Overall, the tournament recorded a reach of 446 million on digital in India, greater than the combined total of the last three editions
ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2025The 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup final in Navi Mumbai, where hosts India beat South Africa to lift their maiden title, attracted a record 185 million users on JioHotstar, the official streaming platform in India. It equalled the viewership of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup final and exceeded the average daily reach of the 2025 IPL.Apart from that, 92 million tuned in on Connected TV (CTV), equalling the CTV viewership of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final and the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 final, which also involved India as one of the teams. Overall, the World Cup recorded a reach of 446 million on digital in India, the highest ever for a women’s tournament, greater than the combined total of the last three editions.Earlier, the India-Pakistan group-stage match on October 5 had set a record for the most viewers tuning in for a women’s international match: 28.4 million. That pales in comparison to the number of viewers the final drew.The DY Patil Stadium, the venue for the final, was also packed to capacity, with 39,555 watching India make history.
Michael Clarke expects Usman Khawaja to be in the XI for Brisbane providing he is fit
Andrew McGlashan26-Nov-2025Former Australia captain Aaron Finch believes Travis Head remains best suited to batting at No. 5 in the day-night Test at the Gabba despite his barnstorming century opening in Perth, while both he and Michael Clarke are convinced that Nathan Lyon has to play as the home side weigh up the best balance of side to face England after their demolition job in the opening match of the Ashes.Usman Khawaja’s spot has come under scrutiny after Head’s spectacular century at the top when he was promoted after Khawaja suffered further back spasms on the second day, having also been unable to take his usual spot in the first innings with England collapsing so quickly he couldn’t make up enough time on the field.Related
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However, Finch said that the pink-ball factor of the second Test adds another layer on how Australia may structure their side and argued that in this case having Head in the middle was the favoured option.”If this wasn’t a pink-ball test match coming up at the Gabba, I would tend to agree and say, you know what, maybe it is time to throw him [Head] up there and you just launch into it from day one of a Test,” Finch told ESPN’s .”But I just feel as though the fact that it is a pink-ball test, the impact that that brand new ball can have and the impact that Travis Head can have batting at No. 5 when the pink ball does go a bit soft and the game can sort of, the wicket can flatten out. I like him at five still, just to be that real explosive player through the middle order.”Khawaja batted at No. 4 on the first day in Perth and gloved a rising delivery from Brydon Carse. His form was a talking point ahead of the Ashes after making one Test century in his last 44 innings prior to the series.Brisbane would be a home Test for Khawaja – where he is the leading run-scorer in day-night first-class cricket at the Gabba with 502 runs at 50.02 – and Clarke does not see Australia shifting from the original plan for now.Usman Khawaja’s position is being debate after Travis Head’s stunning success as an opener•AFP/Getty Images
“I think he plays. I think if he’s fit, they give him another chance,” Clarke said. “I think a few days and Uzzie will be sweet. He hasn’t had this back problem that many times throughout his career, so I think he will be fit.”Meanwhile, both Clarke and Finch agreed that Lyon should be a lock for Brisbane despite only sending down two overs in Perth and having been left out of the day-night Test in Jamaica earlier this year.”He’s in for sure,” Clarke, who was Lyon’s first Test captain, said. “He’s in my XI every Test match. Unless it’s an absolute raging green seamer. Like even Perth, the wicket certainly didn’t look that bad. I’m still picking a spinner in my team.”Finch added: “The impact that Nathan Lyon has in that side is huge. We saw him not selected for the Test in Jamaica…and they were extreme conditions. So Australia decided that they probably weren’t going to use a spinner at all. I can see from that point of view why it happened in Jamaica. At the Gabba, 100%, it should not ever be talked about, Nathan Lyon not being in an Australian XI.”The other decision that will need to be made will be around the fitness of Pat Cummins who is pushing for a return in Brisbane. He bowled with the pink ball in Sydney on Tuesday and speaking during the Perth Test gave himself “half a chance” of being ready for the Gabba.”I think Australia will stick to the plan,” Finch said. “If he’s 100% fit, he plays. If he’s 95% fit, he doesn’t play. I think that’s the way that they’ll go. They’ve been really consistent with how they’ve picked squads, how they’ve picked the XI. And for me, it’s a long series. You don’t want to rush it.”
