George Bell and Josh Bohannon’s hundreds not enough for struggling Lancashire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay20-Aug-2025

Captain Ollie Robinson and in-form allrounder Will Rhodes hit composed, match-clinching half-centuries as Durham maintained their Metro Bank One-Day Cup knockout hopes by beating struggling Lancashire by four wickets at Liverpool.Wicketkeeper-batter Robinson and Rhodes, in pursuit of 321, came together at 168 for 3 in the 30th over and calmly secured a third win from six in Group B. They shared 127, Robinson with 80 not out off 59 balls and Rhodes 75 off 68. Durham won with nine balls remaining.With two games remaining, they are eyeing a top-three finish. Lancashire, however, lost their fourth game in six and are way off the pace. Their wicketkeeper-opener George Bell’s excellent 104 off 115 balls represented his maiden first-team century.The Red Rose’s 320 all out saw Bell – aged 22 – star and Josh Bohannon became the county’s first batter to score back-to-back List A centuries since Liverpudlian Paul Horton in 2009. He top-scored with 106 off 102 balls having done similar at Kent on Sunday. Durham seamer Ben Raine excelled with 4 for 34 from 9.5 overs.This was Rhodes’ third fifty added to a century in this campaign, and Robinson is leading the side in place of club captain Alex Lees in order to build his leadership experience.Inserted, Lancashire raced to 50 without loss in four overs but were hurt by losing their last eight wickets for 65 inside the final eight overs of the innings. Michael Jones fell for a brisk 30 against his former county when he miscued a pull at Codi Yusuf’s seam to Emilio Gay running in from deep square leg.Will Rhodes plays forward•Getty Images

In excellent batting conditions, Bell and Bohannon shared 175 inside 29 overs. Bell was 35 when Bohannon came in, but the latter reached his hundred first, off 96 balls. His second fifty came in only 29. And when Bell reached his ton shortly afterwards, off 113 balls, the Red Rose were 251 for 2 after 41 overs.Bell and Bohannon were then both caught at deep midwicket slog-sweeping against the seam of Rhodes and Colin Ackermann’s spin as the Red Rose slipped from 255 for 2 in the 42nd over. Raine claimed the last three as Durham crucially came back well, with the the suspicion of Lancashire being light on runs.Lees and Gay made a steady start, with an 84-run partnership inside 15 overs broken when the latter miscued a pull at Tom Aspinwall’s seam out to Jones running in from deep square leg. While Aspinwall had been released by the Manchester Originals, Lancashire left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard couldn’t bowl having dislocated his right little finger diving to stop a boundary.Durham’s serene progress was checked when Lees, who went beyond 3,000 List A career runs during his 64, chipped to cover off Arav Shetty’s spin. And further so when Colin Ackermann on 39 flicked Aspinwall to midwicket with the score on 168 eight overs later.Robinson and Rhodes took Harry Singh’s off-spin to task as 22 came off the 35th over, including four boundaries, with Durham moving to 213 for 3. Singh was covering for Barnard’s absence, and this felt like a crucial moment. From there, Rhodes and Robinson cruised against a depleted but spirited attack.Rhodes reached his fifty off 48 balls, and when Robinson followed him there off 39 balls, the visitors were 258 for three in the 41st over. Their progress could not be halted even with Rhodes and then Raine falling late on in a Tom Bailey over.

Jon Lewis picks over the wreckage of failed campaign as Australia loom in the new year

Valkerie Baynes12-Nov-2024England will be seeking the ultimate response to their shock early T20 World Cup exit when they travel to South Africa for a multi-format series from the end of November.Last month’s failure to reach the knockout phase of a tournament where they were considered title contenders is still raw, but Jon Lewis, England Women’s head coach, has been unpicking what went wrong during a six-wicket defeat to West Indies in their final group-stage game in Dubai.The loss of captain Heather Knight once she retired hurt with a calf injury while in the midst of a free-flowing 21 off 13 balls emerged as a key factor at the time. With the exception of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 57, no other batter reached double figures after Knight’s exit as England collapsed to 141 for 7.Then, with Sciver-Brunt standing in as captain, England couldn’t contain a century opening partnership between Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph – the latter put down a staggering five times en route to 52 – and looked increasingly rattled in the field with every boundary and dropped catch.Related

