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Home and away fixtures? A 34,000-seater stadium in New York? If the league can build on the momentum it has already generated, why not?

Peter Della Penna02-Aug-2023When considering that USA’s first home ODI in September 2019 only drew 19 people, that too for games staged in the country’s only ICC-accredited venue at the time, in Florida, the bar of expectations couldn’t have been set lower for what constitutes success when it comes to getting fans to turn out for a domestic cricket event in the USA. In a sense, the only way to go was up when starting from that foundation.That’s all the more reason why the events of the last three weeks, in which the first season of the Major League Cricket T20 franchise tournament routinely played to sold-out venues in North Carolina and Texas, were all the more startling. What many people, including the organisers themselves, thought might take several seasons to gain momentum in terms of fan attendance and player buy-in wound up being more supercharged than a case of Red Bull in season one.Related

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“My thought was we’ll start slow, we’ll get some fans in, we’ll entertain them, we’ll put out a good product, and then we’ll build upon it year on year,” MLC co-founder Sameer Mehta told ESPNcricinfo after the conclusion of the tournament final in Texas. “I feel like we’ve skipped a couple of years now in our journey and we can start doing the things now which we’d be doing two years from now.”According to MLC tournament director Justin Geale, league officials were counting on the opening night and the final to be sold out, but had no expectations as to everything in between, particularly from the seven match days in Grand Prairie, Texas. What unfolded was way beyond his cautiously optimistic expectations. On average, Grand Prairie Stadium wound up playing to more than 80% capacity across the nine match dates held at the 7,200-capacity venue, while the six-day slate of fixtures at the 3,000-capacity Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, all sold out. It meant that more than 70,000 fans – generating $2.8 million in ticket sales revenue – came through the gates to watch season one of MLC, a staggering number for any matches on US soil not involving India’s routine visits to Lauderhill to play T20Is against the West Indies.The Texas Super Kings were by far the best-supported franchise in year one, with all their home games selling out•SportzpicsPerhaps the most remarkable part of all of this is that these numbers were possible in spite of dismal attendances for the three afternoon games held as part of scheduled double-headers at Grand Prairie Stadium, which were shoehorned into the calendar in spite of the oppressive daytime heat – temperatures regularly hovered over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (mid 40s Celsius) – in order to squeeze the tournament into a tight window following the end of the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe and before the start of the Hundred in England. Addressing that is a key priority heading into season two.Two solutions have been floated by MLC officials, either moving the afternoon match back to an early-morning start on days where two matches need to be played, or scheduling double-headers in different cities on the same day, one in the east coast time zone in the late afternoon or early evening before coming back to Texas for a 7:30 or 8 pm start. The fact that a split-venue double-header is even plausible despite the added broadcast production costs – one source tabbed it at a minimum of $350,000 – shows how supercharged the plans are for season two just days after the conclusion of season one.Now that MLC officials have the proof of concept that they can sell out a 7,200-seat venue multiple times in the space of a week, they aren’t holding back with bigger-picture ambitions. Among those is a goal to “piggyback” off the proposed plan put forward by the ICC last week to have a 34,000-seat pop-up venue in New York City at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. If that proposal gets greenlit by NYC officials for the ICC to proceed with as one of three venues in the USA when it co-hosts the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Mehta says he is already in discussions to make it the home venue for reigning champions MI New York in MLC season two next July, immediately after the T20 World Cup final scheduled for June 30.”That would be very very desirable for us and we have indicated as much to the ICC,” Mehta said. “We’d love to collaborate with them not just on venues, but also in marketing and other aspects. If 2024 is going to be a watershed year for both MLC and the ICC, from our perspective a longer season and a much more impactful season and a season where we have some time and space to properly market and properly showcase the product. From the ICC’s perspective, the World Cup is a huge event. So we’d just love to collaborate with them on venues and marketing and a few other elements. And they’ve indicated a reciprocal desire to want to make sure that we utilise next summer to completely evangelise the sport here.”The crowds that poured in to watch season one far exceeded MLC Tournament Director Justin Geale’s (middle) pre-tournament expectations•Peter Della PennaThe Texas Super Kings were by far the best-supported franchise in year one, with all their home games selling out. But the sold-out final – in which an extra 800 standing-room-only tickets were put on sale in the 48 hours before play began, to expand capacity by another 10% to accommodate a late surge in demand from MI New York fans – highlighted the biggest priority of all for the next few years of the league, according to Mehta. Long-term stadium infrastructure plans are now of paramount importance in the short term if the league is going to not only sustain but build on this year’s success.”We need home and away venues,” Mehta said, alluding to the lowest-attendance match of the season between San Francisco Unicorns and LA Knight Riders at the end of the first week of matches in Texas, which saw approximately 2,500 fans turn out in Grand Prairie. “I think all the team owners saw it clearly. It’s one thing to put it up in a presentation and to raise funds. It’s another thing for team owners to see directly themselves that here’s what happens when you have a home venue, because all American franchise sport is built around home venues and a home-and-away concept.”So they are far more enthusiastic now and now that they’ve seen it firsthand about building home venues and quickly building them. So that’s been the number one benefit of this season. The reception the Texas Super Kings got was frankly something that all the owners had to see for themselves to understand that now they need to put their plans into action very quickly.”There were other teething issues that the league adapted to on the fly during season one. But often they were good problems to have – and certainly not the kind that US cricket administrators have ever thought they’d encounter – such as fans waiting too long in lines to get through the entrance gates. Other fan experience enhancements were added as the season progressed, whether it was a T-shirt-launching cannon shooting freebies into the crowd during breaks in play or free giveaways to fans coming through the gates.The fervour shown by the fans, though, is something money can’t buy. For anyone who thought MLC was going to be a one-and-done afterthought, think again.

