Legendary coach Arrigo Sacchi has slammed the Italy squad after their 4-1 loss to Norway in World Cup qualification, saying that manager Gennaro Gattuso may need to take them back to the basics to rebuild their confidence and overall structure. The Azzurri, having missed out on the last two World Cups, will have to navigate the play-offs to secure a place at the competition next year after finishing second in their qualifying group.

Italy collapse in 4-1 loss to Norway

Italy entered the match needing an improbable 9-0 victory to secure automatic qualification for the World Cup, but their hopes quickly faded despite a positive start. Pio Esposito opened the scoring early, and Italy defended well to hold a 1-0 lead at half-time. However, the second half saw a complete shift in momentum. Antonio Nusa equalised in the 60th minute, sparking Norway’s comeback. Erling Haaland then delivered a swift and decisive brace, effectively taking the game out of Italy’s reach. Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen added a late goal to complete the rout. The heavy defeat ended Italy’s hopes of automatic qualification, leaving them to face the pressure of the play-offs once again.

Gattuso apologised to the fans after the heavy defeat, saying: “We must apologise to our fans because 4-1 is a heavy defeat. It's a shame because we had a very good first half, where we played as a real team.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSacchi suggests Italy to go back to basics

In an interview to , ex-Azzurri coach Sacchi criticised the Italian players for committing errors that cannot be made at the highest level. 

"We need to acknowledge our limitations," he said. To do so, however, requires a generous dose of humility. Here, we need to behave like a teacher teaching the alphabet to first-grade children, and mind you, I'm not exaggerating. I hear talk of formations, playbooks, attacking tactics, but do we really understand that we need to work in depth on the basic concepts? In my opinion, a training camp at Coverciano would be useful before the March match. But I'm sure the clubs would oppose such a request from the coach. I remember well the battles I had to fight when I was on the national team bench. In Italy, individual interests and selfishness always prevail, and people don't want to understand that building a team—and the national team is a team—takes time, patience, and training, lots of training. But mine, I already know, are just empty words.

"I saw individual and team errors that, at a certain level, just can't be made. I'm looking for an explanation in the psychological attitude, perhaps in the second half. The Azzurri got a bit scared, they lost heart and were afraid to win, I don't know… The fact remains that in all four goals we conceded on Sunday night there were glaring errors that a Serie A player cannot make. The defenders made all sorts of mistakes, some turned their backs on the opponent who was crossing, some left Haaland free to shoot in the middle of our area, some botched the pass while building up, some got fooled by counterattack feints. No, we really won't get far like this."

Sacchi believes Italy have no need to feel the pressure

Italy have not featured at a World Cup since 2014. Their last two attempts ended in play-off heartbreak – first against Sweden in 2018, then in a stunning defeat to North Macedonia in 2022. With that history looming in the background, the upcoming play-offs carry enormous weight. Sacchi believes that after the damaging loss to Norway, Gattuso should look to rebuild the team's morale before the play offs.

"No fear [for the play-offs], ever. But I see a lot of unknowns. After taking four slaps like that, I don't think the atmosphere is calm and relaxed," he  said. "Therefore, we need to rebuild the morale of the entire group. I'm worried, and not a little, about the pressure the national team will be under before the decisive matches. This is not a team that, in my opinion, can handle such a heavy burden. I think it would be wise, after analysing the mistakes made and looking for suitable solutions, to put an end to the controversy, eliminate the doubts and focus everyone on the objective. Right now, everything is needed except tension."

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Getty Images SportGattus's preparations for the play offs

Gattuso will seek to build on Sacchi’s suggestions as he guides Italy toward the play-offs. He plans to study the 4-1 loss to Norway in detail, identifying both strengths and weaknesses within the squad. His focus now is on assembling the best possible team, refining tactics, and ensuring Italy are fully prepared to win the play-offs and secure World Cup qualification.

And has anyone gone in at every batting position in the IPL?

