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
Webster takes five on tough day for his Test chances
Webster, Weatherald miss out as Doggett bags five
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.
Shree Charani, Kiran Navgire and Yastika Bhatia are a few players that could fetch big money at the auction
Shashank Kishore26-Nov-2025
N Shree Charani
Uncapped heading into WPL 2025, Charani sparked an intense bidding war between Delhi Capitals [DC] and Mumbai Indians [MI] before eventually going for INR 55 lakh to DC. A left-arm spinner trusted across phases, she offers the kind of control and reliability captains crave. Her stocks have never been higher, having been instrumental in India’s ODI World Cup triumph despite being an unlikely starter as late as June. Composed under pressure and rapidly rising in value, Charani is poised for an even bigger payday.Yastika Bhatia has fully recovered from a knee injury•BCCI
Yastika Bhatia
Bhatia has been part of two title-winning MI squads and enjoyed intermittent success as Hayley Matthews’ opening partner. But a series of injuries stalled her upward trajectory, culminating in the heartbreak of missing the World Cup due to a knee injury. With G Kamalini retained by MI, Bhatia re-enters the auction pool at a time when several teams are actively seeking an Indian wicketkeeper. The past few months have seen her complete her rehab and regain full fitness, and her dual skill set once again makes her a valuable option. As a wicketkeeper-batter, she offers immediate balance and flexibility to whichever team secures her. She last played in August, impressing in the three one-dayers for India A in Australia.Kiran Navgire has often got UP Warriorz off to flying starts•WPL
Kiran Navgire
Navgire last played for India in October 2022, but her power-hitting has remained impossible to ignore in the WPL. In 2025, she walloped a 24-ball half-century as an opener for UP Warriorz against DC. That innings briefly nudged the franchise towards considering her for retention. While that didn’t materialise, an RTM card remains a realistic option. What’s certain is that she won’t come cheap. Navgire’s stock has surged in recent months, especially in the aftermath of her record-breaking 34-ball century for Maharashtra against Punjab – the fastest in women’s T20 cricket, surpassing Sophie Devine.Vaishnavi Sharma picked up a hat-trick in India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph earlier this year•ICC/Getty Images
Vaishnavi Sharma
Another rising star from Madhya Pradesh’s stables after Pooja Vastrakar and Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi announced herself with a hat-trick in India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph earlier this year. The 19-year-old left-arm spinner then dominated the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets in 11 games at an economy of 6.47, before backing it up with strong performances in the inter-zonal tournament. Having impressed at multiple trials, Vaishnavi is widely praised for her maturity, composure and exceptional control, qualities that mark her out as one of India’s most exciting young spin prospects. Teams that don’t get Charani could be lining up for Vaishnavi.
Deeya Yadav
A hard-hitting top-order batter from Haryana, Deeya has modelled much of her game on Shafali Verma. Her recent performances suggest she’s charting a similar trajectory, too. She enjoyed a breakout Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, amassing 298 runs in eight innings at an average of 59.50 and a strike rate of 128, including three half-centuries. She carried that form into the inter-zonal T20s, where her strike-rate touched 150 as she powered North Zone to the final. Still only 16, Deeya could be a long-term investment for franchises. Her stable base, excellent hand-eye coordination and raw hitting power have already prompted comparisons to Shafali, with many touting her as Haryana’s next big batting talent.
Aaron Judge did not receive a favorable strike zone in his first at-bat against Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello on Friday night. Judge, hitting third in the order for the Yankees' second game of a weekend series against Boston, did not swing at any of the four pitches he saw in the at-bat and none of them were in the zone.
Rather than give Judge a walk, home plate umpire Lance Barrett sent him back to the dugout without having seen so much as a single strike.
Looking at the recap of the at-bat, none of the calls were that far outside the zone and any one of them on their own wasn't that egregious.
Aaron Judge was punched out on three questionable strike calls. / MLB.com
But when you call all three of them strikes back-to-back-to-back, it's a bad look. And more importantly, people notice.