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It all pointed to an inability to withstand the pressure of things not going their way, a scenario England had rehearsed throughout their home summer, even leaving Knight out of a match to simulate what turned out to be their worst-case scenario.Speaking on Tuesday from England’s high-performance base in Loughborough where he was working with the South Africa touring party – minus those in Australia playing in the WBBL – Lewis highlighted the difficulty of training for tournament cricket, despite that being a challenge for teams universally.”Yes, we have done a lot of work around how we how we work under pressure, and we’ve done a good amount of ‘what if’ planning, if our captain’s not around and so on,” Lewis said. “It’s not back to the drawing board, but it’s a continuation of that work, and to make sure that, rather than going, ‘oh, what we’ve done hasn’t worked, we can’t do this, and we can’t do that’, it’s, ‘okay, what is it we need to tweak, to improve, to make sure that if that situation ever happens again, we’re able to cope with it better than we did last time?’Once England are joined in South Africa by their WBBL players – including Knight, who is among the competition’s leading run-scorers – Lewis said attention could turn fully to moving forward.”When we get to South Africa, we’ll be doing some work around that and how we respond to those sorts of situations,” he added. “The tricky thing is, to recreate those situations is incredibly tough in training. However, we’ll just continue to plan, talk and think and develop, because we are a developing side with a lot of young players… with a young group of players, there’s a chance that they will make mistakes when the pressure goes up. The key bit is about what they learn from that, how they reflect on it.”England dropped five catches against West Indies•ICC/Getty ImagesOf the eleven players on the field in that game against West Indies, seven were aged 25 or younger. But, of those seven players, only two in allrounder Dani Gibson and seam bowler Lauren Bell had played fewer than 30 T20Is.Sophie Ecclestone, the spearhead of England’s four-pronged spin attack, has played 90 T20Is despite being just 25 years old, while legspinner Sarah Glenn is the same age and has played 68. Alice Capsey, England’s youngest player at just 20, has 37 T20I caps and was one of the busiest franchise players in the world in 2023-24 – she has made 124 T20 appearances in all during her relatively short career.Lewis said “I 100% don’t agree” with suggestions in the aftermath of that defeat that his team weren’t fit enough. Instead he highlighted – along with the youth of his team – inconsistent bowling and skill execution with regards to the dropped catches as reasons behind the World Cup exit. He also felt the side “became a little safer at times in our decision-making” and wanted to see a return to the more fearless approach of last year’s drawn Ashes, especially with a return series looming in Australia in January.”There’ll be some real strong group reflection when we get to South Africa,” he said. “I would expect a real response from the T20 team in particular in this series against South Africa. What I would like us to do is to go back to how we were playing last summer against the Australians, how fearless we were.Related

Lewis: Staying on a roll poses biggest challenge as England Women scatter

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Alice Capsey omitted from T20Is as England name South Africa tour squads