Steven Lynch15-Apr-2025Has anyone gone in at every batting position in the IPL? asked Mahesh Gupta from India

There’s only one man who fits the bill here: the West Indian spinner Sunil Narine started as a tailender with the bat – he had only two innings in 15 matches in his first IPL, in 2012. He batted in three innings at No. 11, then started to move up the order.Gradually Narine developed his left-hand pinch-hitting to the extent that he now usually goes in first, and he has scored more than 1300 IPL runs as an opener. In 2024 he clobbered his maiden century – 109 from 56 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens.Narine has also taken 185 wickets so far in the IPL – only three men have more as I write. He’s one of only five men to have done the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the IPL, the others being Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Andre Russell.Two Bangladesh bowlers took five wickets in a recent women’s one-day international. Has this ever happened before in an ODI? asked Ahmedul Kabir from Bangladesh

The match you’re talking about was a Women’s World Cup qualifier against Thailand in Lahore last week: Bangladesh’s legspinner Fahima Khatun took 5 for 21, while offspinner Jannatul Ferdus had the eye-catching figures of 5-3-7-5 as Thailand slid from 65 for 3 to 93 all out.This was the first case in a women’s ODI of two bowlers taking five wickets apiece. It’s also happened just once in men’s ODIs, back in 1977 when Greg Chappell took 5 for 20 and Gary Cosier 5 for 18 for Australia against England with their medium pace at Edgbaston. “It wasn’t a day for the regular bowlers,” wrote Chappell, Australia’s captain that day. “At our lower pace we made the ball bend in the air and seam off the pitch, and with the help of some undistinguished batting by the England batsmen, whose footwork often left a lot to be desired, we finished off the innings for 171.”Is MS Dhoni the oldest man to captain in the IPL? How about in all T20 matches? asked Ajit Venugopal from India

The Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is due to celebrate his 44th birthday on July 7. He’s actually been the oldest IPL captain for a couple of years already: the previous record was held by Adam Gilchrist, who was 41 when he captained Kings XI Punjab for the last time, in Dharamsala in 2013. Gilchrist celebrated his impending retirement by bowling the last over of the innings – he was fairly safe, as Mumbai Indians needed 51 to win with the last pair at the crease – and took a wicket with the only ball he ever bowled in a senior T20 game.The table of the oldest captains in all T20 matches is skewed by the weird and wonderful selection of teams who now play official T20 internationals: there was a recent change at the top when 56-year-old Alan Dawson skippered the Falkland Islands against Costa Rica in Guacima last month.In all T20s, Ajit Ekanayake (46), Imran Tahir (45), Pearson Best of the Cayman Islands (44) and Misbah-ul-Haq (43) have captained when older than Dhoni, although Misbah is about to be overtaken.Imran Tahir (centre), who leads Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, is currently the oldest captain on the T20 circuit, at age 45•Getty ImagesWhat’s the connection between Garry Sobers and the 1991 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner? asked Trent Jackson from England

I smell a sports-quiz question here! The Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of Britain’s premier National Hunt (jumps) horse races, was won in 1991 by Garrison Savannah, trained by Jenny Pitman and ridden by her son Mark. The same year, the horse finished second in the Grand National at Aintree, just failing to pull off a double achieved only by Golden Miller in 1934.The horse got its name from the Garrison Savannah racecourse in Barbados, just outside Bridgetown. The track’s most famous race is the Barbados Gold Cup. Horse racing has taken place there since the area was an army garrison, hence the name. And the link with arguably the island’s most famous son is that the former West Indies captain Garry Sobers was knighted there by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, becoming Sir Garfield Sobers in front of a crowd of around 50,000.You wrote in last week’s column about the players who played the most Test matches without ever appearing in a white-ball international. What’s the reverse – who has played the most white-ball internationals without ever winning a Test cap? Is it David Miller? asked Liam Binyon from Australia

You’ve got it in one: the South African batter David Miller has so far appeared in 308 white-ball internationals (170 ODIs and 138 T20s) without ever playing in a Test match. Kieron Pollard, the West Indian, played 234 white-ball games (123 ODIs and 101 T20s), while Scotland’s Richie Berrington has so far appeared in 230 (123 ODIs and 97 T20s; Scotland haven’t yet played a Test). Another current player, the Australian legspinner Adam Zampa, comes next with 216 (111 ODIs and 95 T20s).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

Jose Caballero began Thursday's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees in the former team's dugout and ended up in the latter club's after the Yankees acquired him midway through the contest ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. And with his acquisition by the Yankees, Caballero quite literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, as the Yankees bested the Rays 7–4.

