Ange Postecoglou cemented his legacy at Tottenham Hotspur when he led his side to glory in the Europa League last season, ending 17 years of searching for silverware down N17.

However, Spurs’ 17th-place finish in the Premier League pass judgment on Postecoglou’s tenure, ending his time in the dugout after two campaigns that were fraught with setbacks but charged by excitement.

Now, with Thomas Frank at the helm, Tottenham will hope to build on last year’s success and establish themselves as one of the most dangerous clubs in England once again, having sealed their place in the Champions League too.

Matches

76

152

Wins

31

54

Draws

11

38

Losses

34

60

Goals scored

138

228

Goals conceded

126

224

Points

104

200

PPG

1.37

1.32

Daniel Levy will no doubt be doing some soul-searching after making the contentious call, but in Frank, the Londoners have bagged a manager capable of shaping talented players into shining stars.

The Danish tactician will relish the chance to work with Tottenham’s crew, but he will need to be backed this summer, strengthening the squad with one or two attacking additions.

Spurs lining up attacking signings

Sure, Tottenham need reinforcements across the park, but with Heung-min Son entering the autumn of his career and attracting interest from suitors in the Middle East, fresh recruits are needed.

The 20-year-old Mathys Tel’s loan move has been wrapped up for £30m, which could prove a shrewd deal indeed, but there’s little question that more is needed, both out wide and as support for striker Dominic Solanke.

Looking at the flanks, West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus is available after a difficult campaign in east London, while L’Equipe have recently reported Lilywhites interest in AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche, who is valued at around €60m (£51m).

Bryan Mbeumo has also been at the centre of talks, and Frank would love nothing more than a reunion with his Brentford talisman. However, the prolific Cameroon international’s preference is to sign for Man United this summer.

No matter, Tottenham appear to have found their dream alternative.

Spurs make contact for Premier League star

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has confirmed that Tottenham have made an official enquiry for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo. However, Daniel Levy has no intention of meeting the £70m asking price.

Man United are also keen but are in the same camp as Spurs, albeit they are leaning toward Mbeumo. With Semenyo thought to be keen on the move to north London, though, this one’s hardly dead in the water.

Saying that, the Cherries are under no pressure to sell after offloading Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez.

Why Spurs should sign Antoine Semenyo

Bournemouth signed Semenyo from Bristol City for a smart £10.5m fee in January 2023, and has since gone from strong to stronger under the wing of Andoni Iraola.

Indeed, across the past two Premier League campaigns, the versatile winger has scored 19 goals and provided nine assists, underlaying his output with sharp, dynamic movements and a tenacious defensive attitude.

His completeness suggests Semenyo could even prove an upgrade on Brennan Johnson, 24, who is one of Tottenham’s most prolific players but is guilty of drifting in and out of games, waning at points.

Two seasons into his career down N17, the Welshman posted 18 goals and seven assists last term, the most notable of which was the bundled-in winner to seal the Europa League title.

But he needs to do more across the wider game. As per Sofascore, Johnson averaged just 0.6 dribbles, 2.8 successful duels, and 0.6 key passes over last year’s top-flight season, also creating just four big chances across his 33 appearances (24 of which were starts).

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Semenyo, however, is far more complete. Not only did he score 11 goals and add five assists in the league (Johnson’s haul was as follows: 11 goals, three assists), but the forward also averaged 1.9 dribbles, 6.1 duels, and 4.3 ball recoveries per game.

This suggests that the Cherries sensation could offer more to the team with his all-round game on the flank in comparison to Johnson’s limited performances.

Described as a “duel monster” and a “workhorse off the ball” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the Bournemouth man is perfectly aligned with Frank’s vision, especially when considering he plays in a similar fashion to Mbeumo.

Indeed, FBref record the Englishman to be of a statistical likeness to the Bees star, ranked as he was among the top 5% of the Premier League’s attacking midfielders and wingers last year for shots taken, the top 20% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for aerials won per 90.

Right winger

46

13

3

Left winger

29

7

5

Centre-forward

6

1

0

Semenyo’s versatility has seen him provide a potent output both on the left and the right wing for Bournemouth, with his teammate Lewis Cook hailing his “aggressive” and “clinical” qualities.

