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O Palmeiras encara o Vitória no Barradão neste domingo (14), em jogo válido pela primeira rodada do Brasileirão 2024.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

O confronto que marca o duelo entre o atual campeão brasileiro da Série A contra o atual campeão nacional da Série B, volta ser disputado após longos cinco anos.

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A partida mais recente entre as equipes foi pela última rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro de 2018, quando o Verdão, com o título já garantido, venceu no Allianz Parque por 3 a 2, gols de Edu Dracena, Gustavo Scarpa e Bruno Henrique.

Desta atual geração que forma a terceira Academia, estiveram em campo naquela tarde o goleiro Weverton, o lateral Mayke e o atacante Dudu.

Palmeiras e Vitória se enfrentaram oito vezes entre 2014 e 2018, todas pelo Campeonato Brasileiro e o Verdão só perdeu uma vez.

Matador! Com R$50 no Lance! Betting, você leva R$151 se Flaco López balançar as redes do Vitória a qualquer momento

O atual bicampeão brasileiro emendou cinco vitórias seguidas, foi derrotado no segundo turno de 2017 no Barradão e venceu as duas partidas mais recentes, ambas na campanha do Deca, em 2018.

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The 48 hours before the 2025 MLB trade deadline were hectic, with a ton of movement from contending teams looking to improve their roster. Nearly two months later, it has become clear which teams won and lost at the deadline.

The flurry of activity before the deadline on July 31 didn't produce great results for every team, but some have hit the jackpot, and their additions fueled their sprint to the postseason. What follows is a look at the players who have solidified themselves as the best trade deadline pickups this year.

10. Kyle Finnegan, Tigers

Finnegan was having a wobbly season for the Nationals when the Tigers acquired him on deadline day in exchange for pitchers Josh Randall and R.J. Sales. He has been lights out ever since.

In 40 games for the Nationals, the 34-year-old reliever was 1–4 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP, with 20 saves in 26 opportunities. Since Detroit acquired him, he’s been dominant, going 3–0 with a 0.00 ERA, a 0.42 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts against three walks in 14 1/3 innings over 12 appearances. He also has four saves without blowing one. Unfortunately, an adductor injury has sidelined him for most of September, but he appears close to a return.

Before the deadline, I identified a high-leverage reliever as Detroit’s biggest need. Finnegan has filled that role. His injury is the only thing dragging this ranking down.

9. David Bednar, Yankees

The Yankees also needed relief help at the deadline and found it in Bednar. New York landed the two-time All-Star from the Pirates in exchange for Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez and Brian Sanchez. He has rewarded them by helping solidify their previously erratic bullpen. Fellow deadline acquisitions Jake Bird and Camilo Doval have produced mixed results, but Bednar has been excellent.

In 17 appearances for the Yankees, the 30-year-old is 3–0 with a 2.75 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts against six walks in 19 2/3 innings. Bednar has eight saves in 11 chances, and opposing batters are slashing .181/.244/.319 against him. He has only allowed four runs since Aug. 4, and hasn't blown a save since Aug. 20, when the Yankees rallied to get him a win after he gave up two runs against the Rays.

Bednar is under team control through next season, and the Yankees will happily keep him as their closer moving forward after Devin Williams's mess of a season.

8. Miguel Andújar, Reds

The Reds acquired Andújar from the A’s at the deadline in what was an under-the-radar move. He had been solid up to that point in the season, slashing .298/.329/.436 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 60 games, but he exploded upon joining the Reds.

In 26 games with Cincinnati, Andújar is slashing .351/.405/.545, with three homers and 15 RBIs. His .950 OPS and 161 wRC+ are outstanding. Unfortunately, a lingering quad injury has limited his availability, which has knocked this pickup down the list. He’ll hit free agency after the season, so this could be a brief pairing. When he’s been available, Andújar has been excellent, though.

7. Leo De Vries, Athletics

This is a bit of a curveball because I’m adding a minor leaguer who won’t see the big leagues for quite a while, but De Vries is a special case. The Athletics were part of the biggest deal at the deadline when they sent Mason Miller and JP Sears to the Padres in exchange for prospects. De Vries was the headliner. The 18-year-old is a consensus top-five prospect in baseball as a shortstop with elite skills at the plate. Many, including myself, couldn’t believe San Diego traded him. It’s looking like a move the Padres will come to regret, no matter how good Miller is for them.

The A’s bumped De Vries to Double A in mid-August, and he has gone on a tear. In 21 games, he has slashed .281/.359/.551 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. He posted a wRC+ of 144 in that span. Just as a reminder, he won’t turn 19 until next month. He has incredible plate discipline, and his power has continued to increase as he has climbed the minor league ladder. It’s not a stretch to think he could be in the big leagues by next summer, though 2027 is a more likely target.

The Athletics appear to have a future star on their hands thanks to a savvy deal at the deadline that, yes, moved an All-Star, but may have gotten them a future cornerstone. Speaking of the guy he was traded for…

6. Mason Miller, Padres

To land Miller, the Padres shipped a king's ransom to … Sacramento? Las Vegas? What are we going with here? He’s one of the game’s elite relievers and added to an already strong bullpen, which made the deal puzzling. Regardless of the price paid to land him, Miller has been even better than advertised since arriving.

The 27-year-old has been on the mound for the Padres 18 times and boasts a 0.93 ERA, a WHIP of 0.67 and 36 strikeouts against six walks in 19 1/3 innings. He has only allowed two runs, both came in his second appearance for the team on Aug. 5. Since then, he has authored 16 scoreless outings while mostly acting as the setup man for All-Star closer Robert Suárez. Opposing hitters are batting .115 off of him with an OPS of .358 since the trade.

