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Stunning all-round performance against Ireland at home has lifted Hayley Matthews in all three tables

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2023

Lea Tahuhu and Suzie Bates have moved up the T20I bowlers’ and batters’ tables•AFP/Getty Images

Suzie Bates has moved up three spots to No. 5 in the women’s T20I batting rankings following scores of 44 and 52 in the first two games in Sri Lanka, while Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr have both closed in on Ashleigh Gardner at the top of the allrounders’ table.Chamari Athapaththu batted New Zealand out of the ODI series that preceded the T20Is, totalling 248 runs while being dismissed just once in three innings to give her side a 2-1 win, but New Zealand hit back in the T20Is, winning the first two to pocket the series. Their star performers in the two T20Is were Bates and Kerr with the bat and Lea Tahuhu with the ball, and that reflected in the ICC rankings.Bates went up to 677 rating points, behind Tahlia McGrath (784), Beth Mooney (777), Smriti Mandhana (728) and team-mate Sophie Devine (683), and another good performance could take her higher before she leaves Sri Lanka.Full rankings tables

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Kerr has scored 34 and 33 not out in Sri Lanka so far and the two wickets she picked up in the two games took her closer to the top of the allrounders’ chart, placing her at No. 3.The standout all-round performance of the week came from Matthews, the West Indies captain, who scored 135 runs and picked up eight wickets, including a hat-trick in the final game, to script a 3-0 sweep of Ireland at home. She is at No. 2 among allrounders, up two spots to No. 17 among batters, and up three spots to seventh among bowlers.Tahuhu also moved up within the top ten among bowlers, her four-for in the second T20I against Sri Lanka lifting her two places to sixth.On to Bangladesh vs India, where Harmanpreet Kaur was the Player of the Match with her 35-ball 54 not out to lead India to a comfortable win in the first T20I. That took her up four places to joint tenth.At the end of the T20I leg of the Ashes, which got over on July 8 with England winning 2-1 and bouncing right back in the contest after conceding the one-off Test, Mooney, who scored 115 runs, closed in on McGrath at the top of the batters’ table, just seven points separating the two.

With a record number of England players taking part in this year’s IPL, we pick five who could make a big impact

Alan Gardner05-Apr-20185:36

New England players are more interested in T20s – Swann

Ben Stokes Rajasthan Royals
Last year’s Most Valuable Player, Stokes was back in the auction pot due to his team, Rising Pune Supergiant, not being involved. The returning Royals – one of the suspended franchises that Supergiant had replaced for two seasons – duly coughed up GBP1.37m (USD1.95m) for his services this time around, despite the uncertainty around his availability because of court proceedings in the UK. With his trial for affray pushed back to August, Stokes should now be available for most of the group stage (he will be due back in England on May 17 if named in the Test squad to face Pakistan), and will be aiming to live up to his hefty price tag with another campaign marked by aggressive hitting, canny bowling and spectacular fielding.Jos Buttler Rajasthan Royals
Royals are likely to field two of England’s most blockbuster talents in their starting XI, after signing Buttler for GBP480,000 (USD680,000). When the ECB began to relent in its opposition to the IPL – which encroaches on the English season – a couple of years ago, Buttler was among the first to blaze a trail, with Mumbai Indians. His two seasons in Mumbai blue were a qualified success (average: 25.09; strike rate: 145.98), although perhaps his most memorable contribution to their 2017 title win was dropping his towel while filming an Instagram video celebrating the moment of victory (Buttler’s involvement was curtailed by England obligations). Has spent the winter widening his experience of T20 leagues around the world, with stints in Australia’s Big Bash and the Bangladesh Premier League.Alex Hales Sunrisers Hyderabad
Hales is one of the beneficiaries of the ball-tampering scandal that erupted last week, brought in by Sunrisers as a replacement for David Warner after the Australian was barred from this year’s IPL. Despite initially missing out on selection at the auction in January, Hales decided to sign a white-ball only contract with his county, Nottinghamshire, in order to focus on the shorter formats; he was then selected from the reserve list to fill the hole in Sunrisers’ line-up, although he has big shoes to fill – Warner captained the franchise to the title in 2016 and was the tournament’s leading run-scorer last year. Hales went to the IPL in 2015, as an injury replacement for Mumbai, but did not play a game.Chris Woakes in his delivery stride•BCCIChris Woakes Royal Challengers Bangalore
Although his GBP500,000 (USD700,000) signing by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017 was slightly less eye-catching, in comparison to stratospheric deals for the likes of Stokes and Tymal Mills, Woakes enjoyed a quietly productive debut season in the competition. The allrounder finished joint-sixth on the wicket-takers’ list, with 17 in 13 matches alongside an economy rate of 8.77, despite often bowling at the death. He has since credited playing with the expectation placed on overseas players at the IPL as a factor in his development as England’s attack leader in white-ball cricket, and despite not being retained by KKR for 2018, his price was pushed up through the million-dollar barrier by Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are seeking their first title after several near-misses.Mark Wood Chennai Super Kings
A raw quick with a reputation for larking about, Wood could be the joker in the pack when it comes to England’s representatives at the IPL. Picked up on the cheap (by IPL standards) for GBP164,000 (USD234,000) in this year’s auction, Wood will be joining another of the returning franchises and one of the competition’s iconic names: CSK have twice been champions, four times runners-up and never failed to qualify from the group stage. The injury-prone Wood has only played 18 T20 games in his entire career, but provided a glimpse of what he is capable of when taking 4 for 25 – which included yorking Jonny Bairstow and giving Joe Root a fearful working-over – during the 2016 NatWest Blast semi-final.Other England players involved: Jason Roy (Delhi Daredevils); Moeen Ali (Royal Challengers Bangalore); Sam Billings (Chennai Super Kings); Chris Jordan (Sunrisers Hyderabad); Tom Curran (Kolkata Knight Riders); Liam Plunkett (Delhi Daredevils)

