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They have scripted a remarkable turnaround after having finished bottom last season. Here is how they’ve done it

Deivarayan Muthu27-Sep-20221:53

Miller: Getting the right players and structure worked for us

two games so far – one being an inconsequential match against Guyana Amazon Warriors, and the other a rain-hit one against Jamaica Tallawahs when Rovman Powell hit a timely six to put them ahead of the DLS. ESPNcricinfo decodes Royals’ dominant run in CPL 2022.Role clarity
One of the key ingredients for success in a T20 tournament is giving players clarity about their roles. Despite the absence of their regular captain David Miller and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock – who were both part of the overseas core – for the last leg of the tournament in Guyana, Royals’ management ensured everyone stayed true to their roles.Before CPL 2022, Kyle Mayers had never captained in senior T20 cricket, but Royals prepped for Miller’s departure for South Africa duty in India by easing Mayers into the leadership role in the inaugural 6ixty that preceded the CPL. And Jason Holder, who had led the Barbados franchise – Tridents at the time – to the title in 2019, was around to help smoothen the transition.According to Holder, the Royals have done an “outstanding job” in ensuring there was transparency in the group, and every player understood his role.Related

• Corbin 'Thor' Bosch hopes to find his superhero moment in the SA20

• Tallawahs stand between Royals and redemption at CPL 2022 final

• Holder interview: 'I mark myself pretty hard, but I don't beat myself up'

• CPL 2022 week three: Holder sparkles for Royals; Kings soar

“We know more or less how we want to operate as a franchise,” Holder had told ESPNcricinfo. “I think it has been really easy on David [Miller] as captain and now Kyle [Mayers] coming in to replace him.”You see today (in the match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on September 21) it was just like a smooth transition, and I think that’s because of how the structure is in the group. I always believe if you’ve got a strong management in terms of how you operate, how certain things are supposed to be done, everybody knows who they’re meant to be and what they’re meant to be doing, everything pretty much falls into place. I think you can have any leader once you get that clarity amongst the group – and also good direction – everything else falls into the place.”Mayers himself dashed out of the blocks at the top – his 9 off 20 against Amazon Warriors being an aberration – as did Rahkeem Cornwall. De Kock showed that he has the game and gears to bat at the top as well as in the middle.Obed McCoy and Holder, who were both tasked with bowling the tough overs, have taken 15 wickets each so far. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan, who is particularly strong against spin, got an NOC from the PCB to skip the National T20 Cup – the domestic T20 tournament at home – to turn out for Royals once again. In Royals’ first game at Providence, which is arguably the most spin-friendly venue in the Caribbean, Azam hit 64 off 42 balls to blindside CPL 2021 champions St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.ESPNcricinfo LtdSquad depth
Amid the pandemic, CPL 2020 was entirely played in Trinidad, while CPL 2021 was entirely held in St Kitts. With CPL 2022 being hosted by three venues – Guyana being the new addition – squad depth was another important box to tick. Although Miller and de Kock left the tournament early, Mujeeb Ur Rahman joined the squad late after the Asia Cup, and Oshane Thomas, who has had to deal with fitness issues in the recent past, played just three games, Royals constructed a squad that had the depth to win games across conditions.In IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals often struggled with the absence of a sixth-bowling option after Nathan Coulter-Nile suffered an injury. In CPL 2022, Royals remedied that by recruiting and backing allrounders Corbin Bosch and Cornwall, who can not just hit sixes, but also contribute with the ball.And when the ball swung in the early exchanges of the tournament in St Kitts, Mayers himself took the new ball and made inroads for Royals, providing a throwback to the times when he was more of a frontline seamer.On the spin front, Royals followed their usual template of pairing up an aggressive wristspinner or a mystery spinner with a defensive fingerspinner. In the IPL, it was Yuzvendra Chahal with R Ashwin. In the SA20, it will be Tabraiz Shamsi with Bjorn Fortuin. At the CPL, Royals had two aggressive options in Hayden Walsh Jr and Mujeeb, and two tidy fingerspinners in Joshua Bishop and Cornwall.Barbados Royals at the death•ESPNcricinfo LtdStart strongly with bat, finish strongly with ball
Arguably the powerplay and death are the make-or-break phases in a T20 game. Powerplays, in particular, can be challenging for players who are not familiar with the Caribbean conditions where the wind often dictates proceedings. The wet weather was also a factor in the tournament, but Royals found ways to pull ahead even when they lost crucial tosses in day games.With the bat, Royals were the second-fastest scoring team in the powerplay at a run rate of 7.24. Only St Lucia Kings (8.39) bettered them during this phase, thanks to the vast experience of Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles.However, Royals were by far the most economical side with the ball between overs 17 and 20, conceding at just 6.97 an over. During this phase, they also picked up 18 wickets – only Amazon Warriors (20) and Trinbago Knight Riders (20) got more wickets than Royals.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe emergence of Simmonds and Bosch
In their first CPL seasons, uncapped South African allrounder Bosch and local left-arm seamer Ramon Simmonds have contributed handsomely to Royals’ success. Simmonds, Royals’ emerging pick at the CPL draft, impressed the management so much with his variations and courage to bowl the difficult overs that they added him to their Paarl Royals side for the forthcoming SA20.”Someone like Ramon Simmonds has really impressed me, particularly because this is the first time I’ve played with him,” Holder told ESPNcricinfo. “To just see his composure under pressure and then him having the confidence to execute slower balls and yorkers to big players at big stages of the game is quite impressive to me.Corbin Bosch is also part of the Royals’ squads in SA20 and IPL•CPL T20 via Getty Images”I think he has talent that not many people can boast of at such a young age. Once he continues to develop, the sky’s the limit for him.”Bosch is also part of the Royals’ squads in SA20 and IPL. After having trialled Bosch at No.3 in the 6ixty, Royals gave him an opportunity to bat at that position at the CPL. Bosch seized that with back-to-back half-centuries against Kings and Tallawahs.Having added an extra yard of pace to his bowling, Bosch pitched in with the ball too. He also adds value in the field by patrolling the hotspots. Against Patriots, he snagged five catches, which is a CPL record.

