Category Uncategorized

Tarik Skubal dominated on the mound for the Tigers yet again Friday night in a decisive Game 5 against the Mariners. Unfortunately for Detroit, it wasn't able to capitalize on the Cy Young Award front-runner's latest impressive start, which is a trend that became all too familiar toward the end of the Tigers' season.

The Tigers went 1-4 over Skubal's final five starts of the year, which includes the regular season and postseason. That poor record is no fault of his own, though, as the big lefthander allowed just six earned runs over 32 2/3 innings pitched in his last five starts. Other than a nine-run outburst in Game 4 against the Mariners to keep their season alive, the Tigers' offense sputtered down the stretch, giving Skubal little run support and leaving his quality starts hanging in the balance once he hands the ball to the bullpen.

Nobody could have expected a 15-inning marathon in the winner-take-all Game 5, which saw a full nine innings after Skubal's night was done. However, the Tigers can only wonder what could have been after they fell in another critical game in which the ace started. Plus, the franchise may have limited opportunities left to capitalize on his dominance.

Detroit's ace remains under team control through the 2026 season. After that, he's slated to become a free agent where he's in line for the richest contract ever for a pitcher. That is, unless the two sides can work out a long-term contract extension in the meantime, which looks less and less likely with Skubal's astronomical value on the open market. After the disappointing end to the Tigers' season, Skubal spoke to his uncertain future and the direction ahead for the franchise, although he left it fairly open for interpretation.

"My job is to play," he said after Game 5 against the Mariners via Evan Petzold of the . "That's not my job—to do anything other than play. Those questions should be asked toward the front office and the people that make those decisions, but my job is to play."

He's represented by Scott Boras, who will undoubtedly try to get the best contract for his client who's one of the best pitchers on the planet. And it's a fair assumption that the best contract out there likely isn't from Detroit, which hasn't necessarily been the biggest spenders as of recent. Skubal's goal is to win a World Series, and he may have only one more shot to do so in a Tigers uniform.

Big picture – India can’t be complacent despite recent dominance in ODIs

We can sometimes forget the unfortunate part injuries play in a team’s fortunes. India are now going into a third straight international match with a third different captain after Shubman Gill’s neck injury in the Kolkata Test forced him out of action following non-stop cricket for India’s newest three-format obsession. Their ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, is also out with a rib injury he sustained while taking a catch back in Australia.This format, though, is still the ideal sweet spot for India. Or at least this generation of players, up until the injured full-time captain and vice-captain. India have been dominant in ODIs, winning the last Asia Cup and the last Champions Trophy, and losing only the final in the last World Cup.Related

• 'Look forward to enjoying responsibility' – Rahul steps into the hot seat

• South Africa prove they can win the hard way, anywhere

• Watch out for Jaiswal's return, Bavuma and de Kock up top

• Morkel: Gill is recovering well, Iyer has started rehab

However, they are careful not to be complacent because the next World Cup takes them to South Africa. So they are always going to be wondering if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will still be good to go in late 2027, how to find a seam-bowling allrounder, how to manage workloads. And this is the format teams play the least of.India’s opponents are nowhere near as dominant in ODIs in recent times but they will be riding the high of having beaten India 2-0 in the Tests. This is a rare full tour as nowadays home teams prefer to split Tests and shorter formats to allegedly maximise the earnings. However, all-format tours have their own charm of one side trying to dominate the other team completely and the other looking for some redemption in the other formats.Also, South Africa are closer to full strength now with the exception of Kagiso Rabada’s injury-enforced absence. The return of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma should add heft to their batting, and Keshav Maharaj should provide them the spin control they missed in Pakistan.These are just three ODIs and they will be forgotten quickly, what with more focus on T20Is right now, but they promise to be cracking contests while they last.

Form guide

India WLLWW
South Africa LWLLWMatthew Breetzke comes to India with a huge reputation to live up to•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: RoKo and Matthew Breetzke

KL Rahul will take over India’s leadership as the selectors have resisted the temptation to go back to Rohit Sharma, who returned to the ODIs, his only active international format, with a century in the third match against Australia. It is a clear sign that Rohit and Virat Kohli will forever remain under extra scrutiny just by the virtue of how old they will be by the World Cup in 2027.Matthew Breetzke comes to India with a big reputation to live up to. He is the only player to have scored 50 or more in each of his first five ODIs, and he averages 67.75 while playing the difficult role of batting in the middle order.