It remains to be seen what the Padres’ plans for Miller are long-term. He came up to the big leagues as a starter and is under team control through 2029. They could transition him back to that role. If not, they will have an elite reliever under team control for a long time. They paid a high price for it, but he has lived up to his billing so far.

Major League Baseball features one of the most grueling schedules in sports, with 162 games spread out over six-plus months. Players who can perform when everyone else is worn down are worth their weight in gold to contending teams.

As we turn to September and October, teams in the playoff hunt will lean on those with extensive track records of success to lift them into the postseason. What follows is a look at each player on a National League contender with the best and worst September track records. We've lumped October numbers from the regular season into these calculations since the sample sizes are too small to warrant their own category.

It's fascinating to see which guys step up when the games matter most.

Milwaukee BrewersBest: William Contreras

Contreras is having another excellent season, and he could really put the hammer down in the season's final month, judging by his past track record. In 80 career September/October games, Contreras is slashing .305/.402/.462 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. That on-base percentage is his highest in any month, his .864 OPS is excellent, and his wRC+ of 139 is stellar for a catcher.

Worst: Andrew Vaughn

Vaughn has been great for the Brewers since they traded for him in June. That said, he's traditionally been pretty bad late in the season. In 91career games in the season's final month, Vaughn is slashing .235/.279/.372, with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and 76 strikeouts against 19 walks. Only his March/April OPS of .647 is worse than his September/October mark of .651. His wRC+ of 81 is also brutal, though he rebounded last September with a mark of 131. So maybe things are looking up.

Philadelphia PhilliesBest: Bryce Harper

Like Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. While Harper got a run for his money from Kyle Schwarber, his late-season track record is the best on the team. In 329 career September/October games, Harper is slashing .274/.390/.509 with 61 home runs and 167 RBIs. The future Hall of Famer boasts an OPS of .900 and a wRC+ of 139. Last season, that mark was 157, so he may overperform his career numbers again.

Worst: Bryson Stott

While Harper is outstanding late in the season, Stott is not. The 27-year-old former first-rounder has played in 77 career games in September and October and is slashing .242/.295/.335, with four home runs and 26 RBIs. His OPS of .630 is only five points better than his worst month (.625 in May) and that .295 on-base percentage is his worst. His wRC+ of 75 is woeful and the bad news is that it is buoyed by one average season. He posted a mark of 100 in 2022, then dropped to 52 in 2023 and 72 in 2024.

Los Angeles DodgersBest: Shohei Ohtani

Shocking that the best player on the planet would be L.A.'s best player in the final month of the season. The three-time MVP has a career September slash line of .291/.385/.551 with 29 home runs, 87 RBIs and an OPS of .936 in 136 games. His wRC+ for the month is 151, and he was even better in 2024 when he posted a ridiculous OPS of 1.225 and a wRC+ of 232. Of course, Ohtani will be on the mound in September for the first time since 2022, and his track record is stellar. In 65 2/3 career September innings, he's 5–3 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and opposing hitters have a .581 OPS.

Worst: Tyler Glasnow

It's tough to find a Dodger with a truly bad track record in the season's final month, but Glasnow gets the nod here. In 29 career games in September/October, Glasnow is 7–8 with a 4.38 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts against 56 walks in 123 1/3 innings. Those are his highest ERA and WHIP totals in any month. The 2023 season was the last time he saw action in September, and he posted a 4.86 ERA. We'll see if he can bounce back this season.

Chicago CubsBest: Seiya Suzuki

Researching articles like this is always fascinating because you learn unexpexted things. Like how I had no idea Suzuki is an absolute monster in September. In 71 career games, the 31-year-old is slashing .333/.422/.564, with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs. His OPS of .986 is his highest in a month by 107 points, and his wRC+ of 172 is only two points behind Aaron Judge as the best among active players. What did to Gen Z brains this summer, Suzuki does to pitching in September.

Worst: Carson Kelly

I'll admit some of these were difficult to parse, going through long track records to compare players. This was by far the easiest selection on this list because Kelly has been in September throughout his career. In 147 career games in the season's final month, Kelly is slashing .186/.252/.299, with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs. His .551 OPS in September is 132 points lower than any other month, and his wRC+ is 50, meaning he’s half as good as the average major league hitter in September.

The veteran catcher has revitalized his career in Chicago, so maybe this year will be different.

San Diego PadresBest: Luis Arraez*

Arraez is at his best to open and close the season. The three-time batting champion consistently struggles in August only to turn it on in September and finish strong. In 126 career games, he's slashing .336/.371/.458 for an OPS of .829, his best of any month. His career September wRC+ of 128 is excellent and is buoyed by an incredible finish to 2023 when he hit .384 with a 1.038 OPS and a 175 wRC+.

Worst: Jake Cronenworth

Cronenworth has quietly had a solid season for the Padres, but given his track record, that could come to a screeching halt this month. The 31-year-old has consistently tailed off in September during his career. In 96 career games, she's slashing .208/.294/.341, all of which are his lowest numbers for any month. His .636 September OPS is brutal, as is his wRC+ of 82. His wRC+ has never topped 93 in September during his five-year career.

New York MetsBest: Juan Soto

Given that Soto is a generational hitter, you'd expect to find him here. He doesn't necessarily get better as the season goes along, but he certainly stays consistent. In 188 career games in the season's final month, the $765 million man is slashing .290/.440/.528, with 36 home runs, 126 RBIs and 169 walks against 134 strikeouts. That OBP is his best in any month, his .969 OPS is tied as his second-best monthly mark and his 160 wRC+ is one of the best among active players. It's not hard to see why the Mets handed him all that money.