Such praise underlines the Ghana international’s suitability for a place in a Tottenham team hoping to cement themselves among Europe’s elite for years to come while challenging for major honours with a newfound taste for triumph.

Of course, Johnson is hardly allergic to playing a definitive role in sealing silverware – just hark back to the Europa League final – but across the wider span of the campaign, Tottenham supporters cannot contest the fact that there was a consistent lack of consistency and fluency that led to the lowly Premier League finish.

Semenyo would change that, dovetailing into Frank’s new Spurs system and rising to become the astute manager’s new version of Mbeumo.

This wouldn’t necessarily relegate Johnson to the backbenches, for the transfer target is competent across both wings, but there’s no doubt that he would add a dimension which his counterpart has yet to unlock in its entirety.

Much depends on whether Levy can whittle down Bournemouth’s hefty £70m fee. If the shrewd businessman can do so, he would strengthen the new Tottenham project and then some.

Dream Son heir: Spurs set to enter bidding war for "generational" £50m star

The talented youngster could be a superstar at Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 20, 2025

And what’s the record for the most consecutive Test appearances by a player against the same opposition?

Steven LynchI was looking at Rory Burns’ Test stats, and noticed that his average during wins is surprisingly quite a bit lower than in defeats. Who has the biggest difference between averages in wins and defeats? asked Rahul Sompura from India

That’s a great spot because, as it turns out, England’s Rory Burns has the biggest negative difference between his batting average in Tests won (25.41) and lost (35.86). Looking at the 394 players who were part of at least ten wins and ten defeats, next comes the 19th-century Australian Harry Trott, who averaged 16.40 in wins but 25.88 in defeats, a difference of -9.44 to Burns’s current -10.45.This is a very wide-ranging list: next come Mohammad Sami of Pakistan, with 6.11 in wins and 12.87 in defeats, and the old England wicketkeeper Dick Lilley (13.38 in wins, 20.11 in defeats). The England offspinner John Emburey averaged 13.88 in wins but 20.26 in losses, while Wasim Raja managed 21.92 when Pakistan won but 28.09 when they lost.Another old Australian deserves a mention: Monty Noble averaged 26.17 in victories, and 36.73 in losses – a difference of -10.56, slightly higher than Burns – but Noble only tasted defeat on nine occasions in Tests, so doesn’t quite make our cut-off.The winner in the opposite direction is rather less surprising: Don Bradman averaged a stupendous 130.08 in Australia’s wins during his long Test career, but a more modest 43.27 in defeats, a difference of 86.81. Next comes the West Indian Frank Worrell, with a difference of 55.74 (74.15 in wins, 18.41 in losses).I think Mark Waugh played 29 successive Tests against England without missing one. What’s the record for consecutive appearances in one match-up? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England

This query tested the database skills of ESPNcricinfo’s Shiva Jayaraman, who thought it was the toughest one I’d ever asked him (luckily, he enjoyed the challenge!) And the record turns out to be held by Mark Waugh’s long-time captain for Australia – Allan Border played 44 successive Tests against England between 1979-80 and 1993. He went past two other Australians in Ashes matches: Victor Trumper played 40 in a row between 1899 and 1911-12, and Monty Noble 39 between 1897-98 and 1909.Next come the first non-Ashes combatants: Sunil Gavaskar appeared in 38 successive Tests for India against England between 1971 and 1986, while Courtney Walsh played 38 in a row for West Indies against Australia between 1984-85 and 2000-01.Jaskaran Malhotra of the USA hit 16 sixes but only four fours in an ODI the other day. Was this some sort of record? asked H Sharma from the United States

