Nick Kurtz is making the hardest thing in sports look far too easy.

The Athletics’ rookie first baseman has been teeing off on major league pitching since the All-Star break, leading MLB hitters in most statistical categories in the second half while looking like a future MVP. While he was always a hyped prospect, the lefty has far surpassed expectations this season.

Coming out of Wake Forest, Kurtz was a consensus top-five prospect in the 2024 MLB draft class, and the A's snagged him with the fourth pick and signed him for $7 million, which was $1.37 million under slot. It has turned out to be a massive bargain, and the savings allowed them to go over-slot to select and sign former LSU stars Tommy White and Gage Jump with their next two picks.

After a brief minor league career that lasted 33 games, Kurtz made his big league debut on April 23. He had eight hits in his first nine games but didn't show much of the power that has always been his calling card. Then the 22-year-old got hot, and he hasn't stopped punishing baseballs to overtake injured teammate Jacob Wilson as the American League Rookie of the Year favorite.

Below is a breakdown of the gaudy numbers Kurts has put up this season, with a focus on just how productive he’s been in the second half.

Nick Kurtz’s Sensational Second Half, by the Numbers

2.6 — fWAR since the All-Star break, best in baseball.

.423 — Batting average since the break, best in baseball.

.528 —On-base percentage since the break, best in baseball.

.808 — Slugging percentage since the break, best in baseball.

.550 — wOBA since the break, best in baseball.

.538 — Batting average on balls in play since the break, best in baseball.

260 — wRC+ since the break, best in — I can stop typing that at this point, right?

46 — Points between Kurtz and the second-best hitter in baseball by wRC+ since the All-Star break. Teammate Shea Langeliers (214) is next up. That means Kurtz has been a 46% better hitter than in baseball since the break, and 160% better than the average MLB hitter.

33 — Total career minor league games played by Kurtz.

86 — Number of major league games played so far.

.490 — Kurtz's OPS in April; he slashed .250/.240/.250 with no home runs and three RBIs in 24 at-bats.

1.092 — Kurtz's OPS since May 1; he's slashing .311/.417/.675 with 25 home runs and 64 RBIs in those 79 games.

1.367 — Kurtz's OPS in late/close situations this season. He's slashing .345/.500/.897, making him one of the most clutch players in baseball.

4 — Home runs by Kurtz on July 25, becoming the 20th player and first rookie in MLB history to go deep four times in one game. He went 6-for-6 that night with eight RBIs and tied an MLB record with six runs scored.

19 — Total bases in that game, tied with Shawn Green as the most in a single game in MLB history.

3.9 — Kurtz's fWAR on the season, best among MLB rookies by almost a full point. Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins is second at 2.9. Kurtz's All-Star teammate Jacob Wilson is far behind at 2.4.

181 — Kurtz's wRC+ on the season, which is second in baseball among players with at least 200 plate appearances. He trails only Aaron Judge (199) and is eight points clear of Shohei Ohtani (174).

Kurtz Stands Atop an Auspicious 2024 Draft Class—for Now

Kurtz was drafted on July 14 and made his MLB debut 283 days later. A year to the day after being selected, he already had 17 big league home runs and an OPS of .892. And he isn't the only player from his draft class already playing well in the majors.

The 2024 draft was college-heavy at the top, and several of the players selected have breezed through the minor leagues. First-rounders Kurtz, Chase Burns, Jac Caglianone, Christian Moore and Cam Smith have already debuted, while Angels reliever Ryan Johnson made the team out of spring training but has since been sent back down to the minors and is being stretched into a starter.

The draft class stands out as one that’s already having a major impact on the league, and with Kurtz leading the way, has arguably already produced not only the American League’s best rookie, but its best left-handed hitter.

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Liverpool-URU e Palmeiras se enfrentam nesta quinta-feira (7), pela quarta rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores. A bola vai rolar a partir das 19h (de Brasília), no Estádio Centenário, no Uruguai, com transmissão da ESPN e Star +.

