Northern Superchargers soared to the top of the women’s Hundred table with a commanding victory over Birmingham Phoenix at a sun-drenched Headingley.A third win in four matches for Hollie Armitage’s team was built around a miserly performance from their slow bowlers, Lucy Higham and Linsey Smith, who each picked up two wickets to stem the Phoenix’s flow.Their intervention was perfectly timed, after the visitors had begun brightly. On 44 for 1 from 30 balls with Emma Lamb and Marie Kelly going well, Phoenix lost five wickets in 20 deliveries, with captain Ellyse Perry’s unfortunate run out – Annabel Sutherland diverting a straight drive from Kelly onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end – summing up the Phoenix’s misfortune.From 59-6, Em Arlott and Sterre Kalis rebuilt the innings impressively, putting on an unbeaten 57, the highest stand for the seventh wicket in the history of the Hundred’s women’s competition.On a beautiful batting track, it nonetheless felt under par. The Superchargers openers, Davina Perrin and Alice Davidson-Richards, were both dropped early on – Perrin before she had scored when Hannah Baker palmed a pull shot over the rope for six – and their stand of 27 ensured that the home side were always ahead of the game.Australian superstar Phoebe Litchfield, having started this year’s tournament quietly, roared back into form with a stunning assault against Baker in particular, drilling the spinner for a trio of consecutive boundaries to settle any concerns in the home dugout.With her compatriot Sutherland at the other end, the pair cruised to the finish line with only one alarm when Litchfield, on 48, was dropped at deep extra-cover by Baker. Litchfield brought up her second half-century in the competition from just 25 balls, as Superchargers’ overseas stars wrapped things up with a whopping 26 balls to spare.Litchfield was named the Meerkat Match Hero: “That was good fun out there. Every time we play here at Headingley we know it’ll be a good pitch and you saw that even when Davina and ADR came out, and then especially Bellesey [Sutherland] at the end there.”Litchfield was also full of praise for Superchargers’ spinners, Smith and Higham. “They hit their lengths and kept the stumps in play and forced the Birmingham batters to try something else, and we backed them up in the field. Our two little spinners have done wonders for us for a few years now and they showed it again today.”We’ve had this group together for three years now, it hasn’t changed much, and the vibes are good. We had a pretty average game last time out, but we tried to park that and came out with a positive mindset.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco sonha em repatriar o meio-campista Phillippe Coutinho, de acordo com publicação do jornal espanhol ‘Sport’. Pertencente ao Aston Villa, da Inglaterra, o jogador está emprestado ao Al-Duhail, do Qatar.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

Apesar do Cruz-maltino sonhar com o atleta, a tentativa de empréstimo é vista como um sonho ainda distante da equipe brasileira.

➡️ Santos, Copinha… Pacaembu terá ‘série de reinaugurações’ em 2024

Caso Coutinho seja vendido para algum clube, o Barcelona deve receber 50% do valor do negócio por conta de uma cláusula incluída na transferência do meio-campista para o Aston Villa.

A negociação ainda está em um estágio inicial e os dirigentes do time carioca enxergam como complexa toda operação para contar com o jogador. Além disso, não há um posicionamento do atleta sobre querer regressar ou não para o futebol brasileiro.

PASSAGEM PELO VASCO

Revelado pelo Cruz-maltino, o jogador chegou ao profissional em 2009. No clube, o jogador fez 43 jogos e marcou cinco gols. Após isso, se transferiu para a Inter de Milão, da Itália, na temporada 2010/2011.

Ruben Amorim revealed Manchester United could potentially dip into the January transfer market after losing Benjamin Sesko to injury, and with three stars heading for AFCON as well. The striker's late injury cast a shadow over what was otherwise an afternoon of grit and resilience from the Red Devils as they eked out a 2-2 draw against Tottenham in north London on Saturday.

