Superchargers captain hails form of fellow batters, and stays upbeat after unfortunate Eliminator exit

Matt Roller31-Aug-2025

Harry Brook has challenged Zak Crawley and Jordan Cox to back up their performances in the Hundred in order to break into his England white-ball set-up.Brook, whose Northern Superchargers were knocked out of the Hundred on Saturday night after their Eliminator against Trent Rockets was abandoned, took over from Jos Buttler as England’s limited-overs captain in April. He now faces a tight turnaround before the first of their three ODIs against South Africa starts on Tuesday at Headingley, followed by three T20Is against the same opposition.He has spent the last three years playing Test cricket alongside Crawley, and is understood to have pushed hard for Superchargers to sign him on a lucrative £120,000 deal in March’s draft. Brook’s advocacy was rewarded by Crawley’s 280-run season, which left him third in the men’s run charts ahead of Sunday’s final, behind only Cox (327) and Buttler (283).Crawley has played 59 Tests but only eight ODIs – most recently in December 2023 – and is uncapped in T20Is. Cox, meanwhile, won three ODI and two T20I caps last year and was a surprising omission from next month’s squads after his recent form – not least for England’s three T20Is in Ireland, from which Brook, Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith have all been rested.Related

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“Everybody’s in the mix: whoever does well,” Brook said on Saturday night. “He [Crawley] obviously has the attributes that we’re talking about: putting pressure on the bowlers with their good and bad balls; he can manipulate the field really well; he’s good against fast bowling and he’s good against spin. He’s got all the attributes to play white-ball [cricket] for England.”It’s the same with everybody. Everybody’s been talking about Jordan Cox: he’s obviously an unbelievable player, alongside Creeps. You’ve just got to keep on doing it, and be as consistent as you can for a long period of time… It’s good to have competition [for places].”Brook has hardly had a day off since the start of England’s international summer in May but said that he has managed his time well during the Hundred: “I’ve said a million times that England cricket gets my priority. I’ve been trying my best throughout this competition to stay as fresh as I can for England.”Northern Superchargers had never previously qualified for the knockout stages of the men’s Hundred, missing out on Net Run Rate last year, and were denied the chance to reach the final for the first time by the rain on Saturday night. Brook has now won 10 out of 14 completed matches as captain since taking over ahead of last season, and remained upbeat.”It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get through – but that’s cricket,” he said after Rockets progressed to Sunday’s final by virtue of a higher group-stage finish. “We’ve had an unbelievable season. This comp’s been so much fun, playing with some really good lads and alongside Fred [head coach Andrew Flintoff] who is an absolute legend, so I’ve had a lot of fun.”

India batted 143 overs in the third innings to save the Test, with Gill, Rahul, Washington and Jadeja all contributing

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-20252:09

Manjrekar: ‘Warriors’ keep sprouting for India when needed

India captain Shubman Gill has hailed his team’s fighting effort to secure a draw heading into the final Test at The Oval with the visitors still in with a chance of sharing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.Gill was at the forefront of India’s fight, putting together 188 for the third wicket with KL Rahul. More importantly, the duo batted for nearly 70 overs after India had lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and B Sai Sudharsan in the very first over, with India trailing by 311.”From 0 for 2, then the partnership KL and I had, I think that ignited [the spark] yes, we can achieve this task”, Gill told . “Extremely happy. To be able to get a draw from the position we were in yesterday is extremely satisfying. This innings of mine was the most pleasing to me.”Related

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Gill brought up his fourth century of the series, drawing level with Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar for most centuries in a series in England. It took Gill’s series aggregate to 722, which is 52 short of Gavaskar’s all-time record for most runs in a series by an Indian.Rahul, meanwhile, took his series tall to 511 – the first time he’s passed 500 runs or more in a series – en route a typically stodgy 90, his fourth score of fifty or more so far this series.Gill was equally effusive in his praise for the calmness Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar showed, after he fell for 103 in the second session while wafting at a Jofra Archer delivery. At 222 for 4, with both set batters dismissed, India were still 91 behind with Shardul Thakur, three lower-order batters and an injured Rishabh Pant still to come.2:34

Has Washington nailed his spot in India’s Test XI?