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As odds disponiveis no Lance! Betting apontam 7.15 para um triunfo do Liverpool-URU, 8.2 no empate e 1.5 para uma vitória do Palmeiras na Libertadores.

➡️Assine o Star+ e acompanhe o melhor da Libertadores quando e onde quiser!

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
LIVERPOOL-URU X PALMEIRAS
COPA LIBERTADORES – FASE DE GRUPOS – QUARTA RODADA

🗓️ Data e horário: quinta-feira, 9 de maio de 2024, às 19h (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Estadio Centenário
📺 Onde assistir: ESPN e Star+
🟨 Árbitro: Andrés Rojas (COL)
🚩 Assistentes: Roberto Padilla (COL) e Jhon Gallego (COL)
🖥️ VAR: David Rodriguez (COL)

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES
LIVERPOOL-URU (Técnico: Emiliano Alfaro)
Sebastián Lentinelly; Jean Rosso, Kevin Amaro, Matías De Los Santos, Miguel Samudio e Agustín Cayetano; Lucas Lemos, Lucas Wasilewsky e Martín Barrios; Matías Ocampo e Luciano Rodríguez.

PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Abel Ferreira)
Weverton, Mayke, Murilo, Gustavo Gómez e Piquerez; Aníbal Moreno, Richard Ríos (Zé Rafael) e Raphael Veiga; Lázaro (Estêvão), Endrick e Flaco López

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يستعد منتخب مصر الثاني المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب، لمواجهة نظيره منتخب الكويت، في افتتاح بطولة كأس العرب. 

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع نظيره منتخب الكويت، غدًا الثلاثاء، في تمام الساعة الرابعة والنصف عصرًا بتوقيت القاهرة، في الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب. 

طالع.. وزير الرياضة وأبو ريدة يحفزان منتخب مصر قبل كأس العرب.. وتعهد من اللاعبين

وكشف مصدر داخل منتخب مصر عن جوائز بطولة كأس العرب، قبل مواجهة المنتخب أمام الكويت، غدًا في الجولة الأولى من البطولة. 

ووفقًا لما علمه بطولات من مصادره، فإن الفائز باللقب والمركز الأول سيحصل على 7.1 مليون دولار.

أما صاحب المركز الثاني فيحصل على 4.2 مليون دولار، وينال صاحب المركز الثالث 2.8 مليون دولار، بينما يحصل صاحب المركز الرابع على 2.1 مليون دولار.

وهناك جائزة للتأهل إلى الدور ربع النهائي من البطولة، كل منتخب سيتأهل لدور الـ8 يحصل على مليون دولار، وكل منتخب مشارك في البطولة سيحصل على 715 ألف دولار.

Glasgow Rangers have officially confirmed that they have parted company with both CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell, less than 12 months on from both of their arrivals at Ibrox.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh reveals that the Light Blues ownership made the decision to move Stewart and Thelwell on as they believe that they need different people running the project moving forward.

This decision comes after Thelwell arrived from Everton in April and made numerous less-than-well-received decisions, including the appointment of Russell Martin and the signing of Youssef Chermiti for £8m from Everton.

Fraser Thornton has been made the acting CEO and it will be interesting to see what the club do with the sporting director position, given that the January transfer window is on the horizon.

Rangers submit offer to sign exciting winger

Despite the decision to part ways with Stewart and Thelwell, it appears as though there has been work going on behind the scenes to bolster Danny Rohl’s squad.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to a report from Kazakhstan, via Scouts in Eurasia, Rangers have submitted an offer to sign 22-year-old Yelimay Semey left winger Galymzhan Kenzhebek, ahead of the January transfer window.

It claims that the Scottish giants have made the most attractive offer to the young starlet, and that has made them the frontrunners in the race for his signature.

Dundee United and Olympiacos are also said to be interested in a deal to land the Kazakhstan international in the winter window, but they are yet to make an offer that is more attractive than the one that Rangers have put down.

