There might still be plenty of the season to go, but West Ham United look like they are in real trouble.

Nuno Espírito Santo was able to get something of a new manager bounce away to Everton, but since then, the team have lost to Arsenal and Brentford and remain in the Premier League relegation zone.

Moreover, while the former is understandable, the performance at home against the Bees was hugely worrying.

Therefore, to ensure the club can arrest their terrible form against Leeds United, Nuno needs to make a number of changes to the team, such as dropping Tomáš Souček.

The changes Nuno needs to make at West Ham

Starting at the back, Nuno needs to replace Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Scarles with Aarron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The former would offer more protection on the right-hand side, and the latter would add far more explosiveness and ingenuity to the left.

For example, the former Slavia Prague gem already has three league assists to his name in eight games, and the equalising goal against Everton came about because of his brilliant crossing.

There needs to be dramatic changes up top as well, with Lucas Paqueta moving back into the ten position and Callum Wilson starting up top.

The Brazilian was utterly anonymous in the false nine, and while he’s not been in brilliant form this season, he’s still one of the Hammers’ most creative players and therefore has to be somewhere he’ll see more of the ball.

Moreover, with the former Lyon star in the middle, Nuno can move Crysencio Summerville back out to the left.

This should have a significant impact on the side, as while the Flying Dutchman lacks somewhat in terms of actual output, he is an incredibly direct and tricky winger who can move opposition defenders around.

Additionally, with Diouf behind him, the left-hand side could be a seriously productive area of the pitch for the East Londoners.

Finally, Andy Irving has to be dropped in favour of the far more mobile, exciting and technically complete Soungoutou Magassa.

The young Frenchman still has a lot to learn at this level, but unlike the Scotsman, he’s blessed with “pure athleticism” and can “spray passes wide out to the wings” according to respected analyst Ben Mattinson.

With that said, there is one more change Nuno should make to the team – a change that would see him drop Souček.

The West Ham star who should start ahead of Souček

Now, it should be said that while he should be dropped from the starting lineup for the game against Leeds, there is certainly still a space in the squad for Soucek.

Chalkboard

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

After all, the Czech international is someone you can trust to give his all for the team whenever he’s on the pitch.

However, as was abundantly clear against Brentford, that isn’t enough to be starting anymore, as his dire lack of athleticism is a problem, as is his less-than-impressive passing range.

Therefore, if Nuno wants to help start a new, more exciting and progressive chapter at the club, he should look to start academy gem Freddie Potts alongside Magassa.

It would certainly be a young and relatively inexperienced pairing, but even then, it would be better than what fans have seen so far this season.

For example, Mattinson has described the academy product as a promising midfielder who is “so smooth on the half-turn and composed under pressure.”

On top of that, he is also someone who can get the ball up the pitch quickly for his side, thanks to his impressive “passing range and powerful carrying.”

Finally, while he does lack top-flight experience, the Barking-born ace did incredibly well on loan in the Championship with Portsmouth last season.

He ended up making 38 appearances for the side, of which 36 were starts, scoring one goal, providing four assists, and helping keep the club in the second tier.

Ultimately, it would be bold, but given how poorly West Ham are performing, Nuno needs to be bold, and therefore, he should start Potts against Leeds.

Nuno can finally drop Paqueta for West Ham teen with "the world at his feet"

With Paqueta playing so poorly, Nuno should do something bold and bring in the exciting West Ham gem.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 22, 2025

Following Brendan Rodgers’ shock exit, former player Chris Sutton has told Celtic to go and get a title-winning manager to replace the 52-year-old at Parkhead.

Desmond slams "self-serving" Rodgers

This all feels eight months too early, but Rodgers simply couldn’t wait until his contract expired and has pulled the plug on his time at Celtic. With the Bhoys eight points behind Hearts in the Scottish Premiership off the back of their 3-1 defeat against the unexpected league leaders, the manager has made the decision to resign.