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“What I’ve been able to do here with the players, in terms of one-to-one reflection, they’ve all been really honest and really understanding of what they got right and what they got wrong, and they’re all really clear about what the next steps are for them moving forward. And so the work begins now to put that right in terms of getting better at our skills and being braver with our skills, and then moving the team forward.”One player who won’t be part of the South Africa tour, which begins with the first of three T20Is on November 24 is Capsey, who was dropped as one of just two changes to the T20I squad, the other one enforced after Gibson underwent surgery on a knee injury sustained in the field against West Indies. Paige Scholfield has been brought in to add firepower with the bat at No. 6 or 7 and quick Lauren Filer returns after missing the World Cup where seam bowling played a bigger role than many teams had anticipated.Capsey’s omission comes amid an extended form slump in which she managed a top score of 19 in three World Cup innings and has made 64 runs in seven innings – with just two double-figure scores – for Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL. But, given that Lewis identified bowling as an issue at the World Cup, making her the only omission seems a one-dimensional response.Alice Capsey was dropped for the South Africa tour•ICC/Getty Images”The reason for leaving Alice out of the T20 squad was her inconsistency over a period of time, not just at the World Cup,” Lewis said. “Alice’s form has been trending downwards for probably the last eight to nine months. I felt that it’s a really good time for us and her to have a reset in how she goes about what she does, and give her a little bit more time to work out the issues that she’s having within her game and then come back stronger.”The most important thing from my point of view, in that position at No.3, is that she continues to try and impact the game and play the way that we’d like her to play, but we would also like her to be a little bit more consistent in that space. What I do know about Alice is that she’s incredibly strong-willed and really determined to be the best player she can be. There’s no doubt in my mind that, over time, she will play lots and lots of games for England in all formats but at the moment, she’s just trending in the wrong direction, and we just need to have a little reset.”Lewis also said there had been lessons learned off the field, especially with the optics of players posting on social media from a yacht trip during a day off in Dubai. While he was “really confident” in players’ off-field behaviour, he acknowledged that such posts could further arm critics.”I think that’ll be a sharp learning curve for the players involved in that,” he said. “What I would say is, I really trust our players and they train incredibly hard, but the female game particularly was getting a lot more scrutiny than ever before. Unfortunately for the players, that’s something that they’re going to have to think about and understand the consequence of those things, of the misconception of what they are doing and how people can misconceive a social media post.”I’ve got an incredibly diligent and incredibly hard-working group of players who I feel get the balance really right in terms of relaxing and having fun and being able to turn off from the high-pressure jobs that they do. I feel that they get it just about right. They won’t always get it right, because young people make mistakes, but I would say the vast majority of the time, they get it very right.”In South Africa, England face opponents sifting through World Cup disappointment of their own, having reached a second consecutive T20 World Cup final, only to lose it, this time to New Zealand. And their task won’t be any easier in the new year against Australia, the defending champions who were sensationally beaten in the semi-finals by South Africa.With so much to play for over the next two-and-a-half months, the trajectory of England’s education is sure to remain steep.

Maya Jama was among those in attendance at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City claimed an impressive 3-0 victory over Liverpool. The TV presenter was in the crowd to cheer on boyfriend Ruben Dias. The Portuguese defender helped Pep Guardiola’s side to a clean sheet on home soil having recently been spotted viewing a £4 million mansion with Jama.

A-list fan: Jama cheers City to victory over Liverpool

City moved to within four points of table-topping Arsenal as they picked up three precious points against their modern-day rivals. Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku were on target for the Blues as they piled more misery on the reigning Premier League champions.

Jama was given plenty to cheer in the stands, with the Love Island host taking in another trip to the Etihad. She has been a regular at City matches this season, with Dias taking in 15 appearances across all competitions. He has now reached another international break and will be heading off on 2026 World Cup qualifying duty with Portugal.

AdvertisementHouse hunting: Jama ready to move in with Dias

Jama, who posted a video on social media of City and Liverpool players emerging from the tunnel ahead of their crunch clash and could be heard saying “there he is” as Dias lined up on the field, may decide to take in another Portugal fixture having been spotted watching the defender in international action, too. A date with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin is next on the agenda for them.

A break in club action for Dias could also provide him with more time to check out houses with Jama. According to , they have already taken a look around a stunning mansion in Cheshire that was the top prize in an Omaze draw.

The 6,300 square foot, four-bedroom abode boasts panoramic views, landscaped gardens and a “luxury indoor leisure suite”. The house would not come cheap, if renting or buying, but Dias and Jama are looking to put down roots together – with the latter ready to move out of London and head north.

Instagram

Famous neighbours: Mansion is in swanky Cheshire

A source has told The Sun: “It's the third time Ruben and Maya have looked at the property. They spent about two hours there on Wednesday. It's quite a long time to spend on a viewing, but the house is very captivating.

“Ruben arrived in his Lamborghini and Maya came separately in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes. They looked deep in thought when they left together. The house is up for rent at around £20,000 a month, but also up for sale if the price is right. They are very happy together and want to move into a place together which they can call home.”