His Wanindu Hasaranga celebration might stay in the memory, but what Abrar Ahmed achieved with the ball against Sri Lanka was nothing short of stupendous
Danyal Rasool24-Sep-2025Wanindu Hasaranga is barely a year older than Abrar Ahmed, but looked like an older man gently putting down a young upstart. Abrar, with a slightly impudent grin on his face, seemed to be convincing Hasaranga he had meant no offence. Not that Hasaranga, who wore a grin at least as equally broad, needed much convincing.He gave Abrar a pat on the head, the two men slapped each other’s chests and shoulders, and Abrar walked away still sporting the smile as he savoured successfully ribbing his ounterpart. Hasaranga gave him a parting pat on the back of the head and, as things tend to be between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, everything was swiftly all right once more.Perhaps the interaction took that slightly paternalistic tone because it is so easy to infantilise Abrar – and he appears to revel in it. He was the baby-faced 17-year-old who broke in at the PSL in a different lifetime. Even when, several years and debilitating back injuries later, he made his debut in Pakistan’s Test side, he was the smooth-faced boy with the slightly kooky action and the glasses. So he got stuck with Harry Potter.Related
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A couple of years on, something resembling a beard was beginning to take shape and the glasses were replaced by contacts when he cleaned up Shubman Gill with a legspinner’s dream of a delivery at the Champions Trophy. By now, it was the wantonly provocative celebration, a flick of the head to send the batter on his way, that set the stage for both imitation and mockery, which Hasaranga deployed as such an effective counter to Abrar’s decision to appropriate the Sri Lankan’s celebration when he dismissed him earlier.It is pictures of that interaction that will dominate the way this game is committed to memory. Just like in 2022 when Abrar’s look – rather than the fact that he had become the first spinner to take five wickets in a session on debut in a Test match, is the dominant recollection from that day. Just like his unique send-off – rather than the quality of the ball that undid Gill – is what anyone remembers of that dismissal. Just like it will invariably be little more than a footnote that Abrar had delivered the most economical spell for a spinner in Asia Cup T20 history – eight runs in four overs.While a lot of players strain to imbue their game and personality with gravitas, Abrar is much more content hiding his behind the joy he takes from the game. It should not, however, detract from how valuable his role is to his side, or how seriously he takes it.
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On Sunday, in a nightmare of a game against India, Abrar bore the brunt against Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, his 42 in four the most expensive figures for his side. Until two weeks earlier, he had all but lost his place in Pakistan’s T20I side to left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem, the new shiny toy, even if it does the same things as the old one and not as reliably. Muqeem is still in the squad and Pakistan’s selection fingers perpetually hover on the trigger. It’s a tough gig being a spinner judged by match figures when your stock in trade is taking risks, be it running through variations that are nearly impossible to execute accurately every time, or bowling in the powerplay.Sri Lanka and Pakistan had found themselves in similar situations today around the eight-over mark, each having lost four wickets after bright powerplays. In the chase, Pakistan managed to pull away from Sri Lanka’s bowlers, but Abrar had afforded Sri Lanka’s batters no such courtesy.He waltzed through his skillset with the easy confidence of a pianist hitting every note, fingers dancing on the keystrokes. He went wide outside off to Kamindu Mendis and Hasaranga, floating a couple of balls up. He fizzed a couple through with the back of the hand, and inverted his fingers, keeping the googly in play.Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates a wicket with the Abrar Ahmed celebration•MB Media/Getty ImagesA legspinner’s currency is wickets, and true, he only got the one – that of Hasaranga’s, which triggered that playful miming of the telephone celebration that the Sri Lankan was so keen to pay back with interest. But so wary did Sri Lanka become of the wicket-taking threat Abrar posed that thwarting it was all they had the bandwidth to deal with, run-scoring relegated to a trifling afterthought.Of his 24 balls, Sri Lanka played attacking shots to just two, the lowest for any bowler in a completed spell all tournament. No delivery yielded more than a single run, and 16 produced nothing more than a straight bat brought down in surrender. In the seven overs between the start of his spell and its conclusion, Sri Lanka scraped a mere 26 runs, the second-fewest in a similar phase this Asia Cup. It sent the Sri Lanka innings into a spiral it would never recover from, and left Hasaranga and company much too little to work with in their bid to thwart Abrar and his team.Shortly after the game was done, Abrar posted on his Instagram account. Abrar is not a prolific user of social media, but you could forgive him for making an exception on a day of such distinction. The picture, however, is one of Abrar leaning into a shot with Hasaranga, looking every inch the impertinent schoolboy who has managed to sneak into the players’ dressing room. “Great player and great man,” he said about the Sri Lankan.Hussain Talat was Player of the Match, Shaheen Afridi the leading wicket-taker, and Mohammad Nawaz the top-scorer who finished Sri Lanka off with a flourish. Abrar’s own contribution has been concealed almost entirely, with the legspinner appearing to do more than anyone else in merging into a camouflaged background. That the child in Abrar is having a good time appears to be what matters most to him, but as Sri Lanka found out today, he is, as far as spin bowling is concerned, quietly growing into Pakistan’s main man.