Also: Why didn’t the Sunrisers promote Rashid Khan in the batting order?

Karthik Krishnaswamy29-Sep-20202:12

Manjrekar: Natarajan showed why the team persisted with him

Who is T Natarajan, and what was so special about his performance today?
Natarajan is a left-arm quick who first came to the attention of IPL scouts when he bowled six yorkers back-to-back in a Super Over against Abhinav Mukund and Washington Sundar. Kings XI Punjab signed him for INR 3 crore during the 2017 IPL auction, and he played six matches for them that season. He was expensive, though, returning an economy rate of 9.07 across six games.That performance drove down his price at the 2018 auction, where the Sunrisers snapped him up for INR 40 lakh. It’s understood that Muttiah Muralitharan, the Sunrisers bowling coach who has also worked in the TNPL, played an influential role in Sunrisers bidding for Natarajan.He didn’t feature in a single game in his first two seasons with the franchise, but he’s since added an extra yard of pace, which he showed while helping Tamil Nadu reach the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. He was Tamil Nadu’s designated death bowler through the entire white-ball domestic season, and those performances may have helped him break into the Sunrisers first XI.On Tuesday night, he showed exactly why he was there: to bowl yorker after yorker and keep nailing them. In his third and fourth overs – the 14th and 18th of the Capitals’ innings – he bowled ten balls that could either be described as pinpoint yorkers – with a hint of shape into the left-hander as well – or balls too full to get under easily, or low full-tosses hitting the toe-end of the bat. The last of them got him the wicket of Marcus Stoinis, lbw playing across the line.The long boundaries and the two-paced pitch definitely increased Natarajan’s margin for error – it will be interesting to watch how he holds up when the Sunrisers play in Sharjah – but it said a lot about his skills that he could hit the blockhole with such precision against some of the biggest hitters in the game, that too with a bit of dew about.Why did the Sunrisers pick Kane Williamson over Mohammad Nabi?
For a number of seasons now, the same weakness has dogged the Sunrisers: a top-heavy batting line-up with a lack of experience and power through the middle order. This weakness had contributed significantly to their losing their first two games of the season, against Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kolkata Knight Riders.Bringing Williamson in was the obvious way to strengthen the middle order, but in doing so, the Sunrisers took a big gamble because they were leaving out the offspin-bowling allrounder Nabi, who is one of the world’s leading bowlers against left-hand batsmen. This against a side with four left-handers – Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer and Axar Patel – in their top seven.The move worked brilliantly on the day, with Williamson not just adding solidity to the Sunrisers batting effort but also urgency and inventiveness while scoring a vital 41 off 26 balls. The Sunrisers also rose to the challenge of having only five bowlers, with Sharma doing well to finish with an economy rate of 8.50 despite bowling the bulk of his overs to two left-hand batsmen. Whether this combination will work in other matches, in more batting-friendly conditions, and against other teams, remains to be seen.Why did Axar Patel only bowl two overs?
Axar was one of the heroes of Delhi Capitals’ win over Chennai Super Kings in their previous match, taking 1 for 18 in his four overs, of which he bowled two inside the powerplay. Against the Sunrisers, however, Axar didn’t bowl at all inside the first ten overs, and only two overs thereafter. Why?In one word, match-ups. The Capitals used Axar with the new ball against the Super Kings because of his excellent head-to-head record against Shane Watson, whom he ended up dismissing for the sixth time in nine meetings.Tonight, the Capitals were wary of using Axar when David Warner was at the crease. This is their head-to-head in T20s: 51 balls across eight innings, 84 runs, two dismissals. Warner was at the crease until the 10th over of the Sunrisers innings, and the Capitals brought Axar on in the 11th, as soon as the opener was safely out of the way.Why didn’t the Sunrisers promote Rashid Khan?