Emily Ward, who won the mansion in question from a £25 Omaze ticket, said of the property that she is looking to sell: “The house is spectacular — I can see why it’s so popular with millionaire footballers. It will be quite surreal popping out to buy a pint of milk and bumping into Wayne or Coleen Rooney.” Alongside the Rooneys, Alderley Edge has also been home down the years to David and Victoria Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kyle Walker and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

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Getty/GOALRomantic breaks: Dias & Jama met at MTV awards

Dias recently told of his relationship with Jama – who he met at the MTV European Music Awards in November 2024 – and whether life in the public eye is a problem: “No, I think that's the last thing you think about. We are just both aware of it, and there's no way around it. But at the end of the day, you don't make it about it. You make it about everything else, and then that's an extra you have to deal with and, obviously, be smart with it.”

Dias and Jama have enjoyed a number of romantic breaks together and are ready to take their relationship to the next level, with an insider having previously told The Sun: “Maya loves the down-to-earth nature of Manchester, as well as the glamour of the football and WAG scene. Bristol and London will always be special to her, but she is loving spending more time in Manchester with Ruben.”

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game rosters are set, and now we know who the league's players voted for.

The results of player balloting have been released and there are few surprises, especially at the top.

Players overwhelmingly voted for New York Yankees star Aaron Judge to get in, as he garnered the most votes with 898. Second in player voting is a man having an unbelievable season, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who checked in with 823 votes. Third was Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (746), and fourth was Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (700).

In the National League, Chicago Cubs phenom Pete Crow-Armstrong led the way with 636 votes, while Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was second (653), and Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was third (564). It's crazy to not see Ohtani in first place.

On the pitching side, players gave Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal the most votes (365), while Pittsburgh Pirates righty Paul Skenes led voting in the National League (289).

The full voting results are below.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game will take place on July 15.

Despite spending over £100m on new additions during the summer transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur failed to address the issue at the top end of the pitch.

The likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons arrived in North London, bolstering the ranks, but neither are natural centre forwards, which has left Thomas Frank short in such an area.

Richarlison has operated in such a role for the majority of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, but he’s often failed to deliver – as seen by his run of eight games without a goal.

Dominic Solanke is another option the Dane will have been hoping to rely upon, but the club-record addition, who cost £65m last summer, has been sidelined since August after undergoing ankle surgery.

Randal Kolo Muani was added to the Lilywhites squad in the summer, only joining on loan from PSG, but he’s only started one game across all competitions to date.

However, the board could be about to back the new manager during the upcoming January transfer window, with numerous names already appearing on the club’s shortlist.

Latest on Spurs' striker search

Over the last couple of days, Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović has been mentioned as a possible target for Spurs in January, with returning Sporting Director Fabio Paratici likely playing a key role in the deal.

The Lilywhites have been named as one of the sides pursuing a move for the 25-year-old, who’s already found the net three times in Serie A throughout 2025/26.

Any deal for the Serbian international could prove to be a cut-price one, with the talisman’s current contract with the Serie A outfit set to expire at the end of June next year.

However, he’s not the only attacker currently in their sights, with Porto talent Samu Aghehowa another option currently being considered by Frank and Paratici.

According to TEAMtalk’s latest report, the Lilywhites have been closely monitoring the Spaniard over the last couple of months and are considering a potential approach in January.

The article also states that the 21-year-old could be an expensive addition for the Lilywhites this winter, especially considering the talisman has a £87m release clause in his current deal in Portugal.

As previously mentioned, it’s clear the board are targeting a new number nine in the near future, but any addition will have a near-impossible task of filling the void in North London.

Why Spurs’ latest target could be Frank’s own Harry Kane

The likes of Richarlison and Solanke have often been given a hard time by the Spurs supporters over recent seasons – no doubt due to the levels produced by Harry Kane before them.

The England international was so often the key man for the first-team during his decade-long spell in North London, with the figures he produced nothing short of breathtaking.

He netted a total of 280 goals in his 435 competitive outings for the Lilywhites, a tally that sees him sit at the top of the club’s all-time goalscoring charts.

Breaking down his numbers further adds yet another dimension to his quality, with the England international scoring over 30 goals in 50% of his seasons in England’s top-flight.

However, he was sold to Bayern Munich for a reported £82m in the summer of 2023, leaving the Spurs squad without that clinical centre-forward they so often turned to in moments of struggle.

As a result, Frank has been unable to work with the 32-year-old, but he could be handed his own version of the talisman, should the club complete a deal for Aghehowa.