To say that not everyone is happy about Rodgers’ exit would be quite the understatement. Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond pulled no punches in his statement following the news, slamming the manager as “self-serving”.

In a scathing review, he said, in part: “When his comments were made publicly, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for over three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the issue.

“Despite ample opportunity, he was unable to identify a single instance where the club had obstructed or failed to support him. The facts did not match his public narrative. Regrettably, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving.

“Shambles” – Sutton names the 3 ways Celtic were poor against Hearts

The Bhoys were defeated in Edinburgh today to cap another dismal day at the office.

BySean Markus Clifford Oct 26, 2025

“They have contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and the Board. Some of the abuse directed at them, and at their families, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable.”

Rodgers will likely have his own say on that statement, but for now the focus around Glasgow will be set on finding his replacement. And Sutton has already told Celtic to go and get a title winner.

Sutton tells Celtic to bring back Postecoglou

Instantly reacting to Rodgers’ exit, Sutton told Celtic to “bring back” Ange Postecoglou, who was recently sacked by Nottingham Forest after just 39 days in charge. At this stage, the Australian arguably needs the Bhoys just as much as they need him in what would be yet another managerial reunion at the club.

As things stand, Martin O’Neill is in charge on an interim basis, but Celtic will be hoping to end that spell and appoint a permanent manager as soon as possible.

It must be said that, despite his recent failings, Postecoglou wouldn’t be a bad option. He’s been there and done it in the Scottish Premiership, winning the title twice in two seasons, and drew plenty of praise from top managers like Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot during his time in England.

In fact, responding to comments from Slot that the Liverpool managed hoped Tottenham won a trophy, Ange joked: “I’m not an evangelist. To quote Monty Python, I’m just a naughty little boy!

“[Slot’s opinion] is what I love about football. There’s got to be differences, people who are prepared to do things a little bit differently.

“There’s that variety, that opinion and that allows emotion to come into it. I hate to think people think I’m just some kind of showman or something. I want to win.

“That’s still the core of my being, I hate losing, I want to win and I want to be successful.”

The 60-year-old desperately needs redemption in the dugout after his spells at Tottenham and Forest, whilst Celtic need to get their next appointment right if they are to bridge the gap on Hearts. As of right now, it’s arguably the perfect match.

What do former Arsenal players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Emile Smith Rowe and Aaron Ramsdale all have in common?

They were three of the first names on the team sheet during the early days of the Mikel Arteta reign at the Emirates Stadium but it wasn’t too long before they were given the boot.

While Ramsdale was actually signed by Arteta, replacing Bernd Leno, the Englishman was eventually told to find a new club once David Raya had established himself as the number 1.

Aubameyang’s situation was altogether rather different. His public falling out with Arteta is well documented (video below) after the Spaniard famously stripped the striker of the club captaincy.

The forward’s attitude and punctuality were questioned on a regular basis. The Gabonese was regularly late for things.

Despite being key to the FA Cup, still Arteta’s only trophy to date, he left in controversial circumstances and is not remembered in too many glowing terms now.

The same cannot be said of Smith Rowe. His exit from north London was far sadder.

The downfall of Emile Smith Rowe at Arsenal

The date is 26th July 2018. Arsene Wenger is no longer in the hot seat and during Unai Emery’s first pre-season in charge, Arsenal face Atletico Madrid.

Not much is remembered about that game besides the impact a 17-year-old Smith Rowe made. He scored a sumptuous goal from range, showcasing an abundance of potential in the process.

For the most part, the young attacking midfielder lived up to his early hype, but it was not until the Arteta regime began that he became one of the finest in the Premier League.

Smith Rowe earned his England debut in 2021 and went from strength to strength, buoyed further by the emergence of fellow Hale Ender, Bukayo Saka.

In 2021/22, the goalscoring midfielder was in electric from, notably finding the net on 11 occasions.