Team news: Shubman Gill and Kagiso Rabada are out

Yashasvi Jaiswal should be the natural replacement for Gill at the top of the order with Ruturaj Gaikwad primed to take Iyer’s slot in the middle order. If Gaikwad gets the nod, Rishabh Pant, who is back in the squad, will struggle to make the starting XI because India will need two allrounders. It remains to be seen if one of those allrounders will be a seam bowler in Nitish Kumar Reddy. In Australia, they played all three while the series was live because they wanted batting depth. If they repeat the formation, all three will get in.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ruturaj Gaikwad/Rishabh Pant, 5 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 9 Harshit Rana, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh Krishna1:09

Karim: An opportunity for Jaiswal ‘to cement his place’

Markram should slot back into the opening role, something South Africa have tried since the last World Cup where he batted at No. 4. Bavuma should take his No. 3 position.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Rubin Hermann, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

This is only the sixth ODI Ranchi is hosting. There has been only one score of over 300, which was defended successfully, but chases of 270-280 haven’t quite been cakewalks either. The pitch generally is on the slower side; in the last ODI there, Washington Sundar opened the bowling for India. The weather will be perfect to play cricket in, but a lot will depend on dew. Without dew, batting first is not a bad shout in Ranchi.

Stats and trivia

• Since 2006, India and South Africa have played ten bilateral ODI series against each other. The scoreline is 5-5.
• Bavuma needs 59 runs to become only the 22nd South Africa player to score 2000 ODI runs.

Quotes

“Rutu, obviously, is a top-class player. We have all seen it. With whatever opportunities, limited opportunities he has got [with India], he has really utilised it and shown what he can do. Unfortunately, in ODI cricket, the top six or top five is quite settled. And they are performing really well.”
“When you add those two names to the line-up, we expect to see a full house tomorrow and that’s exciting. I think obviously two vastly experienced and dangerous players and they can cause a lot of damage to us, but we tend to try to focus on what sort of damage we can cause the opposition.”

SA will also have to contend with playing the same team that bowled them out for 69, at the same venue, in their opening game

Vishal Dikshit28-Oct-20253:47

Do England have an advantage playing at Guwahati?

Big picture: Ghosts to bury for South AfricaWe often have poignant memories of certain places that come rushing back when we return to them. As much as they would want to avoid it, South Africa could experience this on their return to Guwahati, where they began their World Cup 2025 campaign by being dismantled for 69 in just 20.4 overs. On Wednesday, they will play a semi-final at the same ground, against the same opponents, England.South Africa’s batters had seemed to overcome that opening-match shock, firing in five successive wins, until they ran into Australia in their last match of the league stage. If they had succumbed to Linsey Smith, Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean in the game against England, it was spin again that undid them now, the magic right wrist of Alana King sending them hurtling to 97 all out.Related

Tactics board: Kapp vs Knight and Sciver-Brunt and SA vs spin

For Nonkululeko Mlaba, cricket was a means to a better life but then she fell in love with it

South Africa take hurt, hope and hard lessons into the semi-finals

Powerplay Podcast: Can anyone stop Australia?

If their net sessions on Tuesday were anything to go by, South Africa will look to counterpunch, whether England throw spin or pace at them. Their batters had a hit in the sun, hitting uninhibitedly in the air, getting plenty of appreciative yells and thumbs up from head coach Mandla Mashimbyi.It isn’t just spin demons that South Africa must exorcise to reach their maiden ODI World Cup final. Their only semi-final appearances so far came in the last two editions of the tournament, and England shattered their dreams both times, heartbreakingly in 2017 and more comprehensively in 2022.At the start of this year, England themselves wouldn’t have expected to be the second-best team at this World Cup, having changed their captain and coach after a 7-0 blanking in the Ashes. But they buried their own ghosts, overcame wobbles against Bangladesh, snatched a game from hosts India, and crashed Sophie Devine’s farewell party before flying to Guwahati.Despite their volatile results in recent times, England have a lot more World Cup pedigree: they are four-time champions, they have made the semi-finals in each of the last six editions, and have turned out in all but one of the last four finals. If South Africa want to beat their nemesis, they will hope to make the most of a helpful Guwahati strip to break open England’s middle order. This is perhaps the only base England haven’t covered yet; they tried to fix it in their last league match, bringing in the experienced Danni Wyatt-Hodge.2:33

