a display reminiscent of a Chelsea superstar from more recent times against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday?

N'Golo Kanté's Premier League legacy

Given how widespread football and football coverage is in the modern era, it is very rare that any player can be truly described as completely unique.

However, N’Golo Kanté certainly falls into this category, considering we’ve not seen the like before or since.

He was a key figure in Leicester City’s title triumph against all odds a decade ago, before winning another Premier League title, the FA Cup and Champions League with Chelsea, as well as the World Cup with France.

At just 5 ft 6 in (168 cms) tall, he possessed seemingly endless amounts of energy, covering every blade of grass match after match, racking up more tackles, blocks, interceptions and distance covered than anyone else to ever grace the Premier League.

Now 34 years old and playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, his unique skillset is underlined by the fact that Didier Deschamps recalled him to his French national team squad last week after a year away, starting against Ukraine at Parc des Princes, still unable to find someone better at being Kanté than Kanté.

Now though, which current Chelsea player put in a Kanté-esque display at Turf Moor?

Chelsea's new N'Golo Kanté

The major talking point ahead of kick off between Burnley and Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime was the fact that Moisés Caicedo was left on the bench.

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

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With games against Barcelona and Arsenal up next, Enzo Maresca decided to rest his star midfielder, after he had completed 90 minutes in both of Ecuador’s matches during the international break, these friendlies against Canada in Toronto and then New Zealand in Harrison, New Jersey.

This presented Andrey Santos with an opportunity to stake a claim, and he certainly did just that.

The table below documents the Brazilian’s impressive display in Lancashire.

Santos’ stats vs Burnley

Stats

Santos

Match rank

Accurate passes

34

11th

Key passes

1

6th

Defensive actions

12

1st

Clearances

4

3rd

Interceptions

4

1st

Tackles won

3

3rd

Duels contested

10

2nd

Duels won

7

2nd

Ball recoveries

4

1st

Touches

63

6th

SofaScore rating

7.3

3rd

Stats via SofaScore

The table emphasises Santos’ excellent display against Burnley, leading the match when it comes to defensive actions, interceptions and ball recoveries, as well as winning seven of his ten duels and putting in three tackles, all Kanté-esque traits.

Matthew Judge of Goal noted that deputising for Caicedo is always an ‘unenviable’ task, but the Brazilian put in an ‘excellent’ display, given that he provided ‘a solid shield’ in front of the Chelsea backline, a key reason why Burnley rarely threatened, awarding him an 8/10 rating.

Meantime, Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport asserted that it was Santos’ “best performance to date” for the club.

The 20-year-old joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama back in January 2023, but did not make his debut for the club until the Club World Cup in June against Espérance Sportive de Tunis.

He spent last season on loan at BlueCo’s other club Strasbourg, impressing all Ligue 1 observers, including Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, who asserted that he is an “incredible midfielder in the making”.

Well, with massive games against Barcelona and Arsenal up next, was this the game Santos came to the fore and asserted himself as a key figure in this Chelsea team, as Kanté was during an ultra-successful period?

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 22, 2025

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

Big picture

This is a series of opposites and inversions. South Africa, the side that won the World Test Championship this year, visit Pakistan, the team that finished bottom. Two sides historically known for their legendary fast bowling prowess will look to manufacture alternate means of taking 20 wickets, with the conditions set to favour each team’s less decorated spin bowlers. South Africa will look to complete a record-extending 11th straight Test win, while Pakistan have triumphed in just three of their previous 12.Even the venue is a bit incongruous for the occasion. Despite Test cricket returning to Pakistan after a decade-long hiatus in 2019, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore hasn’t seen much of it, with just one five-day game played here, three years ago. All told, this will be just the second Test since 2009 to be played in Lahore, with the Gaddafi Stadium regaining its original position in Pakistan after the stadium was knocked down and rebuilt ahead of the Champions Trophy this year.South Africa are in a somewhat unprecedented position, beginning a world title defence. An ICC trophy was elusive enough for the side to put any notions of defending one into uncharted territory. But a credible defence will have to go through this awkward test in Pakistan. They will do so without the services of their talismanic captain Temba Bavuma, whom his stand-in Aiden Markram termed “irreplaceable”. As importantly, they will miss Keshav Maharaj for the first Test, needing the internationally less experienced Simon Harmer, Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen to step up.Related