That remarkable effort by Jaskaran Malhotra last week, when he hammered 173 not out – the United States’ first century in ODIs – against Papua New Guinea in Al-Amerat also included six sixes in the final over, only the second instance of six sixes in an over in ODIs after Herschelle Gibbs did it for South Africa against Netherlands in St Kitts during the 2007 World Cup.The ratio of sixes to fours wasn’t quite a record, however. For England against Afghanistan during the 2019 World Cup, England’s captain Eoin Morgan thrashed an ODI-record 17 sixes, but only four fours, in his 148 at Old Trafford.The most sixes in an ODI innings without any fours at all is six, by Paul Collingwood for England against New Zealand in Napier in 2007-08, and Jimmy Neesham (who faced only 13 balls) for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in Mount Maunganui in 2018-19. For the list of the most sixes in an ODI innings, click here.Jimmy Anderson has been not out in 99 Test innings so far, 38 more than the next No. 11, Courtney Walsh•Getty ImagesAs a perennial tail-end “not-outer” myself I was interested to see that Jimmy Anderson is currently on 99 red-inkers in Tests. Is this the record? asked Robert Lewis Jones from the UK

It’s the record by a distance: Jimmy Anderson is on the verge of becoming the first man to have remained not out in 100 Test innings. Only five others – all fully paid-up members of the No. 11s union – have managed more than 50: Courtney Walsh (61), Muthiah Muralidaran (56), Bob Willis (55), Chris Martin (52) and Glenn McGrath (51). The first recognised batsman comes next: Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten in 49 innings in Tests, during which he made more than 4000 runs. Allan Border and Steve Waugh both finished not out on 44 occasions.Anderson also leads the way in all international cricket, with 145 not-outs in the three formats – but his lead there is much narrower: MS Dhoni had 142 not-out innings, Muralidaran 119, and Shaun Pollock 113.Maheesh Theekshana took a wicket with his first ball in ODIs – how many people have done this? asked Jayant Sampath from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s latest “mystery spinner”, 21-year-old Maheesh Theekshana, dismissed Janneman Malan of South Africa with his first ball in one-day internationals, in Colombo last week. His captain, Dasun Shanaka, predicted a bright future: “It’s not easy to read him because he’s now got the googly and the carrom ball, and his offspin as well. Because he’s got several variations, I don’t think it’ll be easy for any team to read him.”Theekshana was the 29th bowler – the third this year – to take a wicket with his first delivery in ODIs, a list which includes a few unexpected names.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Powerhouse player has had to overcome a lot to get a spot in the team and has started to show just how good she can be

Valkerie Baynes16-Feb-2023Grace Harris doesn’t do things by halves.Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka’s captain and opener, announced a hint of the danger she could pose for Australia as she stepped to the pitch of Ashleigh Gardner’s delivery in the slot, dropped to one knee and clubbed it over cow corner for six. But when Ellyse Perry entered the attack in the fifth over and Athapaththu went aerial, back over the bowler’s head, in steamed Harris with a full-power sprint from mid-on, launching herself forwards and plucking the ball from the mid-air at full stretch for what could take some beating for catch of the tournament.Then Harris took not one but two wickets in an over to reduce Sri Lanka to 69 for 3. The first, from a delivery floated on a length outside off stump, drew Harshitha Samarawickrama into an attempted slog as the ball gripped and spun past the outside edge, into the waiting gloves of Alyssa Healy who completed the stumping.Harris runs back to her mark faster than she steps into her delivery stride to release her offbreaks and so it was when she tossed another length ball up on middle and off-stump and Oshadi Ranasinghe skied the ball to Tahlia McGrath at long-on.Related

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“I’m actually pretty sure it was Tahlia McGrath’s catch and Grace called her out of it and wanted to take a hanger, but full credit to her for hanging on to it,” a smiling Healy said of Harris’ screamer. “That’s sort of a key moment to get a key batter in that instance. She was loving herself sick out there in the field watching the replay, but it’s nice to have a character like that on the field.”It was only the second time Harris had bowled in a T20I since returning to the Australian team at the start of 2022 after an absence of more than five years. Called up to Australia’s Ashes squad after Beth Mooney broke her jaw, her appearance in the only T20I of the series not to be washed out was her first for her country since November 2016.She was in Australia’s squad for the 2016 T20 World Cup but, shortly before the she was due to fly to India, she was diagnosed with a 13cm blood clot in her leg and was unable to fly. She travelled to Sri Lanka later that year and played one ODI there before a handful at home to South Africa, but from there opportunities petered out.

