Liverpool fans have flooded Mohamed Salah’s first social media post since his explosive interview in which he accused the Reds of throwing him under the bus during what has become a testing season for everybody at Anfield. The Egyptian also claims that his relationship with Arne Slot has broken down. Supporters have urged him not to make things “personal” and risk tarnishing his legacy.
Salah rocked the Liverpool boat after being benched
Salah, who has earned legend status across eight memorable seasons with Liverpool, felt the need to speak out in public after being left on the bench for a dramatic 3-3 draw at Leeds. That fixture was the third in a row that the 33-year-old winger has found himself named among the substitutes.
The two-time Premier League title winner has claimed that certain people are trying to force him out of Anfield, a matter of months after committing to a two-year contract extension. He has also suggested that his past achievements – which include 250 goals for the Reds – should make him an almost guaranteed starter, regardless of collective struggles for form.
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Salah left out of Liverpool's squad for Inter clash
Many have been quick to condemn his comments, with the boat being rocked at a time in which Liverpool are looking to steer a course towards calmer waters. He has been left out of Arne Slot’s plans for a Champions League clash with Serie A giants Inter at San Siro on Tuesday.
Salah did train alongside the rest of his team-mates before they headed to Italy, but it remains to be seen whether he will pull on a famous red shirt again – with Africa Cup of Nations duty fast approaching. He will head off with his country following a meeting with Brighton on Saturday.
Fans urge outspoken Salah to apologise
Salah is being urged to eat a healthy portion of humble pie and build bridges with those that he has antagonised on and off the field at Liverpool. @carpbedlam has said on social media: “You ruined it Mo, time to apologise mate. Liverpool and it's real fans will forgive you this one.” On a similar note, @PresidentofTW added: “Come back to your senses, apologize to the coach, and trust that Slot will be kind enough to bring you back to the team and put you on the bench again.”
@ATexels said when advising Salah on what should happen next: “Legend at the club, but you are making this look like Isak leaving Newcastle. Please don’t make this personal.” @Lermbda has pointed out that there was “no need for that Mo”, but @W1LLSLive believes there could still be a way back. He said: “Training alone proves he still has the mentality for the club.”
They were all responding to a post from Salah which shows him hitting the gym at Liverpool’s training centre. He has little company there, with Slot’s side in Milan ahead of a return to European action.
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What Slot said in response to Salah's comments
When asked about Salah’s comments at his pre-match press conference, Slot told reporters: “I am a firm believer that there is always a possibility to return for a player. But that is not… I can leave it with that I think.” He added when pressed further on whether the Egyptian superstar will represent the club again: “I have no clue. I cannot answer that question at this point in time.”
Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson has stated his hope that Salah will not be phased out. The South American said of his absent team-mate: “I don’t think anything but I hope he plays again for the club.”
Salah, who previously struggled in English football at Chelsea, joined Liverpool from Roma in the summer of 2017. He has taken in 420 appearances for the club, helping them to domestic and continental honours.
His new contract is due to run until 2027, taking him to a decade of service on the red half of Merseyside, but serious questions are now being asked of whether said deal will be honoured. Slot is also seeing his future become the subject of intense debate, with the Dutch tactician overseeing just one win from Liverpool’s last six games in all competitions.
St James’ Park proved to be a fortress once more for Newcastle United on Saturday evening when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City travelled to Tyneside.
This season so far in the Premier League, the Magpies are yet to win away from home, with three draws and defeats depressingly next to their name. At home, though, it’s a much different story, with four league wins collected with confidence, which now includes a 2-1 triumph over the Citizens.
Harvey Barnes was the difference maker on the day with two well-taken efforts under pressure, with this being the first time Newcastle have got the better of their opponents from Manchester since a slim 1-0 success in the EFL Cup back in 2023.
On that day, it was Alexander Isak who would break the deadlock, and while the sting of his departure to Liverpool was certainly felt in the immediate aftermath of his exit, Eddie Howe’s Toon aren’t dwelling too much on him no longer being around now, with the 47-year-old boss no doubt pleased with the attacking display on show from Barnes and many others.
How Newcastle downed Manchester City
Howe was beaming from ear to ear at the full-time whistle, as he finally got a career win over Guardiola in league action.