AS Monaco are interested in signing Kieran Trippier from Newcastle this summer in a move that could reunite him with Eric Dier.

• Monaco eye Trippier move
• Have already signed Dier
• Pair played together at Tottenham and England

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per Keith Downie of Sky Sports, Monaco are interested in signing Trippier this summer. The club have already secured the signature of Dier and Trippier, who played with the defender for both Tottenham and England, has now emerged as a target.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Newcastle do not want to sell Trippier, as manager Eddie Howe continues to view him as an important leader in the dressing room. However, he only has one year left on his contract and this is the final window in which the Magpies can receive a fee for him, provided he does not agree to extend his spell at St James' Park.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Trippier is now 34 but he remained a key cog in Howe's machine last season, making 32 appearances in all competitions, although only 14 of those came as starts in the Premier League.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Newcastle kick off their season against Aston Villa this weekend.

Najmul Hossain Shanto, the Bangladesh captain, has become the first major voice in months to ask for Tamim Iqbal’s presence in the national set-up, saying “if he is fit, I want him available for all formats”.Shanto and Tamim, whose appearances for Bangladesh have been sporadic of late, spoke after the Dhaka Premier League match between Abahani Limited and Prime Bank Cricket Club at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Monday. They had initially sat down to talk in the viewing area in one of the dressing rooms, but seeing too many cameras hovering around, they stepped out of view.”I had a nice, long [chat] with Tamim . We generally spoke about cricket. I asked about his well-being. We spoke about how we think about captaincy,” Shanto said on Tuesday after refusing to open up on Monday. “He has asked for a bit of time. He will think it over. We are in the middle of the Dhaka Premier League, so once the tournament is over, there will be more clarity. I can’t really tell you exactly what’s going on, since it is now a matter of biding our time.”Related

• Tamim opts out of BCB central contract list; Shanto and Shoriful get all-format deals

• Tamim Iqbal to 'wait till January' before deciding on his international future

• How Bangladesh became a shadow of themselves at the World Cup

Shanto was emphatic when he spoke of wanting Tamim in his team, even suggesting that Tamim unretire from T20Is, which he did in 2022.”[Tamim] retired from T20Is but if he is fit, I want him available for all formats,” Shanto said. “I think everyone in this country wants that. This is what I want but before everything, we have to see what he wants. Then the rest of the process. I spoke to him about what I want as a captain.”Tamim’s international future has been unclear since he fell out with the BCB ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. He had initially retired from international cricket on July 6 last year, but reversed the decision the following day after intervention from the country’s prime minister. He resigned from the ODI captaincy in August. He briefly returned to the Bangladesh team in September, but then had a scrap with a senior BCB official, following which Shakib Al Hasan questioned his commitment to Bangladesh cricket during an interview.Since then, Tamim has led Fortune Barishal to their first BPL title as he returned to competitive cricket. Two BCB directors have spoken to him, but there is no final word on the matter.Tamim’s thoughts on the matter weren’t immediately known. But he will have time till the end of the T20 World Cup to think about his future. His fitness, of course, will be a point of discussion.