Worst: Mark Vientos

While Vientos doesn't have a ton of late-season experience, he certainly hasn't been at his best in the home stretch. In 63 games during the season's final month, he's slashing .217/.274/.419 with 13 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 77 strikeouts against 15 walks. His .694 OPS is his worst of any month, and his wRC+ of 92 is pretty dismal.

Cincinnati RedsBest: Ke'Bryan Hayes

Again, research leads to shocking outcomes, and this one ranks up there. You'd expect this result to be flipped, but I assure you it's correct. Hayes is a below-average hitter, but for some reason, he's great late in the season. In 93 career games, he's slashing .299/.344/.475, his best monthly marks across the board. His .819 OPS in September is remarkable considering his career mark is .677. Likewise, his wRC+ in September is 118, while his career mark is 85. It's mind-boggling.

Worst: Elly De La Cruz

De La Cruz remains one of baseball's most electric players, but not during the month of September. In 50 career games, the dynamic shortstop is slashing .219/.308/.374, with five home runs, 25 RBIs and 76 strikeouts against 23 walks. His .682 OPS is his second-worst of any month, and his 85 wRC+ is well below his talent level. Those numbers are ominous for the Reds as they try to make a late-season playoff push.

Vidarbha opener Atharva Taide scored an unbeaten 118 on the first day of the Irani Cup in Nagpur, putting his team on course for a strong first-innings total against Rest of India. He wasHe began the day alongside Aman Mokhade, who hit four boundaries during his 27-ball 19, before nicking an Akash Deep delivery in the eighth over of the match. Akash Deep – returning to competitive cricket for the first time since his Test tour of England – found success at either end of the day’s play. He was the most economical bowler for Rest of India, going at just 2.50 across his 14 overs.Akash Deep capped off the day by having Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar caught behind for 5 in the 82nd over. Vidarbha were reduced to 275 for 5, and Taide batted out the remaining overs alongside Yash Thakur to take Vidarbha to stumps on 280 for 5.Earlier in the day, Rajasthan allrounder Manav Suthar had threatened to roll them over for much less. Fresh off an eight-for against Australia A in Lucknow, he took back-to-back wickets in his first over – the 23rd of the innings. First, he cleaned up Dhruv Shorey (18) while the batter was playing down the wrong line, before he had Danish Malewar caught behind just three balls later. The latter was the second of three catches Ishan Kishan completed behind the stumps.Akash Deep impressed on his return to competitive cricket•PTI

At 80 for 3, 25-year-old Yash Rathod walked in. He stopped the slide and continued his good form from the Duleep Trophy, where he had scored 374 runs in five innings at 124.67. Rathod and Taide batted through the second session, and looked all set to bat till stumps.However, after having hit Suthar for a six just the previous ball in the 74th over, Rathod skipped down the track for the second time in a row and holed out to mid-off on 91 against the run of play. The dismissal ended a 184-run partnership for the fourth wicket.While Akash Deep snared the fifth wicket before the close of play, Taide’s presence in the middle will be essential to Vidarbha’s hopes on the second day. In case an outright result cannot be achieved over five days, the team with the first-innings lead will be declared the winner.Vidarbha will thus be looking to bat deep in their first Irani Cup outing since the 2018-19 edition, which they won through a first-innings lead as well.

INEOS splashed the cash in the summer transfer window to provide Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim with more quality at both ends of the pitch.

Senne Lammens was brought in from Royal Antwerp, to replace Andre Onana, and has prevented 1.51 xG across five appearances in the Premier League so far this season, per Sofascore.

£62.5m was also spent on the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazil international scored his first goal for the club last month in the 4-2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Bryan Mbeumo has arguably been the most successful addition to the squad. Since his £71m move from Brentford, the left-footed star has scored five goals and provided one assist in 11 Premier League games for the Red Devils.

Whilst Cunha and Mbeumo both arrived from other English clubs as known quantities, the club were also willing to splash the cash on more of a gamble, with Benjamin Sesko.

The Red Devils spent £66.4m to sign the Slovenia international from RB Leipzig in the summer to replace Rasmus Hojlund, and he has had a mixed start to life at Old Trafford.

Why Man Utd need to sign another centre-forward

Sesko has scored two goals in 11 appearances in the Premier League since his big-money move from Germany, and both of those goals came in his first seven outings.

The 22-year-old marksman scored his first goal for the club against Brentford in September, before netting his second goal against Sunderland in a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

Sesko scored 13 goals in 33 matches in the Bundesliga in the 2024/25 campaign for Leipzig, per Sofascore, so it was always going to be a tough ask for the striker to hit the ground running as a goal machine in the Premier League.

The Slovenian forward, as shown in the graphic above, has missed more ‘big chances’ than he has managed goals scored, which suggests that he needs to improve his efficiency in front of goal if he wants to be the main number nine for Amorim.

As you can see in the table above, Sesko struggled in his last two appearances for United before the international break, losing the majority of his physical duels without offering any significant threat in the final third.

The former Leipzig star’s mixed start to his career at Old Trafford may explain why the club are reportedly looking to add another player in his position in the winter market.

Man Utd chasing deal for another Bundesliga striker

According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are one of a number of clubs chasing a deal to sign Borussia Dortmund centre-forward Serhou

Guirassy.

The report claims that he has a release clause in his contract with the German side that will allow him to be sold for a fee of roughly £44m to a ‘select group of elite clubs’ in the January transfer window.