Trademark six-hitting from No. 9 followed by key incisions lifts New Zealand hopes

Andrew Miller22-Jun-2021As Kane Williamson left the field on the fifth afternoon, taking with him a pitch-perfect innings of 49 from 177 balls that had telegraphed the relentlessness of India’s seam attack while at the same time rising above it, he turned to his batting partner Tim Southee and uttered a few pointed words of encouragement. The lead was a slender four runs, with two wickets standing, and more than 40 overs remained scheduled for the day. It didn’t take a lip-reader to translate the captain’s orders.For Southee likes to lump it. He has been hitting sixes with a unique alacrity, almost from the day he arrived on the international scene as a precocious 19-year-old, 13 long years ago in Napier. He cracked nine on that final afternoon against England in 2008 – almost exclusively mown over midwicket, as he announced his arrival with a Nathan Astle tribute knock of 77 from 40 balls from No. 10, to cause improbable jitters in a monstrous chase of 553.The scenario could hardly have been different on this occasion, but the levers remained true. Lump it Southee did, two hulking swings through the line, high over his favoured leg-side, as New Zealand’s remarkable tail attempted a repeat of the trick that had set them apart in their home series against India in early 2020.Related

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Southee’s six-hitting exploits are well known but bear repetition – his tally is up to 75 now in 79 Tests, and at a ratio of 1 every 27 balls which has no equal in the game. His nearest “rival” by that measure, astonishingly enough, is none other than his new-ball partner and No. 11, Trent Boult, who’s picked off 30 to date, at roughly 1 in 40 balls. By contrast, the great Ricky Ponting, whom Southee pulled clear of in his short-but-sharp innings of 30, faced more than 52 overs for each of his 73 thumps over the rope.But therein lies the difference between great batters and great hitters, for in truth the fireworks didn’t quite come off as planned. India’s otherwise under-employed spinners picked off the last two wickets for a slender deficit of 32, but given that their own lower order had been docked to the tune of three wickets in four balls in India’s first innings, the difference in potential for the spicy end of this contest was plain enough to see, even in a rare passage of accelerated action.”It was just a bit of reminder to keep going and eke out as many runs as we possibly could,” Southee said of his chat with the outgoing Williamson, whose preternatural technique had once again calibrated the risks and rewards throughout a morning session in which New Zealand, trailing by 116 overnight, had a game to lose but nothing yet to win. “It was about trying to hang in with Kane for as long as we could, and once he left, the way that we play our best is with that freedom as bowlers and as tailenders.”Williamson scored 7 from 75 balls before lunch, dogged and dour – occasionally shaking his right elbow which was stiff with cramp, but seemingly untroubled by the left joint that has caused him such bother in recent months. He had never before faced so many balls in a Test innings without reaching a half-century, but the logic to his attrition was indisputable.”Steady the ship,” as the sailor-hat tributes among the Kiwi contingent would put it, let others bat around him during that dicey morning period, in which Mohammad