Whoever has the final say on transfers in January, which remains to be seen after Monday’s events, could make a better signing than any move Thelwell made in the summer by getting a deal over the line for Kenzhebek.

Why Rangers should sign Galymzhan Kenzhebek

The Gers should push to bring the 22-year-old winger to Ibrox because his form for club and country this season suggests that he could be an exciting addition to the squad.

With 12 Scottish Premiership matches played, none of the summer signings made by Thelwell have delivered more than two goals or one assist in the league, per WhoScored, which illustrates how ineffective his additions have been.

Kenzhebek is a forward who could come in and light up Ibrox in the second half of the season if he can adapt to Scottish football, which would make him a better addition than any of the signings that Thelwell made.

Galymzhan Kenzhebek’s form this season

Stats

Kazakhstan Premier League

World Cup qualifiers

Appearances

11

8

Goals

6

2

Big chances missed

N/A

0

Key passes per game

1.7

1.0

Big chances created

N/A

1

Assists

4

1

Dribbles completed per game

8.6

1.4

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the young forward has been on fire domestically with ten goals and assists in 11 appearances, whilst also showing his class on the international stage with three goal involvements in eight outings.

Rangers-supporting writer Kai Watson described his dribbling numbers as “incredible”, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment when you consider that no Rangers player has completed more than 2.0 dribbles per game in the Premiership, per WhoScored.

Whilst supporters may question the level of the Kazakhstan Premier League, it is worth pointing out that Hearts signed Claudio Braga from the second division in Norway and Alexandros Kyziridis from the Slovakian top-flight, and they have combined for 14 goals and assists in the league, per WhoScored.

Perhaps dipping into a lesser-known market to sign Kenzhebek, instead of signing experienced Championship players and Premier League flops, could serve them better.

If the 22-year-old attacker can arrive at Ibrox and deliver the kind of attacking quality he has shown for his current club, he would be an even better and more effective signing than any of the moves that Thelwell made during his short stint in Glasgow.

Related The new Ryan Kent: Rangers can unearth "electrifying" Gassama upgrade

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Posts ByDan Emery Nov 23, 2025

Thomas Frank’s position as Tottenham Hotspur manager is under scrutiny following the 4-1 North London derby defeat against Arsenal.

Tottenham’s humiliating defeat at the Emirates Stadium was arguably the low point of the Frank era so far, hardly laying a glove on their bitter rivals, with their only goal coming from a piece of Richarlison magic and just 0.07 expected goals (xG) recorded by the visitors.

Spurs have fallen to ninth in the Premier League table, but they are still within touching distance of the Champions League places, despite picking up just one point in their last three games.

It is the manner of the loss that will be particularly concerning, however, with Frank’s side once again looking extremely poor going forward, having also struggled to create any opportunities in the 1-0 home defeat against Chelsea.

As such, the manager is undoubtedly under pressure, and there has now been a new update on his future in north London.

Tottenham players concerned by Frank's tactics and lineups

In a report for The Telegraph, journalist Matt Law has revealed the Tottenham hierarchy are determined to give the Dane time to put things right, despite the disappointing loss against the Gunners, but some players have two very worrying concerns.

Indeed, some members of the squad believe the 52-year-old has been focusing on the opposition too much, instead of concentrating on the strengths of his own players, with sources around Spurs also of the belief he has chopped and changed his forward line too much.

Only Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea have rotated their starting XI more often than the Lilywhites this season, which is named as one of the reasons for the inconsistent results, but Frank seemingly remains safe in his job for the time being.

Games

19

Wins

8

Draws

5

Losses

6

Points per game

1.53

It would be a little early to relieve the manager from his duties, given that Spurs are within touching distance of the play-offs, but the negative approach has to be called into question.

When asked whether he was surprised by Tottenham’s defensive approach, Leandro Trossard said: “Yeah, maybe a bit. Because as I said, it’s still Spurs. But we have been facing a back five a lot of times this season, so we’re kind of used to it.”