Kapp vs Knight, and other key match-ups to watch out for

Form guideEngland WLWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWWIn the spotlight: Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Marizanne KappDanni Wyatt-Hodge, 34 and in her fourth ODI World Cup, brings a wealth of experience that she finally brought to the XI when she came in for Emma Lamb well after England had booked their semi-final berth. She got all of seven balls to face in a modest chase of 169 against New Zealand, and will hope to channel the 2022 semi-final, which she dominated with a 125-ball 129 as opener. She has since moved down the order, hasn’t scored another hundred yet, and has gone past 50 just twice in 24 innings. She will hope she can put her hand up on Wednesday and put behind her an English summer during which she was dropped from the ODI set-up.Marizanne Kapp has hardly been herself at this World Cup, at least in terms of numbers. Barring her two half-centuries against Pakistan and Bangladesh, she hasn’t gone past 20 yet, and her seven wickets so far don’t quite reflect her body of work and skills with the ball. Having finished the 2017 edition with 13 scalps and the 2022 one with 12, she would definitely want to get into double-digits in her fifth ODI World Cup.Team newsSophie Ecclestone bowled just four balls against New Zealand and hurt her left shoulder while fielding. An MRI scan showed a “minor injury” close to her collarbone, and she trained on Tuesday evening, but bowled for barely 15 minutes before she switched to batting. While Ecclestone may not yet be 100% fit, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt said she would be “wanting to get out onto that pitch regardless of how she’s feeling.” If she doesn’t make it, England could bring in legspinner Sarah Glenn, who has so far only featured in the rain-hit match against Pakistan.England (possible): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 6 Sophia Dunkley, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren Bell.South Africa may not feel the need to make any changes to their XI from the Australia game, unless they want to bring in a third frontline spinner for the slower conditions in Guwahati.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Annerie Dercksen, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 7 Chloe Tryon, 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Masabata Klaas, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Nonkululeko Mlaba.2:55

‘SA will be confident in their batting unit’

Pitch and conditionsGuwahati has not had a game in over two weeks, which effectively makes the pitch for the semi-final a fresh one. The surfaces here so far have offered plenty of purchase for the spinners, with grip, turn and a lack of pace that has made run-scoring more challenging than it has been in Indore, Visakhapatnam and Navi Mumbai. The weather in Guwahati looked ominous a few days ago, but has mostly cleared since.If there’s not enough time to complete the game on Wednesday, the reserve day will come into effect on Thursday.Stats and trivia Marizanne Kapp needs four more wickets to go level with Jhulan Goswami (43) at the top of the overall list of wicket-takers in ODI World Cups. Kapp and Megan Schutt are on 39, along with the retired Australian Lyn Fullston. England dominate the head-to-head between these two teams, with a 36-10 win-loss record. Laura Wolvaardt is 48 runs away from becoming the first South African woman to reach the 5000 mark in ODIs. Nonkululeko Mlaba needs just one wicket to reach 50 in ODIs Heather Knight (944) Tammy Beaumont (897) are closing in on 1000 ODI World Cup runs.Quotes”I think we were a totally different-looking side. They’ve got a lot of different players as well. So I think it’s sort of a fresh opportunity and it starts from zero. So I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we’re able to learn from those semi-final victories that we’ve got and maybe stay a bit calmer under pressure.”
“That was obviously a long time ago in the tournament and I guess since then we’ve played a lot of games. But, yeah, South Africa obviously have had some brilliant games since then and are a dangerous side.”

Newcastle United have now reportedly made their first contact to sign Ruben Neves from Al-Hilal, as they look to find a solution for their current problems under Eddie Howe.

The Magpies were in dire form before the international break and defeat at the hands of Brentford just about summed things up. For the first time in his tenure at St James’ Park, Howe is under pressure to get things right and turn things around as soon as possible, but with Manchester City up next there’s no doubt that’s easier said than done.

The manager admitted that Newcastle’s Premier League form has “not been good” at a recent charity dinner, saying: “Our Premier League form has not been good, and our away form has not been good. [But] our home form’s been strong, been good in the Champions League and we’re still in the Carabao Cup, so it’s a mixture of things.

Related Dream for Woltemade: Newcastle could hire "one of the best managers" in England

Eddie Howe could soon be axed at Newcastle United as this exciting name is linked to the St James’ Park dug-out.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 20, 2025

“It’s been difficult to pinpoint one thing but certainly, we know we have to improve the general performances. We’re looking for more consistency – we’re looking for more goals.