If you haven’t had the chance of sitting at breaky with her or going to have a drink with her of an evening, do that because it’s an it’s an absolute laugh a minuteAlyssa Healy on Grace Harris

Naturally powerful with the bat, she honed her game and returned for the Ashes. A combination of bad weather and exceptionally good batting further up the Australian order meant that by the time she reached the Commonwealth Games, she was five matches into her comeback yet hadn’t faced a ball. Nor had she bowled with Australia’s spin stocks boasting the likes of Gardner, Jess Jonassen and Alana King, which had also meant she didn’t play at the ODI World Cup despite being in the squad.But then, with a belligerent 20-ball knock of 37 in a half-century stand with Gardner which rescued Australia in the opening match of their gold medal campaign against India, Harris announced herself.”Unbelievably resilient, Grace is,” Healy said. “Our group’s changed a lot as well and I’m really proud of Grace coming back into our group and everyone just embracing who Grace is and letting Grace be Grace out there on the field and also off the park as well. She’s an unbelievable character and if you haven’t had the chance of sitting at breaky with her or going to have a drink with her of an evening, do that because it’s an it’s an absolute laugh a minute.Healy on Mooney: It was good for her to spend some time at the crease, probably more for her own mental health than anything else•ICC via Getty Images”She’s a great person to have around our side not just for her personality, but for her skills. She’s unbelievably damaging with the bat in hand. We haven’t quite seen that just yet, but I guess that’s something exciting probably heading into the back end of this tournament.”A career-best 64 not out against India in December signalled Harris was in good touch ahead of this tournament, and she bowled for Australia in the second T20I against Pakistan in Hobart, incidentally picking up the wicket of opener Muneeba Ali, who became the first Pakistan Women’s player to score a century in a T20I on Wednesday in Cape Town.”She has the ability to hit any length over the boundary and I think that is super impressive in our game,” Healy said of Harris. “The women’s game has come along quite a lot over the last few years.”It’s become more dynamic, it’s become more athletic, it’s become more powerful but a player like Grace has been around for a long time and I think the way that she just trusts her game now… And she thinks about the game a lot more and knows the shots that she wants to play and the shots that she’s going to be able to clear the boundary with to certain bowlers, that work that she’s done behind the scenes has allowed her to come out and be this incredibly powerful player.”She’s that type of player in our middle order that when we’re a little bit behind or we need 12 an over she’s the perfect person to step out there and break the game wide open which is exactly what you want. So she’s a true asset to everyone.”Harris’ turn with the ball and in the field somewhat overshadowed Megan Schutt’s four wickets at the death – three in the final over. And it was Healy who was awarded Player of the Match for her three stumpings and unbeaten half-century alongside Beth Mooney, who broke a lean run with the bat at the tournament.”It was good for her to spend some time at the crease, probably more for her own mental health than anything else,” Healy said of Mooney. “She’s been hitting the ball really well in the nets and it just hasn’t quite been clicking on the field. I thought she played really well today and hopefully that gives her confidence moving forward.”If that happens and Mooney goes onwards and upwards, it may be longer before we see any fireworks with the bat from Harris. But the Australians won’t complain.

A day on from his silky hundred against Bangladesh, the India allrounder explains how he approaches batting and bowling differently

Alagappan Muthu20-Sep-20241:15

Ashwin: ‘Jadeja and I enjoying each other’s success more than ever before’

Allrounders often tend to draw from doing well in one discipline to do well in the other but there is perhaps a chance that R Ashwin’s primary skill might have held back his secondary one.”Bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game,” Ashwin said after the second day of the Chennai Test between India and Bangladesh. “One is done consciously. The other one is done subconsciously. So, for me, to compartmentalise both has taken its own due.”He scored 113 off 133 balls that helped the hosts post 376 in the first innings. The bowlers then ran through Bangladesh, knocking them over for 149 and taking almost complete control of the proceedings.Related