• Pakistan prepare for South Africa with precious little first-class cricket

The hosts are in the early stages of an experiment with the surfaces they prepare, one that has brought them results, but also left games heavily dependent on the toss. Pakistan have won three of the four home Test matches played under this system, but three of four have also been won by the side batting first. Pakistan have three finger spinners in their line-up which make their intentions plain, while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan return to the side after white-ball absences. In theory, Pakistan have a soft enough draw to make qualification for this edition’s final in two years a realistic prospect. But two Test matches, such as the ones coming up, are a long enough time in Pakistan cricket, let alone two years.

Form guide

Pakistan: LWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: WWWWW

In the spotlight

Perhaps it says more about Pakistan than it does about Noman Ali, but the man who celebrated his 39th birthday last week is the most important player for the home side this week. With Sajid Khan struggling to overcome a bout of flu, the left-arm spinner needs to take on even more responsibility on the kind of surface Pakistan will prepare almost exclusively suited to his strengths. Noman last played red-ball cricket in February, but he has taken 36 wickets in his last four Tests, making full use of conditions. Sajid just about picked up the other half, but in his absence, Pakistan will ask even more of the man who has entered his 40th year.Ryan Rickelton is still finding his way as an opener in the longest format•Associated Press

Ryan Rickelton has 638 runs in 19 Test innings, and is still finding his way as an opener in the longest format. Nearly half of those runs, though, came in one mammoth innings earlier this year against Pakistan, when he amassed 259 as South Africa ground Pakistan into the Newlands dirt. There is an unbeaten hundred against Sri Lanka, but aside from that, he has yet to cross 42 in 17 other innings. As South Africa begin their defence and Rickelton takes guard in conditions he has not faced before, it remains to be seen whether his happy memories against Pakistan can overcome his otherwise modest Test record.

Team news

Pakistan’s biggest headache is the potential unavailability of Sajid Khan as he battles flu. The offspinner did rejoin the Pakistan camp, but Shan Masood said a decision on whether he plays will be taken last minute.Pakistan (possible): 1 Abdullah Shafique/Imam ul Haq, 2 Shan Masood (capt) 3 Kamran Ghulam 4 Babar Azam 5 Saud Shakeel 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 7 Salman Ali Agha 8 Noman Ali 9 Khurram Shahzad 10 Sajid Khan/Abrar Ahmed 11 Asif AfridiSouth Africa captain Aiden Markram kept his cards close to his chest regarding the eleven, though it is inevitable the visitors will also go spin-heavy.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Wiaan Mulder, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 David Bedingham (wk), 6 Kyle Verreynne, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Prenelan Subrayen, 9 Senuran Muthusamy, 10 Simon Harmer, 11 Kagiso Rabada

Pitch and conditions

The previous week saw unseasonal rains and cool temperatures in Lahore, but that weather system has been washed away. The Test will be played under hot October sunshine. That should help break the surface, almost certainly spin-friendly, up even quicker. It was kept under cover today. The winner of the toss will almost certainly bat first.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have won 10 Test matches on the trot, their longest streak in history
• Babar Azam is 251 runs away from becoming the 5th Pakistan batter to 15,000 international runs. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Javed Miandad are the only players to have achieved that feat.

Quotes“It’s a good opportunity for us to start against the defending champions. It will be a good yardstick for us to play against them, especially if we can get a good result against them.” “Preparation has been good. We had a camp back in South Africa where we tried to simulate conditions as best as we could. There was a lot of focus on spin play and our spinners getting used to the ball spinning a lot compared to South Africa.” South African captain Aiden Markram reveals what the visitors tried to do to replicate the conditions they are likely to encounter