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It adds that Arsenal, Manchester United, and PSG are all in the race to sign the Guinea international, but it remains unclear if any of those three teams fall into the group of clubs that can activate that release clause.

CaughtOffside reports that the Red Devils are ones to watch in the race to land the Bundesliga centre-forward because Amorim wants more experienced options in his frontline.

Sesko, 22, is still in the early stages of his development and Guirassy could be viewed as an experienced number nine who could offer a huge upgrade in the immediate term.

Why Man Utd should sign Serhou Guirassy

At the age of 29, the Dortmund centre-forward would arrive at Old Trafford as the experienced striker that Amorim wants to bolster his squad with, as he would be ready to come in and make an instant impact.

It can sometimes be the case with young players that they have the technical qualities and potential to be an incredible player in the future, but they do not have a tight grasp of the nuances that come with delivering consistently at the top level.

Guirassy, being 29 and having been around the block, has tightened up his game and is focused on output, scoring and assisting goals, which is reflected in his statistics compared to Sesko’s over the past 365 days.

His statistics when it comes to scoring goals and creating goals are far more impressive than the young Slovenian’s, which is understandable given the difference in experience between the two players.

The Dortmund striker was even described by German legend Lothar Matthaus as “one of the best strikers in Europe” back in March, which speaks to how much he has impressed in German football.

As you can see in the table above, the United transfer target scored eight more goals than Sesko in the Bundesliga during the 2024/25 campaign, despite playing three fewer matches.

The experienced centre-forward has also scored seven goals in 15 appearances in all competitions during the current season, per Sofascore, whilst the Red Devils marksman has only scored twice since his move from Leipzig.

Therefore, United could immediately improve their starting line-up by bringing the Dortmund striker in to be a huge upgrade on Sesko, given that their respective performances over the past 18 months suggest that he would offer significantly more as a goalscorer.

Forget Anderson: Man Utd in talks to sign "world's most underrated footballer"

Manchester United appear to making huge moves in their pursuit for a new midfielder in January.

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By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 20, 2025

This is why INEOS should push to beat Arsenal and PSG to the signing of the Bundesliga star to add more goals to the team for the second half of the season, whilst also providing Sesko with an experienced mentor to help him improve in the long term.

Liverpool were condemned to another damaging, dreadful defeat as Arne Slot’s side were thumped 4-1 by PSV in a Champions League horror show at Anfield. The Reds' shambolic defence was exposed time and again, with captain Virgil van Dijk conceding an early penalty while Ibrahima Konate was at fault for the third as their season hit another depressing low.

Slot’s side made the worst possible start with just six minutes on the clock after Van Dijk needlessly raised his arm high above his head, referee Alejandro Hernandez rightly pointed to the spot and former Tottenham full-back Ivan Perisic sent Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way to hand the visitors the lead. But there was huge relief just 10 minutes later after PSV keeper Matej Kovar saved a fierce shot from Cody Gakpo, but only succeeded in palming the ball into Dominik Szoboszlai's path to fire home from 12 yards out. 

Anfield was briefly raucous as Slot’s side mounted wave after wave of attack in the first half, playing with a confidence and style that has been sorely missed for large swathes of the domestic season, with Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike all seeing shots saved by Kovar. 

But the home crowd was silenced 10 minutes into the second half after an inch-perfect through-ball from Mauro Junior found Guus Til running through the middle of Liverpool’s box to fire past Mamardashvili. And there was more punishment after a shocking error from Konate, who allowed a lofted ball to bounce under his feet, and PSV substitute Couhaib Driouech fired home after an initial shot which had rebounded off the post. 

Driouech completed the rout in time added on as boos rang out around Anfield following another diabolical performance which leaves them 13th in the league phase table with three games to play.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Giorgi Mamardashvili (4/10):

  Returned to starting line-up after injury to Alisson, but will be wishing he had stayed on the bench after being left awfully exposed time and again by his defence. Was not at fault for any of PSV's four strikes.  

  Curtis Jones (4/10):

  Asked to cover in at full-back and was kept busy all evening by PSV's industrious attack. One of the few players in the back-line to not commit a howler.

  Ibrahima Konate (3/10):

  A number of question marks over his place in the team, and had a decent chance to score with a header from a corner saved in the second half. But it was his basic error, allowing the ball to bounce under his feet which let PSV in for their third. Was hooked with 10 minutes to go.

  Virgil van Dijk (3/10):

  Dreadful evening for the Liverpool captain after conceding a needless penalty and was shown a yellow card for a reckless challenge a few minutes later. Saw a header crash off the crossbar on the half-hour, but it was a poor evening for him.  

  Milos Kerkez (4/10):

  For the first hour was enjoying one of his better evenings, marshalling PSV's many attacks down the Liverpool left, and had his hands full up against Man. Will be disappointed he failed to match Til's run for PSV's second goal.

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  Midfield

  Alexis Mac Allister (5/10):

  Played way too much of the game in his own half. Cut a frustrated figure when he made it into PSV's box after having a couple of penalty appeals waved away. 

  Ryan Gravenberch (5/10):

  Plenty of running, but not enough final product. Another Liverpool player who will need to do some soul searching after a flat performance.  

  Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

  Asked to move into midfield by boss Slot and the decision paid dividends as his run began the build-up to his equaliser. Ran non-stop all match, was there at the vital moment to break up play and was dangerous around the opposition box, too. 

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  Attack

  Mohamed Salah (4/10):

  A shadow of his former self once again. Surviving on scraps and a virtual passenger for too much of the game.