Shanto: ‘We don’t have any T20 specialists’

The big one next up is the T20 World Cup, in the Caribbean and the USA, and Shanto has urged Bangladesh’s fans and media not to have too many expectations of the team. He said the upcoming five-match T20I series at home against Zimbabwe will help them figure out their plans going into the tournament.”The team is doing well, having won many of the recent T20I series. We definitely want to play on better wickets, especially those that were used in the T20I series against Sri Lanka,” Shanto said. “We will obviously try to replicate the wickets we will get in America. Although I don’t think it will be easy. We definitely want to finish well at home, so this series [against Zimbabwe] is very important.”We don’t have any T20 specialists so we play as a team. When we do that, we usually win. Overall, our pace-bowling unit has improved a lot. We have strength in spin and batting too. We win when everyone contributes.”

تحدد منافس النادي الأهلي في الدور التمهيدي الثاني (دور الـ 32) من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا للموسم الجديد 2025-2026.

وأجرى الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف”، مراسم قرعة الأدوار التمهيدية اليوم السبت، في دار السلام بتنزانيا.

طالع | نتائج قرعة دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2025-2026

وكان كاف، أعفى النادي الأهلي من خوض الدور التمهيدي الأول (دور الـ 64) لتواجد الفريق في التصنيف الأول في القارة الإفريقية.

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا للموسم الجديد، 19 سبتمبر المقبل بالدور التمهيدي الأول (دور الـ 64)، وسيبدأ الأهلي مبارياته من دور الـ 32، الذي ينطلق بداية من 17 من شهر أكتوبر المقبل. منافس الأهلي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2025-2026

وأسفرت القرعة التي أجريت اليوم، عن مواجهة الأهلي للفائز من مباراة نادي إيجل نوار (بوروندي) ضد أساس جيبوتي تيليكوم (جيبوتي)، التي تقام في دور التمهيدي الأول (دور الـ 64).

The tournament has had its first upset – and one of the biggest of all time – while two teams face an almost must-win clash in Lucknow

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-20233:56

Trott: ‘Manner and margin of Afghanistan’s win makes it significant’

–Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament IndexTop Story: The Great Upset – Afghanistan bring World Cup to life with England conquestAfghanistan claimed the most famous scalp of their international history, and in the process provided the first big shock of the 2023 World Cup, by routing England’s world champions by 69 runs in a spin-and-seam masterclass under the Delhi floodlights.Their dominance was set in motion by a fearless display of power-hitting from the 21-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz, whose 80 from 57 had promised so much more until a run-out sawed him off in his prime. But Ikram Alikhil marshalled Afghanistan’s lower-order with a precious half-century in his first game of this year’s World Cup, whereupon they set about making a target of 285 seem as dim and distant as England’s hopes of defending their title must now feel.Click here for the full reportMatch analysis: Forget Bazball, this was GurbazballRashid Khan clinches Afghanistan’s historic win against England•Getty Images

The ball skidded past Mark Wood’s bat and into the stumps, and Rashid Khan stood with his arms outstretched, arching his back and facing the night sky. It was a moment to savour, one which will reverberate across Delhi, India and far beyond: Afghanistan had not only beaten the world champions, but thrashed them.This was the performance of a team with no fear or inhibition, attacking first with the bat and then with the ball. Afghanistan had won once in their 17 previous World Cup matches, a one-wicket victory over Scotland eight years ago: they were a team with nothing to lose, who gained everything.Amid political turmoil and humanitarian crises, India has become a home away from home for Afghanistan. This, their most famous night as a sporting nation, came in front of over 25,000 fans in a city with a substantial Afghan diaspora. Many of them waved Afghanistan flags and danced along as played over the PA system.Read the full analysis by Matt Roller in DelhiHave your say: Which is England’s most shocking loss?England have been on the wrong end of some big upsets in ICC events and have been shocked once again in this World Cup, by Afghanistan in Delhi. Which of these defeats was the most surprising? Click here to voteMust Watch: Aaron Finch on Pat Cummins4:43

Finch: ‘Everyone in the team respects Cummins and his tactics’