Shami in particular was hounding the edge with a pent-up fury, as he finally earned some reward for his years of toil in English conditions.”It was crucial,” Southee said of Williamson’s durability. “It was a tough time this morning, the Indian bowling asked a lot of tough questions and put us under a lot of pressure, and he was able to hang tight and dig deep and battle his way through. He’s a class player, and he’s got a very sound defence that he was in full trust with.”Williamson began to up his tempo against the new ball, more than doubling this total in his final 36 balls as India’s fatigued trio of quicks found their discipline beginning to flag. But it was the men around him who kept nudging the score towards parity – Colin de Grandhomme, whose 80-plus strike rate is up there with Adam Gilchrist and Virender Sehwag, and Kyle Jamieson, whose levers are even more imposing than Southee’s, and whose average continues to hover above 40 after another front-dog dominant display.”You always probably want more than what you got, but it’s shaping up for an intriguing day tomorrow,” Southee added. “To have two of their more attacking players as well, it’s nice to see the back of them.”Rohit Sharma shouldered arms to a Tim Southee delivery•Getty ImagesThat’s putting it mildly. For it was Southee the bowler who completed the job that Southee the batter had started, prising out the vital scalps of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to a pair of subtly different inswingers – the first with his so-called three-quarter-seam drifter, the second a more simple flipping of the shiny side as Rohit fatefully shouldered arms on a fourth-stump line – to ensure that New Zealand are the only team for whom attack is a broadly risk-free option going into the historic day six.In the first innings, Southee had bore the brunt of both his victims’ pugnacity, as India hurtled off in a 62-run opening stand that was the only moment to date in which New Zealand seemed out of control with the ball. This time he sought to be fuller and more menacing, recognising that the tables had turned since Williamson’s morning vigil, and now it was his opponents who had nothing to gain from aggression.He’s always had his outswinger, right from that Napier debut, when four of his five wickets were a consequence of his natural bend – three catches in the cordon plus the prized maiden scalp of Michael Vaughan, pinned lbw by the one that didn’t move. By his own admission, the inswinger has been a trickier beast for him to tame down the years, but in arguably the most important Test match of his long and storied career, he chose an opportune moment to confirm his hard-earned mastery.”As a player you’re always looking at different ways to expand your game, and that’s been one of the ways I’ve looked to develop over the last little while,” he said. “Especially with the Dukes ball, being able to swing it that a little bit more.”The Gill dismissal was Southee’s 600th in all internationals – a milestone he acknowledged was “nice” to have ticked off. But having picked up a five-for in his first Test of this England tour at Lord’s, he knows he’s in the form to make India’s life more uncomfortable yet, as New Zealand seek to turn the screw on a slender lead of 32.”The Indian side probably had their most challenging period when the ball was slightly older,” Southee said. “Hopefully tomorrow morning, it will swing a little bit more and we can ask a few questions early on.”