  Hugo Ekitike (5/10):

  Given the nod in front of Isak and was a constant threat to PSV, but failed to take any of the chances that came his way. Worrying scenes after he signalled to the bench he was injured and was hobbled off after 60 minutes. 

  Cody Gakpo (5/10):

  Facing his boyhood club, the Dutchman was full of running and created a host of chances for the Reds, but will be ultimately frustrated by his performance.

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  Subs & Manager

  Alexander Isak (4/10):

  Slot said before the match that Isak was rested due to the number of minutes he's played, but was given his chance on the hour following the injury to Ekitike. Barely had a touch 

  Federico Chiesa (4/10):

  Came on to replace Konate with 15 minutes to go, but had little impact, creating little with his handful of touches. 

  Arne Slot (3/10):

  The Champions League had been a relative sanctuary among the carnage of the Premier League campaign, but the same deficiencies raised their head and he had no answer. Number one issue is the defence; it's a shambles, he must fix it. 

Spirit and togetherness shine through at Lord’s in a victory that unites the past, present and future of South African cricket, and South Africa itself

Firdose Moonda16-Jun-20257:27

Bavuma: We’ve wiped all doubts with the way that we’ve played

The Lord’s air sizzled with South African spirit.I want to explain that better, but as someone who has always struggled with identity – a third-generation South African of Indian heritage and a child of the late Apartheid/early democratic era – I don’t know if it’s mine to explain.It’s a deep belief (hope is too light a word, knowledge too strong) that anything is possible.This is the blessing and the curse of being a South African of my generation: our parents and grandparents did not think they would live to see the end of segregation and we are still bungling our way through to proper unity. But we believe it’s possible because there are some things that always told us it could be. Sport, especially in the last six years since the Springboks won their third Rugby World Cup, is one of them.On the fourth morning at Lord’s, as Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram walked out down the pavillon steps, 69 runs away from history, I was on the outfield as a commentator for the BBC’s and I lingered longer than my colleagues. That’s when I felt it. And breathed it in. As the fans in the Compton and Edrich Stands drew the pair onto the pitch with their cheers, it was like a magnetic field had enveloped us. Our time was here.The next two hours and 16 minutes were fraught. The crowd roared as Bavuma blocked the first ball and then the second. I yelped when the third hit him on the pad, involuntarily and to the giggles of those around me. Behaviour like that is usually frowned upon in the press box but they let me have it, because all the world’s cricket press knows how long South Africa have waited. Mistakenly, they also thought we all wanted them to win every time. Spoiler alert: some of us didn’t, at least at first.A lot of people involved in cricket will tell you that cricket has been part of their lives for a long time, including me. I never played but grew up in a cricket-loving family and community, who saw sport as intensely political. My father and uncles (our mothers and aunts didn’t play) recognised how sport was used as a tool by the Apartheid regime to sideline people of colour. It was an act of rebellion, as well as a chance to have some fun, to stay involved. That’s what “board” cricket was about.An emotional Keshav Maharaj celebrates the win with Lungi Ngidi•ICC/Getty ImagesThe South African Cricket Board organised cricket among people of colour, as opposed to the South African Cricket Union, which was the white administrative body. Board cricket was serious and competitive but often played in substandard facilities and some records have been lost. I was a child but I remember board matches feeling like “our place”, where we could just be and not be judged. I had the opposite feeling when I first started attending matches after unity, as someone from a previously disadvantaged race group. When unity came in 1992 and the Board got swallowed by the Union, there was very little space for people like us, and it left us bitter. Many of us grew up supporting India, Pakistan and West Indies, who looked like us, and actively disliked the South Africa team.Cassim Docrat, an administrator from the Board, who did find a place in the Union, often reminds me that the decision to come together was rushed, and for the benefit of white cricket to get back to the international stage. Considering how few players of colour made it to the national team in the first 25 years of readmission, it’s difficult to disagree with him.

I’ve allowed myself to wonder if it was always supposed to take 27 years, and scolded myself for daring to compare the length of Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment with South Africa’s trophy drought