“We’re looking for a big response in this moment and we’re going to need them because we have got game after game. Our schedule for the next two months is relentless, so we can’t allow any sort of negative trend to continue. It’s a really important few weeks for us.”

It’s form that has arrived off the back of a fairly chaotic summer transfer window, in which Newcastle missed out on almost every top target before turning elsewhere.

Under new sporting director Ross Wilson, that simply cannot happen in January and the Magpies have already set their sights on stars such as Elliot Anderson and Neves in a midfield rebuild as a result.

Newcastle make contact to sign Neves

As reported by Caught Offside, Newcastle have now made contact to sign Neves from Al-Hilal in 2026. The midfielder has just over six months left on his current contract and will be available for just €20m (£18m) in the January transfer window.

Whilst PIF, who hold a majority stake in Al-Hilal, could be about to lose Neves in Saudi Arabia, they could use their existing relationship with the Portuguese star to bring him to Newcastle.

Unlike Al-Hilal, however, the Magpies could struggle to meet his current wage demands. As things stand, the 28-year-old earns £15m-a-year in Saudi Arabia, which would instantly make him Newcastle’s highest-earner by around £7m. It’s simply not doable unless he brings his demands down.

Putting those wage demands to one side, though, there’s little doubt that Neves would be an excellent signing. Dubbed “fantastic” by former manager Nuno Espirito Santo during his time at Wolves, Neves would ease Newcastle’s fears of struggling in the face of a potential Sandro Tonali exit and could even form an impressive partnership using the Italian.

Find a way past his salary demands and those in Tyneside should go all out to bring Neves back to the Premier League in 2026.

Newcastle hold strong interest in Elliot Anderson amid Thomas Tuchel comments

Big picture

As expected, the group stage of this Asia Cup ends with a high-stakes clash in Group B, and a dead rubber in Group A. India and Oman contest this dead rubber, and their aims are wildly different.For India, this could be about getting some of their bowlers match time, and some of their middle- and lower-order batters crease time, ahead of the Super Four stage. Four members of their squad are yet to play a match, and three members of their top eight have played both their matches so far but are yet to face a ball.For Oman, this is their last match against a Full Member team before they host a tournament of serious consequence next month – the T20 World Cup Asia & East-Asia-Pacific Regional Qualifier. They are one of nine teams taking part in that tournament, of whom three will make it to next year’s T20 World Cup. Oman will want to be one of those three teams, and learnings from this Asia Cup, and this final game against India, could well help them in that quest.Related

• Fun and banter but no drop in intensity at India training

• Oman's Sufyan Mehmood is living his dream after defying his family

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Oman LLLLL

In the spotlight

India have retained Sanju Samson as their wicketkeeper ahead of Jitesh Sharma, trusting him to play an unfamiliar role in the middle order. He has not had a chance to play that role yet in this tournament, though, with DNBs against both UAE and Pakistan. Will he get a chance to bat against Oman?He’s returned an economy rate of just 4.71 through this Asia Cup, and he’s been even more frugal in the powerplay, going at just 3.50 across four overs. Shakeel Ahmed has had an excellent tournament so far, but now he’s set to face a real pressure test: will Oman continue to use their left-arm spinner with the new ball, with the marauding, left-handed Abhishek Sharma waiting at the top of India’s line-up?

Team news

India have played just the one frontline fast bowler in their two matches so far, but the shift from Dubai to slightly less spin-friendly conditions in Abu Dhabi, and the context of this dead rubber, could cause them to change their strategy. In any case, Jasprit Bumrah could be rested, and either one or both of Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana could get a look-in. With the middle-order batters not having got much of a chance in the middle so far, India might find it a little harder to give Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma a game.India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy2:27

Bangar: India unlikely to tinker with in-form top order

While India played the same XI in their first two games, Oman have used 14 players across theirs. Given how their tournament has panned out so far, with batting collapses against both Pakistan and UAE, it’s hard to predict who stays in and who goes out of their XI.Oman (probable): 1 Jatinder Singh (capt), 2 Aamir Kaleem, 3 Hammad Mirza, 4 Wasim Ali, 5 Aryan Bisht, 6 Vinayak Shukla (wk), 7 Jiten Ramamnandi, 8 Shah Faisal, 9 Shakeel Ahmed, 10 Hassnain Shah, 11 Samay Shrivastava