He would also be over the moon for the aforementioned Barnes, with the 27-year-old winger repaying his manager’s faith in him when being handed a fifth Premier League start of the season, as his first effort was stylishly placed home, before the vital second goal was somehow bundled into the back of the net.
Nick Woltemade would have felt aggrieved that he couldn’t get on the scoresheet, though, with four efforts passing him by. Still, with four Premier League efforts next to his name this season, away from drawing blanks up against Gianluigi Donnarumma, he has filled the void left behind by Isak expertly.
Both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes also stood out during the 2-1 victory, as Guimaraes assisted Barnes’ first breakaway strike, while his Italian teammate won six duels and three tackles as a combative counterpart.
Yet, there was one star who stood out throughout who could now be labelled boldly as Howe’s next Isak, even with Woltemade at his disposal, for how influential he’s become in such a short space of time.
Howe's new Isak-esque figure
Of course, while the £125m sale is now struggling to settle at Anfield, he was a consistent top performer on Tyneside when he was still donning the famous black and white stripes.
Indeed, a deadly 62 strikes were tallied up by the lethal Scandinavian during his 102-game stay at St James’ Park, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher even hailing him as the “best striker in the Premier League” off the back of such potent form.
He immediately hit the ground running in England, too, with two goals from his first three league appearances for the Toon, with Malick Thiaw also making the transition from European football to English shores look easy, making him a strong candidate to be considered Howe’s next most influential player, much like Isak was.
With an 86% pass accuracy averaged across his eight Premier League games to date, and a commanding 4.6 duels won on average, some have even hailed the German as a “top five centre-back in the league this season”, with Isak also in the same esteemed conversations as a top five forward in the division.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
36
Accurate passes
20/25 (80%)
Tackles won
1/1
Last man tackles
1
Interceptions
1
Clearances
7
Blocked shots
1
Ball recoveries
6
Total duels won
2/4
Thiaw has only enhanced his reputation for being an influential member of Howe’s first team with his commanding showing against Guardiola’s visitors, with 14-goal hero Erling Haaland completely negated by the former AC Milan defender, who restricted him to just 23 touches of the ball and two shots on target.
NUFCBlog hailed the performance as “outstanding” against “the best striker on the planet” as Thiaw even impressively stood his ground one-on-one with the frightening Norwegian early in the second half, before a last-ditch intervention saw a chance go rarely astray for the number nine.
On top of that moment of ice-cold maturity, Thiaw would also bow out from the 2-1 win with seven clearances and six ball recoveries amassed, as City found it very difficult all night long to break down the Toon’s resilient back line.
The hope will just be that Thiaw gets better with more time in the Premier League, like Isak, who transformed into a £125m-calibre beast.
Although this time around, Howe will also pray he doesn’t have to give up the 6-foot-4 defender to the likes of Liverpool or any other suitor, as Thiaw becomes the manager’s most crucial player.
Last season, that was reserved for Isak. This season, it’s reserved for their new towering centre-half.
9/10 Newcastle duo look even more important than Bruno G & Tonali
These two players stood out in Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Man City
كسر نيكو ويليامز، نجم نادي أتلتيك بلباو، صمته وتحدث بالتفصيل عن الأسباب التي جعلته يرفض الانتقال إلى صفوف برشلونة خلال صيف العام الحالي.
برشلونة سعى للتعاقد مع نيكو ويليامز خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الأخير، بكل ما أوتي من قوة، قبل أن يجدد الجناح الأيسر عقده مع بلباو ويرفض عقد البارسا في نهاية المطاف.
وأدى رفض ويليامز التوقيع مع برشلونة إلى وجود غضب كبير من قبل جماهير البلوجرانا، حيث قاموا بالتصفير عليه خلال لقاء البارسا الأخير مع بلباو هذا الأسبوع بالدوري الإسباني.
واعترف ويليامز في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”، أن حبه الكبير لبلباو هو ما جعله يرفض التوقيع مع برشلونة.