However, a dismal run of injuries eventually halted the now 25-year-old’s progress. Smith Rowe still has a dazzling run in him but his fitness was totally unreliable. Show an unreliable trait and more often than not you don’t last very long with Arteta.

No one can fault the academy graduate’s commitment and attitude but so rotten were his injury problems that he only started three league games during his final year with Arsenal.

That said, even when he was available, he very rarely started many games of football towards the end. He was an unused substitute on a remarkable 18 occasions in 2023/24 and only played 346 Premier League minutes.

Smith Rowe looked bright in cameos but he must have known his race was run. A mighty fine player he was, but he had now fallen victim to injuries and Arsenal’s increased depth and quality. By now, Martin Odegaard had entered the fray.

So, in the modern day, who is now facing the same treatment from the manager?

Arsenal "warrior" is becoming their new Smith Rowe

The job Arteta and his transfer chiefs have performed in the transfer window in recent years has been extraordinary, but it took for Edu Gaspar to leave and Andrea Berta to arrive for things to really ramp up.

While many thought Liverpool had won the summer transfer window of 2025, spending British record sums on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, Arsenal were rightfully commended for the way they went about their business.

The forward line was finally bolstered but the defence was not neglected either, of course it wasn’t. Arteta loves a defender and he has totally transformed the Gunners’ backline since becoming head coach.

From the days of Rob Holding and David Luiz to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, it’s been quite the change. Well, this summer saw the arrivals of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie. In the process, it has hurt the game time of two players.

Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori are now ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly in the pecking order, while Benjamin White has perhaps suffered even more from Arsenal’s increased squad depth and quality.

White arrived in a £50m deal from Brighton back in the summer of 2021 and has proven himself to be a fabulous capture. It was an eye-watering amount of money to pay for a player with one full season of Premier League experience but that price tag has looked like a relative bargain considering his performances.

Arriving as a centre-back, he endured a tricky debut game against Brentford where Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville criticised his ability in the air and his strength.

While White has featured at centre-back plenty of times since then, it’s at right-back where he made a home for himself in Arteta’s side. His partnership with Bukayo Saka on the right flank became one of the club’s biggest weapons. Michael Owen said as much, describing it as “very important for Arsenal.”

It was a potent attacking threat but one that worked tremendously well defensively too. “The amount of defending he does for me is crazy. He never leaves me one-on-one,” White once said about Saka.

That once fabled partnership has been a rare one over the last year, however. That’s largely because of Jurrien Timber, but also because of injuries.

Timber bounced back from a horrific ACL injury during his debut year in north London to become the undisputed number one choice at right-back last season. The Dutchman played 48 times in all competitions, scoring twice and assisting four goals. White, on the other hand, featured in 26 matches but started on just 13 occasions in the league. That was not just due to Timber’s remarkable form but a troublesome knee problem.

This term, White has returned to full fitness but like Smith Rowe, cannot break into the team despite his qualities.

In his final campaign with the Gunners, the attacking midfielder was regularly a substitute, something we’ve alluded to already, and White is suffering the same fate.

The 28-year-old played 71 minutes during the 1-0 win over Manchester United on the opening weekend of the campaign but has not played a single minute of Premier League football since. He has been an unused sub on eight occasions.

Firmly being given the Smith Rowe treatment, the defender is also struggling to break into the Champions League side, having played only 82 minutes across Arsenal’s four ties.

White has been an excellent servant since signing. He’s a “warrior” in the words of scout Jacek Kulig, but he has been surpassed swiftly by Timber, just as Odegaard surpassed Smith Rowe all of those years ago.

Whether the full-back gets back into the team only time will tell, but it may take an injury to one of the backline for him to save his career at the Emirates Stadium.

In an instant blow for new manager Vitor Matos, “top clubs” are now reportedly making moves in an attempt to sign Swansea City’s Harlan Perry, who has been the academy’s Player of the Year for four consecutive seasons.