It is understandable not to play an extremely high line away against Arsenal, given that they have the joint-best attacking record in the Premier League, but the lack of attacking threat is inexcusable.

It is a short turnaround for Tottenham, who face another tough test away against reigning Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

Where Thomas Frank ranks among the 20 current Premier League managers Every current manager in the 2025/26 Premier League ranked

Every current Premier League boss ranked from best to worst.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 8, 2025

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has accused Gianluigi Donnarumma of "faking" an injury to allow Pep Guardiola to deliver a Manchester City team talk when the game was hanging in the balance. The Italian asked for treatment in the second half when Leeds had made it 2-1 and were in the ascendancy. The visitors got it back to 2-2 before Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner secured all three points on Saturday at the Etihad.

Man City survive Leeds scare

City were 2-0 up and cruising at half time thanks to goals from Foden and Josko Gvardiol but the second half was a very different story. Goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, after his penalty was saved, gave the lowly visitors a great chance of an upset. But Foden's second in the 91st minute eased the home team's nerves as they went second in the Premier League. 

After the match, City boss Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport: "After Daniel [Farke] changed shape, long balls to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha running behind, it was always a struggle. That emotion is part of the football. We had the chances and at the end finally we found our goal."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLeeds boss wants rule change

While Farke was deflated after the loss, one moment from the game stuck in his craw. Just before the hour mark, City goalkeeper Donnarumma motioned to the medical staff to tend to him. During this break in play, Guardiola called the other 10 City players to him to deliver new instructions after Leeds changed their shape. While the Whites went on to equalise, City secured the win, but Farke was not happy with the Italian stopper's actions. The German, who stopped short of criticising Guardiola, said a rule change needs to be sworn in to stop things like this happening.

"Everyone knows why he went down, right? It’s not like the elephant in the room. You can ask me what I think about it, why he went down, I think it was obvious," he said. "It’s within the rules. It’s smart. If I like it, if it’s in the sense of fair play, if it should be like this, I keep it to myself and leave it to the authorities to find solutions to it. It’s within the rules. I asked the fourth official if he wanted to do something, he said, 'No, our hands are tied, we can’t do anything'. If we don’t educate our players in football what to do in terms of fair play, sportsmanship, if you try to bend the rules to your advantage, and you can fake an injury in order to do an additional team talk, I think it’s not something I personally like, but if it’s within the rules I can’t complain about it. 

"My recommendation is if this happens, then every 50-50 to the away team rather than the home team. After 90 minutes at 2-2, I would have blown the whistle rather than all the time added on. There are tools you can use to make sure this doesn’t happen. There’s a reason why the goalkeeper goes down and not an outfield player; an outfield player would have to go off. I think for the authorities to find a solution, in the sense of fair play, I have my doubts. I don’t criticise my colleague. It’s not that he (Guardiola) went down. If he has time to do that and if there’s an injury, I would do it. We have such a great relationship, and Pep is by far the best manager in the world. To tweak something in a game, there is nobody better. There’s not one per cent criticism of Pep. The fact that this happens, everyone knows it."

Leeds show much-needed fight

While this was Leeds' fourth defeat in a row, heaping more pressure on manager Farke, the way the Yorkshire side came back into the game will encourage many connected to the club. But, ultimately, they came away pointless from Manchester.

He told BBC Sport: "We came here not for compliments or warm words, we came here for points. We had the worst possible start to this game. Normally, if you want points here, you have to win the set-pieces. I have to give many compliments to my lads. We deserved to equalise. Both teams could have won it. Heartbreaking for my lads. We’re disappointed because we deserved something but my boys should be proud of how they reacted to the worst possible start. They should take lots of confidence out of this."