وقال ويليامز: “أتلتيك بلباو يعني لي كل شيء، لقد نضجت هنا كشخص وكلاعب ولقد علمني تمثيل هذا النادي وهذه المدينة قيمة العمل الجاد والتواضع والانتماء للعائلة، جميعنا نعلم أن أتلتيك فريد من نوعه في العالم، كما يقول شعاره”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. سبب استبعاد برشلونة وريال مدريد التعاقد مع ويليان إستيفاو
وعن رفض برشلونة: “لطالما وضعت مشاعري في المقام الأول واتبعت قلبي، أنا شخص محب للعائلة وقريب من أهلي، وهنا في بلباو لدي عائلتي وأحبائي الذين أستشيرهم في كل خطوة أخطوها في حياتي، أحب الاستماع إلى أخي؛ فهو دائمًا يقدم لي نصائح قيمة، والآن أن أتمكن من الاستمتاع باللعب معًا أنا وهو في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وهو حلم تحقق”.
وناقش ويليامز فرص منتخب إسبانيا في الفوز بكأس العالم، حيث أوضح: “لدينا ثقة كبيرة في أداء الفريق ونحن جميعًا متحدون خلف ما يطلبه منا المدرب، وسنستعد لكأس العالم بأفضل ما يمكن لكننا لا نحب مقارنة أنفسنا بأحد”.
وواصل: ”هناك العديد من الفرق القادرة على الفوز بكأس العالم، ومن الجيد أن يذكر اسمنا كأحد المرشحين، لكننا نعلم أن استطلاعات الرأي لا تجعلك تفوز بكأس العالم وأن الفوز بها يجب أن يكون في الملعب”.
وعن حياته الخاصة استكمل ويليامز: “أفعل ما يفعله أي فتى في مثل سني تقريبًا، أحب اللعب مع أصدقائي والتنزه، والخروج لتناول العشاء مع صديقتي كلما أمكن”.
وأثنى ويليامز بشدة على قدرات زميله في منتخب إسبانيا ونجم برشلونة، لامين يامال، حيث اختتم: “لديه موهبة مذهلة ويثبتها كل يوم، لكنه يعلم أنني بمثابة والده (يضحك)”.
This time last week, Chelsea looked like they would be the ones to rival Arsenal for the Premier League title.
Unfortunately, a humbling loss away to Leeds United, quickly followed by a drab one-all draw away to Bournemouth, has put such ideas to bed, for now anyway.
While Enzo Maresca’s squad is undeniably talented, some areas could be improved upon, such as the number nine position.
Fortunately, Chelsea are now being linked with someone who could do just that, someone who could be an upgrade on Liam Delap.
Chelsea target Delap upgrade
The transfer window is now less than a month away from reopening, and in a surprise to absolutely nobody, Chelsea are already being linked with a host of players.
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For example, the Blues have been one of a number of sides linked with Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.
Likewise, RB Leipzig’s incredibly exciting Castello Lukeba has been touted for a £53m move to Stamford Bridge.
However, while the two defenders would certainly bolster Maresca’s squad, neither one could or would displace Delap or Joao Pedro up top, unlike Joaquín Panichelli.
Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Chelsea are one of a few Premier League clubs interested in the RC Strasbourg striker.
Alongside the West Londoners, the report has revealed that West Ham United and Aston Villa have set their sights on the Argentine striker.
The report does not reveal how much the £28k-per-week star might cost, but considering his contract runs until the summer of 2030, he’s unlikely to be cheap.
Even so, Chelsea should do what they can to sign Panichelli, as he could be the striker to really take them forward, even if that’s bad news for Delap.
How Panichelli compares to Delap
Now it might sound simplistic, and that’s because it is, but the first and most important metric to compare when looking at two strikers is output.
Unfortunately for Delap, this is an area that Panichelli has him beat, and comfortably at that.
For example, so far this season, the Argentine, whom U23 scout Antonio Mango has dubbed “one of the most in-form Strikers in Europe,” has scored ten goals in 19 appearances, totalling 1367 minutes.
In other words, the Córdoba-born gem is averaging a goal involvement every 1.9 games, or every 136.7 minutes.
In stark contrast, the Blues’ summer signing has scored just a single goal in 11 appearances, totalling 453 minutes.