Pitch and conditions

Recent history suggests that the pitches in Abu Dhabi don’t have quite as much help for spin as those in Dubai do. Since the start of 2023, spinners have averaged below 20 in Dubai and gone at less than 6.5 per over in T20Is; they’ve averaged over 38 in Abu Dhabi and conceded more than 7.5 per over. The two teams’ selections could well reflect this.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first meeting between India and Oman in any format.
• Abhishek (195.40) currently has the best strike rate of any batter with at least 500 T20I runs.
• Arshdeep is India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. He currently has 99 in 63 matches. If he remains on the bench through this tournament, Hardik Pandya (95) and Jasprit Bumrah (92) have a chance of catching up with or going past him.

Quotes

“I feel these wickets are perfect for spinners. Because you get bounce and the zip. If you compare to the Champions Trophy, the wickets [then] were very slow and you had to put a lot of revs on the ball to get the extra bounce and the pace as well. Those tracks, it was difficult for a batter to score runs. For wristspinners, to get bounce and turn on those wickets was tough.”

In Sydney during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rishabh Pant shocked everyone on the final day when he walked out at the fall of India captain Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket in the second over of the day. Pant brought a sensational approach to saving the Test, scoring 73 in the first session. He was 97 off 117 when Nathan Lyon started the 80th over. Cheteshwar Pujara, Pant’s partner at the time, reminded him to just be watchful because the second new ball was going to be crucial.Pant went down the track first ball of the 80th over and was dismissed off a thick outside edge. He was devastated. It seemed as if a crane would be required to take him off the field. He was also angry at Pujara for casting a seed of doubt in his head, which he felt contributed to the miscue.Related

• Lord's set for Archer vs Bumrah as India, England eye crucial lead

• Stokes on England's bowl-first habit: 'We are not stuck in our ways'

• Archer recalled by England for Lord's Test

• Rishabh Pant moves to his own beat

• From grief to glory – Akash Deep's spell of a lifetime

Two days before the third Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Lord’s, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak spoke about this side of Pant while talking about how much of a thinker of batting he is. Kotak was asked how important it was for batting partners to not talk to Pant. “Rishabh actually talks a lot about what he does, when he does [it], why he does [it],” Kotak said. “To me, he’s spoken, but he’s someone who doesn’t like talking too much during his innings because he feels that that changes his mindset, and he takes the wrong decision. That’s only when he’s batting.”Apart from that, he talks about other batters also, about himself also, and he does [properly plan] what he wants to do because it’s not so easy to score Test hundreds or not so easy to be successful at this level without having any planning.”No advice might be the best advice if you’re batting with Rishabh Pant•Getty Images

The moves Pant makes might look random, but Kotak suggested there is thought and planning behind each of them. Kotak was happy to have a maverick such as Pant in the line-up but generally insisted on the batters not being too eager to score runs, which might have become a habit after playing – as India have done – on extremely bowling-friendly pitches in the last few years.”If a batter thinks there is a lot of movement in the pitch, and if there is [half] an opportunity I have to score boundaries because there is a good ball coming [anyway], that is a bad mindset for red-ball cricket,” Kotak said. “Anyway, they possess so much skill because of white-ball cricket that they can convert anything in the slot into fours and sixes. They don’t have to really think that I want to hit a boundary.”Kotak insisted that this was not an instruction imparted after the first-Test defeat at Headingley but his general philosophy before the start of the series. “We have batted well in both the matches,” Kotak said. “I feel we have such skilful batters [who] can score at four an over without going searching for runs. What else is aggressive batting? We are scoring 360 in 90 overs. But our mindset now is to not go looking for boundaries.”That is not necessarily good news for England because they relied on getting batters caught on the boundary to make their way back into the match during both of India’s innings at Headingley. In the second Test at Edgbaston, captain Shubman Gill led by example and refused to be content with a big score and play a casual shot. He aggregated 430 runs in the match to bat England out of the game.

Arne Slot has explained his team selection as Liverpool named a young Carabao Cup XI for the visit of Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Slot has overseen a run of five defeats from six heading into the midweek meeting with the Eagles but rather than use the game as a chance to return to winning ways, the Dutchman followed in predecessor Jurgen Klopp's footsteps and named an inexperienced side.