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Ashwin walked in at 144 for 6 and immediately put what he has learned over a long career into practice: that with the bat in hand, he needs to be an entirely different person from the one who has gone on to become one of the greatest spinners in history.”At this stage, I am able to sequence that and split both of them and see as a cricketer. So, when I walked there [to bat] the only thing I wanted to do was to settle down my game. The mind can play tricks because I am a bowler who plays on 12, 18, 24 balls ahead when I am sequencing it. As a batter, I shouldn’t do that. I just use my experience when I get in. So, now it’s more about just focusing on the ball and hitting it as I see it.”This was Ashwin’s second successive century at his home ground, Chepauk, following on from a 106 against England in similar circumstances in 2021. He wasn’t quite able to pick which one he liked better.”I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game”•BCCI”Both. [The England Test] had so much riding on it. We lost the first one and came to the second. Last time when I played at Chennai, I felt like I was making sort of a comeback in more than one way. I was a little here and there. I went to Australia and came back here. That was different and I enjoyed it. I think my batting has come along a lot better since that particular game. I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game. I worked on how I can play fast bowling and all that sort of stuff. I’m glad it’s coming out nicely.”Ashwin does this – pushing himself even at 38 with 500 wickets already in the bag – for a very simple reason.”Happiness. You want to be good. You excel. You feel happy at the end of the day. It drives me towards that. Every time I do well, it leaves me in a good, happy state of mind. That’s what you get on this journey for. You want to do well. You want to excel on the global stage. People are watching you and you feel happy about it.”There was a time, though, when Ashwin couldn’t find a way to play his cricket with this kind of freedom. “I was critical of myself earlier but not much now because I have already put so much pressure on myself. Not only did I put myself under pressure, but there was pressure from outside too. I used to find happiness in answering my critics with my performance, or in the press conference. But that’s not the case now. The most important thing for me these days is to enjoy my game, by staying in the moment, by playing my cricket with a smile on my face. Four-five years ago, I made a promise to myself, with great difficulty, that I would not respond to anyone from then on and would play for my own happiness. And I have maintained that to date.”As is often the case with his bowling, Ashwin had Jadeja as his partner for the course of a match-turning 199-run seventh-wicket stand.”You don’t plan for such things. Jaddu is one cricketer who has evolved so nicely. I always envy him. I have made that amply clear. So gifted, so talented. He has found ways to maximise his potential. Keeps it really simple. He can repeat it day in and day out. I wish I could be him but I am glad I am myself. He is an exceptionally good cricketer. I am happy for him. Likewise, in so many ways, watching him bat over the last couple of years has given me insight into how [much] better I can be. Both of us have grown together. Both of us have done some special things. We really value one another at this stage. Both of us are enjoying each other’s success more than ever before.”

da casino： Chelsea have missed out on a transfer target, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano sharing news that the player is poised to remain at his club instead.

da bet7k： Enzo Maresca has watched BlueCo orchestrate a fairly productive transfer market thus far.

Related Maresca is now pushing Chelsea to sign £150k-per-week World Cup winner

The Italian and his staff are big fans.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 28, 2025

The Blues sealed a £30 million move for highly-rated young English striker Liam Delap, who’s already got on the scoresheet with his first-ever goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, and it is believed that optimism is growing over a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season

Average match rating

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

They haven’t had it all their own way, though, as Dortmund rejected three bids from Chelsea for the 20-year-old before the last transfer deadline on June 10.

Chelsea also failed with an attempt to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, with the Rossoneri insisting on a far higher price tag than Maresca’s side were willing to pay, and talks surrounding a pre-CWC move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké didn’t go anywhere either.

Maresca’s side are in the market for a centre-back too, but according to Romano, they’ll have to move on from Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite – who’s now been added to the list of players who Chelsea won’t be signing.

Jarrad Branthwaite set to reject Chelsea and sign new Everton deal

Earlier this month, journalist Simon Phillips reported that Chelsea were planning to push for Branthwaite, and there was a possibility that the 23-year-old could ask to make the move to Stamford Bridge.

“Chelsea intend to push for him [Branthwaite] again and there is a possibility that they offer players to Everton in an attempt to get the fee down and make the deal more appealing on both sides,” said Phillips.