Jadeja fought his way through to score his fifth score of fifty or more in six innings. His fifth Test century, which he raised with a six during the last hour after England were keen to shake hands for the draw, was full of pluck. Having been dropped first ball at first slip by Joe Root off Archer, Jadeja batted through without any further alarms to remain unbeaten on 107.Washington, whose previous best was 96 against England in 2021, also brought up his century, his first in Test cricket. Washington, who began the series at No. 8, earned a promotion to No. 5 in Pant’s absence. The partnership between the two was worth an unbroken 203 for the fifth wicket when both teams eventually shook hands for the draw.”When Jaddu and Washy were batting, it wasn’t easy,” Gill observed. “The ball was doing something, but the way they calmly batted and got Test centuries from there tells you how big of an achievement it is.”Explaining their thought process as they began the prospect of salvaging a draw early on day four, Gill said: “To be able to have the same mindset for 140 [143] overs is very difficult. That’s what is the difference between a good team from a great team. We showed today why we’re a great team.”

Thomas Tuchel is ready to pit childhood friends Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers against one another, with the battle on to become England’s playmaking No.10 at the 2026 World Cup. Phil Foden also forms part of that discussion, with the Three Lions’ German coach making it clear that he will not force all of the “best players” into his starting XI.

England rules: Tuchel prepared to make tough decisions

Tuchel has stated on a regular basis across recent international camps that he is prepared to favour collective ambition over individual ability. If that means leaving a few superstar performers on the bench, then those are big decisions that the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich boss is prepared to take.

Those at his disposal are now fully aware of the rules, with Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham returning to the England fold having missed out on selection in October during his ongoing recovery from summer shoulder surgery. Others have staked their claims to starting berths during the enforced absence of rivals once considered to be guaranteed selections.

AdvertisementGettyEngland's No.10: Bellingham & Rogers go head-to-head

The expectation is that Bellingham will remain a go-to option for the Three Lions when another bid for global glory is opened, but Aston Villa star Rogers – who once lined up alongside Bellingham at U15 level and has started England’s last two games – is still very much in the mix.

Tuchel has said of not changing his system to fit everybody in: “Rather than finding a position for the best players to just have them on the field, it is better to have them in their best position and have a competition. At the moment the competition is between the two of them [Bellingham and Rogers].

“They are friends, it can also be a friendly competition – they don’t have to be enemies, they don’t have to hate each other. They are respectful, they are friends and can fight for the position. Can they play together? Yes, but in a different structure. At the moment it is not time to change our structure.”

Friendly competition: Every shirt is up for grabs

Tuchel added on welcoming Bellingham and Foden back into his plans, with the pair having joined training on Wednesday after being granted extra recovery time on the back of their respective outings for Real Madrid and Manchester City on Sunday: “Why should it be awkward for them?

“We were driving the levels and driving the thing without them. Now they are back and it is their responsibility to contribute to all this. This is what they are doing. The standards are clear.”

He went on to say of ensuring that rivalry inside his squad remains friendly, with everyone aware of what an honour it is to represent their country: “What we are trying is to build a strong bond, an energy, a group to build a brotherhood that everyone wants to join.

“We want to create a competition where if I pull out of a 50/50 situation, the door will be closed as someone else will take the shirt. Not as a threat, but that everyone is keen to come, loves to perform for the country as it is an honour and the last step of elite football – to represent England in a World Cup. It is the pinnacle. This is how it should feel .

“We are absolutely on the way, everyone wants to be part of the camps and nobody has given signals that it is time to rest – and we also wouldn’t accept it. So it is an energy that feeds itself. That is the key – everyone loves to be in camp and enjoys it.”

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Getty Images SportEngland fixtures: Next up with World Cup qualification secured

England will be back in action on Thursday when facing Serbia at Wembley Stadium. Tuchel’s side have already booked their place at next summer’s World Cup, meaning that he is in a position to rotate and experiment.