• AFP
  

  Woodman, Ngumoha & Ramsay among starters

  Slot made sweeping changes to the side that started Saturday's 3-2 loss at Brentford, a result that meant Liverpool had lost five of their last six games in all competitions ahead of the arrival of Palace on Wednesday night. The Reds' sole victory in that run came in a 5-1 Champions League triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt as the Merseyside outfit struggles continue in their second season under the Dutchman.

  However, Slot followed in Klopp's footsteps and named an inexperienced side for the fourth round fixture against the Eagles. The former Feyenoord boss also set his side up in a five-man backline, a change from usual 4-2-3-1 setup, with the likes of Freddie Woodman, Calvin Ramsay, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison and Rio Ngumoha all featuring from the outset in an unfamiliar system. Milos Kerkez, who came off after an hour at the weekend, was the only Liverpool player to retain his starting spot from the Brentford defeat.

  The Liverpool head coach also packed the bench with young stars, with Slot prioritising the upcoming visit of Aston Villa on Saturday. Ahead of the game, he explained his decision to make wholesale changes despite the club's terrible run of form.

Advertisement

• 'We use this competition for younger players'

  When asked about his team selection by ahead of Wednesday's game, Slot said: "People who follow this club know we use this competition for younger players. We want to create a pathway for them, to play in front of 60,000 people, in front of our own fans, that’s one reason.

  "The other is that we only have four or five injuries but if I have to play again the same players. There are multiple reasons why we have lost so many games, no excuses to lose so many but it hasn’t been helpful that almost every time we have only two days in between and after we have had to play away, and then again an away game, so we keep playing the same players.

  "Like for example I tried with Alexander Isak, players who missed out on pre-season, it is a big risk of another injury, and we only have at this moment in time 15, 16 senior players available."

• AFP
  

  'Our responsibility is to recognise what is happening and put things right'

  The unexpected line-up comes after Slot admitted that it is the "responsibility" of the players to "put things right" in his matchday programme column. "It goes without saying that our recent form has not reached the standards that you expect of us or that we expect of ourselves," Slot started.

  "This is, of course, a major disappointment, especially given the positive start we made to the season. From our perspective, there are no excuses. Yes, we are aware of the reasons and we will discuss them, but the one thing we cannot and will not do is use them as an excuse. Our responsibility is to recognise what is happening and put things right. There is no other option.

  "Part of this process involves being hurt. We should be hurt by results like Saturday's when we lost to Brentford, and we should use the feelings this creates to further fuel our motivation. Not that anyone could accuse the players of a lack of effort – if anything, the opposite is true – but how we use this effort and desire is what will make the difference."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• 'Tonight's fixture gives us an opportunity to take a step forward'

  "Tonight's fixture gives us an opportunity to take a step forward, not just in this competition but also in our season as a whole," Slot continued. "That it comes against an opponent that continues to prove itself to be very strong means this will be a testing cup tie but, again, this is the kind of challenge that we have to embrace.

  "Of course, we have already faced Palace in the Premier League this season and the result on that occasion was not what we would have hoped for. Credit to Palace for that.

  "Their winning goal came very late on that occasion after we had equalised following a difficult first half for us, so we should be aware not just of the problems they can cause but also of their ability to keep going until the final whistle."

  However, it seems the decision backfired horribly as Crystal Palace found themselves 2-0 up at half-time, with the Reds' torrid run seemingly set to continue.

  Liverpool follow up the weekend's home clash with Villa with a home meeting with Real Madrid, and a potential reunion with Trent Alexander-Arnold, before a trip to Manchester City ahead of the international break.

Three players who came into Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) squad as injury replacements during IPL 2025 were part of their XI in their 12th match of the season, and two of the three made decisive contributions to all but end Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) playoffs hopes.Making his IPL debut, Urvil Patel got off the mark with a six, flicked effortlessly off Vaibhav Arora, and hit three more over the course of an 11-ball 31 that gave CSK vital early momentum in a chase of 180.That momentum didn’t seem to count for much, though, as CSK lost five wickets inside the powerplay. Then, after they had recovered somewhat, to 93 for 5 after ten overs, Dewald Brevis transformed the contest in the space of six balls, hitting Arora for 6, 4, 4, 6, 6, 4 in a 30-run 11th over to rush to his maiden IPL half-century off just 22 balls.Before that over, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster had pegged KKR as 78.02% favourites. After that over, CSK were 78.05% favourites.The contest was in the balance once again when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Brevis at the start of the 13th over, leaving CSK six down, but the situation – another 53 runs needed off 47 balls – was just right for the pair that now came together. It allowed MS Dhoni to take his time, and Shivam Dube to wait for his moments to show off his six-hitting range.Dube fell in the penultimate over, but not before he had brought CSK close enough for Dhoni to win it in almost-but-not-quite-vintage style: he hit the first ball of the last over for six, but left the winning hit to No. 10 Anshul Kamboj. But the win was set up by Noor Ahmad’s four-wicket burst after the powerplay. He got Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi within the space of three balls in the eighth over, before dismissing a dangerous-looking Andre Russell and Rinku Singh in the death overs.2:56

Have KKR missed a trick by not bowling Russell enough?