Late drama secures a point for United

The visitors began brightly at a boisterous Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and their patience paid off in the 30th minute when Amad Diallo whipped in a teasing cross from the right for Bryan Mbeumo to head home past Guglielmo Vicario. But the second half told a different story. Tottenham poured forward with renewed purpose, and though United goalkeeper Senne Lammens twice denied efforts from Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha, the pressure eventually told. With six minutes left, substitute Mathys Tel found space on the edge of the area and fired goalward. A deflection off Matthijs de Ligt wrong-footed Lammens and sent the ball spinning into the net. Tottenham thought they’d completed the comeback deep into stoppage time when Wilson Odobert’s speculative drive ricocheted off Richarlison’s head and rolled past Lammens. However, Amorim’s men, battered and shorthanded, refused to die. With seconds left, Bruno Fernandes whipped in one final corner, and there was De Ligt, towering above everyone, to nod home at the back post to make it 2–2. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSesko’s setback and Amorim’s concern

Sesko’s short cameo after being introduced from the bench summed up his season. There were flashes of promise, but the afternoon ended in frustration. The 22-year-old thought he’d snatched the winner moments before his injury when he raced through on goal, only for Micky van de Ven to produce a sensational sliding block to deny him. The challenge left Sesko clutching his knee and grimacing in pain.

Amorim, speaking after the match, could offer little reassurance. "We have to check. He had something in his knee, let's see," he said. When further pressed about the seriousness of the injury, he added, "I have no idea. Because it's the knee, we never know."

Sesko has scored just two goals in 11 league appearances, and at Tottenham, he once again failed to put away two half chances. When Amorim was asked if Sesko's lack of confidence was harming him, the manager brushed aside the idea and said: "No, I think… I think that is not the biggest concern now. That happened in the same way that he is not scoring and then he scores two goals in the next two games [Brentford and Sunderland], so that happens, especially with a striker. I'm more concerned with an injury because it's in the knee and I don't know. We need Ben to be a better team."

Activity in the January transfer window?

With the Africa Cup of Nations looming in December, United’s forward options could soon be stretched thin. Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui will all depart for international duty. Now, with Sesko potentially sidelined, the situation has become more urgent. The Portuguese coach admitted the club may need to dip into the transfer market once the window opens in January.

"We have to check everything, we have to check what has happened with Ben," he said.

"Of course, we are going to have a problem there [with AFCON], but we already knew. Then you can prepare that in the summer, but then you have a lot of players in the summer who are not going to play because it's one game per week. So the management of that situation is going to be hard.

"But let's see when the window is open, if we can improve the team and try to prepare something that happened. Until then, we have to take the chance."

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AFPUnited march on with confidence

The draw keeps United unbeaten in five matches, going into the international break. Although they have drawn back-to-back league games, at Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, there has been a newfound belief in this team, and De Ligt's late equaliser is a testimony to it. Amorim will take heart from his team’s resilience, but the lack of cutting edge, and now the uncertainty around Sesko, remains a nagging concern. United return to Premier League action later this month at home to Everton, before a tricky trip to Crystal Palace closes November’s fixtures.

West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen has been subject to serious reported interest from London rivals Tottenham, and his exit stance has now come to light.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are currently in deep, deep trouble — sitting second bottom in the Premier League table after conceding more goals than any other club in the division.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

Beyond the stats, West Ham’s disjointed and uninspiring performances this term have stretched beyond Graham Potter’s dismissal, with Nuno still searching for his first win since taking charge.

The Hammers’ 3-0 win away to Nottingham Forest, which turned out to be Nuno’s final game in charge of his former club, seems like a very distant memory.

After a lot of tinkering with his first-team in the last two matches, with Lucas Paqueta used as a false nine to combat the absence of Niclas Füllkrug, Nuno is still yet to discover the winning West Ham formula.

It doesn’t get any easier for West Ham either, with high-flying Newcastle, who’ve won five out of their last six matches in all competitions, awaiting them next at the London Stadium.

January is set to be a lifeline for West Ham, and Nuno has reportedly urged the club’s hierarchy to make three signings in the form of a new defender, midfielder and forward (GiveMeSport).

Nuno has also been told that funds will be available for West Ham to spend (Sky Sports), but a more pressing issue could be convincing their current star players to remain at Rush Green.

The Times reported this week that Paqueta is keen to leave West Ham in January.

That being said, the player himself quickly put a cryptic post on social media following the rumours, which looked like an attempt to quash this noise in its tracks.

After Paqueta, some murmurs over a potential exit for Bowen are beginning to intensify.

The Irons captain is absolutely vital to Nuno and their superstar player by some distance, and West Ham rewarded the ex-Hull City winger with a long-term deal running until 2030 over two years ago.

However, the threat of relegation is prompting reports of rival clubs looking to tempt Bowen away.

Tottenham are apparently prepared to pay £53 million for Bowen’s services, but a lot will depend on the player’s own stance on leaving a club he clearly adores.

Jarrod Bowen's stance on West Ham exit amid Tottenham interest

According to TEAMtalk and journalist Dean Jones, the 28-year-old’s feelings about a departure are pretty cut and dry.

