The crew gets together to answer questions like why is Shami not being picked, is he better than any current fast bowler in the side, how can he make a comeback, and more
ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2025Why has Mohammed Shami – one of India’s top fast bowlers – been sidelined? Join Dustin Silgardo, Sidharth Monga, and Karthik Krishnaswamy as they dive deep into Shami’s legendary career, the chatter around his selection, and what makes him unique in Indian cricket. Hear untold stories from his journey, data-driven analysis, and the inside track on Indian fast bowling with banter and perspective.
Senthilnathan will remain in charge of the red-ball team. Venkataramana has been brought to coach the white-ball team
Winless after four rounds of the Ranji Trophy, Tamil Nadu have restructured their coaching set-up with former offspinner M Venkataramana set to take over from M Senthilnathan as head coach for the white-ball leg of the Indian domestic season.Senthilnathan will, however, see out the remainder of the Ranji season; the two remaining rounds of matches will be played in January after the Vijay Hazare Trophy.TN are currently in the bottom half of Group A, just above Odisha and Nagaland. In the ongoing fifth round, they are in a fight for survival for first-innings points thanks to Rinku Singh, despite posting 455.TN have already lost outright to Jharkhand and Andhra, while conceding a lead against Vidarbha, the defending champions. They also nearly couldn’t defend 512 against Nagaland for the first-innings honours. It is likely that even victories in TN’s remaining two fixtures won’t be enough to secure a Ranji Trophy knockouts berthWhile the timing – right in the middle of their fifth-round game against Uttar Pradesh in Coimbatore – may seem off, there have been rumblings of such a move at the top from within the TNCA since their fourth-round defeat to Andhra.The decision was finally taken and approved at an emergency meeting in Chennai on Tuesday, with the TNCA announcing via a press release late at night that they were adopting a split-coaching model for the remainder of 2025-26. TNCA’s release didn’t specify if Senthilnathan would continue beyond the current Ranji season.Venkataramana represented India in one Test in 1989, against West Indies in Kingston. He played 75 first-class matches, picking up 247 wickets at an average of 29.63 and 12 five-fors.This is the third coaching change TN have made in the past two years. In 2023-24, there were similar rumblings, but from within the team against former Mumbai wicketkeeper Sulakshan Kulkarni. He was then removed as head coach barely a year into his two-year contract, with L Balaji, the former India fast bowler, taking over. Prior to the start of the 2025-26 season, Senthilnathan, a former chief selector, took over from Balaji.Earlier in the week, TN named Varun Chakravarthy as captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. This will mark Chakravarthy’s first foray into a leadership role, after three other contenders – M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore and N Jagadeesan – were overlooked.At Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, TN are placed in a tough pool alongside Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tripura, Jharkhand and Saurashtra.
Leeds United have now made contact over signing a midfield star who’s been likened to Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, according to recent reports.
Daniel Farke Leeds "preparing" for January window
There’s no rest for the wicked and Leeds’ clash against Liverpool at Elland Road represents another tough test for Daniel Farke’s side, who have already squared off against Manchester City and Chelsea this week.
On paper, the visit of the reigning champions should be a daunting task, but Liverpool’s crown has been snatched this season and the Reds find themselves in the middle of a disastrous defence. Leeds, meanwhile, just ran Man City close and swept past Chelsea in shocking fashion. Those at Elland Road couldn’t be facing Liverpool at a better time.
Victory over Slot’s side could take the Whites five points clear of the dropzone if results go their way in a crucial step towards survival as the festive fixtures arrive thick and fast.
Meanwhile, as things progress on the pitch, the 49ers are already “planning” ahead for the January transfer window, according to Farke. The Leeds boss told reporters earlier this week: “I have not one second to think about what could happen, it also depends on injuries and how the players deliver in these upcoming games.
“I spoke in the summer about what he might have liked to sign and this has not gone away, in the background we are preparing but now is not the time to speak about it.”
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On that front, names such as Nilson Angulo have emerged as reported targets. The impressive winger has been dubbed one of Europe’s standout wingers this season and would certainly inject some added spark to Farke’s frontline.
The same can be said for Jens Hjerto-Dahl. The midfielder has been likened to fellow Norway star Odegaard and now finds himself on the radar of those at Elland Road.
Leeds make contact over signing Jens Hjerto-Dahl
As reported by TeamTalk, Leeds have now made contact to sign Hjerto-Dahl in 2026, but face competition from Rangers, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Tromso midfielder has built up an impressive reputation in Norway for his ability as a goalscoring box-crasher – scoring five goals in 35 games in all competitions this season – and could now get the chance to do that in the Premier League.