Before this game, CSK had gone on a run of 12 successive defeats in chases of 180-plus targets. They had now finally ended a streak that stretched back to 2020.That one Arora over to Brevis overturned what had till then been the perfect game for KKR on one of the most spin-friendly pitches of IPL 2025. KKR had batted first, maximised the powerplay, and found just enough muscle at the finish to make up for the slowdown against spin that the conditions almost mandated. Having set CSK a challenging target, they had taken out half their side in the powerplay. They had done almost everything they had needed to do.KKR are still not out of contention for the playoffs, with a fourth-place finish still mathematically possible if they can get to 15 points. That will require winning their last two matches, however, and a combination of other finishes going their way.

Brevis vs Arora

The 11th over of CSK’s innings wasn’t the best Arora has bowled. He tried to attack Brevis’ blockhole, but kept missing, serving up either half volleys or full tosses. It takes a special talent to put every error away, and Brevis is certainly a special talent, particularly gifted at hitting down the ground. The most remarkable of his shots came off a knuckleball full toss that he met well in front of his body, with his bottom hand off the handle, sending it flying 89m over long-on.All the carnage may not have happened at all had Raghuvanshi timed his jump a little better at long-off off the first ball of the over; Brevis hit it flat in his direction, and the overhead chance slipped between his hands and over the boundary.Dewald Brevis hit a one-handed six off Vaibhav Arora over long-on•BCCI

Rahane and Narine maximise the powerplay

Choosing to bat first, KKR probably knew they had to make the most of the powerplay, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone before becoming the first batter dismissed for 11 off nine balls. He hit a four and a six, swung hard and missed on numerous occasions, and then chipped one straight to midwicket.Narine and Ajinkya Rahane continued in that spirit, and took KKR to 67 for 1 at the six-over mark, hitting eight fours and two sixes between them during the powerplay. Neither looked in full control – Rahane survived a chance when a diving Matheesha Pathirana put him down at long leg – but both went hard at the bowling in this period. Narine, coming into this game having scored 118 off 48 balls against R Ashwin while only being dismissed once, took 14 runs off the offspinner in the fifth over.

Urvil lights up CSK’s eventful start

Ayush Mhatre, the other injury replacement in CSK’s line-up, fell for a duck off the second ball of the chase. That brought Urvil to the crease, and immediate life to CSK’s innings.Urvil had already hit one six when KKR gave Moeen the ball for the second over, presumably with the offspinner’s match-up against the left-handed Devon Conway in mind. But Moeen had to bowl to Urvil first, and that contest brought two leg-side sixes in three balls before Urvil took a single. Moeen bowled Conway immediately with a non-turning offbreak that slid between bat and pad.Urvil hit one more six, a flat-bat monster over wide long-on, before Harshit Rana dismissed him, getting him to edge another attempted big hit to short third. That pattern of CSK’s powerplay continued. Ashwin, promoted to No. 4, and Ravindra Jadeja, hit early boundaries too, but fell off their seventh and tenth balls, respectively. At the six-over mark, CSK were 62 for 5.Urvil Patel struck four sixes on his IPL debut•Getty Images

Brevis and Dube had steered them to the ten-over mark without further damage, but they had taken 34 balls to add 33 runs by that point, having exclusively faced Narine and Varun. Who knew what would come next?