Even three-time MVPs make mistakes sometimes.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani commited a so-called cardinal sin of baseball during the club's 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman at the plate, Ohtani found himself on second base after swiping the bag moments before. As Blue Jays lefthander Brendon Little delivered a strike to Freeman, Ohtani took off for third in another stolen base attempt but was caught stealing for the last out of the inning.

One of baseball's oldest adages is, never make the last out of an inning at third base. Effectively, the logic is, don't kill a potential two-out rally. While one can quibble about the veracity of this statement, it seems that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts at least partially subscribes to the thinking..

"That was his decision," Roberts, addressing the sixth-inning play, told reporters after the game. "Not a good baseball play."

Aside from the baserunning blunder, it's difficult to pin the blame for Sunday's loss on Ohtani, who belted his 41st home run of the season, tied for the National League lead, while collecting another hit and a pair of walks.

Roberts's frustration with Ohtani's aggressiveness gone wrong on the basepaths was likely a microcosm of how he felt about the game as a whole. Los Angeles had chances to add to its thin 3-2 lead throughout the game, stranding 16 baserunners and going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers' struggling bullpen then surrendered the lead in the top of the eighth inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger both homered off of Blake Treinen.

"This is frustrating because I just felt there’s no way we should lose this game today," Roberts said. "We had them on the ropes numerous times. And for us not to win is so frustrating."

The Dodgers, clinging to a two-game lead in the NL West, will next take on the Los Angeles Angels before a pivotal divisional face-off against the surging San Diego Padres.

It was recently reported that Tonda Eckert is in pole position to be named the permanent Southampton manager after an impressive performance as the interim head coach.

The German tactician has won four of his five Championship games in the dugout, notably beating Charlton 5-1 away from home, but did lose 3-2 to Millwall last weekend.

It would be understandable if Sport Republic feel that Eckert has done enough in his interim spell in charge to earn the job on a permanent basis, but there is cause for concern with the former U21s boss.

Why Southampton should not appoint Tonda Eckert

The Saints are in a position, having just come down from the Premier League, where this may be their best chance to return to the top-flight before they have to cash in on more of their top talents with parachute payments dwindling.

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This means that it would be a big risk to appoint a permanent manager based on five games as a first-team manager in England, as he had never managed a game at any level in any country before this run of matches, per Transfermarkt.

It is hard, therefore, to judge whether the first four wins were a byproduct of a ‘manager bounce’ or if they were down to his coaching, as he does not have a managerial history to back up his credentials.

Southampton need to find their next Nigel Adkins, who joined from Scunthorpe United to lead Saints to promotion from League One and the Championship and left the club in 15th place in the Premier League in his only season in the top-flight.

Instead of appointing Eckert, Sport Republic could hire their own version of Adkins by making a move for reported target and free agent manager Michael Carrick.

Why Carrick could be Southampton's next Adkins

Like Adkins, Carrick would arrive at St. Mary’s with a wealth of experience in English football already under his belt, thanks to his time with Middlesbrough.

The former Saints boss had managed Scunthorpe for four seasons, including two in the Championship, and won promotion from League One on two occasions, before taking Southampton from League One to the Premier League.

Carrick, of course, will not have to get the club out of the third tier, thankfully, but he is an English manager who has the potential to be a brilliant appointment.

Middlesbrough – 22/23	Pre-Carrick	Under Carrick
Matches	16	30
Wins	4	18
Draws	5	4
Losses	7	8
Points	17	58
Points per game	1.06	1.93
League position	18th	4th
Stats via Transfermarkt

One of the reasons why he could be a great hire for the Saints is that he has achieved success in the position that they currently find themselves in, as he took Boro from 18th to 4th in his first season with the club.

The former Manchester United midfielder then led Middlesbrough to 8th and 10th place finishes in the second tier, but they ranked 5th and 6th for Expected Points in those two seasons, per FotMob, which suggests that his coaching deserved higher league finishes than it got.