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Getty Images SportCrunch games for Leeds

Leeds, who remain 18th in the Premier League, have just begun a particularly tough run of games in the English top-flight. After the City match, they host third-placed Chelsea on Wednesday, before entertaining out-of-form Liverpool next weekend. A trip to high-flying Brentford and then a home match against a confident Crystal Palace round off a difficult run of fixtures before Christmas.

Leeds United are on the lookout for attacking potency in January and could be set to back Daniel Farke in his pursuit to bring a talented forward to Elland Road.

The Whites find themselves embroiled in a fight against the drop, and not everyone is feeling wholly confident in the former Norwich City boss, even if his side has produced some encouraging moments this term.

All too often, fine margins determine the outcome of Premier League matches, and Farke’s side has been on the wrong side of them, leading some to question his ability to lead the Whites forward.

With that in mind, Leeds are keen to source proven quality in the form of Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling, even if his £325,000 wages may prove to be a stumbling block in negotiations.

Signings or no signings, Farke has vowed that his side won’t change as they aim to secure top-flight football for next term, claiming that their approach to being successful will pay off in the long run.

He said before his side took on Aston Villa: “If you follow our way of working over the past two and half years, you know exactly what we are doing, how we try to approach a game and try to be successful. This won’t change at all.”

Sticking by your principles can be the defining choice that determines whether a manager is successful in keeping their job. Farke has been a nice fit for Leeds since arriving at Elland Road, though he has routinely come under scrutiny and is now back under the spotlight.

Either way, the January transfer window is creeping closer, and the 49ers could now be set to back their man as they pursue an exciting striker.

Leeds in pursuit of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia

According to The Mirror, Leeds are willing to sign Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia on an initial six-month loan with a £20 million mandatory purchase option in the summer as the 49ers aim to back Farke in the New Year.

However, there has been a twist as Los Blancos boss Xabi Alonso is said to have blocked the move, notifying the forward that he is still part of his plans both in the immediate term and further down the line.

Gonzalo Garcia at Real Madrid – all competitions

Appearances

21

Goals

5

Assists

3

Intriguingly, Leeds were confident that they could lure Garcia to England before the ex-Liverpool star’s intervention, and the Spain Under-21 international was also said to be keen on a move to the Premier League after finding regular minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu hard to come by.

Alonso is aware he will need to utilise his whole squad, potentially offering more openings for the 21-year-old to feature as Real Madrid chase more silverware both domestically and in Europe.

Leeds are also eyeing an alternative £20m forward

Bursting onto the scene at the Club World Cup, Garcia would certainly be a viable option in the Leeds attack if they were able to complete a deal, though any chance of that now looks to be unlikely unless circumstances change.

Pakistan captain says he has “no issues” with his fast bowlers wanting to make a mark on the game and on the opposition

Danyal Rasool27-Sep-20252:25

Mumtaz: Fakhar, Shaheen, Abrar key for chance of victory

There is no sign that Pakistan’s fast bowlers will rein in the aggression they put on display during the side’s most recent game against India last week. On the eve of the Asia Cup final, captain Salman Agha said he fully supported his team-mates’ right to impose themselves on both the game and the opposition so long as things don’t go too far.”If someone wants to be aggressive on the ground, then why not,” Agha said at a press conference. “If you deprive a fast bowler of their aggression, then what’s left? Every player knows how to deal with their emotions. I give players license to react the way they want at the ground. As long as they’re not disrespecting anyone and stay within the line, I have no issues with that.”That sets the stage for another charged-up India-Pakistan game – their third in as many weeks, this one for the title. After their last meeting on Sunday, Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan were pulled up for breaches of the ICC’s code of conduct. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was similarly penalised for comments he made following the group game between the two teams.Related