After the game, Caballero was asked what it was like switching his rooting interests during a game.

"I was winning today regardless," Caballero said. "We won the game—I guess. That's what I feel right now."

That's one way to get a win!

In all seriousness though, Caballero, who grew up a fan of the Bronx Bombers, should be able to do plenty to help the Yankees win. The 28-year-old has swiped 34 bases, tied for the most in the majors, while rating three Outs Above Average at shortstop, a particularly key metric considering incumbent Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe's defensive struggles.

خاض فريق مانشستر سيتي، بقيادة المدرب بيب جوارديولا، مباراته في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مساء السبت، وذلك ضد نظيره ليدز يونايتد.

واستضاف ملعب “الاتحاد” مباراة فريقي مانشستر سيتي وليدز يونايتد، في الجولة الثالثة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي موسم 2025/26، حيث حقق السكاي بلو فوزًا بثلاثة أهداف لهدفين. أهداف مباراة مانشستر سيتي وليدز يونايتد في الدوري الإنجليزي

وتمكن مانشستر سيتي من تسجيل هدف أول سريع، في الدقيقة الأولى من عمر الشوط الأول، عن طريق فيل فودين، بعد تمريرة من ماتيوس نونيز الذي توغل بشكل رائع ومرر كرة ناحية الإنجليزي وسددها الأخير في سقف الشباك.

وكاد فودين أن يسجل الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 20 ولكن مدافع ليدز يونايتد تصدى للكرة داخل منطقة الجزاء، وتتحول إلى ركنية حيث سدد جفارديول الكرة برأسه ولكنها مرت خارج الملعب.

ونجح مانشستر سيتي في تسجيل الهدف الثاني في شباك ليدز يونايتد، في الدقيقة 25، طريق يوسكو جفارديول، بعد ركلة ركنية نفذها فيل فودين، ووصلت إلى نيكو أوريلي الذي سدد الكرة برأسه، قبل أن يتابعها الكرواتي ويهز الشباك.

وتدخلت تقنية الفيديو لتأكيد مدى صحة الهدف لوجود شك حول تسلل على برناردو سيلفا وما إذا كان متداخلًا في اللعبة، ولكن تم احتسابه في النهاية.

وأهدر مانشستر سيتي فرصة تسجيل هدف ثالث قبل نهاية الشوط الأول، بعدما سنحت أكثر من تسديدة لأصحاب الأرض ولكن الحظ لم يحالفهم تلك المرة.

ونجح ليدز يونايتد في تسجيل هدف أول في شباك مانشستر سيتي، في الدقيقة 50، عن طريق كالفيرت لوين بعد خطأ فادح من ماتيوس نونيز، حيث فقد الكرة ومررها بطريقة خاطئة إلى لاعب ليدز، ليسجل الأخير الهدف الأول للضيوف.

وتحصل ليدز يونايتد على ضربة جزاء في الدقيقة 68 بعد تدخل من جفارديول، ونفذها لوكاس نميتشا، حيث تصدى لها الحارس دوناروما، وارتدت الكرة لتصل إلى اللاعب نفسه الذي سددها في الشباك تلك المرة.

ودخل النجم عمر مرموش كبديل في الدقيقة 89 بقرار من المدرب بيب جوارديولا، كبديل للبرتغالي برناردو سيلفا، وسدد المصري كرة رأسية بعد ثواني من نزوله ولكن الكرة في يد حارس ليدز.

وفي الدقيقة 91، سجل فيل فودين الهدف الثاني له والثالث لكتيبة جوارديولا، بعد تمريرة من ريان شرقي والتي وصلت إلى الإنجليزي، حيث توغل وأبدع وهز شباك الضيوف.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد مانشستر سيتي إلى 25 نقطة في المركز الثاني، بينما تجمد رصيد ليدز يونايتد عند 11 نقطة في المركز الثامن عشر.

Every baseball fan has been there.

In the third inning of Milwaukee's tilt against the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field, Brewers manager Pat Murphy thought a ball was heading out for a home run. It fell just a few feet short.

Appearing on the national TNT broadcast, Murphy was mic'd up from the Brewers' dugout as third baseman Andruw Monasterio lifted a Clayton Kershaw slider 360 feet onto the left field warning track where it was caught by outfielder Michael Conforto.

"Get out of here. Get up. Get out of here. S—," Murphy said on the TNT broadcast.

Too relatable.

The Brewers did plate three runs Tuesday night, which was enough to earn a 3-1 win over the Dodgers. Rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski dazzled the Dodgers' star-studded lineup, logging 12 strikeouts and allowing just one run over six innings of work.

If Rangers are going to reestablish themselves as both Scottish football’s dominant side but also a force in Europe once again, their recruitment simply must improve.

Sporting director Kevin Thelwell gave an interview to the club’s official TV channel this week, his position very much under the microscope from supporters following a very underwhelming transfer window.

Summer signings such as Emmanuel Fernandez, Joe Rothwell, Jayden Meghoma, Thelo Aasgaard and others have either made little impact or not impressed so far.

Rangers supporters won’t like this, but they’re going to have to replicate Celtic’s largely successful player trading model, with the side from across the city regularly selling players on for a sizable profit, something the Gers rarely do.

In fairness to them, the Light Blues did manage this with Hamza Igamane who departed this summer, so could an “exciting” new recruit be the next one to follow?

Hamza Igamane's impact at Rangers

When Igamane arrived at Rangers, he was a complete unknown quantity, signing from Botola club AS FAR in his native Morocco for £1.7m.

Well, the young striker certainly impressed during his one season in Govan, scoring 16 goals across all competitions, of which four came in the Europa League, while also bagging a hat-trick against Hibernian at Easter Road back in January.

He will though be most fondly remembered for this thunderous strike at Parkhead in March, snatching a 3-2 Old Firm victory over Celtic during Barry Ferguson’s interim tenure, awarded the club’s goal of the season.

Igamane though did not plan on sticking around in Glasgow, sold to Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille for a reported fee of £10.4m in August, which may prove to be an absolute bargain as far as les Dogues are concerned.

He scored twice on his Ligue 1 debut against Lorient at Stade du Moustoir, netting seven times for Lille to date overall, including three in the Europa League, featuring a brace against PAOK last month.

Meantime, Igamane scored his first two senior goals for Morocco in September, on target during World Cup qualifiers against Niger and Zambia, set to be a key figure in Walid Regragui’s squad for both the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil next month and then the World Cup in the summer.

Consequently, Rangers supporters may actually feel as though they let the striker go on the cheap, albeit there was nothing the club could do once his release clause was met.

So, who could be the Light Blues’ next bargain signing to depart for a huge profit, after exponentially improving his value and reputation at Ibrox?

Rangers' next Hamza Igamane

As already noted, many of Rangers’ summer signings have not impressed, hence why Russell Martin was sacked after just 17 games in charge, while, despite improvements under Danny Röhl, they remain fourth in the Scottish Premiership and rock-bottom of the Europa League standings, still yet to pick up a point.

However, almost inarguably, the best-performing of all their summer recruits has been Djeidi Gassama.

The Mauritania-born French youth international arrived from Sheffield Wednesday for just £2.2m, available at a cut-price given that now-ousted owner Dejphon Chansiri was running the EFL Championship club into the ground at the time, which looks like being a complete bargain, with the table below documenting the winger’s importance.

Minutes

1,733

4th

Goals

6

1st

Assists

2

4th

Shots per 90

2.3

1st

Key passes per 90

0.9

4th

Successful dribbles per 90

1.8

1st

Indeed, only Jack Butland, John Souttar and captain James Tavernier have played more minutes than Gassama so far this season and rightly so.

The Frenchman ranks first when it comes to goals, shots per 90 and successful dribbles per 90, with five of his six goals to date coming in European competition, on target home and away against Panathinaikos, at the double when Viktoria Plzeň visited Glasgow, while also on target in defeat at Sturm Graz.

Upon his arrival, then-manager Martin labelled Gassama an “exciting player who will get supporters on the edge of their seats”, while the winger expressed his delight in being reunited with manager Röhl, who’d also been his boss at Hillsborough, describing the German as “like a father to me”.

Earlier in the campaign, when Rangers’ form was diabolical, former right-back Alan Hutton asserted that Gassama had been their “shining light”, now only likely to get better under Röhl, the coach who kick-started his rise at Sheffield Wednesday.

Well, according to Football Transfers, Gassama’s estimated market value has already increased to around £4.5m, more than double what Rangers paid to sign him.

Scoring goals in Europe will certainly attract interest, proving that the attacker can perform at a higher level than just the Scottish Premiership.

Thus, still only 22 years old, Gassama appears destined to become Rangers’ next Igamane-like sale, while, for now, Röhl has to build a cohesive team to get the best out of his star forward.

Not Chermiti or Miovski: £4.5m flop is one of Rangers' worst ever signings

Rangers recruitment has been poor for many years, so which “insane talent” not Youssef Chermiti nor Bojan Miovski is one of the club’s worst signings.

ByBen Gray Nov 13, 2025

Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze has opened up to former team-mate Adebayo Akinfenwa on the latest episode of GOAL’s Beast Mode On podcast and lifted the lid on his new life with the Gunners. The England international has explained which Arsenal player has impressed him the most so far and revealed what it's like to work with manager Mikel Arteta.

GOAL’s Beast Mode On Podcast, hosted by Adebayo Akinfenwa, welcomes guest Eberechi Eze to talk about life at Arsenal following his big-money move to the Emirates Stadium this summer from Crystal Palace.

Eze has joined a host of new recruits in north London in a squad packed full of talents and admits there's one player in particular who has caught his eye at the club. The England international has also revealed he's thriving playing in an environment when all the players are eager to improve.

• Eze thriving at Arsenal after summer move

  Eze swapped Crystal Palace for Arsenal in a £60 million move as part of a big-spending summer by the Gunners who also brought in stars such as Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi and Cristhian Mosquera. The winger has gone on to feature regularly for Mikel Arteta's side and appears to have settled into life quickly with the Gunner, scoring twice already in the Premier League. Eze has now opened up on his journey to becoming an Arsenal and England star.

Advertisement

• GOAL
  

  Eze lifts lid on 'special' Arsenal team-mate

  Speaking exclusively to GOAL's Beast Mode On podcast, Eze said: “Everyone is sort of what you expect them to be. The expectation of all the players is high. I'll say one player who has gone even beyond the high expectation I already had – because I'd heard good things about him – was Jurrien Timber. He's a special player and a special guy. 

  “I think for me, in an environment of people and you have a culture that is geared towards improving, these guys all want to improve. So for me it's a pleasure to be part of it and to see guys like him who perform the way they perform, who carry themselves the way they carry themselves. It’s inspiring, for sure.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Incredible' Arteta creating 'special place' at Arsenal

  Eze also spoke about working with Arteta. The Arsenal boss currently has his team four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table also topping the standings so far in the 2025-26 Champions League.

  Asked what it’s like working under the Spaniard, Eze said: “He’s incredible. Attention to detail, how much I’m learning so fast, the type of player I know I’ll become (under him), the culture he’s created… It’s a special place to be right now, for sure.”

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• Watch the full episode

Former India great set to become the first capped male Indian player to play in the BBL with Thunder, Hurricanes, Sixers and Strikers all chasing him

Alex Malcolm and Sidharth Monga23-Sep-2025

R Ashwin is set to become the first capped male India player to play in the BBL with four clubs vying for his services to play in the latter stages of the upcoming season.It is understood that Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers are the four teams chasing Ashwin’s signature in what is set to be a major coup for the BBL. Thunder and Hurricanes appear to be the frontrunners for the India great with a deal likely to be finalised later this week.No internationally capped India male player has played in the BBL previously, but Ashwin’s retirement from the IPL earlier this year has opened the door for him to play franchise cricket overseas for the first time.Related

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R Ashwin brings curtain down on 'my time as an IPL cricketer'

Afridi, Rizwan and Rauf among top picks at BBL overseas drafts

All the BBL and WBBL squads for 2025-26 season

CA exploring BBL investment 'unashamedly' to be second behind IPL

Only retired Indian players are allowed by the BCCI to participate in overseas T20 leagues. Earlier this year, Dinesh Karthik played for Paarl Royals in the SA20. In 2023, Ambati Rayudu turned up to play for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the CPL, and then in January 2024 with MI Emirates in the ILT20. Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan featured for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20. Two years ago, Suresh Raina was part of Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10.Ashwin has already committed to the first-ever ILT20 auction in the UAE, which will take place next Tuesday. If bought, he will play out the ILT20, which has changed dates for the upcoming season and will now run from December 2 until January 4.The BBL begins on December 14, and the home-and-away part of the season runs until January 18. The finals will be held between January 20 and 25. It means Ashwin will be available for three-four games at the end of the season for one of those teams, plus finals should the team he signs with qualify. ESPNcricinfo understands that his deal will also include the BBL for the 2026-27 season.BBL clubs can only play three overseas players in their XI. Each of the clubs has already locked three players in via the league’s pre-signing rules and the June overseas draft. Clubs can sign an additional four overseas replacement players, meaning they can have up to seven on their list, but only three can play at any one time. Also, if any of the teams release an international player for SA20, Ashwin could fit in as a replacement for him.The league rules state that replacement overseas players have to nominate themselves for the draft, which Ashwin did not as he had not retired from IPL cricket at the time. But there is an exemption for overseas players to be allowed to play in the BBL if their circumstances have changed. Former New Zealand batter Martin Guptill was previously signed by Melbourne Renegades in 2022-23 after retiring from international cricket despite missing the inaugural BBL overseas draft. England star Nat Sciver-Brunt was allowed to play for Perth Scorchers in the WBBL after being cleared by the ECB, having initially been ruled out of nominating for the draft due to injury.The club that signs Ashwin will still have to fit his salary inside their overall purse, much of which will already have been allocated for most squads, but there will likely be an additional marketing agreement with Cricket Australia that will not count towards the salary cap for the team that lands him.Teams can also go over the cap by 5% in a particular year with approval from the league’s technical committee, provided that it is offset over a three-year period.

India legspinner steps in for contest against Hampshire at Utilita Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2025 Rahul Chahar, the India spinner, has joined Surrey for their season-ending fixture against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl this week, as the club bids for their fourth County Championship title in a row.Chahar, 26, was registered to play for Surrey at the start of September, in line with ECB regulations, but was not required to play in the club’s home matches against Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire. That latter fixture ended in a thrilling 20-run loss that has handed Notts control of the title race going into the final week.Chahar has regularly featured for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, and also made a one-off appearance in this season’s IPL, as an impact substitute for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Overall, he has taken 87 wickets in 24 first-class matches at 26.12, with best match figures of 9 for 148.He also played one ODI and six T20Is for India between 2019 and 2021, around the same time that he played a key role in Mumbai Indians’ twin IPL titles in 2019 and 2020.”I’m excited to join Surrey for this week’s match,” Chahar said. “I’m coming here to have an impact and help the team in their final match of the season.”His call-up comes after Surrey lost both of their current spinning options, Will Jacks and Cam Steel, to injury. Alec Stewart, the club’s high-performance advisor, said: “Adding Rahul to the squad gives us another spin option at the Utilita Bowl.”We always knew that we would be missing players for the final period of the season and try to plan accordingly given the potential surfaces and the opposition we’re playing.”We had originally earmarked for Sai Kishore to return for the latter stages of the season but he unfortunately has a finger injury resulting in an operation has meant he was unavailable.”Surrey trail Nottinghamshire by 14 points going into the final round of matches, meaning that they must win their fixture, and hope that Notts accrue fewer than 11 points in their own final match against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge.

McGrath confident of Australia’s “settled squad” with “so much depth” to defend the ODI title despite the unfamiliar conditions

Andrew McGlashan12-Sep-2025For many overseas cricketers, India is becoming something of a second home these days but despite the increasing familiarity with the country, Australia are preparing to embrace the unknowns at the upcoming women’s ODI World Cup.It’s a situation that will confront all the teams in the competition – even to a degree joint-hosts India – given the mix of venues. The Holkar Stadium in Indore has never hosted women’s internationals, Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium hasn’t staged women’s ODIs and its last women’s T20Is were in 2019, and Visakhapatnam’s previous ODIs were in 2014. Navi Mumbai, the late replacement for Bengaluru, while having staged Tests and T20Is, hasn’t yet been used for the 50-over format in women’s cricket.Then there’s the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to throw in the mix. The venue has hosted seven women’s ODIs this year featuring Sri Lanka, India and South Africa but Australia, who will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the ground, last played there in 2016 when only five of the current squad were on the tour.Related

All-woman panel to officiate at 2025 women's World Cup

Perry backs 'huge depth' to see Australia through in ODI World Cup defence

Head coach Shelley Nitschke said last week that she had reached out to the men’s set-up for help gathering data, specifically referencing Colombo where Australia played two spin-dominated ODIs earlier this year, and the players are aware they will need to be adaptable throughout the tournament.”We have been quite lucky, we feel like we’re travelling to India every second month almost,” vice-captain Tahlia McGrath said ahead of Australia’s three-match ODI series against India which starts on Sunday in New Chandigarh. “Spent a lot of time over here, played in these conditions a lot, but we’re playing in some parts that we’re not very familiar with.”[We are] in New Chandigarh at the moment, never been here before, [and] lots of the World Cup venues never been to before. So it’s about learning the conditions, adapting to the conditions, being flexible and communicating really well as a group because it is a little bit foreign to us.”No matter where you are in India, you can get thrown up very different conditions from day to day, so excited about the challenge, [we have] a little bit of experience, but a little bit of unknowns.”

“It’s about learning the conditions, adapting to the conditions, being flexible and communicating really well as a group because it is a little bit foreign to us.”Tahlia McGrath

The series against India will be Australia’s first internationals since the Ashes finished in early February but McGrath was confident the stability of the squad will serve them well.”We’ve been pretty settled with our squad for quite a while now, so we’ve been pretty lucky with that,” she said. “The only thing is, though, we’re over here for a very long time and I think we’ve got 15 in the World Cup squad and 17 over here at the moment, so it’s a really good opportunity to play a few players, play some different roles.”Not sure what Shell’s got in mind, but we’ve got so much talent, so much depth over here that it doesn’t really matter what team we throw out or what batting order, all that sort of thing, we’re in pretty good hands.”Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux is not expected to feature in the India series as she completes the final stages of recovery from knee surgery but is expected to be ready for the World Cup. The uncapped pair of wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum and allrounder Charli Knott have been included for the bilateral series although, barring injuries, may not feature in what is a chance to gain further experience around the squad.Once the World Cup begins, Australia will be aiming to become the first side since 1988 to defend the ODI title while the memories of their semi-final defeat in last year’s T20 World Cup still linger.”An ODI World Cup is special, they’re probably the pinnacle,” McGrath said. “For the players that were in Dubai it adds that bit of motivation, not a nice feeling the way we exited. And then the extra little bit of motivation as well that we want to be the first team in a while to go back-to-back [in the] ODI World Cup.”