Having made faultless progress through qualification – with six victories and as many clean sheets being picked up so far – the Three Lions will complete their schedule for 2025 when travelling to Albania on Sunday.

It would be fair to say that it’s not exactly the best time to be a West Ham United fan at the moment.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have lost their last three games and currently look on track to be relegated from the Premier League.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom as it’s still early in the season and the Hammers do have a number of very talented players in their squad.

Moreover, while they sold one of their star players, Mohammed Kudus, in the summer, the manager has another player who is far better than he’ll ever be, and it could even be said that it was the right decision to sell the Ghanaian.

Why selling Kudus was the right decision

Now, the first thing to say is that on his day, Kudus can be a real game-changer, and during his first campaign for West Ham, he was exactly that.

For example, across 45 appearances for the Irons in 23/24, he racked up an impressive tally of 14 goals and nine assists, which works out to a goal involvement every 1.95 games.

However, as many a West Ham fan will report, the former Ajax star was only a useful player to have when the going was good, as in challenging moments he’d often go missing entirely.

This is exactly what happened in his second season at the club.

For example, in 35 appearances across all competitions last season, the Accra-born international was only able to score five goals and provide four assists.

Appearances

45

35

Goals

14

5

Assists

9

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.51

0.25

That means his average dropped from a goal involvement every 1.95 games to one every 3.88 games, and worse yet, his fifth goal of the season came in the final league game against an already relegated Ipswich Town, when nothing was on the line.

Moreover, his underlying numbers were just as unimpressive, so he wasn’t just getting unlucky.

According to FBref, he only ranked in the top 32% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the league for shot-creating actions, the top 37% for non-penalty expected goals and progressive carries, the top 43% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.

In short, while he might have been useful this season, West Ham were probably smart to sell him for £55m, especially as Nuno has another more talented star who will give his all for the badge when things get tough.

The West Ham star miles better than Kudus

Now, West Ham do have a few players who could help them get out of trouble by the end of the season, including Lucas Paqueta, El Hadji Malick Diouf, and Mateus Fernandes.

Chalkboard

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

However, when it comes to the most important star of all, and the one who is still comfortably better than Kudus, it’s obviously Jarrod Bowen.

The modern legend has already cemented his name in club folklore with that Conference League Final-winning goal, but he continues to be the most dangerous attacker in the squad.

For example, since joining the Hammers in January 2020, the former Hull City ace has racked up a sensational tally of 77 goals and 53 assists in 248 games, averaging a goal involvement every 1.90 games.

Moreover, while Kudus was letting the fans down with his performances and output last season, the Englishman was picking up the slack and consistently delivering, scoring 14 goals and providing ten assists in 36 games, which is a goal involvement every 1.5 games.

What about this year, though? How does the Leominster-born star’s output stack up to the Ghanaian international’s?

Well, in 13 appearances for his new side, the former Hammer has scored one goal and provided five assists.

That comes out to a reasonably impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.16 games.

For his efforts, the Irons’ “unplayable” talisman, as dubbed by Thomas Frank, has scored three goals and provided two assists in ten appearances.

Appearances

10

13

Goals

3

1

Assists

2

5

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

0.46

Amazingly, that means that, despite playing for a team threatened with relegation, Bowen has maintained a better average of a goal involvement every other game.

Therefore, while Nuno might have been able to tune out of Kudus at West Ham, he already has a far better player at his disposal, and one that will fight to the end for him and the team.

Nuno must now finally ditch West Ham man who's "national league standard"

Nuno has to make some changes to save West Ham’s Premier League status, and one of them is to drop the poor performer.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 28, 2025