When the Sunrisers lost Jonny Bairstow with 13 balls remaining, they sent in the debutant Abdul Samad. Did they miss a trick by not promoting Rashid Khan, who’s shown himself – in the limited batting opportunities he gets around the world – to be a natural ball-striker?There’s definitely an argument that the Sunrisers can trust Rashid’s ability a little more – he has a first-ten-balls strike rate of 143 in the last three years.But Samad comes to the IPL with quite a reputation for hitting too. He hit 36 sixes during last year’s Ranji Trophy, more than anyone else in the competition. It’s a first-class tournament, yes, but that number still tells a tale, and off the fourth ball he faced tonight, Samad proved he can do it against the quickest bowlers in the business too, going deep in his crease to get under a full ball from Anrich Nortje and smoke him over the long-on boundary.Were the Capitals too conservative in their chase?
The Capitals went at less than a run a ball through their powerplay, despite just losing one wicket, and by the time they reached the halfway point of their chase, their required rate was nearly 11. Were they too conservative at the start?Yes, and no. Like most teams, they must have backed themselves to chase two runs a ball if they had wickets in hand, so there was a bit of early caution. But this was a two-paced pitch, there was some seam movement early on too, and the Sunrisers bowled well and used the long boundaries to their advantage, so – much like Bairstow during the Sunrisers innings – the slow scoring wasn’t entirely intentional. Where Shikhar Dhawan did the Bairstow role to an extent, the Capitals didn’t have a Warner or a Williamson on the day to get them close to the target with wickets in hand.Should Warner have used Sharma’s four overs in one spell?
Without Nabi, the Sunrisers had a depleted bowling attack, and Abhishek Sharma – who had bowled two overs each in his first two matches of the season – had to take on a much bigger workload. The left-arm spinner did commendably to concede just 19 in his first three overs despite predominantly bowling to two left-handers. He did this by going wide of the crease, landing on a length just short of sweepable, and forcing the batsmen to hit him into the leg side where most of the boundary-riders were – the long boundaries gave him the cushion to bowl to such a plan.But was a fourth over on the trot asking for too much, especially against hitters of the calibre of Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer? Warner gambled, and the move nearly came off, with the first four balls bringing three singles and a dropped caught-and-bowled, Pant hitting it too hard for it to be anything more than a half-chance. The last two balls, however, disappeared for sixes, leaving the Capitals still in the game with 85 to get off 42 balls.Why did Warner hold back Khan’s last over?
While Sharma bowled four on the trot, Warner pulled Rashid out of the attack after his third, waiting until the 17th over to bring him back.From the start of the 14th over – when Rashid went out of the attack – to the end of the 16th, the Capitals scored 36 off 18 balls, remaining in touch with their required rate. Another over from Rashid then, you could argue, could have shut them out of the game.Warner, though, may have wanted to ensure that he had one over from his legspinner left in order to break up a string of overs from his quicks. He may have also gambled on getting at least one of Pant or Hetmyer out before bringing Rashid back against Stoinis, who isn’t the most confident starter against spin.In the event, it worked, with Hetmyer holing out off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 16th over and Rashid returning for the 17th with Stoinis on strike.Should Pant have played out Rashid’s final over?
At the start of that over, the Capitals needed 49 from 24. In a similar situation in the CPL recently, while playing for the Trinbago Knight Riders against the Barbados Tridents, Kieron Pollard had played out Rashid’s final over, leaving himself 66 to get off the last 24 balls and somehow pulling it off.Three singles came off the first three balls of Rashid’s over tonight, before Pant took the legspinner on and picked out deep square leg with a miscued sweep. Should he have held back?It was a difficult choice either way for Pant, given the situation, and given how well the Sunrisers’ fast bowlers were also bowling. And he certainly had reason to back himself against Rashid. Before today, Pant had a career T20 strike rate of 155.73 against legspin and an average of 65.66. Against Rashid specifically, he had scored 56 runs off 37 balls while only being dismissed once.