“We’ve also heard that he is a little frustrated, on Everton putting such a big valuation on his head. We had initially heard that Branthwaite would not actively push for a move. But it has now transpired that he is keen on Chelsea and could end up asking for the move.”

However, despite Chelsea’s intention, the £70 million-rated centre-back has just been put out of Maresca’s reach.

Romano confirms that Branthwaite will commit his future to Everton by signing a new long-term deal until 2030, dealing a blow to Chelsea and other suitors, who are poised to miss out on the Englishman tipped for a very bright future.

The former PSV Eindhoven loanee was also a wanted man at Tottenham, according to some reports, but any potential move to London will have to be put on the back-burner for a long while.

أعلنت رابطة الدوري الإسباني اليوم الأربعاء، عن موعد مباريات الجولة الـ19 من الليجا،  والتي كان من المفترض أن موعدها محدد مسبقًا.

ويتصدر نادي ريال مدريد ترتيب بطولة الدوري الإسباني برصيد 27 نقطة، وبفارق خمس نقاط عن برشلونة صاحب المركز الثاني.

وعزز ريال مدريد صدارته في ترتيب الدوري الإسباني، بعدما هزم برشلونة بهدفين مقابل هدف واحد يوم الأحد الماضي، في كلاسيكو الجولة العاشرة من المسابقة المحلية.

وأكدت رابطة الدوري الإسباني، أنه حدث تغيير في موعد مباريات الجولة ال19 من البطولة، وذلك بسبب ظروف إقامة بطولة كأس السوبر الإسباني في المملكة العربية السعودية.

اقرأ أيضًا .. عملاق أوروبي قد ينقذ فينيسيوس بعد أزمته مع ألونسو في ريال مدريد

وسوف تلعب بطولة كأس السوبر الإسباني في المملكة العربية السعودية وتحديدًا في جدة بين يومي 7 يناير و11 من نفس الشهر ، على ملعب الإنماء.

وكان من المفترض أن تبدأ الجولة الـ19 يوم 11 يناير، وهو نفس موعد نهائي بطولة كأس السوبر الإسباني، حيث يشارك كلًا من ريال مدريد، وأتلتيكو مدريد، وبرشلونة وأتلتيك بلباو.

وبناءً على موعد مباريات كأس السوبر، فقد قررت رابطة الدوري الإسباني تقديم مباراة برشلونة وأتلتيكو مدريد في الجولة ال19 لتلعب يوم 2 ديسمبر من العام الحالي بدلًا في شهر يناير.

وعلى الجانب الآخر سوف يواجه ريال مدريد أتلتيك بلباو يوم 3 ديسمبر كذلك بدلًا من بداية العام المقبل.

وكان برشلونة قد حقق بطولة كأس السوبر الإسباني العام الماضي، عقب انتصاره الكبير على ريال مدريد 5-2 في نهائي البطولة المحلية.

Wrexham have been warned, as they bid to become the No.1 team in Wales, that they are entering “one of the hardest leagues in world football”.

• Run of three successive promotions
• Hollywood co-owners dreaming big
• Ready for Championship challenge

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Three successive promotions, with the history books being rewritten along the way, have lifted the Red Dragons into the Championship. Dreams of one day reaching the Premier League continue to form at SToK Racecourse.

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• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have helped to fund an ambitious project that shows no sign of slowing down. Wrexham have been busy again in the summer transfer window, with recruitment records being smashed on a regular basis.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Phil Parkinson is aware of the need to raise collective standards, despite all that he has achieved, with Wrexham now operating at a level above former top-flight performers Cardiff City and alongside Swansea.

• Getty
  

  WHAT PHELAN SAID

  Quizzed on whether the Red Dragons can become top dogs in Wales, former Swans defender Terry Phelan – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “When ownership come in, they have a vision. Wrexham are a big club, let’s be honest. Wrexham are a massive club. Back in the day, Wrexham were competing with everybody – Micky Thomas was playing there, Joey Jones, Brian Flynn was there.