An India-Pakistan final that carries more weight than a title

The myth and math of Saim Ayub

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That day, India also refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, either before or after the game, reflecting the state of affairs between two countries who were in military conflict earlier this year. Agha said he had “never before” known that to happen at a cricket match.”I’ve been playing cricket since 2007 professionally. I’ve never seen no handshakes between two teams. My dad is a huge fan of cricket and used to tell me about its history. He never told me about any game where there’s not been a handshake. I’ve heard it’s never happened before.”When India-Pakistan games took place in even more tense situations, handshakes always happened. Not to have handshakes is not good for cricket. If someone wants to be aggressive, whether they’re from my team or their team, I have no issues with that, but you should shake hands at the end of it.”As things stand, it is almost certain that there will be no handshakes before or after the final.India have, over the past fortnight, attempted to distance themselves from the idea that a game against Pakistan is any more significant than others. Agha’s outlook was different.”It would be wrong to say a Pakistan-India match doesn’t carry more pressure,” he said. “It’s the final. There’ll be a similar amount of pressure on both sides. The pressure of a final is different, of course.2:53

Chopra: Abhishek vs Shaheen could decide the game

“We can’t control what’s happened out of the ground. One of our philosophies is to not worry about what we can’t control. We are not focused on what people on the outside are saying. We’re here to win the Asia Cup and that’s our only focus.”Agha himself has had a near-negligible impact on the tournament. Thirty-one batters have scored more runs than him in the competition, with all of them getting those runs at more than a-run-a-ball. Agha’s strike rate, meanwhile, is 78.04.Agha admitted this tournament has been a struggle for him personally, even as he led his side to just their second Asia Cup final in 11 years. “My performance hasn’t been up to the level it should have been and I am working on that. In T20 cricket, strike rate is important, but at the end of the day, you have to see what the situation demands and the team needs. It’s not necessary to play with a strike rate of 150 if the pitch or the situation doesn’t demand it. You should play according to the situation.”Pakistan have gone with the same side over the past three games, not that there aren’t issues with the playing XI. Saim Ayub continues to search for form with the bat, having now scored four ducks in six games. The bowling, in general, has bailed out the batting, particularly when they’ve had to take first strike, which is all but one game this tournament.In just about each of those they produced below-par totals; the two lowest totals defended this edition have both been by Pakistan. Now they’re in the final and when it turns out this way, Pakistan fans start to talk about destiny. Agha too seems to have been made a believer. “Everyone knows we haven’t batted to our full abilities this tournament, but maybe we’re saving the best for the final,” he laughed.

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine was left “extremely frustrated” after their second washout in as many matches in Colombo and has asked for better work in organising matches at ICC events.”You wait four years for a World Cup and to have rain play such a massive part in it is disappointing,” she said at the presentation. “I hope that in future editions they think about playing the games earlier in the day. We’ve obviously seen here that the rain usually comes in the afternoon, so [there is an] opportunity to potentially play these games at 10-11am in the morning and try and get a game in. Because that’s what all these teams want, is to be able to play cricket. You’ve waited for so long and you want to test yourself against the best and to be scuppered by rain, it’s a real shame for me.”All games barring one at this World Cup have a 3pm local time scheduled start, and four of the nine matches so far in Colombo have been washed out, including three of the four last four. While their washout against Pakistan on Saturday kept them fifth on the points table, New Zealand thought they were “in a decent position” after reducing Pakistan to 80 for 5. The points eventually had to be shared because of rain.”I thought we had a little bit of hope seeing the South Africa game [against Sri Lanka] the other night, where they were off for five hours, and managed to squeak a game in,” Devine said. “Look, we thought we were in a decent position, we just needed the rain to hold off and unfortunately it didn’t happen for us today.”Rain has played spoilsport in Colombo at the Women’s World Cup•AFP/Getty Images

New Zealand had opted to bowl in pretty overcast conditions on Saturday afternoon. Despite putting down two catches, they took five wickets within the first 20 overs. With two must-win matches coming up, against India (Navi Mumbai) and England (Visakhapatnam) as the semi-finals race heats up, New Zealand would have fancied their chances against Pakistan, who remain winless in the tournament.”Oh, look, to be honest, it’s pretty flat,” Devine said of the mood in the dressing room. “I mean, we wanted to play today, we were really up and about for today’s match. We just want to be playing cricket, so for us now, we know that the situation’s extremely clear. We just need to win both games, starting with India in Mumbai – so, a real big challenge for us – but we’re really excited about it. I know that the girls don’t need to be pumped up anymore to be able to take them on so, we’ll head back to India tomorrow and look forward to those challenges.”Related