Wolves are now expressing an interest in signing a Man City player, with one of their squad members potentially set to leave in January.
Wolves nailed on for relegation barring Rob Edwards miracle
The Old Gold face the most perilous situation in the Premier League, rooted firmly to the bottom of the table with just two points from 14 games.
Wolves appear destined for Championship football unless Rob Edwards can orchestrate an almighty turnaround during the second half of the campaign.
Edwards arrived from Middlesbrough in mid-November, leaving a promotion-chasing outfit second in the Championship to tackle one of football’s most daunting rescue missions.
Wolves still remain winless, sitting 12 points adrift of safety – a margin that already carries significant historical weight.
No team has ever survived relegation after collecting merely two points from their opening 14 games, and at their current rate, they would finish the season with just seven points — threatening to eclipse Derby County’s infamous 11-point record from the 2007-08 campaign.
Lowest points totals in Premier League history
Huddersfield Town (18/19)
16
Sheffield United (23/24)
16
Sunderland (05/06)
15
Southampton (24/25)
12
Derby County
11
The appointment of Edwards represents a desperate gamble by chairman Jeff Shi, who acknowledged the club needs a complete philosophical refresh.
Edwards’ deep connections to Molineux — having made over 100 appearances as a player before serving in various coaching capacities — offer hope that he understands the DNA required to navigate this crisis.
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By
Dominic Lund
Nov 27, 2025
However, his task is monumental. Vitor Pereira managed just a 36.8 per cent win rate before his sacking in early November, inheriting a squad stripped of its best talent through successive transfer windows.
The pattern has become devastatingly familiar.
After selling Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in 2023, then Pedro Neto and Max Kilman in 2024, Wolves lost Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri last summer without securing adequate replacements.
Cunha’s departure to Man United for £62.5 million removed their most reliable goalscorer, 17 goals in all competitions last season, while Ait-Nouri joined Manchester City for £31 million.
The club’s attacking output has obviously collapsed as a result, with just seven goals scored so far — the division’s worst record and only team failing to reach double figures.
However, according to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, Shi and Fosun do have a succession plan for goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Wolves express James Trafford interest with Jose Sa set to leave
Indeed, it is believed that Wolves have expressed interest in signing Man City’s James Trafford on loan in January as Edwards searches for solutions.
The 23-year-old England youth international finds himself behind Gianluigi Donnarumma in Pep Guardiola’s pecking order after the Italian’s summer arrival, which is bad timing ahead of the World Cup next year.
After starting the campaign as City’s number one following Ederson’s departure to Fenerbahçe, Trafford has managed just three appearances since August and is eager to continue his development elsewhere.
Wolves face mounting concerns between the posts, with current number one Sam Johnstone enduring a difficult spell.
His error against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday proved costly, failing to connect properly with Omari Hutchinson’s cross and allowing the winning goal.
Meanwhile, second-choice Sa is ‘potentially set to leave’ next month, with West Ham monitoring the Portuguese ahead of a potential winter swoop.
Trafford enjoyed an outstanding 2024-25 Championship campaign with Burnley before returning to City, keeping 29 clean sheets in 45 appearances with an impressive 84.6 per cent save percentage.
His promotion-winning pedigree under Scott Parker could prove invaluable as Edwards desperately seeks reinforcements capable of mounting an unlikely survival bid during the second half of the season.
However, they’ll have to contend with competition for Trafford’s services, with Tottenham also believed to be exploring a move for the ‘top talent’.
A Brazil international says his friends and family members are now urging him to join Arsenal, describing the Gunners as the ‘perfect’ club.
Arsenal prepare for Chelsea after statement Bayern Munich win
Arsenal’s commanding 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night has set the stage perfectly for Sunday’s blockbuster Premier League clash with second-placed Chelsea this weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their perfect Champions League record with a dominant second-half performance that overwhelmed the previously unbeaten German champions.