Carrick, who Tom Cleverley once claimed “oozes class” as a manager, is a proven Championship head coach who has shown, over three seasons, that he can coach a team to deliver play-off quality performances, which Eckert, through no fault of his own, does not have in his corner.

The ex-Boro boss also picked up seven points in two games as interim manager at Manchester United in the Premier League before his spell in the Championship, and played 481 games in the division as a player, per Transfermarkt.

This suggests that he could also be an appointment with the Premier League in mind, because of his experience at that level, whilst Eckert has never played, managed, or coached in that league.

Therefore, Carrick appears more likely to be Southampton’s next Adkins than Eckert is, because of both his proven quality in the Championship as a manager and his potential to be a successful Premier League boss.

Southampton can hire big Eckert upgrade with move for "world-class" manager

Southampton can hire an even better manager than Tonda Eckert by making a move for this free agent boss.

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Dan Emery

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This is why Sport Republic should consider pushing to appoint the English tactician as their next permanent manager, rather than giving the interim German boss the job on a permanent basis.

Manchester City are now reportedly one of the two most interested clubs in signing a key defensive reinforcement for Pep Guardiola worth over £40m.

Man City interested in key defensive addition

This time last year, Man City were gearing up for a frantic January transfer window. The Citizens were struggling more than ever before under Guardiola, who was on the worst run of his career himself.

One year later, things are little less concerning. The serial winners still have problems to address, but they still very much find themselves in a Premier League title race.

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Before they can even think about leapfrogging Arsenal, however, Man City must improve defensively. Close collapses against Leeds United and Fulham were worrying warning signs and the January transfer window represents the chance for Guardiola to add key reinforcements.

He told reporters when asked about his side’s defensive frailties as of late: “I don’t like to concede six goals in two games, but we have to build from that. We have to fix these kind of things. I believe we can do better. We create chances and score goals because we have built a team for that, but we have to be more solid.”

So, who could Man City sign in 2026? As things stand, the biggest names on their radar seem to be Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown.

Guehi would be a particularly impressive signing, given how Liverpool remain so closely linked with his signature. If he’s available as a free agent next summer, City should jump at the chance to welcome the England international.

Meanwhile, Brown would also be an impressive addition. The left-back reportedly has plenty of fans at the Etihad and has emerged as an early target to help Guardiola solve his current defensive leak.

Man City battling Arsenal to sign Brown

According to Caught Offside, Man City are now the most interested club to sign Brown alongside title rivals Arsenal. The two Premier League sides are seemingly leading the chasing pack to sign the impressive Frankfurt man, who is set to cost around €50m (£44m) when 2026 arrives.

It’s easy to see why Man City are one of the top contenders to sign Brown next year, especially as Guardiola transitions back towards flying full-backs.

The German was described as exactly that by Ben Mattinson last season, with the Como scout also calling the Frankfurt man “pacy”.

Man City rarely miss out in the transfer market and even as Arsenal rise to the top of the Premier League, they should feel confident that they can lure Brown to Manchester in 2026.

Man City now expected to sign "unbelievable" PL star who nearly joined Liverpool

Will the start of yet another new era off the park lead to one on the pitch for Rangers?

On Monday, it was announced, somewhat out of the blue, that both chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been sacked, just weeks after they had been publicly backed by Andrew Cavenagh and other members of 49ers Enterprises.

Thelwell and Stewart oversaw the hiring and swift firing of Russell Martin, as well as appointing his successor Danny Röhl, with the power vacuum upstairs likely to see the German head coach have a rather large say when it comes to January recruitment.

Before the transfer window opens, Rangers have eight more matches to play, with Röhl still attempting to build a cohesive team out of the mishmash squad he has inherited, but which big-money signing should find himself on the bench against Falkirk on Sunday?

Danilo's continued poor performances

Rangers have signed plenty of players who have not lived up to their price tag in recent years, with Danilo right towards the top of that list.

Since arriving from Feyenoord in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of £6m, the Brazilian striker has made just 67 appearances for the Light Blues due to injury problems.