The Spaniard has become known for his goalscoring ability in Portugal over the last 12 months – as seen by his incredible tally of 36 strikes in his 56 appearances.

He’s already managed to register 11 goals in his first 14 appearances, which has led to talent scout Jacek Kulig labelling him as “one of Europe’s most prolific players”.

Aghehowa’s underlying stats further highlight the all-round talent he possesses in attacking areas, subsequently making him the perfect player to fill the void Kane left a couple of years ago.

Games played

8

8

Goals scored

6

12

Shot on target accuracy

60%

57%

Short pass accuracy

86%

85%

Take-on success

50%

46%

Progressive carries

2.3

1.1

Carres into 18-yard box

0.9

0.6

Aerials won

1.2

1.1

He’s achieved a total of 2.4 shots on target per 90, a total which ranks him within the top 5% of all players in the Liga Portugal for the ongoing campaign.

The youngster has also completed 81% of the passes he’s attempted, whilst winning 58% of the aerial battles he’s entered – arguably making him the perfect focal point for Frank’s men.

Despite being a target man, the Spaniard has also demonstrated tidy footwork over recent months, as seen by his total of 1.3 successful dribbles per 90 in 2025/26.

It’s unclear if Porto would be willing to negotiate a deal lower than his release clause, but Paratici should be working tirelessly to complete a deal for his signature.

Should he make the move to North London during the winter months, it certainly will hand Frank the talisman he’s craved – potentially allowing the Dane to have his own version of fan-favourite, Kane.

Forget Johnson: "Unacceptable" Spurs flop now looks finished under Frank

Thomas Frank now has a Tottenham Hotspur player who looks finished in North London.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 30, 2025

Australia captain Alyssa Healy has made some technical adjustments to her wicketkeeping technique in a bid to ease the strain on her body ahead of the ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Healy has not kept in a competitive fixture since the ODI series against England during the Ashes in January. She played the Test in that series as a specialist batter having suffered a recurrence of a foot injury that she first sustained at last year’s T20 World Cup, while a knee injury curtailed her WBBL season.Healy explained that the changes won’t be hugely visible but consist of her starting in a slightly more upright position, something she termed a hybrid technique between what is generally coached differently in Australia and England.Related

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“We’ve been taught how to wicket keep a certain way in this country for an extended period of time,” Healy said at the announcement of Westpac as a new partner with Cricket Australia. “At the end of the day, it’s not overly efficient on our bodies, and doing it at 35 is not ideal.”We’ve just been looking at ways to make it a little bit easier for some ageing joints and trying to keep things moving the way they should. It’s been a nice learning experience later in my career, so hopefully it pays off.”Speaking separately to ESPNcricinfo, Healy went into more detail on how the changes came about following discussions with a podiatrist she was working with around her latest injury.”One of them actually worded it to me like when, and I’m not comparing myself to him, but when Cristiano Ronaldo started to get towards the back end of his career, they changed positions for him to make it a little bit easier on the body,” Healy said. “It was interesting and I said, well, how do we do that in the game of cricket? Like you can’t really change positions, but can we change things technically to make things more efficient? And we just played around with it.Alyssa Healy has battled injury over the past year•ICC/Getty Images

“[Looking at] some of the stressful parts of my job and what it’s doing to some of the joints in my body and how do I get the best out of myself for the back end of my career. So we just tinkered around with it and it’s just really simply, it’s kind of like a bit of a hybrid model between what the English do and what we do.”We’ve all been traditionally taught to stay low and come up with the ball and that’s fine until your knees and your feet can’t allow you to do that anymore. So just been playing around with how to get to my power position a little bit differently.”Healy will return to keeping in the upcoming Australia A series against India A with the hope she can play a full role behind the stumps at the World Cup which starts in late September. Australia will prepare for that tournament with three ODIs against India.”I’ll get a red-hot crack at it in the ODI fixtures in that A-series, so we’ll get a better look at how things are working,” she said. “My goal is to be there and playing in the World Cup as a wicketkeeper, so hopefully that pans out.”While Australia have a significant prize ahead of them as defending champions at the ODI World Cup, the team won’t be seen on home soil until the middle of February when they face India, with the WPL now permanently in January and forcing them out of the school holiday window.The multiformat series against India involves three T20Is, three ODIs and finishes with a day-night Test at the WACA in Perth.”Not having an international fixture in that school holiday period does hurt a little bit, but in saying that, it kind of extends the cricket season, which isn’t completely a bad thing for our sport,” Healy said. “At the back end of the Ashes [last year], I felt like that was really cool to have it at the end of the Border-Gavaskar, so hopefully there’s similar sort of momentum this year at the end of the men’s Ashes, that there’s still some more cricket to watch.”We’re playing India, which is one of the biggest series for us, so we’ll wait and see how it plays out. I think it’s going to look different for a little period of time until we work out the right balance for us in Australia with WPL shifting.”On the prospect of the pink-ball Test, Healy said: “Hopefully we get a nice fast, bouncy wicket, and we can show the Indians how good our pace stocks are.”