Jurrien Timber’s header from Bukayo Saka’s corner opened the scoring before teenage sensation Lennart Karl equalized with a composed volley to end Arsenal’s clean sheet streak in the competition.
However, the second period belonged entirely to the hosts. Substitute Noni Madueke, after returning from two months out with a knee injury, broke the deadlock with his first Arsenal goal before Gabriel Martinelli capitalized on Manuel Neuer’s catastrophic error to seal all three points.
The result sends Arsenal three points clear at the top of the Champions League table and represents their first victory over Bayern in a decade, ending a winless run against the Bavarians dating all the way back to October 2015.
Martin Odegaard’s late comeback appearance off the bench provided even more encouragement ahead of the weekend’s crucial encounter at Stamford Bridge.
The captain’s return offers Arteta additional midfield creativity just when Arsenal need it most, facing a Chelsea side riding high after their own impressive European victory over Barcelona.
Sunday’s clash represents a genuine title race test. Arsenal arrive in excellent form, having thrashed Tottenham 4-1 in the North London derby before dispatching Bayern, and they’re currently on a phenomenal 16-game unbeaten streak.
Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham
Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich
Chelsea, meanwhile, sit just six points behind the league leaders following their Champions League demolition job.
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ByEmilio Galantini Nov 28, 2025
Away from the pitch, sporting director Andrea Berta continues to weigh up how best to strengthen Arteta’s squad for the long-term.Reports suggest that Arsenal have already held ‘initial’ talks over Elche sensation Rodrigo Mendoza, amid his comparisons to Pedri, but someone else has now opened the door for a potential N5 move.
Luiz Henrique makes Arsenal transfer admission
That man is Zenit St. Petersburg winger Luiz Henrique.
The Brazilian, who boasts 11 caps for his country, joined the Russian Premier League side back in January following a brief stint in his homeland at Botafogo.
Before that, he was at Real Betis in La Liga after coming through the ranks at Fluminense, and he’s been discussing his next career moves in an interview with Globo Esporte.
Speaking to the outlet, as translated by Arsenal News, Henrique claims that his close circle have told him to join Arsenal, expressing how he is a “huge fan” of that idea.
The 23-year-old, who’s bagged one goal and three assists in 14 league appearances this season, is in Carlo Ancelotti’s thinking for the 2026 World Cup.
He was included in the Brazil squad for recent friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia, making appearances off the bench, and Henrique’s versatility to play almost anywhere in attack would appeal to Arteta.
However, as yet, there’s been no links to the forward from an Arsenal perspective, at least not this year.
That being said, Henrique has clearly invited the north Londoners to make a move, so the door is wide open.
England assistant coach says lack of warm-up matches is ‘the way of the modern game’
ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2025England have defended their limited Ashes preparation ahead of the start of their warm-up game against the Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth on Thursday. The three-day match-up is England’s only match practice ahead of next Friday’s first Test at Optus Stadium, which assistant coach Marcus Trescothick described as “the way of the modern game”.Ashes tours have historically started with a series of warm-up fixtures between travelling squads and either domestic or invitational teams, but they have been greatly reduced in recent series as boards look to streamline schedules.England have largely eschewed warm-up fixtures since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over as head coach and captain, preferring training camps and intra-squad matches, but have generally started series strongly. They have won all the first Test in each of their last five overseas tours, including in India, Pakistan and New Zealand last year.”It’s the way that the series are generally done – for us and for other opposition teams – around the world nowadays,” Trescothick told reporters in Perth on Tuesday. “With the volume of cricket that’s played [elsewhere], you don’t have the time for preparations like potentially playing two or three first-class games, which has happened in the past.”I think you generally roll with a prep game, or some facilities – whatever you have available – and you go from there. Of course, most of the guys have been playing in New Zealand for us. Some of the guys have come out from England, but it’s the way of the modern game nowadays.”Michael Vaughan, who opened the batting with Trescothick on England’s 2002-03 tour to Australia, has questioned the value in playing on a club ground which will “bounce really low” ahead of the first Test on an Optus Stadium which is expected to be fast with steep bounce.Related
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But Trescothick said England were “very happy” with their preparation: “We’ve had facilities here with the nets, and obviously then the nets out in the middle, and then we’ve got the preparation game here as well.”In my day, playing at the Waca was very unique and very different, but you prepare yourself for those sorts of changes in facilities and pitches as you go along. We’ll have three days of prep at Optus, just to get used to pitches and we go along with that, and we’ll go from there. We’re very happy at the moment.”Ben Duckett, who will open the batting in next week’s first Test, arrived in Perth last week and said that facing England’s fast bowlers in the nets has provided “pretty good” preparation following a white-ball tour to New Zealand.”I don’t know what the right answer is,” Duckett told the podcast. “We play a lot of cricket at the minute, and we’ve obviously just come off the back of our summer. We’re certainly not lacking any gametime.”I don’t make those plans, but I’m pretty happy getting ready in the nets. If we’re facing Jofra [Archer], Woody [Mark Wood] and those guys everyday, I think that will be pretty good prep.”England’s preparation has been heavily criticised by former players, with Ian Botham suggesting their slimline schedule “borders on arrogance”. It stands in clear contrast to Australia’s build-up, with 14 members of their 15-man squad for the first Test involved in the ongoing round of Sheffield Shield fixtures.