Dube and Dhoni put CSK on their way

When Brevis fell in the 13th over, mis-hitting Varun to long-on, the match was far from over. Varun had five balls left to bowl, Narine had six, and Dhoni, before this game, had scored 60 off 111 balls, with six dismissals, of the two mystery spinners in T20s.But he could afford to take his time, and Dube could ration his risk-taking. He hit just three sixes, but all three were clinical: two straight hits off slower balls from Rana that landed in the slot, and a massive strike over the on side when Arora, having bowled a near-wide and a wide while attempting wide yorkers, straightened his line a touch too far in the 19th over.That brought the equation down to 10 off nine balls, and CSK were favourites, but Dube fell next ball, miscuing another big hit. When Noor holed out off the last ball of the 19th, CSK were left needing eight runs off the last over.With Dhoni on strike, though, Russell missed his length, sending down a full toss that disappeared over the midwicket boundary. Russell found the blockhole off the next two balls, and Dhoni, hitting both along the ground towards long-off, refused one single before taking the other to level the scores with three balls left.Kamboj only needed one ball, chipping over mid-on to put a wildly seesawing game to rest.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Chelsea, da Inglaterra, fez uma oferta milionária para tirar do Santos o centroavante Deivid Washington. O gigante inglês estaria disposto a oferecer 20 milhões de euros ( em torno R$ 107 milhões) pela jovem promessa.

Nesta oferta, a equipe londrina pagaria 15 milhões de euros (aproximadamente R$ 80 milhões na cotação atual) mais objetivos adicionais que poderiam alcançar mais cinco milhões de euros (cerca de R$ 26 milhões). A informação foi publicada inicialmente pelo ge e confirmada pelo Lance!.

+ Já atualizou sua camisa de 2023? Confira os novos uniformes do Peixe!

O Santos analisa, mas ainda não respondeu a oferta do Chelsea. A família e o estafe de Deivid Washington examinam a proposta da equipe inglesa.

Enquanto isso, o promissor centroavante não participa da discussão da oferta, pois está concentrado com o resto do elenco para a partida contra o Athletico, pelo Brasileirão

!UM DOS PRINCIPAIS ATIVOS DO CLUBE!

Com ascensão meteórica no profissional, o atacante, de 18 anos, disputou 16 partidas e marcou dois gols pelo clube. Visto como mais uma joia da Vila Belmiro, Deivid atraiu o interesse de equipes do Velho Continente, como por exemplo o Monaco.

BRIGA PELA POSIÇÃO

Apesar de ser qualificado como um atleta com um ótimo futuro, Deivid não costuma ser titular pelo Alvinegro Praiano, pois o Peixe tem na posição Marcos Leonardo, que é artilheiro da equipe. Além dele, o Alvinegro conta com Bruno Mezenga e o recém-contratado Julio Furch.

Oakland’s Coliseum, the recent home of Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise Oakland Athletics, will host nine Major League Cricket (MLC) fixtures in 2025. It will become the league’s third venue, with the first two seasons split between Grand Prairie, Texas and Church Street Park, Morrisville.The Coliseum, which has hosted baseball and American football since 1966, will be modified to host cricket, with a reduced capacity of 12,000 and the planned installation of drop-in pitches to meet international standards. Athletics left the venue at the end of last season, with the franchise’s owners planning a relocation to Las Vegas.San Francisco Unicorns, the losing finalists in 2024, will play three home games at the Coliseum. “The Bay Area has a deep and growing love for cricket,” David White, the franchise’s CEO, said. “This move allows us to create an unforgettable match-day experience in one of the region’s most iconic venues.”The Coliseum was considered as a potential venue for last year’s men’s T20 World Cup, but the idea was eventually ruled out due to logistical challenges. The stadium was a prominent feature in the 2011 film , based on Michael Lewis’ book which documented the Athletics’ success following data-driven strategies in the early 2000s.It will host the opening match of the 2025 season on June 12, a rematch of last year’s final between the Unicorns and Ricky Ponting’s Washington Freedom. MLC said on Wednesday that the league would deliver “a $3 million [USD] direct economic boost” to the city, which will become the first west-coast venue to host top-level cricket.”The Coliseum is a fantastic location for Major League Cricket, and we are thrilled by the prospect of some of the world’s biggest cricket stars playing in such an iconic Californian venue,” said Johnny Grave, who became the league’s chief executive earlier this year.”Coming to the West Coast, and being here in Oakland, is an historic move for cricket globally. It reinforces our commitment to growing the game in the United States and providing fans with an exceptional cricket experience.”ESPNcricinfo revealed earlier this year that MLC has avoided a clash with the Hundred in 2025, with the final scheduled for July 12. Several international stars have been retained by their franchises, including Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen, though Pat Cummins will miss this season due to Australia’s Test tour of West Indies.The league is set to expand in the coming years, with Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto all considered as potential new venues. Broward County Stadium, in Florida, will also host games in 2025.