News headlines Travis Head is hopeful of being able to fly out to join Australia’s World Cup squad later this week as he continues to recover from his fractured hand
England captain Jos Buttler has said the team “must let this defeat hurt” after they were toppled by Afghanistan
Match previewAustralia vs Sri Lanka, Lucknow (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEST)1:32

Kumble on Australia’s limited spin attack

Even in a tournament with nine group-stage matches which allows room for a slip up or two, you don’t want to be 0-3 early in the competition. But that’s exactly the situation which will confront one of Australia and Sri Lanka after they face off in Lucknow in what already shapes as a contest to retain realistic semi-final hopes. It has been a tough start for both sides, but two points in this fixture will revive belief that they can still challenge for the top four.Full previewTeam newsAustralia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodSri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dunith Wellalage, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Dilshan MadushankaFeature: Tired and tested – Australia’s challenges at this World CupIt’s no doubt a view coloured by recent results and the mediaperson’s tendency to hanker for shiny new things to talk about, but there’s a definite jadedness to Australia’s ODI set-up. Where some other teams – India, for instance – have torn up their ODI template and started over more than once over the last two World Cup cycles, Australia continue to play the way they’ve always played. They have an explosive line-up buttressed by a pair of busy anchors, and they trust in their best – which usually translates to Test – fast bowlers no matter what the conditions are.Read the full piece by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Lucknow

Nottingham Forest have now submitted a £50m offer for a “fantastic” striker, who they hope to have signed before the summer transfer window opens, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest's striker search underway

It would be fair to say Chris Wood has been one of the best performers for Forest this season, with the New Zealand international bagging 18 goals in the Premier League to help propel his side into Champions League contention.

However, Wood is arguably in the twilight years of his career at 33 years old, which means Nuno Espirito Santo may need to start thinking about a long-term replacement, and his side’s push for Europe should place them in a good position to sign a top striker.

Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is one of the names on the shortlist, with Forest now working on a deal for the Brentford star, who could be available for just £20m, while fellow Premier League striker, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha is also of interest.

Nottingham Forest plot bold move for £150k-per-week star as club slash price

The Premier League side sense a golden opportunity to back Nuno Espirito Santo.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 29, 2025

One of the most high-profile players on the shortlist is Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, with the Nigerian set to be available for £63m this summer, and the Tricky Trees would have no issues paying his wages.

Signing Osimhen would be a real statement of intent, but Nottingham Forest have reportedly now taken the first step towards signing a different striker, having submitted a formal offer of €60m (£50m) for Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.

Nunez has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield, with Arne Slot making it clear the Uruguayan is not in his plans for next season, which means a summer move could be on the cards, and Forest believe he has the ability to be a key player.

Interestingly, the report states Nuno’s side are eager to get a deal done as soon as possible and they are currently leading the race for the forward’s signature.

"Fantastic" Nunez could reignite career at Nottingham Forest

Things haven’t always been easy for the 25-year-old since arriving at Anfield, having received widespread criticism at times, but he managed to maintain a decent goal record during his first two seasons on Merseyside.

Season

Premier League appearances

Goals

Assists

2022-23

29

9

3

2023-24

36

11

8

2024-25

23

5

3

Since then, the “fantastic” former Benfica man has fallen down the pecking order, but he has still managed to score some important goals for Liverpool this season, most notably finding the back of the net twice against Brentford to secure a late victory.

Nunez’s flashes of brilliance, coupled with his fantastic goal record in Portugal, demonstrate that he could be a top signing for Forest if he is able to perform at his best on a more consistent basis.

That said, it could be a risky move for Forest, and it may be wise to focus on other targets who have performed well in the Premier League this season, such as Wissa and Cunha.

Jude Bellingham insists Real Madrid are determined to win the Club World Cup and says the tournament is a "big deal".

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Bellingham calls Club World Cup a "big deal" Real Madrid determined to win itAdmits "downtime" is important Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Real Madrid have won the Champions League more than any other club and are now aiming to win the world title in the first expanded tournament of its type. Questions have been asked about whether the competition should be taking place, but Bellingham intends to take it seriously.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT BELLINGHAM SAID

Bellingham said: "I think all our games will be brilliant. We had pre-season in the USA and every year we seem to get flooded with even more fans and it will be a beautiful thing for us. It's really exciting. By the time we go there we are there with a purpose to win. I’m sure we will try and factor in that we have had a long season and there will be time to enjoy our downtime and take in the experience of the culture. The most important thing obviously is the football and we will try and win."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Bellingham heads to the Club World Cup after a disappointing week with England, where he lost his temper when a late equaliser against Senegal was ruled out by VAR. His form has not been fantastic in general, either, with just one goal in his last 13 for club and country.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?