Skipper’s career-best 144 not out leads young Hampshire side to dominant win

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Aug-2025Nick Gubbins’ career-best 144 not out led an inexperienced Hampshire to a winning start in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup against defending champions Glamorgan at The Gnoll in Neath.Four teenagers featured for the visitors – including a three-man seam attack with ages of 19, 19 and 16. The youngest of the trio – Manny Lumsden took 3 for 64 to derail the top order despite Kiran Carlson’s magnificent 135.Carlson’s first ever one-day century was unable to be supported due to a steady flow of wickets left Glamorgan bowled out inside 40 overs, 72 short of Hampshire’s 324 for 6.Other debutant Ben Mayes played fearlessly for 74 from 55 balls in the 17-year-old’s 141-run partnership with Gubbins to end the visitors’ innings explosively.After inserting Hampshire to bat, Glamorgan got off to an economical start. James Harris and unexpected new ball partner Zain Ul Hassan containing Gubbins and Ali Orr.On the surface containing Hampshire to a 42-run powerplay on a small outground could have been viewed to be Glamorgan’s advantage, the drop of Gubbins by Carlson at second slip while the opener was on just four later proved to be a difference of what came later.A solid 68-run opening contribution was brought to a much-needed end as Ali Orr started to cruise, Ned Leonard making for a comeback from being hooked for six out of the ground on his first ball.Dangerous overseas Tilak Varma could’ve been a match winner for Hampshire given his two centuries in four games already for the club, removed for a duck.A flow of four wickets for 47 at a slowing rate dragged Glamorgan back when debutant Mayes entered at 115 for 4, Gubbins still anchoring.It didn’t take long for Mayes to motor, inflicting his freedom onto Gubbins, casually reverse-sweeping Glamorgan’s 18-year-old debutant Romano Franco four times on his way to a century.Mayes’ hockey-style sweeping, both orthodox and reverse, had the runs flowing before Felix Organ took over the role with a flashy 32 from 14 unbeaten to end the innings. Hampshire adding 129 in the final 10 overs, no bowler getting off lightly, Gubbins carrying his bat.Unlike in Hampshire’s innings, the hosts came out firing. Also unlike the hosts, a dropped slip catch was shortly after redeemed with the wicket, Tribe dropped on seven, out on 14.While Hampshire’s innings was backboned by one mammoth partnership, Glamorgan kept losing wickets when times were tough. Eddie Byrom’s steady start, enjoying cutting and leg-glancing the exciting Hampshire seamers was eventually removed for 29 on his return to first team cricket which brought the highlights package-esque viewing of Lumsden to Carlson.A first over for 23 may mean a debut to forget for a 16-year-old but a wicket in there and persistence from both bowler and captain gave him another wicket and a hat-trick ball. The three-over spell of 2 for 47 was about so much more than the figures.Hampshire’s 18 overs of consecutive spin in the middle overs contained Glamorgan enough while regular wickets left Glamorgan requiring Andy Gorvin’s 42-ball 11 to stick in a partnership with his captain to give a fighting chance.Lumsden’s return brought more fireworks including the big wicket after Carlson effectively run out of partners, but not before giving the Neath crowd a special display.

The India spinner looks back at a fantastic 12 months, during which she won the WPL, debuted for India, and became a big favourite of selfie-hunters

Daya Sagar and Vishal Dikshit25-Sep-20243:20

Shreyanka Patil: I don’t like to lose, my fighting spirit comes from there

Shreyanka Patil will be going to the T20 World Cup after all.Two weeks ago, not long after passing a fitness test after suffering a finger injury, Patil twisted her ankle during a practice match in Bengaluru. For two days, her dream of playing in her first T20 World Cup appeared slim.While the swelling went down gradually, no decision was going to be made without looking at the scan results. Even after the results arrived and indicated no major damage, Patil was informed that there would be a “wait and watch” period before a call was taken.On Tuesday (September 24), Patil was part of the Indian contingent that flew out to the UAE for the tournament, which India are looking to win for the first time.