شكل إينيجو مارتينيز مدافع النصر السعودي أحد أهم أسباب نجاح هانز فليك في موسمه الأول مع برشلونة خلال 2024-2025.

وتلقى فليك صدمة برحيل المدافع الإسباني المخضرم، وقد أبدى المدرب الألماني استياءه من قرار البلوجرانا بالسماح له بالرحيل.

وظهر غياب إينيجو مارتينيز بوضوح على خط دفاع برشلونة، نظراً لأهميته وفهمه التكتيكي لأسلوب لعب المدرب الألماني بالإضاف لصفاته القيادية.

وانتشرت شائعات أن برشلونة وإينيجو مارتينيز قد يبحثان عن إمكانية لم شملهما خلال سوق الانتقالات الشتوية في يناير.

أقرأ أيضاً.. لاعب برشلونة يتلقى عروضًا مغرية من السعودية.. ويحدد موقفه

ومع ذلك ووفقاً لصحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية فقد كشفت حقيقة عودة إينيجو إلى برشلونة وأكدت استحالة حدوث هذه الفكرة.

ويثق برشلونة ثقة تامة في تعافي أراوخو، ويعاني المدافع الأوروجوياني من أزمة ثقة خاصة بعد خطأه أمام تشيلسي ويحاول الجهاز الفني للبارسا مساعدته على تجاوز هذه المشكلة ويتدرب فردياً في صالة الألعاب الرياضية.

وترددت تقارير أن مارتينيز قد يغادر النصر على سبيل الإعارة حتى نهاية الموسم ومع ذلك فإن هذه التكهنات عارية من الصحة خاصة بعد تأقلمه مع ناديه الجديد وهذا ما يحترمه برشلونة و لا توجد أي فرصة لعودته في يناير.

The New York Yankees announced a key roster move on Tuesday, making the decision to designate starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco for assignment.

Carrasco has struggled throughout the first eight appearances of his Yankees tenure, which includes six starts and two relief outings. Across 32 innings on the mound, Carrasco has pitched to the tune of a 5.91 ERA and has surrendered seven home runs while striking out 25 batters.

His most recent appearance came on Sunday when he pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief, giving up five hits, two runs and a walk while striking out three batters.

2025 is Carrasco's 16th season in MLB, but the former Cy Young candidate has not lived up to the billing thus far, prompting the team to DFA him on Tuesday.

In a corresponding roster move, New York recalled Yerry de los Santos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 27-year-old right-handed pitcher owns a 1.74 ERA across 10 relief appearances in the minors this season, having recorded 11 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings.

With Luis Gil, Gerrit Cole and Marcus Stroman on IL, it's not immediately clear who will take over the fifth spot in the Yankees' starting rotation. Clarke Schmidt is set to make a start on Tuesday against the San Diego Padres and Max Fried will be on the mound for the series finale on Wednesday.