Bellingham will still be key to Real Madrid's chances in the USA, beginning with their clash against Al-Hilal. They then take on Pachuca and RB Salzburg in the group stage.

Jude Bellingham dropped a comment on girlfriend Ashlyn Castro's Instagram post as she ended her social media hiatus.

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• Bellingham reacted to Castro's Instagram post
• Castro ended her social media hiatus
• The couple were spotted partying in Ibiza at the end of the season

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bellingham's girlfriend, Castro, ended her three-month-long social media hiatus as she shared a photograph of herself in a green dress on Instagram and wrote in the caption, "Long time no see". The Real Madrid star was quick to respond to the post as he dropped a 'green heart' emoji in the comments.

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  THE GOSSIP

  After a long season for club and country, Bellingham was pictured parting with Castro at O Beach in Ibiza, which is owned by Gary Lineker's brother Wayne. The couple were later joined by the Los Blancos midfielder's younger brother, Jobe.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Bellingham's relationship with 27-year-old American model and influencer Castro went public in January 2025 when the couple were spotted dining in Madrid.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JUDE BELLINGHAM?

  The 21-year-old English midfielder is all set to miss the start of the 2025-26 campaign after being pencilled in for surgery on a shoulder problem. The Athletic reported that Madrid have decided that Bellingham will go under the knife after the Club World Cup to fix a persistent shoulder problem that has existed since 2023.

Tottenham Hotspur have decided to sanction an exit this summer, with chairman Daniel Levy and co anticipating a bidding war for the player’s services.

Tottenham players likely to leave this summer

Sergio Reguilon, Alfie Whiteman and Fraser Forster are facing their final few months in north London as their contracts tick down towards expiry, while out-of-favour forward Timo Werner is expected to return to parent club RB Leipzig.

Tottenham plotting approach for £42m star wanted by Real Madrid and Bayern

Spurs are stepping up their interest in him.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 7, 2025

Spurs have an option to buy Werner for £8.5 million at the end of his loan spell, which has been going on for one and a half seasons, but it has been reported that Ange Postecoglou’s side aren’t going to trigger the clause.

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Chelsea (away)

April 2nd

Southampton (home)

April 5th

Wolves (away)

April 12th

Tottenham are also open to selling Richarlison this summer, following a season ravaged by injury, with the Brazilian failing to make his mark under Postecoglou as a result. Everton are also rumoured to be weighing up a swoop for their former striker this summer, and Levy is prepared to sell Richarlison for around £40 million (GiveMeSport).

Even Spurs captain Son Heung-min has been linked with an exit at the end of this season, despite the club recently electing to extend the winger’s deal by an additional 12 months, so Postecoglou’s side could look very different by the start of 2025/2026.

Amid his excellent loan spell at Leeds United, questions will be asked about the future of winger Manor Solomon.

The Israeli international joined Tottenham on a free transfer in 2023, but his debut campaign at N17 was overshadowed by long-term injuries. Levy gave the green-light for Solomon to join Leeds on a temporary deal, and he hasn’t looked back since.

The 25-year-old has scored seven goals and assisted eight more in 30 total appearances under Daniel Farke, prompting reports that they could look to extend his stay at Elland Road.

Tottenham set to green-light Manor Solomon transfer as bidding war looms

As per GiveMeSport, Leeds won’t be the only contenders for his services. Indeed, it is claimed Everton and Southampton are also expressing an interest in the winger, with Levy anticipating a bidding war for Solomon’s signature at Tottenham. His price tag is currently set at £15 million, but Spurs are confident they could demand even more, especially considering the growing clamour for Solomon’s services this summer.

Tottenham are prepared to sanction the ex-Fulham star’s exit as a result, with the north Londoners set to make a pure profit off his potential sale as well.

“I know Manor Solomon from the Premier League. From Fulham, Tottenham, and now he has moved to Leeds,” said Man City superstar Kevin De Bruyne. “He has the qualities to play at this level. He is an excellent player.”

Meanwhile, ex-Leeds boss Neil Redfearn is convinced he’s far beyond English second tier level: “He’s got a quality that is better than this level, you can obviously see that.”