****

Patil has had a dream run in the last 12 months. Soon after becoming the first Indian to feature in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) late last year, she made her white-ball debut for India in December. In March, she was front and centre of a victorious Women’s Premier League (WPL) campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).She is just 12 T20Is old, but her reputation since the WPL ended has only grown. Her ability to bowl across different phases, particularly at the death, is a standout feature.”I was just focusing on my process,” Patil said earlier this month at a QUA brand shoot in Delhi. “I was not really thinking of what’s going to happen next. I thought I’ll just give my best whichever team I play for.”Patil, 22, broke through in WPL 2023, where RCB finished last, after two good seasons with Karnataka. This season, too, she was among the top spinners for RCB, along with Asha Sobhana, Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham, taking 13 wickets that included figures of 4 for 12 in the final.Related

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For Patil, one of the major takeaways from the WPL 2024 experience was the crowd that turned up in Bengaluru, which hosted the first leg of the season, where deafening cheers greeted captain Smriti Mandhana and her team.”This year, when we faced that crowd in Bangalore, it was just massive,” Patil said. “When we get so much from the audience, like people watching us, we want to do more, we wanted to give our best. I mean we keep doing that, but when you see people turning out and saying ‘wow, they play so well’, that’s again a plus point for all of us.”So playing with the likes of Smriti and Pez [Ellyse Perry], there are a lot of things to learn also and not just on the field but off the field. You get to learn a lot of stuff. It was amazing. That platform has really set the standards for the domestic players and for us.”Personally, for me, everyone would say, ‘she’s got the Purple Cap’, but for me it was like a rollercoaster ride because in the first half in Bangalore I couldn’t perform at my best. I was really disappointed because I like my Bangalore. So I went back and Malo [Malolan Rangarajan, RCB’s assistant coach] helped me with my bowling and then Smriti literally backed me up no matter what. So I’m very grateful to the whole management who supported me at that time and then the second half really turned out to be a good one for me.”Only two seasons old, the WPL has not only helped budding players financially but also thrown up fresh options for the Indian team management. Patil was among them, along with players like Saika Ishaque and Tanuja Kanwar; cricketing skills aside, these players also needed to pick up how to deal with the glitz and glamour of the WPL, and of being India players.Shreyanka Patil finished WPL 2024 as the Purple Cap winner•BCCI”So after the WPL, when I came back home, there were thousands of people in front of my house asking me for selfies,” Patil recalled. “They said, ‘you really did well, you were just amazing, we love your bowling, we love your smile,’ all kinds of comments. And I couldn’t stop smiling. So it was just so amazing the crowd there and I really enjoyed.”Patil also finished the WCPL as runners-up with Guyana Amazon Warriors last year. Her quick journey to the top, she said, could be down to her competitive attitude and ability to not get bogged down by pressure on the big stage.”I think it comes very naturally to me since I was a kid,” she said. “I don’t like to lose. I get up and say, ‘I’m going to try my heart out, I’m going to give it everything, no matter what’. I would love to have that fighting spirit with me always.”For me, pressure is a good thing. So when I say ‘pressure’, it’s not like I think negative or something. I feel cool under pressure because that’s what I practiced during my practice sessions as well. I put myself into those pressure situation like last two balls left, four runs to win. How am I going to bowl? So repeating those kinds of practice sessions helped me settle those nerves.”Patil will be among four spin-bowling options for India, along with Radha Yadav, Deepti Sharma and Asha, when their T20 World Cup campaign starts on October 4 against New Zealand in Dubai. Then they face Pakistan on October 6, also in Dubai. The other two teams in India’s group are Australia and Sri Lanka.Patil hasn’t played a competitive game since the Asia Cup opener, but is now relieved to have overcome the injury scares as she gets set to give her dreams of winning a World Cup a leg up.

Australia captain Pat Cummins has admitted he might be “aggressive” to prove his fitness from a back injury for the start of the Ashes.Cummins will miss upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand and India due to lumbar bone stress. Although chair of selectors George Bailey expects Cummins to lead Australia out for the Ashes opener in Perth on November 21, there are no guarantees.Speaking for the first time since the extent of his injury was revealed, Cummins wants to avoid watching the highly anticipated series from the sidelines.Related