This would not be the first time that the Yankees have disagreed with Barrett behind the dish.
West Indies have made three changes to their T20I squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan after the 5-0 defeat to Australia: Shamar Joseph, Alick Athanaze and Johnson Charles have come in for Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer. The three-T20I series against Pakistan starts on Thursday at Lauderdale.Evin Lewis is still out injured while Keacy Carty, who was called in as cover during the series against Australia, retained his spot. King and Hetmyer were in good form against Australia but picked up side strains in the final T20I in Basseterre. Alzarri, meanwhile, was rested.Related
Afridi back for T20Is, Nawaz earns maiden ODI call-up for West Indies series
Struggling Pakistan and West Indies look to bounce back in the USA
The injuries to King and Hetmyer are a concern for West Indies. They were the only batters in the side apart from captain Shai Hope to score more than 100 runs in the five matches against Australia.Charles, 36, will likely slot in for King at the top of the order. Athanaze, meanwhile, is likely to fill in for Hetmyer in the middle. Shamar is expected to be a like-for-like replacement for Alzarri.
West Indies squad for Pakistan T20Is
Shai Hope (capt), Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd
Players due to also compete in some fixtures against Indian domestic sides
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2025
Afghanistan Women’s players share a laugh•Martin Keep/AFP/Getty Images
When India take on Sri Lanka at the Women’s World Cup 2025 opener, the spotlight will not just be on the players on the field but also on some of those off it.A group of Afghanistan’s women’s cricketers, currently living in exile in Australia, will be in attendance at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Guwahati in one of the first attempts to integrate them into the global game. The players do not represent Afghanistan as they are not recognised by the ACB but are playing in league structures in Australia. They will have no formal role at the game, where they will be received as spectators.”[BCCI secretary] Devajit Saikia knows exactly what details about this,” ACA President Taranga Gogoi told ESPNcricinfo. “He will guide us and we are awaiting more details. The Afghanistan players will be here tomorrow and we will make arrangements for that.”Related
Form vs Spirit: Australia's world champions take on New Zealand's game raisers
World Cup offers an air of freshness to sombre Guwahati
Powerplay: More than just a match for Afghanistan Women's XI
Powerplay: How cricket helped Afghanistan women escape
BCCI, ECB, CA to help fund ICC's plan to support Afghan women cricketers
Details surrounding the Afghanistan players’ trip to the World Cup have been kept under wraps, with no official announcement from the ICC. However, in April this year, the ICC confirmed it would form a “dedicated task force” to support Afghanistan’s female cricketers which would include coaching and mentorship. Funding for this initiative would be provided by the ICC, and the three most moneyed cricket boards: the BCCI, ECB and CA but exact amounts were never revealed.The idea for Afghanistan’s exiled female cricketers to travel to the World Cup was firmed up at the ICC’s annual conference in July. At the time, a loose plan was put in place for the cricketers to attend a training camp in Bengaluru, which was due to host the opening match of the tournament, play against Indian domestic sides and then attend a handful of World Cup games. As things stand, the players are still due to compete in some fixtures but may not attend any matches other than the tournament opener, although no information has been confirmed.It is also understood that the lack of publicity around the Afghanistan women’s arrival in India is a result of the ICC adopting a cautious approach to any retaliation from the government of Afghanistan. Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, women have been increasingly excluded from public life, cannot attend university or secondary school and their voices cannot be heard in public. As such, the ACB is unable to ratify a women’s team, despite contracting 25 players in 2020.The majority of those players live in Australia but some are resident in the United Kingdom and Canada. Not all those living in Australia have made the trip to India as some faced visa challenges but most of them played in an exhibition match between an Afghanistan XI and Cricket without Borders in January.
Arsenal secured a seventh consecutive victory and extended their lead at the top of the Premier League this weekend, but not everyone was happy with what they saw at the Emirates.
The Gunners appear in unstoppable form and they capitalised on a weekend where Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all lost by securing a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace to cement their status as the current favourites to win the title.
Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice were sensational in the win, as was Jurrien Timber, who is fast becoming the standout right-back in world football.
The Netherlands international however called for calm ahead of Wednesday’s EFL Cup clash against Brighton: “It is good to stay neutral, and not to get too high.
“Obviously, we’ve been doing well, but it’s still early in the season, and we just have to keep getting better game by game.
“The next game is already in three days, which is a (Carabao) Cup match (against Brighton), and the next Premier League game (against Burnley) is going to be tough as well.
“So, let’s keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard, and then from there, we’ll see what happens.”
Stelling reveals he turned TV off during Arsenal win over Palace
Arsenal’s bid to land their first league title in 22 years has been built on a remarkable defence which has shipped just three goals, and only one from open play, in their 13 fixtures across all competitions.
They have of course dominated in the opposition box as well, scoring just five of their 16 league goals from open play, and former Soccer Saturday presenter Jeff Stelling was disgusted by the lack of expansive football during the win over Palace.
“They can’t keep relying on set plays, they just can’t,” he said on talkSPORT on Monday morning.
He continued: “I love some of the Arsenal players, I love Saka, I love Odegaard, I love Eze. But please, please be just a bit more expansive. I mean watching Arsenal against Palace, was watching paint dry. It was purgatory. I started watching that match, and I had enough of it before they had a shot. I’d turned over by then, to watch Villa versus City, which was a much better game.”
Arsenal’s clean sheet against Palace was their fifth in succession, And Timber is proud of their tough to play against style: “Everyone plays a part in it, but it’s a good thing and a good foundation to build on.
“From that standard, you just have to keep getting better and be consistent in what we do, and then throughout the whole season, hopefully we’ll turn it into something beautiful.
“It gives you confidence and it shows that we’re doing really well, and also, if it’s for multiple games in a row, it says something about consistency.
“We just have to keep improving, and look at what we can do better, but also take that feeling with you, that confidence and go into the next game with the same mindset.”
Mikel Arteta awaits news on injuries sustained to William Saliba, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori, which is perhaps the only damp spot on an otherwise flawless October for the Gunners.
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.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been on fire for the Blue Jays throughout the postseason.
While he was quiet during the first two games of the American League Championship Series against the Mariners, Vladdy has since gone 9-of-16 from the plate, and homered in all three of Toronto’s wins to help force Game 7 on Monday night.
Ahead of Monday’s first pitch, Guerrero made quite a bold fashion choice—one that has some Toronto sports fans extremely worried.
As Guerrero made his way to the locker room at the Rogers Centre, he was wearing an Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.
While it’s hardly uncommon for sports stars to represent the heroes of other local teams in their tunnel walk, invoking the Maple Leafs ahead of a Game 7 in Toronto feels a bit like tempting fate.
Beyond their long wait for a championship in general, the Leafs have notoriously struggled with Game 7s in recent years, having lost eight straight winner-take-all playoff games.
On one hand, Guerrero’s look could be seen as a bold declaration that he is ready to take the burden of an entire city’s sports heartbreak on his shoulders and turn the ship around. On the other, it just seems like tempting fate. Sports fans voiced their concern with Vladdy’s provocative fashion choice, while others credited him for looking the pressure straight in the eye and showing no fear.
Guerrero and the Blue Jays will have their chance to reset the sports vibes across Toronto when they face off against the Mariners on Monday with a spot in the World Series on the line. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.