Arne Slot has confirmed a key Liverpool player will miss his side's Champions League trip to Inter Milan due to injury. The Reds were left reeling after Mohamed Salah accused the club of "throwing him under the bus" amid his struggles to get back into their starting XI. After it emerged that the 33-year-old won't travel to Italy, a team-mate of his also won't feature.
Salah out of Inter Milan game
After Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday, Salah said someone at the club wants him to "get all the blame", that he deserves to start for the Reds after what he has done for them over the years and his relationship with manager Slot has broken down. In response, the Dutchman admitted he had "no clue" whether the Egypt international had played his last game for the Merseyside outfit and that he was not "weak" for entertaining the possibility of re-integrating the 33-year-old back into the fold. Hot on the heels of that, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher called Salah's comments "disgraceful" and accused him of trying to get Slot sacked. This came after the Reds had decided against taking Salah to the San Siro for Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Inter, and to make matters worse, the Premier League title holders will be without more attacking options for this tough fixture.
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Liverpool injury setback
On Monday night, Slot told reporters that winger Cody Gakpo will be out for several weeks after picking up an injury against Leeds, and fellow wideman Chiesa is also not going to play due to illness.
He said: "Federico is ill, that is poor timing you could say but not something you can do about. If he has an amazing recovery, which doctors don't expect, he might travel tomorrow, but that's not what I expect. Cody picked up an injury against Leeds and he will be out for a few weeks."
Between Gakpo and Chiesa, they have scored six goals in the Premier League this season, in addition to four assists. The Dutchman has more goal contributions (seven) than any other Reds player in the league this term, so he could be a big loss for them in the coming weeks.
Incidentally, on the Inter test, goalkeeper Alisson added, "We have a big challenge tomorrow. Inter Milan is doing so well this season, so my focus, the focus of the team, is on the challenge we're going to face tomorrow."
Slot praises Liverpool star
There was a great deal of excitement when Chiesa swapped Juventus for Liverpool for around £10 million in the summer of 2024. However, injuries and a failure to break into the first team limited him to just 14 appearances in all competitions. This term, however, he has already played 15 times and provided five goal contributions. And that has not gone unnoticed by Slot.
When asked about the winger's chances of making Italy's World Cup squad, he said: "It's not up to me to decide who should be selected for the national team. I'm very pleased to see that Federico is in a much better place this season than last season, when he struggled a lot with his fitness. This season, he has been much fitter and, as a result, has had more playing time than last season. When he's played, he's had some very good moments, so it is up to the Italian manager if he wants to select him. I like him as a player and person."
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What comes next for Liverpool?
A Chiesa-less Liverpool face a tough test in Italy against Inter on Tuesday night, before they return to Premier League action on Saturday at home to Brighton. The Reds, who are ninth in the table, will hope they can emerge victorious in both these encounters this week.
On the Inter game, Slot said: "I see more similarities than differences. Same system, all the same players in what I expect as a starting line-up. Probably he did a few things but the way they press higher up the pitch, I see more similarities between Simone Inzaghi and Christian Chivu."
Neymar is all set to visit the 'miracle doctor' in Brazil in a bid to overcome injury and make it to Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad in North America next summer. Neymar has struggled for fitness throughout the calendar year; however, he saw a late resurgence into the season as he scored and helped Santos avoid relegation, finishing 12th in the Brazilian top division league.