New Zealand recorded their first T20I victory of the home season

Tristan Lavalette06-Nov-2025

Mark Chapman unleashed a flurry of sixes in his 28-ball knock•AFP/Getty Images

Mark Chapman bludgeoned 78 off 28 balls before New Zealand survived a late onslaught to record their first T20I victory of the home season in a bounce back against West Indies at Eden Park.West Indies were down and out in the 208-run chase at 93 for 6 in the 13th over. They needed 18 an over from there but the required rate suddenly nosedived as Rovman Powell launched stunning hitting at the death.Needing 16 runs off the final over, West Indies were suddenly in the box seat after a couple of Matthew Forde boundaries meant they required eight off four balls.Related

'Boult-ish' Foulkes is adding breadth to New Zealand's pace depth

But Powell holed out to quick Kyle Jamieson on the fourth ball in a game-changer before Forde could only score a single off the final delivery as West Indies fell three runs short.Jamieson held his nerve with a superb slower ball in a major relief for New Zealand, who were under pressure after a seven-run defeat in the series-opener at the same ground just 24 hours earlier.After New Zealand were sent in to bat, Chapman ignited his side in favourable batting conditions and completely dominated the middle-latter overs with a slew of belligerent blows.While chasing, West Indies succumbed to spinners Ish Sodhi, the only change from either team from game one, and Mitchell Santner combining for six wickets.There was a late twist but the result snapped the West Indies’ five-game T20I winning streak.DRS was used in this match after technical issues meant the technology could not be in place for the opener.Chapman ignites New ZealandThere was pressure on New Zealand’s batting order after a meek effort in the series-opener, where only incredible late hitting from Santner got them close.Devon Conway struggled to get going but did help lay a platform with a 55-run opening partnership with Tim Robinson, whose premeditated ramps knocked the seamers off their lengths.But New Zealand were only modestly placed at 59 for 2 in the ninth over after Robinson’s dismissal. Chapman had a sighter before launching in the 13rd over, whacking Romario Shepherd for a trio of sixes.He was on a roll, finding gaps with a mixture of timing and power to record a 19-a ball half-century – the fastest in his T20I career. It was a welcome return to form for Chapman, who had only made 39 runs from four previous T20I innings during this home season.Chapman finally miscued straight in the air in the 17th over before Santner again showed off his big-hitting at the death as he finished off the innings in style with a six.Forde backs up, Hosein held backThere was intrigue over how Forde would pull up from game one having made a successful comeback from a shoulder injury.He once again performed exceptionally well with the new ball to prove he’s well and truly fit and firing having not played competitive cricket before this tour since July.Ish Sodhi, who replaced Jimmy Neesham, picked up three wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Forde bowled three overs on the trot in the first game before being hammered in his final over by Santner at the death. Captain Shai Hope decided to bowl Forde out and the gamble worked when he once again knocked over Conway with an almost identical delivery from the first game that seamed in wickedly.Forde finished with 1 for 17 from four overs, but West Indies’ attack struggled mightily after that. On a ground with small dimensions, Hope didn’t seem to trust left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein who bowled just one over in the first T20I.He came on in the 16th over – the latest he had ever bowled in the format. Hosein was on a hiding to nothing and greeted with a six by Daryl Mitchell before Chapman whacked consecutive blows into the crowd in an over that ultimately cost 23 runs.Other than Forde, every other bowler’s economy was over eight runs an over.Sodhi stars in returnNew Zealand was expected to stick with their line-up from the opener, but allrounder Jimmy Neesham was a late scratch after he was hit on the shoulder while batting in the warm-up.Sodhi took Neesham’s place and grabbed his opportunity having not been part of the England series. He came on in the eighth over with West Indies needing a move on after a sedate start.Alick Athanaze had him in his sights but made a hash of a reverse sweep to gift Sodhi a second-ball wicket. His tail was up with Sodhi on the next delivery unsuccessfully reviewing a caught behind shout against Ackeem Auguste.Romario Shepherd and Rovman Powell’s impressive partnership went in vain•AFP/Getty Images

But he soon dismissed Auguste, largely thanks to a terrific catch from a diving Chapman in the outfield. Sodhi then deceived Jason Holder with a googly to rattle the stumps although his figures took a little of a beating in his final couple of overs.Shepherd, Powell and Forde’s late hitting in vainWest Indies looked dead and buried at 93 for 6 in the 13th over. But they can never be totally written off due to their muscular batting through the order. Shepherd and Powell gave them hope after they smashed five sixes in a six-ball whirlwind.Shepherd fell for 34 off 16 balls, but Powell remained undaunted and received support from Forde as the ball kept flying into the terraces. They whittled it down to 16 in the final over but ultimately fell short.In the end the task proved too great and the West Indies will rue such a slow start. But they will know that no chase is out of reach and the late fireworks will spook New Zealand, who will need to reassess their plans in the death overs.