I was one of those who found a place on the periphery, in what was then a white-dominated and male-dominated space. By the mid-2000s, I was a teenager and I started working in cricket, as a scorer. Shukri Conrad was the Lions coach when I made it to the Wanderers score box, where I spent a handful of happy years doing ball-by-ball commentary for Cricinfo before moving into the editorial space. So it’s not just that cricket has occupied the major part of my life, Cricinfo has too. It’s through them that I have had a front-row seat to South Africa’s performances since 2009, a close-up to some celebrations and much heartache.The 2012 tour to England is my highlight, especially as Graeme Smith won the hearts of the nation with his century in his 100th match as captain, and by bringing his new-born daughter Cadence to Lord’s, where South Africa won the mace for the first time.Smith was also part of the broadcast team for this final and we’ve been exchanging little comments throughout the Test, increasingly with more stress in our voices. For a few minutes on the fourth morning, while Tristan Stubbs battled, we tried to distract ourselves by discussing where Cadence will go to high school. That’s how much time has passed.Graeme Smith and Vernon Philander were key parts of the 2012 South Africa team that attained the No. 1 Test ranking•Getty ImagesThe 2015 World Cup semi-final is an obvious lowlight, both because of the result, and the race-based selection interference which caused a major loss of trust in the administrators, but there have been others. Waking up to see that South Africa had lost to Netherlands at the 2022 T20 World Cup, the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final and 2024 T20 World Cup final the most recent.Of those, the 2023 defeat stands out because of the controversies around Temba Bavuma. He played the match with a strained hamstring and though that didn’t have much impact on the eventual result, was made to shoulder most of the blame. Cricket clearly has a sense of humour because Bavuma also batted in this match with the same injury and is now being hailed a hero.Hearing his name, chanted to the tune of “Seven Nation Army”, around Lord’s showed how much South African cricket has changed. It helps that the expat community, especially, has fallen in love with Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and embrace his black excellence. It also helps that Kolisi has won two World Cups. I’ve always felt sorry for Bavuma for being in Kolisi’s shadow and when I heard the Lord’s crowd, I could see him stepping out of it. He was ready, and I knew that from the interviews he had done pre-match, in which he spoke openly about being labelled a product of transformation (I contributed to it with the 2016 piece I did on his century) had been a handbrake on his career. I was sorry for the crudeness, but I also had a job to do, and I know we can’t escape race. Bavuma also now knows that. He understands his role in the bigger picture, as does that squad as a whole, and there are some very sombre reasons why.On the final morning of the victory over Pakistan that secured South Africa’s qualification for this final, batting coach Ashwell Prince lost his wife Melissa to cancer. She was 40 years old and beloved in South African cricket circles. Her death provided a completely different perspective to what was happening in front of us: just a game, with consequences, but clearly nothing as serious as what was happening in Prince’s life. It’s not that we stopped caring about the result, but we understood that there were important things going on. Three months later, Conrad lost his father, a former cricketer.A delighted Shukri Conrad and Kagiso Rabada after the win•ICC/Getty ImagesWhen Prince gave his batting talk to the team ahead of the final, he referenced those losses. Real, raw, heart-shattering losses. A game of cricket? He can get over that. But raising his three young sons alone, wishing for Melissa’s presence at every milestone and even every ordinary moment? There’s no getting over that. So, though the match matters and everyone is expected to do everything they can to win it, other things matter far more. It’s with that in mind that South Africa approached the final.Still, it can be difficult in the moment not to think winning is all that matters, both as a professional sportsperson and, by the looks of it, as a diehard fan. I’m not quite that (and I can’t be as a journalist) but I also wanted the win badly, partly so I’d have something different to write but mostly because I had that feeling all Test; that belief that this was it.When Bavuma was dismissed my heart sank. Not another mess-up for him to explain. I couldn’t watch Stubbs bat. He seemed so out of his depth. He’s a kid. He’ll get there. With 20 runs to get, I started to get serious about what was about to happen, what I’d need to say, what I’d need to write. I didn’t even realise when Markram was dismissed because of the non-reaction from the Australians. Kyle Verreynne’s awkward ramp made me grimace, and he told us afterwards he didn’t know what he’d been thinking, but by then they were on the verge. On screen, I saw Smith, barely able to contain himself as the winning runs loomed.They came with a drive and a wave of emotion like nothing I’ve experienced at a sporting venue. South Africa, rejoice!Related

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On air, I tried to remember all the names I wanted to mention, to pay homage to the generations of cricketers that wanted this victory deeply: Barlow and Procter; Pollock and Kallis; Amla and Philander. Bacher’s came out easily. A divisive figure among people of my parents’ generation, for his role in supporting rebel tours, he has become a dear friend and his recent, severe illness has been on my mind for months. Not everyone approves of my relationship with Bacher. To me, it’s proof that we are not our parents, and that there is a space to see someone as a human first. I look forward to explaining how the WTC works to him. He’d asked me a few months ago and we didn’t have the time, but now I’ll just say South Africa won and I don’t think he’ll have too many more questions.Most of the rest of the names were more recent, men whose careers I had covered and some of whose struggles I’d seen. Makhaya Ntini stands out. He retired a few years after my career began and was always reluctant to talk about the experience of being the only black African in the squad until just before the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings of 2021, when he found his voice and told his story.The hearings had their flaws but they cracked South African cricket open and let the light in. We gave ourselves the space to talk about our experiences. Personally, covering the SJN gave me an agency I was too scared to take hold of before. It reassured me that my community’s story, however small in cricket, also mattered, that the things I had endured, as a woman of colour in the press box, also mattered and that all the attempts I’d made to amplify the voices of players of colour were worth it.One of my earlier pieces was about the two men of colour, Hussein Manack and Faiek Davids, who travelled with South Africa’s first post-readmission side to India. Manack’s father, Aboo, has collected and kept a meticulous history of cricket among our people, the Johannesburg-based South Africans of Indian heritage. I will stop putting off plans to go and see it, and maybe even digitise it. When I thought of who the Lord’s victory was for, I also thought of Aboo Manack, a contemporary of my late father.Aiden Markram gets the party started with a friend in the stands•PA Images via Getty ImagesThen I looked around and I saw little Milan Maharaj running in the opposite direction from where her father, Keshav, was calling her and I smiled through the tears I was also trying to hide. I saw what you saw as Bavuma held his son Lihle in one arm and the mace in the other. As Ian Smith put it, “The two most important things in his life.” And it felt right. It felt like South African spirit.I’ve allowed myself to wonder if it was always supposed to take 27 years, and scolded myself for daring to compare the length of Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment with South Africa’s trophy drought. I remember, very vaguely, February 11, 1990 when Mandela was released and addressed the world from the Cape Town city hall and I know, from many readings of his speech, that what stuck with me was that he said we had reached a point on the march to freedom that was “irreversible”. He was right. Here we are. Six democratic elections later, and we have also ended the rule of Mandela’s former party in what is hailed as a triumph for peaceful power transition.South African cricket feels like it reached that same point on June 14, 2025. It’s not that they overturned three decades of near-misses or proved themselves under pressure. It’s that they did it together. Or as we would say, “together-together”.Those who know South Africans know we like to repeat words when we’re trying to emphasise them. “Now-now”, which is more now than now; “sure-sure”, when we want to be, well, sure of something. “Together-together” is not just the together of the squad and the support staff and the spectators, but the together that includes the past, the present and the future. The together that my generation believes is possible, even though there are still so many things that divide us.Breathe Mzansi. We’re all right.