Panichelli vs Delap in 25/26
Player
Panichelli
Delap
Appearances
19
11
Minutes
1367′
453′
Goals
10
1
Assists
0
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.52
0.09
Minutes per Goal Involvement
136.7′
453
All Stats via Transfermarkt
The next advantage that the former Deportivo Alavés star has over the Englishman is the fact that he seems to be less injury-prone.
For example, while he did suffer a significant ACL injury in the 23/24 season, which kept him out for 24 games, he only missed one game in the entirety of last season, and so far this year, he’s missed just one.
On the other hand, the former Ipswich Town star suffered a knee injury that kept him out for 18 games in 23/24
Furthermore, so far this year, he has already missed 12 matches due to a hamstring problem, and now his current shoulder injury.
Finally, the Winchester-born ace doesn’t even have the advantage of being significantly younger and therefore possessing a higher ceiling, as he’s currently 22 years old and the Strasbourg star only turned 23 two months ago.
Ultimately, Panichelli is clearly a more dangerous forward and, on top of that, seems to be injured less often. Therefore, Chelsea should do what they can to sign him in 2026, even if that spells the end of Delap’s time at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea flop has fast become their biggest liability since Bakayoko
Chelsea and Maresca need to move on from the walking disaster as soon as possible.
Pakistan thundered to victory in the final of the tri-series, their attack blazing through the last nine Sri Lanka wickets for 30 runs, before their batters carried them without major drama to a target of 115. The victory came in the 19th over.Earlier, it had been three-wicket hauls for Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz, and two wickets for Abrar Ahmed, that had seen Pakistan produce the definitive passage of the game – the second half of Sri Lanka’s innings.Sri Lanka had been 84 for 1 in the 11th over when Nawaz had Kusal Mendis caught athletically by Babar Azam, on the boundary. They would nosedive spectacularly from there, losing wickets to spin mainly, but pace too, until they were all out for 114 in 19.1 overs.The chase was low-tempo, but mostly smooth. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub put on 46 together. Babar then produced a steady 37 not out to guide the team home in plenty of time. They never hit a high gear. But they didn’t need to.Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up 3 for 18 as Sri Lanka collapsed in a heap•Associated Press
Sri Lanka’s epic plunge
How do you go from a 64-run second-wicket partnership to 114 all out? Let Sri Lanka show you how.The spinners drove the collapse. After Nawaz dismissed Mendis, Abrar and Ayub ran riot, Abrar having Kusal Perera and Pavan Rathnayake caught attempting big shots within three balls of each other. Ayub had Sri Lanka’s top-scorer Kamil Mishara caught, before Nawaz came back to rattle the stumps of Janith Liyanage and Wanindu Hasaranga.To give you an idea of how quickly wickets were falling, Sri Lanka had seven consecutive partnerships worth six runs or fewer.
Babar keeps coming back
A score of 37 not out off 34 isn’t exactly stellar T20I material, but in the context of having to guide the team to a low target, Babar’s innings was sensibly-paced. It may not deter his critics exactly, but it might hold them off.In a stretch in which Babar has been suggesting that the best version of himself might be back, it was also significant that he had such a good outing in the field in this match. The catch to dismiss Mendis was a nicely-judged overhead take, balancing to keep himself inside the boundary. The catch to dismiss Mishara was taken on the run, coming in from the straight boundary, diving forward. To get Rathnayake, he leapt up inside the circle to hold the catch with outstretched fingers.Kamil Mishara struck a quick half-century to keep Sri Lanka going•Getty Images
Mishara sets a foundation
Although Sri Lanka would fail spectacularly to build on it, their young opener Mishara had set a launching pad with his 59 off 47 balls. He had a powerful aerial game inside the powerplay, his three sixes in that phase coming in the arc between long off and deep midwicket. After the field went back, he settled into a rhythm of singles. With this being his second successive half-century, Sri Lanka are likely to persist with him.
Former Inter and Belgium defender Zinho Vanheusden has announced his retirement from professional football aged just 26, with the centre-back releasing a heartbreaking statement confirming his surprise decision. Vanheusden plied his trade in Italy, Belgium and Netherlands before heading to Spain this summer as he signed for third-tier club Marbella, but has now called time on his career.