Zimbabwe put forward a team effort led by Tadiwanashe Marumani’s fourth T20I fifty to post an imposing 191 for 8. But Sri Lanka’s top four batters made light work of their target by ending the game with 14 balls and eight wickets to spare. With it, Sri Lanka took the series 2-1.Kamil Mishara will be the name on everyone’s lips after the game, though, with his 73 not out off 43 balls the shining light in an outstanding display of batting from the Sri Lankans. Pathum Nissanka (30 from 20 deliveries) and Kusal Mendis (30 off 17) once more delivered a strong start in the powerplay. But while Sri Lanka have long struggled to maintain that momentum, on Sunday, Mishara and the returning Kusal Perera dusted off the 192 chase with ease with an unbeaten stand of 117 from 63 balls.Earlier, Marumani rode his luck to propel Zimbabwe’s efforts, and he was ably assisted by cameos throughout the innings. At one point, Zimbabwe looked poised to breach 200, but Sri Lanka again excelled during the death overs, particularly with Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana, to ensure Zimbabwe had a total that was eventually gettable.Tadiwanashe Marumani scored a steady half-century•Zimbabwe Cricket

SL’s powerplay one-upmanship

After Zimbabwe posted their highest total against Sri Lanka – and their third highest total at the Harare Sports Club – Sri Lanka knew what they needed to do to chase it down.Part one played out as expected, with Kusal Mendis and Nissanka once more providing the Sri Lanka with a customary blistering start to the chase. The pair put on an opening stand of 58 off 32 deliveries, as Sri Lanka struck 67 runs in the powerplay for the loss of just one wicket.It was the ideal response to Zimbabwe, who had done similarly well in the powerplay by scoring 58 for 1. That effort had been led by a somewhat chancy knock by Marumani, who played anchor, as both Brian Bennett and Sean Williams provided the aggression.Dushan Hemantha picked up three wickets•Sri Lanka Cricket

Mishara announces himself

Prior to this tour, Mishara had briefly introduced himself to Sri Lanka’s cricket followers in 2022 during matches against India and Australia before swiftly finding himself back in the domestic wilderness. In the years since, he has crafted himself as a batter full of intent and aggression – it was ill-advised in the second T20I, but on Sunday, he showed how useful that skillset can be.Coming into bat late in the powerplay, Mishara soon found himself the senior man in a partnership with Perera, as both Mendis and Nissanka had fallen in quick succession. But with lopsided boundaries on offer, both Mishara and Perera smartly took the singles and twos on offer, without searching for the boundaries – a luxury afforded by the strong powerplay.However, a stunning loft down the ground for six, hitting through the line, signalled to all watching what Mishara was all about. It would be another ten deliveries until he found his next boundary, but scarcely was a dot ball registered under his watch.Mishara’s assurance also seemed to revive Perera, who had been dropped for the second T20I following a lean patch of form, but here he seemed to be finding his feet once more. The pair eventually began finding boundaries as and when needed, with Mishara in particular looking always keen to take on the onus. By the end, Mishara looked assured in a challenging middle-order role, one Sri Lanka will be hoping he can hold on to for a while.Sikandar Raza batted at a high tempo•Zimbabwe Cricket

Chameera, Pathirana dent Zimbabwe’s charge

Sikandar Raza said after the game that he was absolutely thrilled with Zimbabwe’s batting effort, and with 191 on the board, you don’t have to wonder why. It was a performance built on a strong powerplay, but more importantly, smart and aggressive cricket throughout.Dushan Hemantha, for example, picked up three wickets – the most in the innings – and they were the prized scalps of Williams, Raza and Marumani. But such was the trajectory of the Zimbabwean innings that it hardly halted their momentum.Each of Zimbabwe’s top seven reached double digits, while five of them struck at a strike rate of 150 or more. It was the quintessential team innings, and one that saw them score 95 runs through the middle overs (7 to 16). Yet, by the end of the game, many watching on may have felt they were perhaps 30 runs short.That is primarily down to Sri Lanka’s excellent effort with the ball at the death, where they conceded just 38 runs and picked up four wickets, a period which culminated in a final over where the returning Pathirana gave away just six runs and accounted for two wickets – one of which was a run-out.