Jones reports that while the east Londoners have zero interest in selling him, Bowen could be open to leaving West Ham if they’re relegated at the end of the season.

Losing the England international right after dropping to the Championship would be a very bitter pill to swallow for West Ham supporters, and it makes January all the more imperative.

Right now, Nuno’s side quite simply do not have the quality or depth in each position to wrangle their way out of the bottom three, with the Portuguese seemingly aiming to keep them afloat long enough to strengthen his ranks.

West Ham have looked outgunned in every department, particularly in defence, with Lille star and Brazil international Alexsandro apparently Nuno’s top centre-back target for January.

Further forward, West Ham have internally talked about signing Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos as Nuno scours for a box-to-box midfielder, while many strikers are being considered already.

West Ham hold discussions over signing two Brazil strikers with 35 goals between them this year

“I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with MCA to help us win more trophies,” Ajinkya Rahane says

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2025

Ajinkya Rahane helped Mumbai break a nine-year drought by leading them to their 42nd Ranji Trophy title in 2023-24•PTI

Ajinkya Rahane has given up the captaincy of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season, saying he believes “it’s the right time to groom a new leader”. In a communication to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Rahane, now 37, said he wants to continue as a player for the team.”Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour,” Rahane wrote in a social media post. “With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader. And hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role. I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with MCA to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season.”Rahane helped Mumbai break a nine-year drought by leading them to their 42nd Ranji Trophy title in 2023-24. While his red-ball form over the past two years has been patchy (467 runs in 27 innings with just one century), he was more fluent in the shorter formats. At the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December last year, when he played under Shreyas Iyer, Rahane was the Player of the Tournament for his chart-topping 469 runs in a title-winning season.Related

The 91st season of the Ranji Trophy is unmissable – here's why

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BCCI introduces 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule

Rahane was most recently in charge of Kolkata Knight Riders at IPL 2025, for whom he was the highest scorer with 390 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 147.27. The team had a mediocre season, though, finishing eighth with just five wins.In July, Rahane said he still possessed the “hunger and passion” for the game and for red-ball cricket, stating he even carried his trainers and cricket gear while on holiday in London to begin preparations for the upcoming domestic season.”I still want to play Test cricket,” Rahane had told Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton in an interview with . “I’m really passionate about playing Test cricket. I’m enjoying my cricket at the moment. For me, it’s all about focusing on the controllable things. Frankly, I tried to have conversations with the selectors, but [there are] things as a player I cannot control. I got no response.”As a player, all I can do is keep playing cricket, keep enjoying the game, and give my best each and every time. I love playing Test cricket, love playing red-ball [cricket], it’s a passion. The love for the game keeps me going.”Mumbai are currently preparing for the upcoming season by playing the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Chennai, with a young squad led by 18-year-old Ayush Mhatre. Mumbai allrounder Shardul Thakur, a key member of their 2024-25 Ranji campaign, was named captain of West Zone for the season-opening Duleep Trophy.

Pete Alonso might be waiting a while in free agency.

While Major League Baseball's offseason kicked into high gear this week after Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets, Alonso's name hasn't been circulating in rumors. Apparently, there's a reason. Multiple insiders are claiming there isn't much of a market for the first baseman yet.

MLB Network's Jim Duquette reported the market for Alonso is "still being established."

Meanwhile, ESPN's Jeff Passan discussed Alonso's market and said, "The perception is that there is not much of one."

That's bad news for Alonso, who is 30 and coming off his worst season in the big leagues. The four-time All-Star had a down year in 2024 for the Mets. He played in all 162 games and slashed .240/.329/.459 while hitting 34 home runs and posting 88 RBIs. He hit full season career-lows in home runs, OPS (.788) and WAR (2.6), while notching a career high in strikeouts (172).

Alonso is a bad baserunner and a terrible fielder, so his bat is what creates virtually all of his value. Given how far down his numbers were in 2024 it's not shocking he isn't seeing the kind of scramble for his services that he likely hoped for.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani finished last season by winning his first World Series. He led the National League with 54 home runs and created the 50/50 club by becoming the first player in baseball history to have 50-plus home runs and 50-plus stolen bases.

This year he hopes to do it all again while coming off an injury suffered in the World Series. And he's going to return to the mound where he was a Cy Young candidate with the Los Angeles Angels.