Described as “powerful” by scout Kai Watson, Hjerto-Dahl was likened to Odegaard when he was linked with a move to Brighton earlier this month and Leeds should go all out to land his signature.
The towering star certainly fits the physical profile of what’s needed in the Premier League these days, but it remains to be seen if clubs act as early as January.
Farke must unleash "wonderkid" who'd be perfect for Nmecha's new Leeds role
Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet pitched an absolute gem on Tuesday night, allowing one run on four hits while striking out 11 batters as the Red Sox took down the Yankees 3–1 in the Bronx. Boston now leads the American League wild-card playoff series 1–0.
Following the contest—which saw the Sox come back from down a run in the seventh—slugger Aaron Judge spoke about the challenges he and his New York teammates faced against the 25-year-old hurler, and made what was likely a painful admission:
"He's the best pitcher in the game," Judge explained. "He's gonna work all his pitches, worked a little more off-speed in there early on. We got the Volpe homer but couldn't really, when we got guys on, couldn't do much after that."
Game recognize game.
For what it's worth, Judge did find some relative success against Crochet, going 1-for-3 from the dish while striking out in the sixth.
The wild-card series between two of MLB's biggest rivals will continue on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, with Carlos Rodon set to to the rubber for New York while Brayan Bello goes for the Red Sox.
Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto decided to spend a portion of his Monday doing what he does best: pitching—the simulated version of him, anyway.
Yamamoto was crowned World Series MVP on Saturday night after his stellar October performances, from his historic complete game in Game 2 to his clutch close-out in the final key innings of Game 7. After winning baseball's biggest prize, the Japanese star prepared for the team's World Series parade on Monday while his teammate, Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, had some fun with a Yamamoto simulator in batting practice.
In an Instagram Story shared by Sasaki, the Yamamoto simulator was seen pitching to Sasaki in a practice facility before Monday's championship parade. It seemed like there was some sort of contest going on, as what was presumably Sasaki's other Dodgers teammates could be heard egging on the Yamamoto machine.
"Strike him out! Strike out Roki!" one person said.
The Yamamoto simulator proceeded to do just that, and Sasaki took the loss in stride, captioning the video, "Yoshi is nasty."
Watch that funny moment below:
Yamamoto is just getting his Dodgers' career started, but after two title-winning seasons in L.A., he's already made his indelible mark in MLB history. Coming of this year's Fall Classic, the 27-year-old became the first player to win three games in a World Series since 2001, and just the fourth ever to record a win in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.
Clearly, he's not finished yet, and neither is fellow Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية ما جاء في تقرير حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو في الدوري الاسباني، وما استند عليه لقيامه بطرد ثلاث لاعبين من جانب الفريق المضيف.
وكان سيلتا فيجو قد تغلب على ريال مدريد بثنائية نظيفة، بعد أن أكمل وصيف الليجا حالياً المباراة بتسعة لاعبين بعد طرد فران جارسيا وألفارو كاريراس، قبل طرد إندريك من دكة البدلاء.
وأفادت الصحفية “أرانشا رودريجيز” أن حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو قام في الدقيقة 20 بطرد فران جارسيا لحصوله على البطاقة الصفراء الثانية.
بينما قام حكم مباراة الفريقين بطرد ألفارو كاريراس لاعب ريال مدريد في الدقيقة 90 بعد أن وجه كلمات له: “أنت سئ للغاية”.
أقرأ أيضاً.. تشابي ألونسو يهاجم حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو: متساهل.. وقراراته أربكتنا
وفي الدقيقة 90 تم طرد إندريك فيليبي لاعب ريال مدريد لوقوفه من على مقاعد البدلاء ومغادرته المنطقة الفنية والصراخ على الحكم الرابع.
وبعد انتهاء المباراة، كتب الحكم في تقريره أنه في أثناء المرور في النفق المؤدي لغرفة الملابس، لاحظ عدم ارتداء داني كارفاخال ملابس التدريب حيث كان يرتدي ملابس عادية، فقد اقترب منه وقال: “هذا هو المستوى الذي تحكم به، ثم تبكي في المؤتمر الصحفي”.
No jogo de ida da final da Copa do Nordeste, o Fortaleza derrotou o CRB por 2 a 0, nesta quarta-feira (5), no Castelão. Moisés e Lucero foram os autores dos gols da vitória.