Neymar's late resurgence at Santos
In his final four games for Santos at the business end of the Brazilian Serie A season, Neymar scored five goals and provided one assist as his boyhood club won their last three matches of the campaign and successfully saved relegation. The late resurgence included a hat-trick for the Brazil icon, which came in Santos' 3-0 win over Juventude.
However, Neymar is still recovering from his chronic injury issues and is now planning to work on his condition to get fully fit and earn a recall in the Brazil squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup next summer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesNeymar to consult 'miracle doctor'
Neymar will soon undergo a partial arthroscopic meniscectomy on his left knee. further reports that the 33-year-old will soon consult a famous Brazilian physiotherapist, Eduardo Santos, who is known as 'Dr. Miracle' for his ability to treat patients in record time, often using unconventional methods.
Graduated from PUC (Pontifical Catholic University) in Belo Horizonte, Santos holds a master's and doctorate in sports medicine, and for years, he headed the medical department of Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG. He has also worked at Vitesse in the Netherlands and Zenit in Russia.
Some of his high-profile patients include Hulk, Oscar, Philippe Coutinho and, more recently, Manchester United's Matheus Cunha and Vanderson. Santos is currently in England, working closely on the recovery of Fulham star Rodrigo Muniz. In 2015, after former Brazilian defender David Luiz was ruled out for eight to 10 weeks, Santos miraculously made him play his next match within 10 days.
Ancelotti's warning to Neymar
Despite Neymar working hard to regain his full fitness ahead of the World Cup, Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti recently issued a warning to all Selecao stars. The Italian coach said: "There are many players who are very good, I need to choose players that are 100%. It's not just Neymar, it could be [Real Madrid forward] Vinicius. If Vinicius is at 90%, I'll call up another player who is at 100%, because it's a team that has a very high level of competence, especially up front. Up front, we have really many good players."
He added: "If we talk about Neymar, we have to talk about other players. We have to think about Brazil, which can be with Neymar or without Neymar, with other players or without other players. The definitive list we will make after the FIFA date in March. I understand very well that they are very interested in Neymar, I want to clarify that we are in December, the World Cup is in June, I will choose the team that will go to the World Cup in May. If Neymar deserves to be, if he is well, better than someone else, he will play in the World Cup and period. I don't owe anyone a debt."
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Getty Images SportNeymar cast doubts on Santos future
After Santos' final game of the season, Neymar told reporters that he is not certain whether to continue at the club after his current deal expires in a few weeks. The Brazil star said: "I came for this, to try to help the best way I can. These have been tough weeks for me. I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have played these matches because of these injuries, this knee problem. I need to rest and then we will have this knee surgery. I do not know, really. I don’t know. I need some days now, I need to rest, disconnect then decide my future. For sure my priority always goes to Santos."
And does Simon Harmer have the most wickets in a series at the lowest average?
Steven Lynch02-Dec-2025Simon Harmer took 17 wickets at less than nine apiece in the recent series in India. Has anyone taken more in a series at a lower average?</B asked Kelvin Phillips from South Africa
The South African offspinner Simon Harmer took 17 wickets at 8.94 in the recent 2-0 victory in India, figures that put him in rarefied company: only six bowlers have taken more wickets at a lower average in a series in which they played at least two Tests – and no one has done it since England’s Tony Lock took 34 wickets at just 7.47 against New Zealand at home in 1958.Lowest of all dates from South Africa’s first-ever Test series, at home in 1888-89: England’s Johnny Briggs took 21 wickets at just 4.80. Seven years later another England bowler, George Lohmann, took advantage of some more inexperienced South Africans to take 35 wickets at 5.80 in a three-match series.No one has taken more wickets at a lower average in any series in India (again playing in a minimum of two Tests): Jasprit Bumrah took ten at 9.00 apiece against Sri Lanka in 2021-22. In third place is Marco Jansen, with 12 at 10.08 in the just-finished series.Aiden Markram took nine catches in the second Test against India. Was this a record for a non-wicketkeeper?asked Tim Vallance from England