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“That would be devastating, so we’ll be doing everything we can to try to be right for that and try to make a few decisions a little bit closer, but confident” Cummins told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday. “Do the rehab right and give it a good crack.”It’s a big Ashes series. It doesn’t get much bigger, so I think you’re willing to take a few risks and be a little bit aggressive to try and play as much Test [cricket] as you can.”Echoing Bailey’s comments from Tuesday, Cummins backed himself to be able to prepare for the first Test without any match practice.”At this stage of my career I feel like I can probably get up to speed a bit quicker than when I was 18 or 19,” he said. “Back then you probably feel like you need to play a few [Sheffield] Shield games or one-dayers.  I’m pretty confident even if I don’t get a chance to play a Shield game, I’ll can get up to speed.”Cummins pulled up sore following Australia’s 3-0 demolition of the West Indies in July, despite only bowling a combined 60 overs across the three Tests.Pat Cummins started to feel some soreness during the West Indies tour•Associated Press

“Gave it kind of another month [after the tour], have had a pretty quiet month to help settle it down and had another scan on Monday which [was] not terrible, but kind of enough to know that there’s a little bit there and kind of got to be careful for the next little bit,” Cummins said.”It doesn’t feel too bad, but I’m obviously not bowling or doing too much at the moment. With bone injuries, you really just want to settle it down.”I’m still doing a bit of gym, but no real running, no bowling.  Get that right and then we’ll build up to the summer. We’ve got loads of time, there’s about 12 weeks until the first Test.  We’ll see how the next little bit pans out.”If Cummins isn’t fit, Australia have captaincy and bowling options to cover him. Scott Boland would almost certainly be called into the pace attack after spectacularly taking a hat-trick in Australia’s previous Test against West Indies in July.”We always talk about we need a lot of depth,” Cummins said. “We’ve been lucky in the last couple of years. We kind of haven’t had to go past the four guys really, but guys like Sean Abbott…Doggy [Brendan Doggett], there’s about four or five guys. Ness [Michael Neser] has obviously been around, Jhye Richardson.”There’s guys who have been in and around the Test team over the last few years and haven’t had too many opportunities, but we know they’re going to be good enough if they’re needed. But hopefully the other three are going to be fighting fit, plus me, and we’ve got plenty of resources.”Former skipper Steven Smith has also covered for Cummins numerous times since he became Test captain in November 2021.

Chelsea have been handed an injury blow ahead of their Women's Champions League clash against St Polten as first-choice goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been ruled out of the match due to injury. Swiss international Livia Peng is set to take Hampton's place in the starting XI for the match in Austria as Sonia Bompastor's side aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the league phase.

• Chelsea lose Hampton to injury

  Bompastor has confirmed that Hampton has been sidelined with a minor quad injury and will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the problem. Hampton has therefore been left out of Chelsea's 22-strong travelling squad for the game in Austria. Peng and Becky Spencer are the two goalkeepers named in the travelling party for the Blues, while Lauren James and Naomi Girma are also involved again after recovering from injury. Here's the squad in full:

  Goalkeepers: Livia Peng, Becky Spencer

  Defenders: Sandy Baltimore, Nathalie Bjorn, Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Veerle Buurman, Ellie Carpenter, Niamh Charles, Naomi Girma.

  Midfielders: Erin Cuthbert, Oriane Jean-Francois, Maika Hamano, Wieke Kaptein, Sjoeke Nusken, Lexi Potter, Keira Walsh.

  Forwards: Lauren James, Sam Kerr, Catarina Macario, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Alyssa Thompson.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Blues aiming for back-to-back European wins

  Chelsea will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins in the Champions League campaign after opening up their campaign with a 1-1 draw away at FC Twente, followed by a 4-0 win over Paris FC. The Blues will be hot favourites for victory against St. Polten but will have to make at least one change to their starting XI with Peng coming in to replace Hampton. Peng moved to Chelsea in the summer from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, after featuring for Switzerland at Euro 2025, and made her debut for her new club in the draw at Twente. That Champions League outing is her only appearance so far this season but she will surely be relishing the chance to take over from Hampton again on Tuesday night at the NV Arena.

• Peng living the dream at Chelsea

  Peng admitted that moving to Chelsea was a dream after putting pen to paper on a four-year contract in the summer. She told the club's media: "It feels so good to be here. When I was 10, I dreamed of playing for Chelsea. Now, my childhood dream has come true and it's so exciting. I'm really happy to join the Chelsea family and get started. It's such a big club. Chelsea want to win titles and so do I. We're a good match. I'm hungry to win here."