However, when he is on the pitch, he is not delivering either, scoring just 15 times for the club, of which three have come this season, putting in a very underwhelming display during Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Braga, as the table below documents.

Shots on target

1

3rd

Expected goals

0.15

6th

Successful dribbles

2

7th

Accurate passes

14

18th

Passing accuracy %

71%

17th

Touches

34

18th

As the table documents, Danilo made little impact on the night’s proceedings.

His major moment came just after the half hour mark, played in-behind by Mohamed Diomandé, but tamely shooting straight at Lukáš Horníček, lacking any semblance of confidence or conviction, never appearing to believe he was going to score.

In the Brazilian’s defence, he was deployed out of possession on the left-wing so, with that in mind, Röhl surely must start his forgotten special young talent when Falkirk visit Govan on Sunday instead.

Rangers' youngster with an exciting future ahead

Amazingly, 26 matches into this season across all competitions, only two Rangers players have scored four goals or more, namely Djeidi Gassama and James Tavernier.

Just below them on three goals is Findlay Curtis, despite the fact he has barely featured for three months.

The teenaged academy graduate made his senior debut against Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup in January, but was one of the stars of Martin’s ill-fated tenure, scoring three times before 24 August.

The pick of the bunch was this rocket to secure a 2-0 victory over Panathinaikos in a Champions League qualifier back in July.

Overall, Curtis has seen 244 minutes of action this season, but just 17 minutes of this have come since the start of September, not featuring at all in 12 of Rangers’ last 15 fixtures.

He was given a nine minute cameo by Röhl during the defeat to Roma earlier this month, this the only time he has been seen under the new manager.

Despite this, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout asserts that he has an “exciting future ahead”, while Kai Watson asserts that he “looked really bright” every time he is called upon.

Curtis’ direct dribbling and fearlessness is something Rangers severely lack, especially with Mikey Moore currently sidelined, while fellow wingers Oliver Antman and Thelo Aasgaard simply are not offering enough.

Thus, with games against Falkirk, Dundee United and then Kilmarnock up next, Röhl surely has to reintegrate Curtis, or risk him becoming the latest Rangers youngster who is forced to depart in search of first team opportunities.

Forget Djiga: Rohl must bin Rangers flop who lost the ball every 2 touches

Following Rangers’ 1-1 draw with Braga in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday, which flop must Danny Röhl axe who was even worse than Nasser Djiga?

ByBen Gray Nov 28, 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren't resting on their laurels after beating the New York Yankees in the World Series, especially when it comes to bolstering the pitching staff. After adding Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to the rotation, and Tanner Scott to the bullpen, the Dodgers have added another talented pitcher: veteran righty reliever Kirby Yates.

A week after his upcoming deal was first reported, Yates has reached a one-year deal with Los Angeles, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. He'll be paid $13 million with a potential $1 million bonus if he reached 55 appearances, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Yates, 37, enters his second stint with one of the league's L.A. teams, after playing for the Angels in 2017. He began his MLB career in 2014 with the Tampa Bay Rays, before stints with the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and, most recently, the Texas Rangers. He made his second All-Star appearance in '24 with the Rangers , posting a career-best 1.17 ERA in 61 appearances, with 33 saves.

Yates was an All-Star and led the MLB in saves (41) with the Padres in '19.