Highest individual score of 2025 competition confirms knockouts spot

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay22-Aug-2025Gloucestershire 343 for 7 (Bracey 186) beat Nottinghamshire 291 (Hameed 80, Haynes 57) by 52 runs Gloucestershire confirmed their qualification for the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, making it six wins from six matches after James Bracey pummelled Notts Outlaws with a magnificent 186, the highest individual score of the 2025 competition to date.The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter – dropped on 58 – numbered six sixes and 20 fours in an exhilarating 150-ball innings and though no other Gloucestershire batter made fifty, with skipper Cameron Bancroft’s 46 the next highest score, the Group A leaders still piled up 343 for 7 in their 50 overs.It was 52 too many for the Outlaws, bowled out for 291 in the 48th over, their qualification chance hanging by the thinnest of threads, if not mathematically dead. Matt Taylor, Jack Taylor and Craig Miles took two wickets each.Rob Lord (2 for 60) was the pick of the home attack but it was with the bat that the Outlaws needed to shine. Skipper Haseeb Hameed made 80 from 88 balls and Jack Haynes continued a good run of form with 57 from 66 but a relatively inexperienced batting line-up needed more from both.Bracey’s score is the second highest in his county’s List A cricket history – bettered only by his own unbeaten 224 against Somerset two years ago. He led partnerships of 121 for the first wicket with Bancroft and 101 with Ollie Price for the second.The left-hander looked sharp from the outset, punishing Lord with a pull for six and three back-to-back fours as Gloucestershire cruised to 50 without loss in 10 overs.After reaching 51 from 51 balls, his one big moment of good fortune came shortly afterwards as Ben Slater put him down at long-off and a breakthrough for the home side did not happen until the 23rd over when Bancroft was taken at mid-off. He and Bracey had shared their second three-figure opening stand of the campaign.Bracey completed his fourth List A hundred, the first of this season, from 98 deliveries, needing only another 30 to turn it into 150. His partnership with Price ended when the latter top-edged to mid-off for 34 but at 256 for 2 with 10 overs left, Gloucestershire had the platform for a substantial score.In the event, the home attack landed a few blows, Lord taking two in two to dismiss Ben Charlesworth and Miles Hammond, James Hayes deflecting Graeme Van Buuren’s drive into the stumps to run out Jack Taylor and having Daaryoush Ahmed caught on the boundary.Bracey was ultimately caught at short fine leg reversing James, who conceded 20 from his last over towards a total that looked daunting enough.An early wicket apiece for Matt Taylor and Josh Shaw did not improve the outlook for Notts as Slater was caught at slip and Ben Martindale chipped to mid-on.It left much responsibility on the shoulders of Haynes and Hameed. Haynes responded with his fifth half-century in seven innings in the competition but was caught behind off the glove attempting to pull Miles, by which time Gloucestershire’s bowlers were applying the squeeze.James was caught on the cover boundary off Ahmed, the right-arm seamer who is the least experienced of this Gloucestershire bowling attack and with the required rate pushing towards 11 an over, Sammy King perished for 21, caught at the second attempt by Ahmed behind square on the leg side off Miles, before van Buuren picked up a well-deserved wicket on his 35th birthday as Hameed miscued to extra cover.Jack Taylor removed Joe Pocklington and Dane Schadendorf (28 off 22), Matt Taylor dismissed Lord (27 from 18) and Price wrapped up the win as Brett Hutton was caught on the long-on boundary.