A promising talent in Inter's youth system
After spending seven years in Standard Liege's youth academy, Vanheusden was scouted by Inter youth coaches and was brought to the club's academy in 2015. At 16, the defender was considered as one of the brightest prospects in Europe and was expected to shine for the Serie A giants' senior side in the future.
However, his progress halted at Inter due to a series of injuries as he never got to play for their senior side. He was on Inter's book, though, until 2025 as he played for clubs like Standard Liege, Genoa and AZ on a series of loan spells. Finally, in the summer of 2025, he exited Inter to join third-tier Spanish club Marbella to revive his career.
At the start of the season, he made seven appearances for the club before a third anterior cruciate ligament tear of his career forced him to announce his retirement at the tender age of 26. Vanheusden also represented Belgium at the youth level and made his senior professional debut in 2020 against Ivory Coast in an international friendly which ended in a 1-1 draw. It was his first and only international cap.
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Vanheusden released heartbreaking statement
On Instagram, the 26-year-old wrote: "Today I am making a decision I never thought I would have to make at this age. After 22 years of soccer — from my fourth year until now — my life as a professional soccer player is coming to an end. Football made me who I am today. It gave me a life I never dared to dream of as a child. From supporting my favourite club for years as a child with my dad at Sclessin, to then playing a hundred games for it myself, to scoring for the Ultras and even getting the honour of being a captain here. It didn’t stop there… I got the opportunity to make my national debut and to play in Serie A. All things that seemed unreal when I started.
"Besides all that beautiful, the last few years were tough. Much heavier than I ever seemed. Injuries, operations, injections, medication… I gave everything to go back, but it got harder every time. I was constantly searching for my level, overplayed through pain too often and lived after every workout or game uncertain about how my body would react the next day. I kept fighting to be the player I wanted to be, but every time a new fight came. In my heart I will always want to be a footballer, but my body has been saying enough for a while now. And that’s why — out of respect for myself, for my health and for my responsibility as a father — I am making this decision. As surreal as it feels writing this. But I want to be able to walk in my life without pain, play with my son and enjoy life with my family… I don’t know what it will be like to get up without football, but I’m going to find out now."
Ex-Inter star named after famous Brazilian footballer
Zinho's father Johan Vanheusden, in 2017, revealed that he had named his son after famous Brazilian footballer Zinho, who starred for the Selecao in their 1994 World Cup win.
Speaking to , Johan had said: "The 'h' in Zinho is actually pronounced like a 'j,'" said Johan Vanheusden. "Like in Portuguese. Our son is named after the Brazilian footballer Zinho. I thought he was fantastic at the '94 World Cup'. Five years later, in 1999, the name for a son was quickly chosen."
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What will Vanheusden do next?
The 26-year-old will now work hard to regain full fitness and recover from the fresh setback. The former defender does not have clarity at the moment about his future, but like other retired footballers, he might try and get into management to remain in touch with the game, which he dearly loves.
The New York Yankees placed outfielder Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list over the weekend with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Though Judge will have to miss some time, he did avoid a more serious injury or any damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, and his elbow will not require surgery.
"I think we in the big picture dodged something pretty good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told on Tuesday. "Hopefully this little bit of downtime does the trick and also serves as a little bit of a physical reset for him in a long season where you're playing every day."
Boone added that he thinks Judge will begin hitting off the tee on Tuesday or Wednesday, and will resume throwing 10-15 days after the injury. Boone remains unsure of how long it will take Judge to be ready to go in the outfield after he starts throwing again.
Per Bryan Hoch of , Boone said the "hope" is that Judge will play as the designated hitter when he's eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 5.
The Yankees have talked to designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton about playing outfield with Judge out and for depth down the stretch. Though Stanton is "eager" about the opportunity and will do some drills in the outfield this week, Boone is unsure if he will actually use Stanton in that role.