Wicketkeeper-batter hits 132 off 89 balls as hosts scrape to victory with one wicket to spare

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2025Somerset wicketkeeper-batter Thomas Rew scored a sensational 131 to break the record for the fastest century for England Under-19s and propel his country to a dramatic one-wicket win in this second one-day international against India at Northampton.Rew reached three figures off just 73 balls, beating Ben Foakes’ 79-ball ton against New Zealand in 2012. In all, Rew faced 89 balls in a display of brutal hitting and deft strokeplay, smashing 16 fours and six huge sixes.England captain Rew shared a stand of 123 in 21 overs with Lancashire’s Rocky Flintoff (39) but a clatter of late wickets left England nine down, needing seven off the final over. Middlesex’s Seb Morgan held his nerve to hit a boundary to seal the win with three balls to spare as England levelled the five-match series 1-1.With the ball, Surrey seamer Alex French took 4 for 71, while Leicestershire’s Alex Green and Worcestershire’s Jack Home each claimed three wickets as India were bowled out for 290 in exactly 49 overs.All of England’s seamers were guilty of spraying the ball, contributing an extra 26 runs in wides towards India’s eventual total. But after 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi (45) set the tone up top with Vihaan Malhotra (49), England pegged India back to 171 for 5. A quickfire sixth-wicket partnership of 78 in 12 overs between Rahul Kumar and Kanishk Chouhan reinvigorated the innings, allowing India to set a competitive total before French wrapped up the tail. RS Ambrish took the bulk of the wickets for India, finishing with figures of 4 for 80.England had elected to field and while French conceded six wides in his opening over, his first legal ball proved effective, knocking over Ayush Mhatre’s off stump.Suryavanshi set the early pace with two sixes off French, contributing the lion’s share of a stand of 67 in 10 overs. After Suryavanshi hooked Home for his third six over fine leg, though, Morgan took a well-judged boundary catch as the batter attempted to upper cut.Maulyarajsinh Chavda played his first shot in anger over extra cover off Home as he mounted a 50-run stand with Malhotra in 11 overs. Chavda attacked Green’s pace, but the Leicestershire quick sent his off stump flying when he attempted a big booming drive.Malhotra, who played some pleasant drives, then shared a stand worth 44 with Abhigyan Kundu before Malhotra top-edged Home to deep square leg. Kundu departed two overs later, caught at backward point, flashing outside off stump against Green.Kumar and Chouhan pressed the accelerator, taking the score to 249 before Home picked up his third wicket, Kumar heaving into the leg side where Joe Moores took a good catch. Then when Chouhan flat-batted Green down the wicket, he was well caught by Morgan, French nipping in to claim the last three wickets, all to catches in the outfield.England lost opener Ben Dawkins early, caught behind when he flashed outside off stump against Yudhajit Guha, while Ben Mayes hit a speedy 27 before cutting Ambrish straight to point. England lost a third wicket nine balls later as Isaac Mohammed prodded outside off stump and was caught low at slip off Ambrish to leave England 47 for 3 in the 12th over.Flintoff led the rebuilding initially, powering Ambrish over mid-on and punching him straight down the pitch. But Rew soon warmed up, taking consecutive boundaries off Chauhan, then driving him through cover to bring up the 50 partnership off 70 balls.Rew dismissively pulled a half-tracker from Mohammed Enaan for six, but after 25 overs England were 112 for 3 and behind the run rate. Needing to accelerate, Rew took the attack to Suryavanshi, swinging him over deep midwicket for six and four as England started to close in on the requirement.Rew motored on, blazing consecutive sixes over deep midwicket off Enaan, but lost Flintoff when he cut too close to his body, keeper Kundu taking a sharp catch.The runs kept flowing as Rew swung Chauhan away leg side for another six before celebrating his century, and then plundered 22 off one over from Ambrish, taking England past 200 before powering another six over midwicket and consecutive boundaries over the covers. But his valiant innings ended when he was caught in the deep off Patel, attempting another big leg-side shot, leaving England needing 61 more off 10.2 overs.They lost a sixth wicket next over when Guha had Moores caught at deep square leg. Ralphie Albert played some shots, but pulled Ambrish to midwicket, while Patel comprehensively bowled Home three balls later.With nerves jangling, Green and Morgan took 14 off Ambrish’s penultimate over, while Morgan hooked Guha for six, leaving England needing 12 from the last two overs. Green holed out at deep midwicket off the first delivery from Ambrish in the 49th over, but with seven needed off the final over, Morgan finished the game with elan.