  “You look at Wrexham, the owners have gone in there, seen the vision and put this vision together. They have gone out and splashed big money, so they are not afraid of spending. They are going in the right direction. They have a wonderful environment with the ground, the training facilities on the way, and what they want to do is attract players. You want to attract players because it’s a new project. I think they are selling the project very well.

  “Yeah, it’s a different kettle of fish now, they are going to be playing in one of the hardest leagues in world football. That is a big statement. It is a hard league and we’ll see how they go.

  “Swansea, bit of a yo-yo club. They have been there in the EPL, come down a little bit, but I think they will always be there or thereabouts. South vs North, there is a bit of distance there. The rivalry is more between Swansea and Cardiff, so I think Wrexham will just want to compete at the highest level and with the best teams.”

Punjab’s Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh put on a record-breaking 298 for the opening wicket against Saurashtra

Shashank Kishore01-Jan-2025

File Photo: Mayank Agarwal’s 112-ball 124 wasn’t enough for Karnataka against Hyderabad•PTI

Mayank hits purple patchMayank Agarawal, the Karnataka captain, recorded his third straight List A century, in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. However, it wasn’t enough as Hyderabad chased down 322 with two balls to spare. Hyderabad’s chase was fuelled by Tilak Varma, who laid the foundation with a 106-ball 99.After four games, Agarawal is currently the second-highest run-getter in the 50-over competition, having racked up 428 runs in five innings. His strike rate of 117.26 is the highest among the current top five run-scorers.Agarawal’s up-turn in form comes at a time when Karnataka’s senior players are all on notice, with the selectors keen on handing opportunities to younger players. The selection churn has already led to the likes of Manish Pandey and K Gowtham finding themselves out of favour, while a number of other senior players, like R Samarth and Karun Nair, have found homes with other state sides.Related

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Agarawal, who went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, has been in patchy form this season. He managed just 179 innings in seven innings at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. More importantly, he presided over Karnataka’s group-stage exit. In seven innings in the first half of the Ranji season, Agarawal managed just 203 runs at an average of 29.With four wins in five games, Karnataka are currently second in Group C, tied on 16 points with toppers Punjab. Mumbai, the T20 champions, are currently third with 12 points.Nair leads from the frontElsewhere, Agarawal’s former Karnataka teammate, Nair, has been in rip-roaring form for Vidarbha, whom he’s also captaining. Unbeaten in the competition, Nair’s scores so far read: 112*, 44*, 163* and 111*. The last of those knocks, also the most recent one, was instrumental in Vidarbha knocking the wind out of Tamil Nadu in Visakhapatnam, whose knockouts qualification has taken a slight hit.Nair currently sits on top of the run charts, his 430 runs in four innings coming at a strike rate of 116.21. His form has coincided with Vidarbha topping Group D with four wins in as many matches. Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are currently second and third.Nair was also the team’s top-scorer at SMAT.File Photo: Prabhsimran Singh made 125 off 95 balls against Saurashtra•BCCI

Abhishek, Prabhsimran set recordsAbhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh, Punjab’s openers, put on 298 in their 424 for 5 against Saurashtra, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.This is the joint second-highest opening stand in the tournament history, equalling the record set by Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami in 2022.Abhishek, also Punjab’s captain, hit a career-best 170, off just 96 balls, while Prabhsimran hit 125. The record for the highest opening stand is currently held by Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan and B Sai Sudharsan, who put on 416 against Arunachal in November 2022.Punjab’s 424 is also the joint fifth-highest total in Vijay Hazare history. Saurashtra’s Arpit Vasavada was their top scorer with 104, but they fell 57 short eventually.A game prior to that, Arshdeep Singh recorded his second List A five-for, taking 5 for 38, as Punjab beat Mumbai, in Ahmedabad. Prabhsimran then hit an unbeaten 150, off 101 balls, as Punjab chased down 249 in just 29 overs to gain a massive net-run-rate advantage over the rest of the pack.Earlier in the tournament, Prabhsimran’s cousin, Anmolpreet Singh, recorded the third-fastest List A hundred – off 35 balls – against Arunachal.Mhatre – fast climbing up the ladderMumbai’s Ayush Mhatre set a new record for the youngest player to score 150-plus in List A cricket, during Mumbai’s clash against Nagaland on Tuesday. Mahtre did it at 17 years and 268 days, bettering Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record (17 years, 291 days).Mhatre, who made his debut for Mumbai earlier this season, clobbered 11 sixes and 15 fours to make 181 off only 117 balls while powering his side to an imposing 403 for 7, which was 189 too many for Nagaland.