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Com o triunfo, o Tricolor pode até perder o duelo de volta por um gol de diferença para ser campeão regional. Por outro lado, a equipe alagoana precisa vencer por dois gols de vantagem para levar a decisão para os pênaltis ou mais para erguer o troféu do torneio.
O confronto de volta será realizado no domingo (9), às 16h30 (horário de Brasília), no Estádio Rei Pelé, em Alagoas.
✅ FICHA TÉCNICA Fortaleza 2 x 0 CRB – Copa do Nordeste Final (Ida)
🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 5 de junho de 2024, às 21h30 (hora de Brasília) 📍 Local: Castelão, em Fortaleza (CE) 📺 Onde assistir: SBT, ESPN, Star+ e Nosso Futebol+ 🟨 Arbitragem: Paulo Belence Alves dos Prazeres Filho (árbitro); Francisco Chaves Bezerra Júnior e Karla Renata Cavalcanti de Santana (auxiliares); Gilberto Rodrigues Castro Junior (VAR).
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FORTALEZA (Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda) João Ricardo; Tinga, Brítez, Titi e Bruno Pacheco; José Welison, Matheus Rossetto e Pochettino; Yago Pikachu, Lucero e Moisés.
CRB (Técnico: Daniel Paulista) Matheus Albino; Hereda, Saimon, Fábio Alemão e Matheus Ribeiro; Falcão, João Pedro e Gegê; Labandeira, Anselmo Ramon e Léo Pereira.
On Saturday lunchtime, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had a big decision to make. Play Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze in the number 10 position?
Well, the Spaniard chose his club captain Odegaard. It was a successive start for the Norwegian who is now back from injury and ready to make an impact.
What that meant was that the Gunners’ November Player of the Month was selected on the left flank.
It wasn’t a decision that went well for Eze. The scorer of that famous hat-trick in the north London derby just a few weeks ago, his influence from the left, rather than in a central area, was severely lacking.
It was Eze who switched off at the back post for Matty Cash’s opener and despite having a goal ruled out for offside, he was anonymous in the final third.
The summer signing was subsequently withdrawn at the half time interval having registered just 13 touches of the ball and amassed just seven passes.
Why Arsenal must pick Eze over Odegaard in the number 10 role
Before Emiliano Buendia’s late winner at Villa Park on Saturday, TNT Sports’ Martin Keown had named Martin Odegaard as the player of the match.
The club captain drifted in and out of the game, but left the field with three key passes and three shots to his name. He also ensured Bukayo Saka looked like a constant threat in the game. Indeed, in the words of the Telegraph’s Sam Dean, he noted that “it can’t be a coincidence that Saka has been so dangerous today, on the day he is reunited with Odegaard,” suggesting that as a pairing, they remain one of Arsenal’s “great weapons.”
That they may well be, but the skipper arguably held Arteta’s team back. While Eze has looked like such a big goal threat over the last few weeks, a dynamic and silky player who can produce a moment of magic out of nowhere, Odegaard was sluggish and timid in possession.
His biggest problem is that unlike Eze, he takes too many touches and he’s slow in possession. The 26-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the world on his day. He’s supremely creative but Arsenal’s summer recruit from Crystal Palace has taken them to the next level in recent weeks.
Odegaard & Eze vs Villa
Stat
Odegaard
Eze
Mins played
90
45
Touches
80
13
Key passes
3
0
Shots
3
0
Successful dribbles
1/4
1/1
Duels won
3/10
2/5
Possession lost
15x
3x
Stats via Sofascore.
It was surely no coincidence that two of their finest wins of 2025, the victories against Spurs and Bayern, came with Eze in the team over Odegaard.
It feels incredibly unlikely that Arteta will drop the latter but he must explore what this team could be like without their captain.
That said, Eze isn’t the only threat to Odegaard’s long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's next Odegaard and Eze
Eze’s arrival has coincided with a lack of game time for Ethan Nwaneri. Last season he was compared to Lionel Messi by Joe Cole and described as “the most exciting footballer in England.” How times change.
While the 18-year-old is still up there as one of the finest young talents in the country, scoring nine goals last term, regular senior football has eluded him in 2025/26. He has played just 165 minutes of Premier League football this term and only 20 minutes since the start of November.
Nwaneri will no doubt come good but he will also have to rival the great Max Dowman for a place in the team over the forthcoming years. Odegaard, beware.
The two exciting teenagers are not the only threats to Odegaard’s long-term future, however. Enter Holger Quintero.