Thakur, Sai Sudharsan replace Nitish Kumar Reddy and Karun Nair for India, while Dawson comes in for the injured Bashir

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2025

Anshul Kamboj bowls in the lead up to his Test debut•Getty Images

Toss Shubman Gill believes that a combination of a good batting surface and gloomy overhead conditions made it a “good toss to lose” in Manchester after England captain Ben Stokes won his fourth in a row and inserted India.No team has ever chosen to bowl at Old Trafford and gone on to win a Test match, but Stokes believes that his team can defy that trend. “There’s pretty decent overhead conditions for bowling,” he explained at the toss. “It’s a typical Manchester wicket: quite firm, a little bit of grass coverage. Hopefully, we can make use of it this morning.”India made three changes, two of them forced, and handed a Test debut to Anshul Kamboj, the Haryana and Chennai Super Kings seamer. Sai Sudharsan replaces Karun Nair at No. 3 after he failed to pass 40 in the first three Tests, while Shardul Thakur and Kamboj replace the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep.Gill said he was “a bit confused” as to whether he would have chosen to bat or bowl first, but was spared the decision as India lost their 14th consecutive toss across all men’s internationals. “The way we have played in the last three matches has been outstanding,” Gill said, isolating only the “small crunch moments” as the difference between the teams.England announced their XI two days before the game with a single, forced change from the side that won by 22 runs at Lord’s last week. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, returns for his first Test in eight years, replacing Shoaib Bashir who fractured the little finger on his left hand while attempting a return catch in the third Test.

West Ham United are reportedly making transfer plans for January in an effort to back new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, and a former Barcelona forward is said to be on their radar heading into the winter.

West Ham make transfer plans for January to back Nuno

West Ham remain without their first win under Nuno’s tenure after drawing away to Everton and tasting defeat at the hands of Premier League title-chasers Arsenal, but there have been small signs of improvement.

Arsenal are the division’s in-form team right now and getting a result there was always going to be a tall order for Nuno, despite West Ham winning two of their previous two Premier League games at the Emirates.

There is little to go on so far, but you can make a case that West Ham look slightly less vulnerable than under Graham Potter already.

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David Sullivan and the Hammers hierarchy, thanks largely to vice-chairman Karren Brady, who pushed for Nuno (Alex Crook), handed the Portuguese a three-year contract in a public statement of backing for West Ham’s new head coach.

Sullivan was in favour of re-appointing Slaven Bilic on a short-term interim contract, but with Nuno given a long-term show of faith instead, reports suggest that West Ham are prepared to back him with new recruits in January.

The consensus thus far is that the Irons are looking at attacking options, with AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic, Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini, Galatasaray’s Baris Yilmaz and Man United’s Joshua Zirkzee all mentioned as potential West Ham transfer targets.

It is crystal clear why they’re considering a new forward too.

Only Nottingham Forest and bottom side Wolves have scored fewer league goals than West Ham so far, and on the basis of overall play, they’re in dire need of creativity.

Adama Traoré could decide to join West Ham after Nuno's arrival

Former Barcelona and Wolves forward Adama Traoré, who worked with Nuno to great effect at Molineux, is now being linked with a move to the London Stadium after his former manager’s move there.

The Spain international, now at Fulham, has played a bit-part role under Marco Silva so far this season and could leave for free at the end of this season when his contract expires.

Despite being a regular last season, racking up nine assists in 41 appearances across all competitions, Fulham may well be open to cashing in on Traore when the winter window opens.

Speaking to Football Insider, former West Ham employee and scout Mick Brown has said that Traore could choose to reunite with Nuno in East London.

The 29-year-old’s flashes of quality were at their most consistent under Nuno, and Premier League managers have often piled praise on Traore as a very difficult player to deal with.

Klopp praised Traore yet again soon after that message, calling the winger’s speed “undefendable” at times.