Ashes hopefuls Weatherald, Harris, Bancroft, Renshaw not included as the squad is a look towards the 2027 Test tour of India, with Connolly, Murphy and Rocchiccioli included as spinners

Alex Malcolm07-Aug-2025Sam Konstas’ bid to retain his Test place this summer will begin in India as he was named in the 14-man Australia A squad that will play India A in two red-ball four-day matches in Lucknow in September, albeit the squad has been selected with an eye towards Australia’s 2027 Test tour rather than the upcoming Ashes.Konstas was named alongside fellow Test opening candidate Nathan McSweeney and fellow teenager Oliver Peake in the squad. Promising Victoria opener Campbell Kellaway was also included among the batting group. Jake Weatherald, Jason Sangha and Kurtis Patterson, who all featured and performed well in the recent Australia A series against Sri Lanka A, were not included.Australian openers with previous Test experience, Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw, were also not included in the squad. Renshaw has been on two Test tours to India previously while Bancroft has previously toured India with Australia A including making 150 in an unofficial Test in Chennai in 2015 against an India A team that featured nine Indian Test players.Related

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Bailey declares Weatherald 'in the mix' for Ashes

Konstas will play for Australia again, but will he play the Ashes this year?

It is highly unlikely that performances in India against India A in September will have any bearing on Ashes selection with the national selectors already on record saying that the first three Sheffield Shield rounds will be of most relevance. The squad has clearly been selected with a longer-term view of giving younger players experience in Indian conditions with Australia due to tour there for a five-match Test series in January-February of 2027, when the composition of Australia’s top six may look slightly different with Usman Khawaja very unlikely to still be playing by that point while Steven Smith turns 38 in June 2027.”The subcontinent provides many unique challenges and the opportunity to utilise different skills with bat and ball,” chairman of selectors George Bailey said.”We hope repeated experiences in these conditions will assist players in developing an effective method and understanding of their game for future sub-continent tours.”Test offspinner Todd Murphy was included in the squad having taken 14 wickets in four Tests in India in 2023, including a seven on Test debut in Nagpur. Fellow offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli will also get a chance to impress having been to the MRF Academy last year and played for Australia A previously. Both men missed the recent series against Sri Lanka A due to short-term stints in county cricket in England.Left-arm-spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly, who made his Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year, will get the chance to gain some valuable subcontinent experience. Seam-bowling allrounders Aaron Hardie, Liam Scott and Jack Edwards were all included with the latter set to play for Australia A for the first time.Cooper Connolly will gain further red-ball exposure on the subcontinent•Getty ImagesCA contracted fast bowlers Lance Morris and Xavier Bartlett were picked as was the Shield’s leading wicket-taker in Fergus O’Neill. Josh Philippe was included as the sole wicketkeeper in the four-day squad.Connolly, Murphy, Hardie, Edwards and Scott will stay on for the three 50-over matches but Bartlett, Kellaway, Konstas, McSweeney, Morris, O’Neill, Peake, Philippe and Rocchiccioli will play in the four-day matches in Lucknow only before returning to Australia for the first Shield round that starts on October 4.”For many of these players we remain interested in the development of their short-form cricket as well, but balancing out priorities meant we wanted them back and available for the start of the Sheffield Shield season,” Bailey said.”This provides opportunities for Harry Dixon, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Tanveer Sangha, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland and Callum Vidler who will play the one-day matches in Kanpur.”Fraser-McGurk was included after losing his place in Australia’s ODI squad and he could well get the chance to keep wicket for the first time in his List A career with Shaw the only other wicketkeeper named in the white-ball squad. Fraser-McGurk is being developed as a back-up wicketkeeper for the T20I team having worked on his keeping with Australia’s fielding/keeping coach Andre Borovec on recent tours.Captains have yet to be named but there are a host of options given three state captains in McSweeney, Edwards and Sutherland will tour while Hardie has also previously led Australia A in a first-class game in New Zealand and captained Perth Scorchers.Australia A four-day squadXavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam ScottAustralia A one-day squadCooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Callum Vidler

Continuing their search for their next manager, Celtic have already been hit with a problem in pursuit of Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen, who has impressed the Bhoys during his time in Belgium.