  Chelsea complete a domestic treble (WSL, FA Cup, League Cup) last season without losing a game and will be hoping for more silverware in 2025-26. The Blues have made a strong start to their Women's Champions League campaign and sit in second place in the Women's Super League table, just one point behind current leaders Manchester City after eight games played.

  "I think we are still early on in the season and I'm not worried about where we stand right now in the table," Bompastor has said of her team's start. "We always want to be the leaders and leading this league but the most important thing for us is to be leading the race at the end of the season. I trust my squad – the quality I have in the squad to be able to do that. Not the result we wanted to have coming into the game, but we are still in control and I am quite confident."

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  Big win on the cards for Chelsea?

  Chelsea head into the match off the back of a controversial draw with Arsenal which extended their unbeaten run in the WSL to 33 games. The Blues now switch focus to continental competition and will be hoping to win a maiden European crown in 2025-26. Bompastor's side will certainly be expected to make light work of St. Polten. The Austrian side have conceded nine goals in their two Champions League outings so far, and anything but an away win will be a big surprise.

Given Shohei Ohtani's injury history there was real cause for concern as a Los Angeles Dodgers trainer visited him on the mound Wednesday night in the fourth inning of a start against the Cincinnati Reds. And even more when he abandoned the start to play DH, though staying in the game at all was an optimistic sign.

The Dodgers announced that Ohtani left his start due to cramping and after the game the two-way superstar provided further information after his team suffered a 5-2 loss.

Through an interpreter he said that he felt cramping in his right hip during the first inning but was able to work through the discomfort until it became a problem and affected his delivery.

"I don't play defense. I think that helped," Ohtani said. "But also at the same time, we were playing a close game so I wanted to help the team win."

Manager Dave Roberts appeared optimistic that Ohtani would be able to make his next scheduled start under better conditions back in Los Angeles.

"He'll have a week," Roberts said. "It'll be at home, so there won't be humidity to deal with."

They suffered a collapse, their fast bowlers sent down unusually high number of overs, all while lagging behind in the Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah15-Dec-2024When a day starts and (almost) ends with Will O’Rourke batting, you know something strange has happened.New Zealand’s No.11 admits he does not have “the most talent with the bat going around”. A Test average of 3.00 suggests he might even be overselling it.But his sticking power was twice called upon on day two of this third Test. Firstly to stand by Mitchell Santner as he lifted New Zealand to a first innings of 347. Then, with 20 minutes of play remaining, to consolidate an advanced position. Despite O’Rourke falling for an eight-ball duck in only his second go as nightwatcher, his team head into day three leading by 340 for the loss of three wickets.Related