On Friday Ohtani hit his first home run of the year, an opposite field blast off Yusei Kikuchi in his first at-bat of spring training. If he keeps up this pace he's going to set some kind of record.

Another year. Another incredible sound as the ball hits his bat and then ends up over the fence.

Ohtani has hit 178 home runs over the last four years. Last year he won MVP and took two out of three legs of the Triple Crown. Maybe this season things will finally start to come together for him.

MatériaMais Notícias

A anulação de um golaço de Giuliano Galoppo causou polêmica nas redes sociais nesta quinta-feira (26) durante o empate entre Mirassol e São Paulo, pelo Paulistão. O meia faria o gol da virada do Tricolor, mas o árbitro invalidou a jogada após consultar o monitor do VAR. Internautas, no entanto, não concordaram com a decisão.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Ferreirinha fez boa jogada pela esquerda, avançou pelo meio e tocou para Galoppo. De fora da área, o argentino bateu colocado, a bola desviou na zaga e entrou. O VAR recomendou revisão e, após olhar o monitor, o árbitro Lucas Bellote entendeu que Calleri, em impedimento, atrapalhou o goleiro Muralha, e anulou o gol.

São Paulo está sendo operado em Mirassol. Anulação do gol do Galoppo é uma das maiores aberrações que eu vi na vida. O VAR acabou com o futebol, o que a gente vê é o simulacro do que o jogo era.

— Lucca Bopp (@lucca_bopp) January 24, 2024

A anulação do gol de Galoppo contra o Mirassol é simplesmente revoltante.

— José Calil (@calilcomc) January 23, 2024

Anulação do golaço do Galoppo é muita sacanagem.

Ano vem, ano vai e continua tudo a mesma coisa.

— André Borges (@andreborgesmkt) January 24, 2024

➡️ Veja os grupos e datas dos confrontos no Paulistão

O São Paulo volta a campo no sábado (27), contra a Portuguesa, pela terceira rodada do Paulistão, no MorumBIS. No dia seguinte, às 19h, o Mirassol recebe o Novorizontino. O Tricolor lidera o Grupo D do estadual, com quatro pontos conquistados em dois jogos na temporada.

continua após a publicidade

Sunderland fans will be hurriedly counting down the days now until their beloved Black Cats do battle again in the Premier League.

In an ideal reality, those of a Wearside persuasion love to have seen their high-flying team continue to play during the international break, instead of having to take an enforced pause.

Indeed, Regis Le Bris’ men find themselves in an uncharted fourth position in the Premier League table at the time of writing, which is some feat, considering the Frenchman has only just guided the Black Cats back up to the big time.

A huge part of their whirlwind success story so far has been Granit Xhaka, who is already being viewed as one of Sunderland’s most cherished figures of recent years.

How Xhaka compares to other Sunderland captains

Before delving deeper into Xhaka becoming an instant fan favourite at the Stadium of Light, he isn’t the only notable recent captain who plied his trade on Wearside.

Just last season, Luke O’Nien would bravely battle for the Black Cats all campaign long, donning the armband, with Sunderland’s former number one goalkeeper in Anthony Patterson, even going out of his way to hail him as a “leader.”

With three goals and 16 clean sheets under his belt, it’s clear why he was described in such glowing terms, with O’Nien arguably as important to his side’s promotion efforts, as Xhaka has proven to be in punching above their weight in the league above.

Other notable faces who have been given the weighty pressure of the Black Cats armband in recent years include John O’Shea, who made 256 appearances for the Wearside outfit, all of which came in the Premier League.

Of course, there was also the no-nonsense approach of Lee Cattermole, but not even his full-bloodedness for the cause, nor his six-goal contributions in the big time, could keep Sunderland from eventually slipping down to League One.

This is where Sunderland has undoubtedly hit the jackpot with Xhaka, with his £13m arrival through the door in the summer raising the standards of everyone around him, so much so that relegation already feels very unlikely.

The Swiss has also singlehandedly been a force to get Sunderland over the line in tense matches, too, with a goal fiercely put away against Everton at the start of November, securing a 1-1 draw, which was also collected off the back of the ex-Arsenal warrior, winning five duels to keep the Toffees at bay.

The concern will be that Xhaka, despite looking like a fine wine now, is 33 years of age, meaning he won’t be a long-term captain option.

Thankfully, Le Bris may already have a future captain on his hands.

Sunderland's future captain

While the majority of the talk so far this season has centred on the number of brand-new signings that have made the step-up to the Premier League look effortless, Le Bris should also be commended for what he’s managed to get out of stars who have been there since the club’s Championship days.