Are the glory days heading back to Stamford Bridge?

Having enjoyed so much success during the two decades of Roman Abramovich’s ownership, Chelsea supporters cannot help but hark back to the past and hope that current players can replicate those from then.

While they may never see a player as good in their position as Petr Čech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard or Dider Drogba ever again, did an up-and-coming Chelsea youngster put in a display reminiscent of a Chelsea superstar from more recent times against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday?

N'Golo Kanté's Premier League legacy

Given how widespread football and football coverage is in the modern era, it is very rare that any player can be truly described as completely unique.

However, N’Golo Kanté certainly falls into this category, considering we’ve not seen the like before or since.

He was a key figure in Leicester City’s title triumph against all odds a decade ago, before winning another Premier League title, the FA Cup and Champions League with Chelsea, as well as the World Cup with France.

At just 5 ft 6 in (168 cms) tall, he possessed seemingly endless amounts of energy, covering every blade of grass match after match, racking up more tackles, blocks, interceptions and distance covered than anyone else to ever grace the Premier League.

Now 34 years old and playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, his unique skillset is underlined by the fact that Didier Deschamps recalled him to his French national team squad last week after a year away, starting against Ukraine at Parc des Princes, still unable to find someone better at being Kanté than Kanté.

Now though, which current Chelsea player put in a Kanté-esque display at Turf Moor?

Chelsea's new N'Golo Kanté

The major talking point ahead of kick off between Burnley and Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime was the fact that Moisés Caicedo was left on the bench.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With games against Barcelona and Arsenal up next, Enzo Maresca decided to rest his star midfielder, after he had completed 90 minutes in both of Ecuador’s matches during the international break, these friendlies against Canada in Toronto and then New Zealand in Harrison, New Jersey.

This presented Andrey Santos with an opportunity to stake a claim, and he certainly did just that.

The table below documents the Brazilian’s impressive display in Lancashire.

Accurate passes

34

11th

Key passes

1

6th

Defensive actions

12

1st

Clearances

4

3rd

Interceptions

4

1st

Tackles won

3

3rd

Duels contested

10

2nd

Duels won

7

2nd

Ball recoveries

4

1st

Touches

63

6th

SofaScore rating

7.3

3rd

The table emphasises Santos’ excellent display against Burnley, leading the match when it comes to defensive actions, interceptions and ball recoveries, as well as winning seven of his ten duels and putting in three tackles, all Kanté-esque traits.

Matthew Judge of Goal noted that deputising for Caicedo is always an ‘unenviable’ task, but the Brazilian put in an ‘excellent’ display, given that he provided ‘a solid shield’ in front of the Chelsea backline, a key reason why Burnley rarely threatened, awarding him an 8/10 rating.

Meantime, Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport asserted that it was Santos’ “best performance to date” for the club.

The 20-year-old joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama back in January 2023, but did not make his debut for the club until the Club World Cup in June against Espérance Sportive de Tunis.

He spent last season on loan at BlueCo’s other club Strasbourg, impressing all Ligue 1 observers, including Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, who asserted that he is an “incredible midfielder in the making”.

Well, with massive games against Barcelona and Arsenal up next, was this the game Santos came to the fore and asserted himself as a key figure in this Chelsea team, as Kanté was during an ultra-successful period?

Chelsea have Palmer 2.0 with a "left foot made of gold" & it's not Estevao

The promising talent could be the perfect solution to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer problem.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 22, 2025

Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, at the 2022 World Cup

S Sudarshanan06-Oct-20253:40

Dean: ‘Having Nat and Lottie feels like a fresh start’

Big picture – a rare meetingEngland take on Bangladesh in an ODI World Cup match.The sentence itself is an event. Despite qualifying for back-to-back ODI World Cups – in 2022 and now in 2025 – Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, and that too in the previous edition.”This is the stage where we show our capabilities so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us,” Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said on match eve.Related