At the end of last week, Arsenal announced the signings of a set of twins, Holger and Edwin Quintero from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle.
They have become one of the finest exponents of young talent in world football in recent years. Part of their alumni include Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie and PSG’s brute of a central defender William Pacho.
Well, the Quintero twins look like the next cabs of the rank and while they will not be seen in Arsenal colours until they turn 18, the 16-year-old’s have signed an agreement to join the club, something that was announced last Thursday.
Edwin is a left-footed right winger and, alongside Dowman, has been labelled as a “10/10 talent” by scout Jacek Kulig. As for his brother, Holger, he is an attacking midfielder by trade and an exciting one at that.
Described as a “top talent” by Como scout Felix Johnston, he possesses a glittering array of skills, outlined by Kulig.
The scout notes that he has “superb close control, flair and creativity” while hailing the youngster’s “low centre of gravity and excellent agility, acceleration and coordination.”
Close control and creativity are two areas in which Odegaard also thrives in but it’s arguably that lack of acceleration and ability to carry the ball forward with pace that holds him back. That’s where Quintero could trump him in the years to come.
Further described as a young kid with “elite dribbling skills with futsal-like ball control”, there is a reason Arsenal have decided to invest in these two young attacking sensations.
To predict they could become world beaters might be a stretch at this stage, but there is huge excitement about them both. As Kulig put it, Holger is “one of the most exciting U17s in South America.”
Watch out, Odegaard, it might not only be Dowman coming for your place.
4/10 star had his worst game in an Arsenal shirt vs Aston Villa
Arsenal suffered their second defeat of the season against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Liam Scott made 53 to go with his five wickets while Ben Manenti finished 49 not out as South Australia won by three wickets in a tight fourth innings chase
AAP12-Nov-2025Australia’s incumbent Test allrounder Beau Webster has taken eight wickets, including Travis Head twice and Alex Carey once, but it wasn’t enough for Tasmania as Liam Scott and Ben Manenti guided South Australia to their first win of the Sheffield Shield season in Hobart.Needing to manufacture the highest innings of a bowler-dominated match, the reigning champions recovered from 88 for 5 to chase down the target of 217.Cult hero Manenti was one of the heroes, scoring an unbeaten 49 from No.8. Manenti also took the crucial wickets of Beau Webster, Tim Ward and Brad Hope in Tasmania’s second innings to help bowl the Tigers out for 184. He put on a crucial 71-run stand with player of the match Scott to steer the visitors out of trouble.Related
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South Australia were winless from their first three games of the season, losing two and drawing the other. The result came against stiff opposition, with Australia’s incumbent Test No.6 Beau Webster starring with the ball to ensure he remains in contention to keep his spot.After claiming 5 for 50 in the first innings, Webster backed it up with 3 for 73 in the losing cause.Two of his victims were Travis Head and Alex Carey, his Australian teammates. Head edged Webster to slips on 15 from a ripping off-cutter, continuing his disappointing run of form leading into the Ashes.Since smashing a blazing ODI century against South Africa in August, his highest score has been 31 in 11 innings.Although Webster got the better of his Test teammates, he was taken apart by Manenti and Scott, with his wickets coming at more than six runs an over.Manenti was thrilled with the win.”We’ve been pretty successful down here the last couple of years. It’s a place we love to come and play at,” he said. “Probably rode the game a bit, it was a tricky wicket early.”We needed it. We’ve been close the last couple of weeks, playing some really good cricket, we’ve just lost patches.”South Australia will return to Adelaide Oval for their next match against Western Australia, starting on November 22.