The last thing Celtic need is a managerial saga, but they may have no choice. The Scottish Premiership champions must get their next appointment right and silencing the noise to do exactly that will be key.

That is, of course, easier said than done with several candidates already shortlisted and the likes of Chris Sutton already having their say on the vacant position.

The former Celtic star believes that Ange Postecoglou is the “obvious” choice and it’s easy to see why. The Australian won five trophies out of a possible six during his last spell at the club and is currently a free agent after lasting just 39 days at Nottingham Forest.

There will be some concerns about his recent performances in the dugout, but the Bhoys know more than anyone just how quickly Postecoglou can create success.

Another name on the reported shortlist is Kieran McKenna. The Ipswich manager took the Tractor Boys from League one all the way to the Premier League in back-to-back promotions, before suffering relegation from England’s top flight last season.

Although he has endured a tough year at Portman Road, his reputation remains intact and managerial ability clear for all to see. Whether Celtic would be able to lure him away from Ipswich remains to be seen, however, and that’s a problem they face with another candidate.

Celtic already facing Nicky Hayen problem

According to Sky Sports, Celtic are now tracking Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen, who held Brendan Rodgers’ side to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League last November.

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The 45-year-old has impressed in Belgium and would have no trouble convincing those at Celtic Park that he’s the right man for the job after smashing Rangers 9-1 on aggregate in the Champions League qualifiers back in August. Alas, there still lies one problem.

Luring Hayen away from Brugge could yet prove to be a difficult task and that instantly hands Celtic an obstacle that they’ll have to overcome if he emerges as their top choice.

Celtic already watched on as Rangers endured managerial chaos and may choose to avoid taking a similar path. If that does prove to be the case, then Hayen could become an unlikely candidate.

It’s clear why Brugge will be so desperate to keep their young manager, too. Speaking to The Guardian in January, the owner of Haverfordwest, Rob Edwards, who worked with Hayen at the Welsh club before he set off for Belgium said: “He’s a workaholic and that rubs off on players, it rubs off on staff and it gets everyone behind you if you lead from the front.

“I always knew he was going to go off somewhere else. We didn’t have him that long, but to see what he’s achieved since then makes us all really proud.”

Celtic readying first move for Ange Postecoglou

With the second half of the 2025 MLB season set to get underway, teams are assessing their approach for the upcoming trade deadline, weighing out whether it's worth it to get aggressive in hopes of competing for a World Series.

One team that ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan reports is expected to be aggressive, rather unusually so, is the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners have enjoyed a strong start to the season, thanks largely to their grade-A pitching staff and the utter dominance of AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, who leads MLB with 38 home runs at the break.

During an appearance on Seattle Sports radio's "Brock & Salk," Passan alluded to one key reason he thinks Seattle will, or at the very least should, take an aggressive approach to trade the deadline.

"I think the Mariners are going to be aggressive. And I think they should be," Passan said. "You don't take years like this from superstars and waste them. Period. And I think the Mariners front office knows that. Like, we can't ever expect a season like this from Cal Raleigh again. It's unreasonable, right? It's not just the numbers. It's the fact that we are talking about Cal Raleigh being up there with Barry Bonds, with Ken Griffey Jr., with Mickey Mantle. These are luminaries in the sport, and he belongs.

"And so when you get a season like that, don't waste it. Do everything you can, because once October comes around and once that guy steps in the batter's box, he can do magical things."

As Passan pointed out, a single, well-timed swing of the bat from Raleigh could be the difference between winning games in October and losing them. When you have a player who makes that much of an impact, both as a slugger and as a world-class catcher, it would be a disservice to the fan base not to put forth everything towards winning a title.

The Mariners don't often spend big. They were tame during free agency this offseason, which drew the ire of former Seattle infielder Justin Turner. While they've made some big mid-season splashes in recent years, including acquiring Luis Castillo in 2022 and Randy Arozarena in '24, that type of deal should only set the tone for what the Mariners accomplish at this year's deadline.

This year may well be the Mariners' best shot at a championship, something the franchise has still never achieved in its 48-year existence, and failing to make upgrades at the trade deadline to help achieve that goal would be a significant letdown.