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As per the new future tours programme which will run from 2025-29, Bangladesh are scheduled to tour England for three ODIs and as many T20Is in September 2027. That is perhaps when the fixture will stop being an event.On the field, both teams are coming on the back of comfortable wins. England’s multi-pronged attack could pose a tough challenge for Bangladesh, whose batters often struggle to force the pace. Conversely, if the track assists spin, Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack led by Nahida Akter could be more than just a handful for England. Their batters were hardly challenged in the opening game.Form guideEngland WLWLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLWWIn the spotlight: Lamb and MarufaShe is just 21 ODIs old, but Emma Lamb is already adapting to a second role in England’s batting unit. A natural opener, she scored her only century at the top of the order and was the leading run-scorer in the ECB Women’s One-Day Cup while opening for champions Lancashire. At the start of this English summer, though, Amy Jones was promoted to open, and Lamb was moved to No. 3 when Heather Knight was recovering from a hamstring injury. Now, with Knight back for the World Cup, Lamb is set to take on an altogether different role – batting in the lower-middle order and chipping in with a few overs of offspin. She wasn’t needed with either bat or ball in England’s tournament opener, but could get her first go in this new role against Bangladesh if her team bats first.Marufa Akter will be key for Bangladesh•ICC/Getty ImagesMarufa Akter just loves to bowl. After setting the tone in Bangladesh’s win over Pakistan, she lit up their first practice session in India. With rain forcing the team indoors, Marufa was full of energy, bowling at full tilt two days out from the contest. She constantly troubled captain Sultana in the nets, eventually bowling her once. With her ability to move the new ball and generate sharp pace, Marufa could be a real handful for England’s openers – Tammy Beaumont tends to struggle against the incoming angle early on, while Jones prefers a cautious start.Team newsGiven England’s line-up was hardly tested against South Africa, expect them to go in with an unchanged XI.England (probable XI): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Emma Lamb, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren BellAgainst England’s right-hand heavy line-up, Bangladesh could look to play left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter Meghla for an offspinner in Nishita Akter Nishi.Bangladesh (probable XI): 1 Fargana Hoque, 2 Rubya Haider, 3 Sharmin Akhter, 4 Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), 5 Sobhana Mostary, 6 Shorna Akter, 7 Fahima Khatun, 8 Nahida Akter, 9 Rabeya Khan, 10 Marufa Akter, 11 Nishita Akter Nishi/Sanjida Akter MeghlaPitch and conditionsA fresh pitch will be used for the game. But it may not behave too differently from the first two tracks. Both the pitches assisted spin as the afternoon wore on but against fast bowling, the ball came nicely onto the bat.As for the weather, there is slight chance of rain. There was rain predicted for the England-South Africa game on Monday, but it stayed dry, while Bangladesh were forced indoors two days before this match due to an unexpected shower.Stats and trivia Bangladesh’s only ODI against England came at the previous World Cup. Only Fargana Hoque, Fahima Khatun and Ritu Moni from the current Bangladesh squad have played an ODI in India before. England’s win/loss ratio of 1.0 in 2025, their worst in a calendar year since 2007. They have won three games against West Indies, one each against India and South Africa. England will play their 94th ODI World Cup game to be on par with Australia for the joint-most. Quotes”With sub-continent conditions comes the offer of extra spin. So, [I am] trying to really make sure that you’re hitting with the spin and going through all your different options. I’ve been sweeping quite a lot, reverse sweeping, which is something that I might not get out in a game straight away, but it’s something that I’ve put a lot of hours into to make sure that when I do, hopefully it goes well.”
“We have a lot of information on them because of our analysts. We want to play our “A” game and don’t want to go by just names. We will try to make lesser mistakes and take confidence from the win over Pakistan.”

Former captain says retaining the incumbent over Bethell is the “sensible” decision

Matt Roller15-Oct-2025

Alastair Cook has urged England to keep faith with Ollie Pope at No. 3 for the Ashes, rather than taking a “gamble” on Jacob Bethell.England’s first-choice top seven has been unchanged for over a year, but Bethell’s emergence in New Zealand last November when Jamie Smith was on paternity leave put significant pressure on Pope’s position at No. 3. Pope responded with hundreds against Zimbabwe and India at the start of the 2025 summer, but only made one half-century in his next eight innings.Bethell made 6 and 5 in his only Test appearance of the summer, deputising for the injured Ben Stokes at The Oval, but scored half-centuries in each of his first three Tests last year. He will have the chance to push his case in six white-ball fixtures against New Zealand from Saturday, but Cook believes that sticking with Pope for the Ashes should be an “easy” decision.Related

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“I would bat Ollie Pope at No. 3,” Cook said on Tuesday, at the launch of TNT Sports’ Ashes coverage. “I think it’s quite an easy decision on this, actually. You’ve got someone who’s been part of this build-up for three or four years, he’s captained the side, he’s played some extraordinary innings for England and he’s a hundred-maker.”If you get rid of him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of what they’ve built up over the last year, how settled they’ll feel for that top seven… If it doesn’t work out, do you then move back to somebody you just got rid of, confidence-wise? I think it’s easy to go the other way, and I think that would be the sensible thing.”Cook, who was player of the series when England last won the Ashes in Australia 15 years ago, described Bethell as an “incredibly talented player” but said that it would be a “big, big gamble” to pick him primarily on his performances against the white ball: “They’ve invested so much in people like Pope and Crawley that it’d be such a strange thing to change it now.”Brendon McCullum’s decision to replace Pope as vice-captain with Harry Brook has furthered the sense that England might move away from him. Rob Key, England’s managing director, denied last month that it formed part of an “elaborate scheme” to drop Pope, but said that a final decision would only be taken in the days leading up to the first Test in Perth on November 21.Jacob Bethell is waiting in the wings•Getty Images

Cook believes that the change in vice-captaincy will liberate Pope, rather than damaging his confidence or his standing in the England dressing-room. “I think that will just take the pressure off Ollie Pope,” he said. “I’m sure it will have hurt him, because any time you get taken off a leadership [position], it wouldn’t be ideal. But I don’t think it undermines him.”He also believes that Australia will be wary of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley’s opening partnership, and their ability to score at an unusually quick tempo. “Australia will be so respectful of Crawley and Duckett, and what they can do to impact the game,” Cook said.”Crawley is a different opening batter to what history says you need: a guy who is very inconsistent and averages 30 but, on his day, plays an innings which I don’t think anyone else in the world can play at the top of the order… Against bowling which suits him – he prefers the ball coming on at a good pace on good, true wickets – he is a real danger for Australia.”It has to line up well…. He’s not like this consistent machine who scores runs, but they’re definitely fearful of that, without a shadow of a doubt. Because an hour of Duckett and Crawley playing well, or an hour and a half on that first morning, England will build huge momentum and it starts the series well.”Watch live exclusive coverage of The Ashes on TNT Sports and discovery+.