South Africa’s Aiden Markram, who was playing in his 50th Test, took nine catches in the demolition of India in Guwahati last week, all of them in the slips (although two required a dive into the gully area). It was a record for an outfielder in a Test, beating the eight of India’s Ajinkya Rahane against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2015. There are also seven cases of seven.Markram’s feat has been bettered only once in first-class cricket: in 1928, the England batter Wally Hammond caught ten in a County Championship match against Surrey at Cheltenham. It was definitely Hammond’s match: he also scored 139 and 143 in a comfortable win. In the next match at the college ground, he took 9 for 23 and 6 for 105 against Worcestershire, and scored 80 in an innings victory.There are two other instances of nine outfield catches in a first-class match: by Warwickshire’s Rikki Clarke against Lancashire in Liverpool in 2011, and Peter Handscomb for Victoria against Tasmania at St Kilda in Melbourne in March 2022.How many England openers have bagged a pair in Australia, as Zak Crawley did in Perth?asked Nick Jones from England
Zak Crawley’s run-less double in the Ashes opener in Perth was only the fourth time an England opener has bagged a pair in a Test in Australia, and the first since Mike Atherton in Melbourne in 1998, in a match England still won. The others were Dennis Amiss, courtesy of Dennis Lillee in Adelaide in 1975, and Trevor Bailey, dismissed twice by Ray Lindwall in what turned out to be his last Test, in Melbourne in 1959.Overall there have been just nine cases of an England opener bagging a pair in a Test, two of them by the unfortunate Atherton.Michael Atherton is the only England opener to have bagged a pair twice in Tests•Clive Mason/PA PhotosIndia have lost five home Tests in a row. When was the last time this happened?asked Maneck Bholl from India
Well, first of all India haven’t lost five in a row: in between the 3-0 defeat by New Zealand last season and the recent 2-0 reverse at South Africa’s hands, they overpowered West Indies in two Tests in Ahmedabad and Delhi in October. In fact India have never lost five in a row at home: their worst run is three, against New Zealand at the end of last year, England in 1976-77, Australia (two in 1969-70) and England (one in 1972-73), and West Indies in 1958-59.Away from home India lost seven consecutive Tests in England in 1967 and Australia in 1967-68. They lost six in a row in 1959, including a 5-0 defeat in England (England’s only such whitewash). Recent successes mean India have now won 185 of their 598 Tests, with 188 defeats to go with 224 draws (plus one tie).In a recent one-day international against Sri Lanka, Pakistan delivered 26 wides but still won. Was this a record?asked Fahad Ali
The match you’re talking about was the first ODI in Rawalpindi last month: despite conceding 26 in wides, Pakistan won by six runs in the end. It’s actually not a record: Australia beat New Zealand in Pune in 2003 despite donating 32 runs in wides, as did the United Arab Emirates against Papua New Guinea in Windhoek in 2023. There’s also two cases of winning despite conceding 31 wides: by India against Kenya in Bristol during the 1999 World Cup, and Pakistan against India in Mohali in 2007.There are some higher numbers in women’s ODIs: in three matches in 2001, the Netherlands conceded 56, 52 and 45 wides against Pakistan – but won all three games. At Merrion in Dublin in 2004, New Zealand gave away 43 runs in wides, but still beat Ireland; and in Dambulla in 2016, Australia defeated Sri Lanka despite conceding 41 wides.And there’s some updates to a recent question about umpires’ early decisions,from Charles Davis in Australia and Ashru Mitra in India:
There are a few refinements to the list of those who had to give a batter out from their first ball in a Test, as mentioned in this recent column. The man who gave Herbert Sutcliffe out from the first ball of England’s Test against New Zealand in Christchurch in March 1933 was Richard Torrance. His colleague was Thomas Burgess, also standing in his first Test, and from the first ball at his end Eddie Paynter was bowled.There was a curious incident in Port-of-Spain in March 1971, when the West Indian opener Roy Fredericks was dismissed by the first ball of the match, from India’s Abid Ali. The debutant umpire Stuart Ishmael gave Fredericks out lbw, but then noticed the bails had been dislodged, so he was recorded as bowled.Finally the umpire in the South Africa-India Test in Durban in November 1992 was Cyril Mitchley, not Karl Liebenberg: they were alternating on the field (partnering Steve Bucknor) in what was South Africa’s first home Test for nearly 23 years. Jimmy Cook edged Kapil Dev’s first ball of the match into the slips, where Sachin Tendulkar took a catch. It seems, from Cook’s own account, that although Mitchley was at square leg he did have to rule on whether the ball had hit the ground before it reached Tendulkar: to Cook’s horror, he decided it had not.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions