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Arsenal have been handed significant news about their pursuit of Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, with Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta and the recruitment team now alerted to a potential deal-breaker in talks.

Arsenal in reported talks over signing Viktor Gyokeres this summer

In the last few days, reports from both Portugal and England have claimed that Mikel Arteta’s side are moving forward in their attempts to seal a move for the 26-year-old.

Related Arsenal risk Huijsen repeat after Zubimendi update involving Real Madrid

The Gunners have already been hijacked by La Liga’s heavyweights.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini May 16, 2025

A Bola report Arsenal have offered Gyokeres a £7 million-per-year contract already, with Sporting setting an asking price of around £63 million amid Berta’s pretty serious interest in striking a deal for the Primeira Liga superstar.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

CaughtOffside, meanwhile, state Arsenal are in advanced club-to-club talks for Gyokeres as they look to steal a march on Premier League rivals Man United and Liverpool in pursuit of his signature.

Going by these claims, it would appear that the Gunners’ links to Gyokeres stretch far beyond just interest, with Berta looking to sign a top striker for Arsenal as one of his key summer priorities.

“I’m not inside to know their thoughts, but definitely, I would say a striker, a top, top striker, that can bang in 40 to 50 goals like all the top teams.” said ex-Arsenal star and Como boss Cesc Fàbregas to Amazon Prime recently.

“He [Gyokeres] could be an option, 100 per cent. He is an extraordinary striker.

“He is a focused player, who pays attention to details, he is competitive, never lets his guard down, and doesn’t want to rest. He is as an athlete, a player and team-mate who instils confidence in his team-mates with what he gives to the team.”

Called a “phenomenon” by Rui Borges, the former Coventry City striker has been free-scoring since making the move to Portugal, and currently boasts 52 goals from 50 appearances in all competitions this season.

Arsenal receive "major" Gyokeres update amid Sporting deal-breaker

However, Gyokeres’ electric form also puts Sporting in a solid negotiating position, even if there is a release clause in his deal.

Football Transfers state that Arsenal are determined to finalise a deal for Gyokeres, and will have representatives in attendance to watch him play in the Taca de Portugal final against Benfica on May 25.

In what they describe as a “major update”, though, Berta and co are informed of a key requirement on Sporting’s end which could prove an obstacle in Arsenal’s talks to sign Gyokeres.

Sporting are adamant the vast majority of his final agreed transfer fee must be paid within two years, and this may prove problematic for the north Londoners. Arsenal are required to agree to Sporting’s terms or risk another club swooping in to hijack their move, as per FT, so the transfer is proving more complicated than initially reported.

Arsenal have alternatives to pursue if a move does collapse, but Berta is believed to be especially keen on Gyokeres.

Chelsea chiefs are informed that a Premier League forward who Atlético Madrid are pushing to sign wants to join Enzo Maresca’s side – with a transfer battle potentially brewing against the La Liga side.

Chelsea preparing for another very active summer window

With Chelsea participating in the Club World Cup, BlueCo are expected to be busy right from the off this summer, and could take full advantage of the early window, which opens from June 1 to June 10.

Shields pushing Chelsea to sign £90m Villa star amid belief price may drop

The Stamford Bridge recruiter is very keen.

ByEmilio Galantini May 10, 2025

A host of players face uncertain futures at Chelsea – including Kepa Arrizabalaga, Alfie Gilchrist, Renato Veiga, Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling, João Félix, David Datro Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi – who are all away on loan spells right now and seemingly out of Maresca’s plans.

Chelsea will likely attempt to find buyers for all the aforementioned crop, all while the west Londoners reportedly target a new centre-back, winger and striker as the priority signings on their agenda (Simon Phillips).

Newcastle (away)

May 11th

Man United (home)

May 16th

Nottingham Forest (away)

May 25th

Depending on their qualification for the Champions League next season and how many unwanted players they can ship out the door, it is also believed that Chelsea could go for a second centre-back (who can play at left-back when required), an attacking midfielder and a goalkeeper (Simon Phillips).

All signs point towards a very busy off-season for the Chelsea recruitment team, and new forwards appear to be high on their to-do list.

Chelsea have held talks over Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens already, while reports in Italy claim Milan star Rafael Leao is also a target for the west Londoners.

However, another player who remains in their thinking is Man United’s Alejandro Garnacho.

Alejandro Garnacho wants to join Chelsea this summer

The Argentinian has scored 11 goals and assisted 10 others in all competitions so far, featuring regularly under new manager Ruben Amorim, but he could still make the move away from Old Trafford.

Chelsea did work on signing Garnacho in January, but a move for him ultimately couldn’t come to fruition. Now, journalist Graeme Bailey has told the Chelsea Chronicle that he could join Maresca this summer instead.

Indeed, it is believed Garnacho is also keen on a move to Chelsea, and the Blues are serious fans of the “huge talent”.

“Garnacho is very much still on Chelsea’s radar – they are looking for someone to operate from that left side, and they have done work on a lot of names,” said Bailey.

“I am told that the three at the top of their list are currently Jamie Gittens, Nico Williams and Garnacho.

“Chelsea are not set on one target and Garnacho is someone they like a lot, they tried to sign him in January. They know the player is keen on the move. And he is a huge talent, they think he would be a good fit. He seems to have been around forever, but he is still just 20.”

The South American would reportedly cost around £65 million, and Bailey has also written that Atlético are “pushing hard” to sign Garnacho as well, so he won’t be an easy capture by any means.

Nottingham Forest are ready to pay a massive £75 million to sign one of Europe’s most sought-after players this summer, according to a new report.

Nottingham Forest slip-up against Everton

After only narrowly escaping relegation last season, Nottingham Forest have been enjoying an extremely fruitful 2024/25 campaign.

With just six Premier League games left to play, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are currently third in the table, firmly on course for qualification for next season’s Champions League.

There hopes of qualification, however, took a minor dent at the weekend as they slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat at the hands of Everton, who walked away from the City Ground with all three points thanks to a last-gasp goal from midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Speaking after the game, Espirito Santo was highly critical of his side’s display.

“The performance was not good,” said the Portuguese head coach, as per BBC Sport. “Last minute of the game, from an offensive corner we conceded so we are disappointed but in terms of the game, we were not good. Everton were dominant.”

“Everton made problems for us so it was a tough one. were not able to do the things they normally do. Everyone felt we were not comfortable. The defense was fantastic for us and today we felt the boys It is in our hands and we have to bounce back.”

Nottingham Forest ready to pay £75m for Cunha

Despite their strong season, if Forest are to qualify, and compete, in next season’s Champions League, they’ll no doubt need to add further quality to their squad, particularly in the final third.

One man the club and owner Evangelos Marinakis are particularly keen to add to their ranks over the summer is Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha.

The Brazilian has been Wolves’ star player this season, playing a vital role in their likely Premier League survival, scoring 13 goals – many of them long-range beauties – and registering four assists.

Matheus Cunha Premier League Stats (2024/25)
Games played	26
Goals	13
Assists	4
Progressive carries	3.9
Progressive passes	4.7
Shots on target	1.5
Pass accuracy	70%
Take-ons completed	2.1
Stats via FBref

According to reports from Spain, Forest are now ready to pay as much as £75 million to secure Cunha’s services, but will face stiff competition from all of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who are willing to do the same.

The publication adds that it’s also unclear whether Cunha would be open to leaving Molineux, having only signed a contract extension in February.

Speaking about the 25-year-old back in November, former Premier League defender turned pundit Micah Richards described him as “absolutely sensational.”

“He’s the one who can unlock the doors. He finds the little pockets of space and makes the right decisions at the right times,” said Richards. “He’s always scanning where he needs to be and always plays the right pass. He is so key in what Wolves are trying to do. He is the best at everything.”

Vote for the best individual Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance by an Indian in Australia since 2000

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2024Update: This poll has ended. Rishabh Pant’s performance goes into the semi-finals. Check the other polls here.ESPNcricinfo LtdVVS Laxman’s maiden Test ton was the first of many special innings against Australia•AFP via Getty ImagesVVS Laxman – 167 in Sydney, 2000Australia won by an innings and 141 runs, and won the series 3-0After heavy defeats in Adelaide and Melbourne, India were running on fumes by the time the final Test began at the SCG. VVS Laxman wasn’t meant to open in Australia but the lack of viable options meant he had to perform a role he didn’t particularly enjoy.Up until Sydney, Sachin Tendulkar was the only Indian batter to have shown fight on the tour, but after India capitulated once again in the first innings, Laxman let rip. A blow to the helmet from Glenn McGrath was the trigger that made him play like he had nothing to lose.A maiden Test hundred off just 114 balls, full of gloriously languid drives and flicks that rivalled the watching Mark Waugh’s repertoire, grew into an innings of 167 with 27 boundaries. As he walked off the field to applause from the Australians on the field and in the stands, it was just the start of Laxman’s very, very special love affair with Australia.By Shashank KishoreWatch the highlights of these performances on the Star Sports network at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm IST, from November 2 onwards.Rishabh Pant helped India achieve the unimaginable at the Gabba•Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty ImagesRishabh Pant – 89* in Brisbane, 2021India won by three wickets, and the series 2-1All the things that didn’t make sense on this tour – India all out for 36, their three jillion injuries, the hassle of cricket in quarantine – found meaning when Rishabh Pant began to play the innings of a lifetime. He was 23 and he helped obliterate a record that had stood for way longer than he’d been alive. Australia’s undefeated streak in Brisbane was 32 years old when it was finally laid to rest. “This is one of the biggest things in my life right now,” Pant said after a performance that proved just how dangerous a batter he could be when he adopts even the smallest bit of restraint.Chasing 328 at the Gabba – 324 on the final day – India still needed 161 runs with about 43 overs to go when Pant walked in at No. 5. He got going, and kept going, even as wickets fell and the overs ticked by. Eventually, with only minutes left on the clock, he lashed Josh Hazlewood down the ground to accomplish one of the greatest series wins in Test history.By Alagappan Muthu

On a green surface, Southee backed his openers to grind it out – there are few better than Conway and Latham for that job anyway

Danyal Rasool02-Jan-2023The first Test hadn’t yet finished when talk of the strip this Test would be played on began. Interim chief selector Shahid Afridi promised a “green” pitch, and on the eve of the second Test, pictures on the PCB’s social media account showed enough grass to barely distinguish it from the outfield. On the morning of the game, Shakil Shaikh, a member of the PCB’s (not very) new-look management committee, declared that the pitch problem had been resolved “in a wink” on a “new, lively surface”.When Tim Southee walked out to the middle for the toss, he paid no attention to any of this. Not just because he probably doesn’t hang on to every word Afridi says, and he certainly doesn’t follow Shaikh on Twitter. But he couldn’t ignore the look of the pitch itself, which, while not quite as emerald green as pictures from the previous day suggested, had a distinct greenish hue that hadn’t been in evidence on any surface used for international games all season. He batted.

****

New Zealand are second from bottom in this cycle of the World Test Championship and haven’t won a Test since February. They have lost four of their last five matches. There aren’t too many things they have done well in the format since lifting the WTC trophy 18 months ago. But in Devon Conway and Tom Latham, they possess an opening pair that might just go on to become the envy of the world.Related

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Williamson and Latham, the two constants of NZ cricket

Pakistan claw back after big Conway and Latham stand

Since the start of 2016, no pair averages more for the first wicket than the 67.25 Latham and Conway (minimum 500 runs) have. While this was just their eighth innings together as an opening pair, their credentials in the top order are rock solid. When Conway dropped down to No. 3 in New Zealand’s home season last year, he amassed 388 runs in six innings, including two centuries against Bangladesh and a 92 against South Africa.That was why, on a green surface that retained a fair bit of moisture, Southee showed no hesitation in backing his openers to see the first hour out. There are few better equipped to grind out an opposition bowling attack, their partnership in the first Test a perfect exhibition of their abilities. Pakistan appeared to have bought into the hype around the pitch, dropping a spinner [Nauman Ali] for an extra fast bowler [Naseem Shah], one whose fitness has been questioned of late.Conway and Latham can do the grind, but are also astute enough to know when to choose belligerence. A green surface and three fast bowlers invariably meant Pakistan would go searching for something; 46 of the 115 deliveries bowled by the fast men in the first session were overpitched. And while the swing faded away fairly rapidly, the run-scoring when Pakistan erred did not; balls that were either short and/or wide or too full went for 45 in 53 deliveries.But when Babar Azam turned to Agha Salman as early as in the seventh over, the bowler found the turn too slow, and New Zealand milked the spin at over four runs an over. Conway took a particular liking to Abrar Ahmed, using his feet to hit him down the ground, plundering him for 60 runs in as many balls, with eight fours and a six.”With the nature of the grass on the surface, it had maintained a bit of pace in the wicket,” Conway, who scored 122 to Latham’s 71, said after the day’s play. “When the ball’s harder, it comes off the bat a bit better as well. We were rewarded for good cricket shots that went for boundaries. We managed to get off to a quick start.”Agha Salman got purchase off the surface as the day wore on and picked up three wickets•Associated PressIt might sound simple enough in theory, but none of this is easy. After all, the two became the first New Zealand opening pair to put on consecutive century stands away from home. They are the first visiting openers to register successive century stands in Pakistan; only one other pair had managed two in the same series. That was over 25 years back.The game might have turned in more ways than one in the final session, but Pakistan might find an imposing enough total by the time they get a chance to bat. Salman’s three wickets and the speed at which the ball spun in the final session might have encouraged them, but New Zealand have fielded three spinners, and should have the resources to exploit any such liveliness.”It’s starting to change,” Conway said. “After tea, there was a bit more turn on offer, which is showing the nature of the wicket drying out and assisting the spinners a little bit more. It’s skidding on a little bit more, and there isn’t as much carry as the morning, so it’s interesting to see what the wicket will look like on the last three days”.Some sides might have viewed a toss won on this surface against a three-pronged seam attack as an automatic bowl-first. New Zealand, instead, saw it for the opportunity. They cut Mir Hamza when he strayed wide and drove Naseem while the bounce was true and the trajectory straight. They milked Agha around the square and smashed Abrar around the park. They kept the runs ticking along, and the wickets column dry.For that, you need a quality opening pair, and in Conway and Latham, New Zealand are well sorted.

England grateful for opener’s resistance, for without it they were in real trouble

George Dobell05-Jun-2021There are some batters, like Zak Crawley or Michael Vaughan, who owe their England call-ups to their potential. And there are some, like Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, who earn it through weight of runs.Neither way is necessarily wrong. Vaughan, like Marcus Trescothick and David Gower, went on to enjoy a productive Test career despite a modest county record at the time of his debut. And, while runs at county level are clearly not a guarantee of success at the top level, they remain about as good an indicator as we have.You can see why a selector would be reluctant to pick Burns, though. Whereas most of the best make batting look a simple, natural process, he makes it look, at times, fiendishly complicated. It seems unthinkable that any coach would suggest a young player copies his method. But, in the end, you can’t ignore the returns. It’s all about substance over style.Burns needed this innings. His eight previous Test innings had realised just 78 runs (including three ducks) and, by the time England’s tour of India had finished, he had lost his place in the side.But just as he won his first call-up through weight of runs – he had recorded 1,000 runs in a season for five successive years – he went back to the county game and scored heavily. He has reached 50 seven times in 10 innings in the Championship season. Nobody in the competition has reached 50 as often this year. He earned this recall.Rory Burns scored just 13 runs in the morning session•AFP via Getty ImagesIndeed, Burns earns everything he achieves. Unlike some modern batters, he is prepared to work for his runs. So, while his first 50 took a relatively fluent 90 deliveries, his second took 177.But that’s fine. England have plenty of strokemakers. What they require is someone to provide a platform on which they can build. Burns, who scored 13 runs from the first two-hour session, appears to have the patience for that role.He is an unusual player in many ways. When his game is in good order, he is unusually tight in that channel around off stump that is traditionally the area to bowl to top-order batters. He rarely pushes at the ball and scored only one of his 17 boundaries – 16 fours and his first six at Test level; a Stokes-esque slog-sweep after he had reached his century – in the ‘V’ from mid-on to mid-off. That was from a full toss.New Zealand responded with something approaching modern leg-theory on the second evening, with lots of short-balls and a packed leg-side field. But that only provided scoring opportunities. So, New Zealand settled into a holding pattern: bowling outside off stump in the hope of tempting him into a rash stroke. For a while, Burns ground to something close to a halt.But he didn’t give it away. Unlike some of his top-order colleagues, he was prepared to endure the testing periods in the knowledge that better times would come eventually.”It was a bit of a grind,” Burns admitted later. “They tried to dry me up and bowl at other guys in the order. It was like they were waiting for me to make a mistake. I found it quite difficult to get into a rhythm.”But we needed those runs today. So, it’s nice to contribute. And it’s nice to take the opportunity I’ve been given [on recall].”You try and stay level. Some days you get good balls. Some days you nick one and get dropped and end up getting a hundred. You have to stay level.”Related

• Unbeaten ton from debutant Devon Conway sets platform for New Zealand

• Ollie Robinson apologises for posting 'racist and sexist' comments on Twitter as a teenager

• Rory Burns-Joe Root stand keeps Test evenly balanced

• Mark Wood is England's point-of-difference bowler

• Tim Southee, Rory Burns dominate hard-fought fourth day

England were grateful for his resistance. Make no mistake, without Burns’ century, they were in real trouble here. Nobody else in the top seven made more than 42 and three of them were out for ducks. At 140 for 6, they still required 39 to avoid a follow-on.As it was, Ollie Robinson sustained his impressive debut with an innings which demonstrated his long-term suitability for the No. 8 position (only Jofra Archer, of recent England seamers, has made a debut as assured as Robinson’s with the ball, too). Still, by the time England’s ninth-wicket fell, Burns was nine short of his century. He admitted he was “indebted” to James Anderson for helping him reach the milestone. Anderson not only played sensibly, but bravely, taking one on the body in his determination to see Burns home.There was one passage of play, though, where Burns lost his way. In a session reminiscent of his maiden Test century at Edgbaston in 2019 – an innings in which he was beaten 34 times – he enjoyed a fair slice of fortune in progressing from 77 to 88.He could – probably should – have been stumped on 77 (when Mitchell Santner saw him coming down the pitch and pushed the ball wider), caught on 88 (when he fenced at one which reared on him from the excellent Tim Southee) and was twice struck on the helmet (once by Southee; once by Kyle Jamieson) as he attempted to hook. He was also fortunate, on 80, to see a top-edged pull fall safely.You wonder what Australia’s fast bowlers, no doubt sent footage by their analysts, will make of such moments. Given the way they bombarded Burns’ Surrey teammate, Mark Stoneman, with short deliveries during the last Ashes in Australia, it seems safe to assume Burns will face plenty of the same treatment.Indeed, you wonder what Australia’s seamers will make of this England batting line-up in general. To see Crawley and Dan Lawrence edging to the cordon as they wafted at wide ones, to see James Bracey beaten (albeit by a fine delivery) through the gate and to see Sibley dismissed for his sixth single-figure score in succession (again, by a fine delivery) was hardly the footage to have them quaking in fear. They will also have noted that Ollie Pope, batting on off stump and falling to the off side, has some weakness to exploit and looks especially vulnerable to leg-before dismissals. Really, those Australia seamers will have been quite encouraged by what they have seen.From an England perspective, it’s important to remember that this is the youngest top seven they have ever fielded in a home Test. And they are, give or take, the best players available to England given the IPL absences. They are going to require time and patience to fulfil their talent.It’s a concern, though, and England were grateful for Burns’ fight for keeping their heads above water.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor carried the team on his back against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, securing the win with a stunning strike from distance.

The former Scotland international delivered a staggering finish from outside of the box in the 95th minute for the Hoops, when the game felt destined to end with a 0-0 draw.

Interim head coach Martin O’Neill needed his captain to step up with that goal because it was an underwhelming performance that will leave several players concerned about their place in the starting line-up.

For example, the Northern Irish manager should ruthlessly drop left-winger Sebastian Tounekti from the team ahead of the clash with Feyenoord on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Why Celtic should drop Sebastian Tounekti

The Tunisia international was a breath of fresh air after his move from Hammarby at the end of the summer transfer window, as he got fans off their seats with his exciting play on his debut against Kilmarnock.

Unfortunately, though, the 23-year-old forward has failed to add end product to his exciting play, with a return of two goals and no assists in 14 appearances in all competitions for the club, per Transfermarkt.

On top of his struggles in the final third throughout the season so far, Tounekti’s all-round performances in the last two Premiership games have left too much to be desired.

Minutes

78

67

Shots

2

1

Goals

0

0

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Dribbles completed

2/10

2/6

Duels won

3/13

3/11

As you can see in the table above, the Hoops winger failed to deliver much in the way of quality against Kilmarnock or St Mirren, whilst struggling badly with the physical side of the game.

With this in mind, O’Neill could ruthlessly ditch Tounekti from the starting line-up on Thursday by unleashing Paulo Bernardo in a brand-new role on the left flank.

Why Paulo Bernardo should be played on the left wing

The Portuguese central midfielder has only played six matches in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, but unleashing him as a left winger could be a genius move by the interim manager.

Per Transfermarkt, Bernardo has never played as a left midfielder or left winger in his senior career, for Benfica or Celtic, but it is a position that could suit him against Feyenoord.

Against St Mirren, Tounekti and Kieran Tierney often seemed to want to do the same thing, which was to get to the byline to cross the ball, and they got in each other’s way at times.

Playing Bernardo on the left against Feyenoord would provide Tierney, who has delivered four assists in all competitions this season, the freedom of the left flank to deliver crosses, as the ex-Benfica man would drift inside into more central areas in possession, similarly to how Luke McCowan plays when he is deployed on the right wing.

On top of this move potentially unlocking Tierney as an attacking force, it could also provide Bernardo with more opportunities to showcase his talent at the top end of the pitch.

The central midfielder, who was hailed as “tenacious” by Brendan Rodgers, has produced seven goals and seven assists in 83 appearances for the Hoops to date, per Transfermarkt, whilst he has also scored 11 goals in 32 caps for Portugal’s U21s.

This suggests that he does have the potential to provide a threat in the final third if given a chance to play further up the pitch, which is another reason why this brand-new role could be a good move for him.

Therefore, O’Neill should finally ditch Tounekti from the starting XI to try out a pairing of Tierney and Bernardo down the left against Feyenoord on Thursday.

The new Luis Palma: O'Neill must ruthlessly drop "sloppy" Celtic flop

This Celtic flop who was saved by Callum McGregor’s screamer is looking like the new Luis Palma.

ByDan Emery Nov 23, 2025

India’s T20I captain has not been in good form in T20 internationals this year

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2025India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has been named in Mumbai’s squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starting on November 26. Allrounder Shardul Thakur will lead the 17-member squad, which also includes Shivam Dube, Sarfaraz Khan, Ajinkya Rahane and Ayush Mhatre.Suryakumar’s inclusion in Mumbai’s T20 side comes ahead of India’s T20I series against South Africa from December 9. Despite a prolific IPL for Mumbai Indians – 717 runs at a strike rate of 167.91 this season – he hasn’t been among the runs in international cricket, scoring only 184 runs in 15 innings in 2025 at an average of 15.33 and strike rate of 127.77.India play ten T20Is at home – five each against South Africa and New Zealand – ahead of a T20 World Cup they will be co-hosting with Sri Lanka in February and March 2026.Related

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Like Suryakumar, Dube will also be looking for match practice. He has batted in only six out of 11 T20Is across the Asia Cup and the series in Australia, scoring 76 runs off 60 balls in those games.Mumbai are the defending champions of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, having beaten Madhya Pradesh in the final in 2024-25. This season, they start their campaign against Railways in Lucknow.Mumbai squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26Shardul Thakur (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Siddhesh Lad, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Sairaj Patil, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Atharva Ankolekar, Tanush Kotian, Shams Mulani, Tushar Deshpande, Irfan Umair and Hardik Tamore (wk)

Bangladesh beat Ireland 2-1 to win their fifth T20I series this year

Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2025

Bangladesh came back from 1-0 down to beat Ireland 2-1•BCB

Bangladesh captain Litton Das has said the current crop of players were “almost ready” for the 2026 T20 World Cup after an improved fielding performance in the 2-1 series win against Ireland.Bangladesh have played 30 T20Is in 2025, the most for them in a year. The victory against Ireland was their fifth in T20I series this year after consecutive wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Netherlands and Afghanistan. They had lost to Pakistan and UAE before that streak, and West Indies after.Against Ireland, Bangladesh bounced back from 0-1 down to win the second and third T20Is. On Tuesday, they won by eight wickets and 38 balls to spare after an emphatic all-round display.Related

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“I wanted the team to win from pressure situations,” Litton said after the third T20I. “We couldn’t overcome the pressure in the first game but we fought back to win the series. There are many positive sides. We are not a good fielding unit, but we took some brilliant catches in this series. At least in the fielding department, we have shown improvement. After playing the most number of T20Is in a year, I think our players have become more mature.”The credit goes to all the players and coaching staff. Our team was ready since the Asia Cup. We have only used a certain number of players since then. I think we want these players to play their best cricket in the BPL, which we then expect them to replicate for the national team. I am not concerned about anyone’s performance, but about injuries. We will all pray that we remain safe in the next two months.”Litton said Bangladesh had experimented this year, to find their best combination for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February. For instance, Bangladesh used all their opener options in the top four in the third T20I against Ireland, while also mixing up their spinners and fast bowlers.”We have conducted a lot of experiments. We made certain changes that were risky – like Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] didn’t bowl the last over today,” Litton said. “[Mohammad] Saifuddin bowled the last over. I wanted to see what a player will do after not playing two matches. I think we tried almost everything in every aspect of the team. This bunch of players are almost ready for the next World Cup.”Bangladesh, however, do not have a settled middle order, with at least one position still up for grabs. They tried Jaker Ali, Nurul Hasan and Shamim Hossain in each of the three matches, though Shamim didn’t get to bat in the third game.”I am not too concerned about it [the No. 6 position],” Litton said. “Not everyone will get runs in every series. You saw [Towhid] Hridoy doing well in this series. I want them to score runs in the BPL, and then bring that to the World Cup.”Litton also said he had to rotate between three spinners in the XI, which means one of his “match-winners” ends up on the bench.”Mahedi [Hasan], Rishad [Hossain] and Nasum [Ahmed] are my match-winners, so I have to take a tough call when I have to pick [only] two spinners in the XI,” he said. “Sometimes, my performer has to sit out. They have accepted my decisions. They are good team-mates. It will keep happening in the future, but of course we explain to them [why we didn’t pick any of them].”

While most batters have struggled in Australia over the last four summers, Head has thrived saying he enjoys the greener pitches more than flatter ones

Alex Malcolm24-Oct-2025Travis Head is hoping for seam-friendly pitches in the Ashes and says he enjoys batting on such surfaces more so than flatter ones believing that it presents more opportunities to score.The pitches that will be presented in the Ashes is a major talking point with the Test surfaces in Australia over the past four summers trending heavily in favour of the seam bowlers compared to decades past.Head was the player of the series in the 2021-22 Ashes following stunning centuries on challenging pitches in Brisbane and Hobart. He is hoping for more of the same this summer.Related

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“I probably enjoy batting on those sort of wickets,” Head told ESPNcricinfo. “The flatter wickets, with the grind, that more so challenge technique, I think, over longer periods of time [trying] to eke out runs has never probably come as natural to me with being a stroke player and wanting to get on with it. And the slower, flat wickets probably don’t tend to that. But fast-paced pitches that nip, you can maybe get away with a few things.”And then obviously the way I want to play is if they present opportunities to score, you score. So when they’re greener, they pitch up a little bit more and a bit fuller, and the style that I play, if they miss a little bit, I’m able to hopefully score and get busy.”It’s a run based game. You see some of the great players, like Steve Smith, Joe Root, you blink and they’re on 30 or 40. And that’s something that I’ve always appreciated, and definitely [on] these wickets, you know that you potentially have got one with your name on it. You can still play well. You can still get runs. Sometimes you’ve got that go about it in different ways. But ultimately, it’s a game where you go try and score as many as you can.”Since the start of the 2021-22 Ashes, top seven batters have averaged just 30.22 per dismissal in Test matches in Australia and combined for 24 centuries across 20 Test matches. In the four summers before that, from the start of 2017-18 Ashes to the end of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series, top seven batters averaged 38.14 across 20 Tests with 34 centuries scored.