• New Zealand in must-win territory with rain in the Navi Mumbai air

• Road to the semis: Five teams in contention for one spot

• Another washout for Pakistan; SA through to semis

When asked if New Zealand have had any time to prepare for their next two games, Devine said: “Not yet. We’re probably so focused on these games here in Colombo that we really wanted to make sure we gave it that full focus for us. So luckily, we’ve got a few days now [till] our next game against India [on Thursday]. So we’ll certainly prepare really well and we’ve had some good experiences against them of late in terms of the [T20] World Cup last year and we’ll be calling upon those. We also know that they’re huge favourites playing at home, in conditions that suit them, and they’ve got threats throughout, but again, this is what you want to be doing.”You want to be playing against the best teams at home and putting yourself under pressure, so we’ll really look forward to that challenge.”New Zealand had started their campaign with two matches in Indore, which they lost, before going across to Guwahati for their first points of this World Cup, against Bangladesh. They then flew down to Colombo, where they got only 75 overs of action across two matches. Two more matches remain in Colombo, on October 21 and 24, when Pakistan will take on South Africa and Sri Lanka respectively.

Aston Villa are now plotting a £18m bid for a “tremendous” defender, who is also being targeted by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with Emiliano Martinez a big fan.

Villa keen on strengthening despite resurgent form

Villa have made major improvements over the past month or so, having won six of their last seven matches in the Premier League, which has propelled them to fourth in the table, and Unai Emery has been impressed by his side’s recent performances.

After the 2-1 victory away at Leeds United last time out, the manager said: “The second half (was) better, but overall, 90 minutes, I am so happy how we competed. Even the first half, we didn’t play brilliant, but we were always trying to set our gameplan on the field, and progressively we did it.”

The Villans went 1-0 down at Elland Road, with Martinez receiving criticism for his goalkeeping in the build-up to Lukas Nmecha’s opening goal.

However, a second-half Morgan Rogers brace turned the game on its head, with the goalkeeper’s blushes being spared, and Aston Villa have now joined the race for one of the Argentinian’s international teammates.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Villa are now plotting a €20m (£18m) opening offer for River Plate defender Lautaro Rivero, having tracked the centre-back for months, and Martinez has provided positive feedback on his compatriot.

The Villans believe the 33-year-old’s personal relationship with the River Plate star could give them the edge in the race for his signature, despite rival interest from Man City and Tottenham.

Although the Argentinian has a €100m (£88m) release clause in his contract, River Plate would be willing to sanction a departure for considerably less, and there is a belief he could make an instant impact at Villa Park.

"Tremendous" Rivero has earned big Premier League move

Hailed as “tremendous” by journalist Juan Patricio Balbi, the 22-year-old may now be ready to test himself in England, having performed very well over the past year, placing in the 93rd percentile for tackles per 90, compared to other centre-backs, courtesy of averaging 2.27.

Aston Villa make Emiliano Martinez sale decision amid Unai Emery comments

There has been a key update on Martinez’s future, following the goalkeeper pushing for a move during the summer.

ByDominic Lund Nov 19, 2025

Villa are arguably well-stocked at centre-back, with Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa forming a reliable partnership as of late, but Tyrone Mings has been unable to put his injury problems behind him, and is potentially in the latter stages of his career at 32-years-old.

Tyrone Mings’ injury record

Games missed

12/08/23 – 30/10/24

70

Remainder of 2024/25

7

2025-26

17

As such, Emery could do with bringing in a younger centre-back, and having recently received his first cap for Argentina, Rivero could be capable of pushing for a starting spot.