Fast bowler heads for Bristol for first six fixtures of County Championship season
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2025
Gabe Bell, the Tasmanian fast bowler, has signed for Gloucestershire for the first six matches of the 2026 Rothesay County Championship.Bell, 30, has taken 192 wickets across 51 Sheffield Shield appearances, 41 of which came in the 2023-24 season. He is currently ninth on this season’s wicket-taking list with 16 wickets in five matches.Standing at 195cm, Bell bowls with pace and steep bounce, and though he has yet to be capped by Australia, he represented their Under-19s in 2013, taking five wickets in three Youth ODIs at an average of 20.60.His stint with Gloucestershire will include away fixtures against Middlesex at Lord’s and Derbyshire, plus home games against Durham, Lancashire, Kent and Northants, and is set to get underway at the start of their campaign on April 10.”Obviously thrilled to get the opportunity to come over and play some county cricket with Gloucestershire,” Bell said. “I can’t wait to get over to Bristol to meet everyone, and get started in the new year.”Jon Lewis, Gloucestershire’s director of cricket, said: “We are really excited about Gabe joining our championship squad at Gloucestershire. We looked hard at what it takes to win in our own conditions in April and May, and Gabe comes highly recommended from our network of contacts across Australia.”He’s been very successful over recent Sheffield Shield seasons and is exactly the type of bowler we feel will thrive in the early part of the season in England. Gabe has played and performed consistently and has an excellent record in Australia. He’s a hardworking individual, which is exactly what we need at the start of the season.”We’re really excited to welcome Gabe and his family to Bristol in early April.”
The right combination, troubles against left-arm spin, fielding lapses, and quiet starts and collapses with the bat are concerns
Vishal Dikshit07-Oct-20254:10
Two wins in two, but scratchy start for India?
Hosts India would have been thrilled that they were on top of the eight-team table in the Women’s World Cup after getting two wins out of two to start their campaign. But their captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted at the presentation after the 88-run victory against Pakistan that “there are a lot of areas” they still need to work on.India’s next three games are against South Africa, Australia and England – all serious semi-finalist contenders – so let’s have a look at what these concerns could be, which they would want to work on to bring out their A game, starting with the South Africa match on Thursday in Visakhapatnam.Playing five bowlers, and getting team combination rightHarmanpreet seemed pleased that India would now head back home from Colombo for their remaining five games, to figure out “what is the best combination for us”. In the two matches so far, India went with only five bowling options, including two allrounders, which could be a much bigger risk against the higher-ranked sides going forward. Such has been the rise of Kranti Goud, and the spin strangle from Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana and Shree Charani, that both Sri Lanka and Pakistan hardly got close to their targets. But if Visakhapatnam offers flatter conditions, India might feel the need to have a sixth bowling option in their ranks.Related
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Pause and effect – Amanjot, Deepti change script for India
This exact scenario arose in the recent bilateral ODIs against Australia just before the World Cup, when India played six bowlers in the last two ODIs. That, however, was a result of their No. 5 Jemimah Rodrigues falling sick after the first game. India then took the call of replacing Rodrigues with a bowler, which worked as India bowled the world champions out for just 190 in the second ODI. With Rodrigues fit again and having scored two ODI hundreds this year, India now face the challenge of trying to fit in a sixth bowler without disturbing the team balance.To add to India’s headaches, allrounder Amanjot Kaur missed the Pakistan game with a fever, and her replacement Renuka Singh swung the ball nicely in Colombo, finishing with frugal figures of 10-1-29-0. That makes Renuka hard to drop even if Amanjot regains fitness. Amanjot bowled for an hour in the Visakhapatnam nets on Tuesday evening before batting for another half an hour, which bodes well for India’s squad depth.Even if Amanjot Kaur regains fitness, Renuka Singh might be hard to drop•ICC via Getty ImagesThe left-arm spinner’s threatThe ripping delivery from left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera to dismiss Rodrigues for a golden duck in Guwahati could already be among the balls of the tournament. Ranaweera triggered an India collapse on the night, with the big wickets of Harleen Deol, Rodrigues and Harmanpreet in just five balls to reduce the hosts to 121 for 5 before the lower-order rescue came about.It didn’t look as bad against Pakistan, but when their left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal bowled her second spell after the field had spread out, she sent down six tight overs for just 14 runs to tie down the