Aasif and Jora’s half-centuries set the stage for a decimation of the former T20I world champions
Abhijato Sensarma29-Sep-2025As fans clad in red and blue danced in the Sharjah aisles, the result was a foregone conclusion: Zishan Morata was the last man out, caught in the deep by Karan KC, and West Indies had been bundled out for 83. Three days ago, Nepal had never played a T20I series against a Full Member nation. Now, they had sealed it 2-0, with one match to spare.West Indies struggled to move beyond single-digits in the powerplay. Only thanks to a boundary in the sixth over did they reach 16 for 2. By then, Dipendra Singh Airee had scalped the first wicket when he bowled Jewel Andrew (2), while Kushal Bhurtel had taken a stunning catch at cover to send back Keacy Carty (1).Nepal’s vice grip over the scoring rate was the result of their slower balls and full deliveries in the blockhole, with their quicks often marrying the two to great effect. An inexperienced West Indies unit kept mistiming their shots on a pitch where none of their batters, barring Jason Holder’s 15-ball 21, played with any degree of comfort. Eight-three all out represents the former T20 World Champions’ sixth-lowest total. The 90-run defeat is their joint fourth-biggest by runs.Medium pacer Mohammad Aadil Alam – who ended with figures of 4 for 24 – was the next bowler to get on the scorecard, thanks to the biggest point of difference between the two sides: Nepal’s fielding. Nineteen-year-old Gulsan Jha’s diving catch at sweeper cover in the eighth over bettered their previous effort, and sent Kyle Mayers back after a sluggish 6 off 16 balls.The going never got better for West Indies, as they kept losing wickets in the middle overs and found gaps in the field plugged by a Nepal team who threw themselves at the ball. Alam sent back Ackeem Auguste (17) and Amir Jangoo (16) in back-to-back overs. By then, West Indies had slipped to 63 for 5 and the required rate had leaped to above 13.Kushal Bhurtel took three wickets to mop off the West Indies tail•ICC/Getty ImagesBhurtel added to his contributions in the field with a three-for that swept up the tail. Holder – the last nominal hope for West Indies – fell to Lalit Rajbanshi in the 17th over, when Jha took his second screamer of the day. Soon after, Bhurtel came back to toss up a legbreak and fount it caught on the outfield once again. This was a day when West Indies kept finding fielders at the rope instead of clearing them.Earlier in the day, Nepal’s own innings had been one of two distinct halves: in the first ten, they did not hit a single six, but opener Aasif Sheikh had established a burgeoning partnership with Sundeep Jora, and a productive powerplay had taken them to 74 for 3 at the midway point of the innings.In the next ten, the pair raced away and put on what would end up being a 100-run partnership. Jora’s 39-ball 63 eventually ended in the 18th over. He had hit five of the nine sixes Nepal hit in the second half of the innings.Sheikh remained unbeaten on 68 off 47 himself. At the other end, Alam’s 5-ball 11 took Nepal’s total to 173. Alam was playing his first match for Nepal after more than three years, having last appeared for them in August 2022. His cameo would become a footnote to his starring role in the second innings.It would also overshadow the efforts of West Indies’ best bowler on the day – their captain Akeal Hosein – who took 2 for 21 and had reduced Nepal to 14 for 2 in the fourth over. However, any hopes of a rally after their loss in the first T20I were soon left far behind, as his team slipped to 83 all out – the lowest total by a Full Member team against an Associate nation – as well as a 90-run loss – the biggest margin by which an Associate team has defeated a Full Member nation.What makes this result more significant is that Nepal have secured it ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifiers next month, and in the absence of their lead spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has sat out both matches of the series. Nepal coach, Stuart Law, said Lamichhane excused himself citing personal reasons.Nepal now know they will be favourites to win the third and final match of the series, to be played on Tuesday, having sealed the most significant series win in their cricket history.
The Pacific Northwest is Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh's world—and the team's fans are all just living in it.
Tuesday wasn't the Mariners' evening, as the team lost 10–3 to the New York Yankees in the Bronx. However, Raleigh made history by crushing his 36th home run of the year. That gave him Seattle's all-time record for home runs before the All-Star break—a mark previously held by Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.
Raleigh has already eclipsed his home run total from last season—a then-career-high 34. He is on pace to bash 63 home runs, which would be an American League record and the most in Major League Baseball since 2001.
Thanks to Raleigh's otherworldly '25, the Mariners are the current owners of the AL's final wild-card spot. They lead the Boston Red Sox by one game in that race.
More broadly, he's given Seattle fans hope—a quality that has been in short supply there for much of this century.