Quinton de Kock scored the first hundred since his international comeback, and 22nd overall, as South Africa drew level in the ODI series against Pakistan. Tony de Zorzi and de Kock shared a 153-run second-wicket stand, which followed de Kock and Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ 81-run opening partnership. They only lost two wickets, as de Kock completed the chase of 270 with 59 balls to spare, in Matthew Breetzke’s company.South Africa batted with fluency and flair, both of which were absent from the Pakistan line-up after they chose to bat first. Though half-centuries from Saim Ayub and Salman Agha set Pakistan up well, their strike rates of 80.30 and 65.09 meant the going was slow throughout their innings. Mohammad Nawaz’s career-best run-a-ball 59 eventually took them over 250 – to 269.Nawaz’s individual achievement was one of three in the first half of the match. South Africa’s left-arm seamer Nandre Burger and legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter, who both sat out the first game, bagged career-best figures of 4 for 46 and 3 for 55 respectively. They were well supported by disciplined efforts from Corbin Bosch, Donovan Ferreira and Bjorn Fortuin, who all conceded at under six runs an over.While Pakistan made batting look tough, South Africa found the flow with their left-handed opening pair of Pretorius and de Kock. Pretorius enjoyed the bulk of the strike in the first four overs and hit three fours off Naseem Shah in the second, before de Kock hit his first shot of intent. He punched a short, wide Afridi ball through the covers for four. Pretorius should have been out in the next over, but Naseen spilled a return chance and Pretorius made Pakistan pay.Tony de Zorzi ensured South Africa’s smooth passage in the chase•Getty Images
Pretorious went after Shaheen Shah Afridi, and then Mohammed Wasim, and appeared unstoppable before he flayed at a wide Wasim delivery and nicked off. De Kock was on 32 off 31 balls himself when he lost his opening partner, and rebuilt quietly with de Zorzi.The pair scored 35 runs off the next seven overs and de Kock got his fifty with a six off Ashraf, before de Zorzi was finally ready to take on Afridi. He sent a short ball through midwicket and a full one through deep backward square, but his full range on the legside was on display when he took on Mohammad Nawaz. He reverse-swept, slogged over mid-wicket and then reached for a wide one to send it over long-off. In total, de Zorzi took 27 runs off 13 balls he faced from Nawaz, and also reached fifty off him.De Kock helped himself to runs off Afridi, then entered the 80s with a six over cover off Agha. He was on 98 when Afridi reviewed an lbw shout off Wasim. However, the delivery pitched outside leg and de Kock reached his century two balls later. The ball after that, Afridi reviewed again; once more, it had pitched outside leg.Pakistan used eight bowling options as they tried to break through, and Faheem eventually did. De Zorzi was caught off a leading edge by Ayub at point. De Kock – who finished unbeaten on 123* – and stand-in captain Matthew Breetzke ensured it was too late for Pakistan to defend their score, which could have been much less after they were reduced to 22 for 3 in the fifth over.Nandre Burger’s four tied down Pakistan’s batters•AFP via Getty Images
Earlier in the day, Burger struck with this third ball when Fakhar Zaman gloved an attempted pull to de Kock. Bosch had Babar Azam given out lbw off with his second delivery, but Babar reviewed. Ball-tracking showed the ball was bouncing over the stumps. All the same, South Africa did not have to wait too long to dismiss Pakistan’s talisman. In this third over, Burger squared up Babar, and he edged to Ferreira at first slip. Four balls later, Mohammed Rizwan fetched a Burger ball from fifth stump and chopped it onto his leg stump. At the other end, Bosch’s opening spell read: 4-0-8-0.The change bowlers Fortuin and Ferreira kept things quiet and limited the boundaries. By the 20th over, Pakistan had collectively hit just six fours before Ayub scored the innings’ first six, off Fortuin. Ayub also got to his second ODI 50 off Fortuin.Breetzke then made an inspired bowling change, which ended Ayub’s innings: he brought Bosch back as the halfway stage approached halfway stage, Ayub drove the ball back at Bosch with some force, and Bosch took a good low catch in his follow-through to pick up his first.At the time, Agha was on 34 off 62 balls, and showed no signs of speeding up. So, it fell to his partners to up the ante. Hussain Talat attempted to flick Peter over the legside, but the ball only found a leading edge, giving Peter a return catch and leaving Pakistan at 131 for 5 after 30 overs.Mohammad Nawaz added plenty of runs at the death•Getty Images
Agha made his way to fifty off 83 balls, and then began showing signs of urgency. He also slog-swept Fortuin for four, but it was Mohammad Nawaz who danced down the track to hit the left-arm spinner for six, and then repeated the feat against Bosch. Agha tried to join in, but Bosch had the final say when he bowled him with an inswinging yorker.Faheem Ashraf took 12 of the 13 runs off Bosch’s penultimate over, but was caught at deep mid-wicket when he tried to slog a Burger slower-ball bouncer. Peter got another return catch when Afridi top-edged him while trying to go big.After that, it was all Nawaz. He reached his fifty with six off the first ball of the final over, hit another 10 runs, and then gave Peter his third caught and bowled. This final dismissal was the best of the lot, as he had to judge a high chance. Though Naseem finished the innings with a six, Pakistan did not have nearly enough.Saturday’s third ODI, also in Faisalabad, will decide the series and end South Africa’s all-format tour of Pakistan.