right-hand batters Pratika Rawal, Deol and Harmanpreet. Only Rawal was able to hit Iqbal for a boundary, but she lost her off stump the very next ball after failing to pick Iqbal’s arm ball. In her next over, Iqbal nearly had Harmanpreet as well with another arm ball, and soon induced an edge from the India captain while also beating her a few times with turn and bounce on a pitch that was aiding the bowlers.Come Thursday, India’s batters will be up against South Africa’s left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, bowling fresh on the back of her 4 for 40 on a batter-friendly surface against New Zealand in Indore. Like Ranaweera did to India, Mlaba scripted a New Zealand collapse with four quick wickets – including that of the dangerous Sophie Devine – with deceptive pace variations, and her angle from around the wicket. How India’s right-hand batters tackle Mlaba on Thursday could be one of the deciding factors for who wins the match.Smriti Mandhana has been dismissed early with the bat, and also been sloppy in the field•Associated PressFumbles and tumbles in the fieldIt seems like a distant dream now that India had scripted their historic series win – even if in T20Is – on English soil barely three months ago with major contributions coming from their fielding. They were taking catches in the deep, the fielders in the circle were cutting downs ones and twos with quick work, and sharp throws were sending batters back after finding them short.But come the World Cup, the hosts have started with a fairly average show in their two games so far. The bowlers have created chances but the fielders have put down regulation catches. It has not cost them a game yet, but India wouldn’t want that to happen as the league stage picks up pace. The most worrying thing about this has been that a lot of the misfields – there were at least three in the first 25 overs against Pakistan – have come from senior players like Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana, and it has not been a result of dew yet.India’s quiet starts and collapsesEven though India haven’t had the luxury of batting on the flattest tracks of in this World Cup yet, their slow starts and the collapses which have followed have come under scrutiny. India’s powerplay scores have read 43 and 54 so far. Mandhana’s low scores – she has only got 8 and 23 in the two matches so far – result in India slowing down considerably more often than not. Mandhana had recently smashed the second-fastest women’s ODI century – that too against Australia – and has had to take the onus of being the quicker scorer in the opening stand after the attacking Shafali Verma was replaced by Rawal at the top. Rawal is a lot more consistent, but has a strike rate of 83.65 compared to Mandhana’s 109.49 in the last 19 ODIs.When Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol cannot find boundaries, they struggle with strike rotation•Getty ImagesDeol, India’s No. 3, has an even poorer strike rate of 81.82 in those 19 games, and of 77.18 in 16 ODIs this year. So India’s scoring rate inevitably takes a further dip when Deol and Rawal bat together. The pair has been India’s slowest since the start of 2024 for any pair to have tallied at least 200 runs.When Rawal and Deol cannot find the boundaries, they struggle to keep the run rate ticking with regular strike rotation. Against Pakistan, their partnership read 19 off 35 balls, which saw 27 dots (77%) because 14 of those runs came through boundaries. Opposite Sri Lanka, their stand faced 96 balls, of which 56 were dots (58.3%), for 67 runs. The stand featured only two fours and a six after the powerplay.The most evident concern in India’s batting so far has undoubtedly been their collapses – being reduced to 124 for 6, and 159 for 5 – which left a lot of work to be done for the lower order. Come a team like South Africa, Australia or England, India would want more runs from their experienced trio of Mandhana, Harmanpreet and Rodrigues, who have a collective highest score of 32 among them so far.
Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber was on the doorstep of 40 home runs for just three innings.
He mashed his 39th long ball of the year in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles Monday night on a massive shot to the third deck at Citizens Bank Park. The homer gave him the National League lead, moving one past Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Then, as the Phillies batted around the order in the sixth, he hit another blast to right field—this time for a grand slam.
The 390-foot shot was Schwarber's 40th homer of the season, now two past Ohtani for the most in the NL. The next closest NL player is Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs with 27, although Eugenio Suárez and his 36 homers moved to the American League at last week's trade deadline.
Schwarber's career-best total is 47 home runs, which he notched in 2023. The season before, he had 46. Now, he has reached 40 with 50 games to go.
With the massive Monday, he moves into the MLB lead in RBIs with 94, surpassing Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh (88). Raleigh currently leads baseball with 42 home runs, but Schwarber is right on his heels with three homers in two games.