Lionel Messi bagged a goal and an assist as Argentina earned a hard-fought 2-0 victory away to Angola. The 2022 World Cup winner is coming towards the end of his illustrious career but the veteran's quality was plain to see as he played an instrumental role in this friendly win on Friday. Both he and Lautaro Martinez scored and turned provider as the Albiceleste marched on once more.

• Argentina spoil Angola's celebrations

  Angola, who were celebrating the 50th anniversary of their independence from Portugal, started brightly, and had it not been for a good stop from goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, the 50,000-strong crowd may have been heard to Argentina and back. 

  The hosts were indebted to their own keeper not long after when Hugo Martinez denied Messi with a smart stop. But the Angola number one did not cover himself in glory in the 44th minute when Martinez fired Messi's neat through ball between the stopper's legs from a tight angle. 

  Inter Miami star Messi went close shortly after the break but the home team were putting up a good fight at The Estádio 11 de Novembro. But the Barcelona legend would not be denied and after Martinez picked up the loose ball, he set up Messi, who buried his shot from 10 yards in the 82nd minute. That ended another year for Argentina, with Lionel Scaloni's side second in the world rankings and already thinking of further glory next summer in north America. 

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• AFP
  

  The MVP

  Both Martinez and Messi were, arguably, the standout performers for Argentina as they overcame a stubborn Angola side in their backyard. The duo came away with a goal and an assist but the 38-year-old was, perhaps, the bigger threat throughout the match. On another day, he could have had a hat-trick.

• The big loser

  While Angola gave a good account of themselves, their defending for the goals was a little suspect. For the first, they allowed Martinez to get behind their backline, when they had a good chance to step up, rendering him offside. And for the second, they were all at sea as Martinez found Messi with ease. But Marques was beaten a bit too easily for Argentina's opener, as the ball went through his legs. While this may have been planned, the keeper was hooked at half time and replaced by Neblu.

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  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐

Chelsea finish for the international break with plenty to build on under Enzo Maresca, and they could now go big for a forward in January to bolster their striking ranks.

Chelsea rejoice after last-gasp winner vs Liverpool

Last week proved to be a significant one in West London, and plenty of pressure was on the shoulders of Maresca after winning once in five matches leading into the Blues’ double-header against Benfica and Liverpool.

On the face of it, the Italian can count himself slightly unfortunate to be under the spotlight after bringing two trophies to the club during his tenure so far. Nevertheless, the high demands at Stamford Bridge rest for nobody as Chelsea look to place themselves among the Premier League elite.

A tetchy 1-0 victory over Benfica came at the right time for Maresca, and he followed that up with an excellent 2-1 triumph over Liverpool to move his side into seventh, leading the former Manchester City assistant to a dismissal after enjoying wild celebrations with their support.

Stepping in after the match, his assistant Willy Caballero urged the Blues to take advantage of the international break to come back stronger once they are back in the capital.

He stated: “He’s OK (Maresca after red card). He’s so happy now. Of course, he cannot be here now but we are so happy that we achieved the three points in the last seconds. We are so happy and so proud. The players did a fantastic job. Now is a good break for many of them, and hopefully we can recover a few more players and start the new cycle of games with energy.”

After a brief wobble, things are looking up for Chelsea, and they could now be set to target a January move for one of the most prolific forwards in the top-flight.

Chelsea preparing bid for Antoine Semenyo

According to reports in Spain, Chelsea are preparing a bid worth around £78 million for Antoine Semenyo after his blistering start to the Premier League campaign at Bournemouth.

Moving to Stamford Bridge appeals to the Ghana international after publicly admitting he separates his Arsenal fandom from his job, and the Cherries may find it tough to resist the financial capital on offer despite his return of six goals and three assists in his opening seven top-flight appearances.

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Labelled a “special player” by Owen Hargreaves, Semenyo has created an impressive ten chances in the Premier League, per Fotmob, thriving on either flank or whether coming inside to provide a focal point for his teammates.

October 2022

€3m

October 2023

€9m

October 2024

€20m

October 2025

€40m

Chelsea are in the market for another attacker to mix experience with their youtful frontline. However, they are unlikely to be the only club interested in offering the 25-year-old a new challenge.

With the Blues pushing for the Champions League slots, Semenyo could well be the difference if he were to pitch up in West London.