Wilson Isidor is already up to four Premier League goals after bagging 13 in the second tier last season. Moreover, Daniel Ballard has looked formidable in the heart of Le Bris’ defence when handed opportunities to shine, having been noted as a “diamond” for how much he puts his body on the line, early into his Sunderland career by his former Stadium of Light boss in Tony Mowbray.

In the here and now, much like Xhaka, he has become a dependable warrior for Le Bris to trust in, with the Northern Ireland international firing home that effort past David Raya last time out in league action to hand the hosts a shock one-goal advantage over top-of-the-table Arsenal.

His underlying numbers aren’t that far off the 33-year-old’s either, with his similar fight and passion, as Sunderland try to gain as many early-season victories as possible, standing him in good stead to succeed the midfield veteran as the Black Cats’ next dominant and assured captain.

Games played

9

11

Goals scored

2

1

Assists

0

3

Touches*

42.2

70.4

Accurate passes*

24.3 (83%)

44.9 (83%)

Clearances*

6.6

3.8

Total duels won*

6.6

6.1

Amazingly, despite starting just six Premier League games this season, owing to injury problems popping up, Ballard has trumped Xhaka notably in terms of duels won per match, with a mighty six won just against Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.

He isn’t a million miles away in other areas, either, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley highlighting Ballard’s sharp rise to become a Premier League-calibre defender as “phenomenal”.

For the time being, the Black Cats will continue to rely on the experience and know-how of their Basel-born midfielder.

Still, the commanding number five is definitely a worthy heir to Xhaka’s intimidating throne.

Talks open: Sunderland willing to make record £70m offer for Barcelona star

The Black Cats’ potential record pursuit could hinge on one key factor.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 10, 2025

If Leicestershire’s vision was to clinch promotion to Division One with a resounding victory, it looks unlikely to come to pass this week after a truncated third day of their Rothesay County Championship match left them trailing Gloucestershire by 150 runs.Shan Masood compiled a typically elegant 111 to mark his first-class debut for the county with the 30th hundred of his career but Leicestershire then lost their last six wickets for 22 to trail by 140 on first innings, bowled out for 342 as Gloucestershire seamer Matt Taylor finished with five for 70, backed up by new-ball partner Ajeet Singh Dale’s three for 78.Gloucestershire – who need a victory to keep their outside chance of promotion alive – were eight without loss from four overs in their second innings before a three-hour interruption due to rain, adding just two runs before a resumption at 5.30pm was curtailed after just 13 deliveries due to bad light. With earlier rain having delayed the start by 70 minutes, just 30 overs and one ball were bowled in all.Even if a win eludes them, Leicestershire’s lead in the division is so large that a top-two finish can still be confirmed this week if this match ends in a draw and the clash between third-placed Derbyshire and fourth-placed Middlesex at Lord’s is also drawn.Masood faced 176 balls and hit 13 fours on the way to his eighth first-class hundred in county cricket, having previously made them for Derbyshire and Yorkshire. The left-hander will be 36 next month but retains the capacity to produce moments of sublime skill at the crease, which he underlined with some beautiful strokeplay in this innings.After his 152-run partnership with Lewis Hill on Tuesday had seemed to set up Leicestershire for a substantial reply, there seemed little to suggest that would not happen as a second batting bonus point was secured in a morning session reduced to 50 minutes with Masood and Steve Eskinazi, also making his Championship debut for a new county, having added 82.But that all changed with the last delivery of the session, which resulted in Masood being given out leg before, the former Pakistan Test captain’s body language leaving no doubt that the decision did not meet with his approval.Masood’s dismissal was the catalyst for an unseemly collapse from 320 for four to 342 all out, with the follow-on only just avoided.Having put off taking the second new ball until after lunch, Gloucestershire took it immediately after the break and needed only 10 overs’ use of it to claim the remaining five Leicestershire wickets.Taylor, who had three wickets overnight, beat Ben Cox for pace and had Ben Mike nicking behind to complete his first five-wicket haul in two years.New-ball partner Singh Dale, bound for Lancashire at the end of the season, gained deserved rewards as ex-Middlesex batter Eskinazi’s county debut innings ended on 34 with a catch at second slip. Logan van Beek and Chris Wright became the fourth and fifth batters in the innings to fall leg before, Wright having at least hung around long enough to ensure that the visitors would bat again after the ninth wicket had gone with still one run needed.