New Zealand take control after O'Rourke, Santner trip up England

In between dead-batting, O’Rourke triggered England’s abberation of 143 all out. A three-wicket spell that included Kiwi destroyer Harry Brook – for a golden duck, no less – triggered the implosion, which the tourists did little to stop.Was it in the air? A little, you know.A tedious start to the day had England adopting club cricket’s patented “chasing the pro” tactics for the final wicket; everyone on the boundary for Santner, before the field constricted for the few deliveries O’Rourke faced. This despite the second new ball being just two overs old.When they forgot to bring fielders in at the end of the second over of the day, allowing Santner to knock an easy single to retain the strike for the next over, something seemed off. New Zealand only managed 32 from that peculiar 15.1 overs stanza, but frustrations were evident.That the man who has held England’s first innings together on this trip was snared for a first-baller was the real killer. Brook’s 171 in Chrirstchurch and 123 in Wellington were the backbone for totals of 499 and 280, respectively, both of which resulted in leads. Perhaps it was no surprise, then, that they crumpled without him in Hamilton.And how. An overall collapse of 8 for 66 in exactly 20 overs was the second-worst of Stokes’ tenure, and the 10th time England have lost as many for under 100 runs in that time. If you take collapses in India at the start of the year as par for the course, it was the second-worst SENA total they have posted in the Bazball era. Top of the list on both are 7 for 49 and 141, arriving in the same game – the first of this project, against New Zealand at Lord’s in June 2022.Evoking memories of the very start of all this certainly does not equal regression, of course. Let’s not forget, England have already bagged this series, their first in New Zealand since 2008, with two convincing performances in the first two games. New Zealand, already defeated after a mixed year of Test results, had far more on the line. Not just pride, but a farewell for Tim Southee, one of their all-time greats. This matters more to them, but when the series mattered more, England ran away with it.Assistant coach Paul Collingwood dismissed the notion that this being England’s 17th Test of a gruelling 2024 has anything to do with it. Similarly, Stokes entered the match dismissing the word “ruthless,” citing it as one used after the event. To be fair to him, he is right. England were not lacking ruthlessness on Sunday. Just application.Poor shots were shared around like Secret Santa gifts. Zak Crawley’s loose return catch, falling victim to Matt Henry for the fifth time in as many knocks this series; Jacob Bethell’s neither-forward-nor-back punch; Joe Root’s insistence on the late cut even when followed by a sharp riser from O’Rourke; Stokes’ attempted slog sweep.As is the way with collapses – particularly Bazball collapses which go even quicker – England’s bowlers were the collateral. Just 35.4 overs after finishing off New Zealand’s first innings, they were back out for more labour. Barely enough time for a shower, sandwich and a good long sit down before strapping on their pads.The bowling boots followed not long after, as all four seameers were dismissed in the space of 22 deliveries. Three of them have had to go back-to-back across these three matches.”I think when you’ve only got 30-odd overs of rest it’s not quite ideal,” said Collingwood. “Especially when the weather is hot. They’re fast bowlers, you know they’ll come back out and toil away. It can be difficult when that is the situation, and thankfully it doesn’t happen very often.”Harry Brook’s golden duck made things worse for England•Getty ImagesBrydon Carse looked cooked on Sunday morning before being roasted further in the evening’s harsh 27-degree heat. The Durham quick has been the find of the winter, with 27 wickets at 19.37 (at the time of writing). But his workload has spiked with England. Across five appearances in the last two months, he has bowled 151.1 overs – more than what he managed in both of the previous domestic seasons. As far as first-class overs go, 2024 is comfortably his busiest, despite serving a three-month ban in the summer for betting offences.Gus Atkinson showed similar signs of wear. Even during what has been an incredible start to his Test career, there are signs to heed about his management going forward. His pace dropped as the home season went on, registering the importance of not overburdening their new opening bowler.And yet, he was back with the new ball in his hand a few hours after shuffling in for 26 overs across days one and two – his biggest ask in an innings of his career to date. He has only once bowled more (27 against Hampshire in April) for his county, Surrey.Even Matthew Potts, in his first appearance of the series, set a new career-best in terms of output, even if the figures fell short on that measure with 4 for 90. An average speed of of 80mph in the first innings dipped to 77.6mph 24 hours later.Of course, Stokes was never going to shirk the graft and ended up taking more of the share. New left knee, reinforced left hamstring, 23 overs across three spells on Saturday – the most in a day’s play since Trent Bridge against the same opponents in 2022 – was an undoubted positive. England’s captain is re-emerging as the balancing allrounder of his own XI.After a false slog sweep ended what up to 27 had been a valiant stabilising effort, he gave himself the short straw of the toil overs that come in these kind of third innings. With New Zealand’s lead at 304, he brought himself on from the City End.An array of bouncers, mixed in with full deliveries and a fair bit of chat – exclusively for Rachin Ravindra after he had burned O’Rourke as the nightwatcher with 20 minutes of play to go – brought a couple of dismissals. The lack of celebrations reflected there was more repenting to be done.It was reminscient of Stokes’ previous self-flagellating spells, desperate to hinder runaway opponents. Headingley 2019 comes to mind, prior to his miracle with the bat.This, however, feels less clinging onto the bumper of a car and more like hugging the landing skids of a helicopter that is rising steadily into the stratosphere. The only question is when in the next two days England let go and come crashing back to earth.