Dermot Gallagher has now revealed why one Arsenal star wasn’t sent off in a controversial moment during the 2-1 victory against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Gunners come from behind to win at St. James' Park

Prior to Sunday’s encounter, Newcastle had won four of their previous five matches against the Gunners at St. James’ Park, but Mikel Arteta’s side sent out a statement by ending their hoodoo, picking up all three points in dramatic fashion.

Arteta has received widespread criticism for his decision to persist with Mikel Merino in recent weeks, but the Spaniard rewarded his manager for his faith by bagging a late equaliser, before Gabriel headed home in stoppage time to secure an important victory on the road.

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Speaking after the match, Arteta insisted his side thoroughly deserved the victory, saying: “When you get what you deserve at the end there’s no better feeling. I’m so proud of the team and the way we controlled our emotions and navigated through the different stages of the game. We showed the conviction, the courage the desire and the quality we need to get where we want to be.”

However, things could’ve been very different. Gabriel may not have even been on the pitch to bag the late winner if Nick Woltemade had made more of a bust-up with the Brazilian earlier in the match, where the defender appeared to punch the Newcastle striker away from the ball.

Speaking Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Gallagher said: “I think he’s lucky he didn’t actually strike him properly, because where he’s got lucky is is the referee hasn’t seen it, it’s gone to VAR and the VAR say red card or nothing, and it’s decided it’s not a red card. I don’t think it’s a red card, but I think if the referee sees it he’s certainly going to get a yellow card.”

Gabriel fortunate Woltemade didn't go down

Had the Newcastle striker made more of the incident and gone to ground, the Arsenal centre-back could have been in trouble, given that he clearly makes contact with the German’s face, albeit without a great deal of strength.

That said, the Magpies can also consider themselves fortunate that the decision to award Arsenal a penalty in the first half was overturned, with VAR getting involved after Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot for what he perceived to be a foul on Viktor Gyokeres.

Decisions went against both teams during the match, but Arteta’s side ultimately showed great character to come out on top, moving just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool in the process.

Celtic are back from the international break and find themselves preparing for a tough run of fixtures, including the start of their Europa League campaign under Brendan Rodgers.

The Irishman has spoken in frank fashion about the frustration he faced during the summer transfer window, claiming his side ‘weren’t ready’ for their Champions League playoff match against Kairat Almaty after the Parkhead hierarchy failed to push critical deals over the line.

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Nevertheless, the Bhoys brought in ten new players by the end of the market period before Kelechi Iheanacho was released from his Sevilla contract to sign as a free agent.

However, the lack of synergy between the Celtic board and Rodgers has been on show for all to see, and one of his lesser-spotted summer signings has now sent an intriguing social media message that may explain his own situation in a little more detail.

Celtic loanee Jahmai Simpson-Pusey sends cryptic Instagram message

Taking to Instagram, Celtic summer signing Jahmai Simpson-Pusey changed his profile picture on the platform to reflect a message that said ‘Delays teach patience, which prepares you for blessings’ after failing to make a first-team appearance since arriving on loan from Manchester City.

Becoming the Hoops’ eighth addition of the window, the 19-year-old has also been left out of the Bhoys’ Europa League squad by Rodgers alongside Callum Osmand, Shin Yamada and Hayato Inamura, causing some to question why he was acquired in the first place.

For now, Lennoxtown product Dane Murray appears to be ahead of Simpson-Pusey in the pecking order and is usually first in line to come off the bench when Rodgers decides to shuffle his backline around.

Regardless, there is a long season ahead for the reigning Scottish Premiership champions, and there is every chance that the England youth international could have a part to play as his loan club pursue another domestic treble.

What has Brendan Rodgers said about Jahmai Simpson-Pusey?

Shortly after his arrival in Glasgow was confirmed, Rodgers admitted to the press before his side defeated Aberdeen in August that Simpson-Pusey may be some way off featuring regularly due to his lack of a full-intensity pre-season.

He stated via Sky Sports: “He’s a little bit away in fairness to Jahmai. He’s been training with the small group at Manchester City and isn’t quite up to speed yet. You can see his quality straightaway and it’s just going to take a bit of time in terms of his fitness and the intensity.”

Clearly, Simpson-Pusey is a man with plenty of talent, given he claimed the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award last term and also made six appearances in the first-team under Pep Guardiola.

Now, he faces the challenge of nailing down a regular slot in Celtic’s backline, which may require persistence as the Manchester-born man looks to unseat the likes of Liam Scales, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty over the coming months.