England legend looks set to sign all-formats deal with club, after retiring from Tests last summer

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2025James Anderson looks set to make a professional comeback in Division Two of the County Championship next season, after it was revealed he is in talks with Lancashire about an all-format return that will take his career past his 43rd birthday.Anderson played his 188th and final Test against West Indies at Lord’s in July 2024. He bowed out after 21 years as an England cricketer with 704 Test wickets at 26.45, and has not featured competitively since.However, he showed he had unfinished business when he put himself forward for the IPL auction in December – where he went unsold – and has stayed fit during his role as England’s Test bowling coach, with regular stints in the nets plus work with the team’s strength and conditioning coaches.Now, according to The Telegraph, he is ready to commit to at least one final season with Lancashire – the club that first signed him as a teenager almost a quarter of a century ago, and for whom he made his first-class debut in 2002.Lancashire were relegated from the top flight of the County Championship last season, although Anderson demonstrated his enduring prowess in first-class cricket with figures of 7 for 35 in his solitary appearance against Nottinghamshire at Southport in June.He is expected to be available from the start of the 2025 season, including a return to Lord’s to face Middlesex in Lancashire’s opening match from April 4 to 7, and – assuming he continues his coaching role with England – he could feature in five matches before the Test summer begins with a one-off match against Zimbabwe in May.Anderson’s comeback would also have to be combined with his burgeoning media duties, while Lancashire would also have to pay his wages for the first time in more than a decade, now that he is no longer an ECB centrally contracted player.Lancashire’s first home match is against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford in the second round of the Championship, beginning on April 11.He could also feature in Lancashire’s white-ball teams, although he hasn’t played any form of T20 cricket for more than a decade. His last match in the format was Lancashire’s four-run loss in the T20 Blast final in 2014.

Rohit Sharma has praised the maturity Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan showed against New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru, where their 177-run stand on the fourth day gave India hope of coming back despite a disastrous collapse in the first innings.India were bundled out for 46 on the second day – their lowest Test score at home – and eventually lost the game by eight wickets. But because of Sarfaraz’s 150 and Pant’s 99, they were able to overturn the deficit of 356.”When those two are batting, everyone’s on the edge of the seat because they like to play the game which has got them success,” Rohit told the broadcaster after the game. “You’ve seen it over time with Rishabh, the way he bats, obviously takes a bit of risk, but I thought it was a very mature innings. [He] defended good balls, left few balls as well, and then, again, backed himself to play those shots, and that is what he’s all about.Related

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“Not to forget Sarfaraz. Sarfaraz, as well, playing in only his third or fourth Test match [fourth], to show that kind of maturity [was great], and [he was] very clear in his mind what kind of shots he wants to play. When you’re clear in your mind, you find yourself in good seat.”Rohit was pleased with the determination India’s batters showed in their second innings, after New Zealand had posted 402.”When you are 350 runs behind, you can’t think too much about it. All you got to do is try and bat the ball, as simple as that. That was the plan,” Rohit said. “We wanted to bat and see where the game goes. A couple of big partnerships there, really was exciting to watch, and put us back in the game. Like I said, when you’re 350 behind, it could have been easily [a situation] where we could have [been] bowled out before even getting 350. It was a great effort with the bat, something as a team we’re very proud of.”India are trailing 0-1 in the three Test series but Rohit was confident of a comeback. Earlier this year, India lost the series opener to England in Hyderabad but fought back to finish win 4-1.”There are guys who have been in this place before, where we’ve lost a game. We lost a game against England in the first Test, and we won four games after that. These things happen. It’s still two Test matches to go, and we know exactly what is required from each one of us. So, we’ll try and put our best game forward.”The second Test of the series starts on October 24 in Pune.