It’s the last thing that Matos needs, with the pressure on to arrive and turn things around in Wales. As things stand, the Jacks sit 20th and only four points above the Championship’s dropzone with the manager’s debut against Derby County up next.

Upon arriving, the former Liverpool coach shared how optimistic he is that Swansea can turn their season around – telling the club’s website: “Swansea, for me, have always had a style. Something that distinguished the club from all the others.

“Somehow we have got a bit far away from what is the DNA of the club. So it will take steps, it will take a bit of time, but I really believe we can take steps in the right direction.

“For that, we will need everyone, the whole club, all the fans and us all to have the same vision. That’s what I want. I see the fans are still behind and pushing the team, we will need them and I see players who want to change the momentum and we need to find the right idea and the right vision to do it.

“That’s the most important thing. It is clear we need to win games and points, but we need to focus on the process and I really believe if we can play to our best then the more chances we will have to win. That’s the direction we need to have.”

It’s a DNA built from the first-team to the academy, but one that Swansea’s best young player may yet miss as contract concerns continue to emerge.

"Top clubs" now moving to sign Harlan Perry

As reported by Rudy Galetti, “top clubs” are now moving to sign Perry from Swansea in what would be a free deal. The 17-year-old has been the academy’s Player of the Year in the last four seasons, but is yet to sign a professional contract – opening the door for a potential exit.

Vitor Matos decides to take Swansea City job as release clause cost revealed

A major boost for the Swans.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 20, 2025

The midfielder turns 18 this week – it’s then that clubs will be able to offer him a long-term contract to deal those in Wales a major blow.

Whilst Matos’ first priority should of course be turning results around, he must also ensure that Swansea keep hold of players with impressive potential like Perry, even if it means selling for a larger profit at a later date.

Instant blow for Matos as "one of Swansea's key players" could now leave

Utilityman and platoon hitter Amed Rosario has reached a one-year, $2.5 million deal to return to the Yankees, according to a report from YES Network’s Jack Curry.

New York acquired Rosario from the Nationals as a rental at last season’s trade deadline for pitcher Clayton Beeter and outfield prospect Browm Martinez. Now, the 30-year-old veteran returns to the Bronx for at least one more season to provide depth in the Yankees lineup, primarily against left-handed pitching.

Rosario appeared in 16 games for the Yankees last season, with nine appearances at third base, one at second and five in the outfield. He slashed .276/.309/.436 with six home runs and 23 RBIs in 62 games between the Yankees and Nationals this past season. He had a .819 OPS in 122 plate appearances against lefties compared to just .614 in 69 plate appearances against righthanders.

He was a solid free-agent target for teams looking for depth, but the Yankees capitalized by retaining him on a short-term deal to support starting third baseman Ryan McMahon, another trade-deadline acquisition last year. McMahon doesn’t hit as well against lefties, which likely has him and Rosario sharing time at third base for New York next season, although Rosario won’t be confined to the hot corner.

Rosario appeared in four postseason games for the Yankees last season as New York was eliminated by the Blue Jays in the American League Division Series.

Sourav Ganguly and other Bengal stars recall how they outsmarted Delhi to win the Ranji Tropy in 1989-90

Shamya Dasgupta07-Mar-2020Bengal won their first Ranji Trophy title in 1938-39, well before India’s independence. It then took them over 50 years to get their hands on the trophy again, in 1989-90. Bengal have reached the final thrice since that win, but no cigar.From Monday they will wrestle with Saurashtra on their home turf in Rajkot. But Bengal remain confident. Keeping their spirits up is their mentor-cum-coach Arun Lal – ‘Banglar Lal’, they called him, the darling of Bengal – who was one of the stars of that 1989-90 win.ESPNcricinfo spoke with Lal and his team-mates, who recounted that title-winning run of almost three decades ago against a star-studded Delhi at the Eden Gardens.

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The TaskSambaran Banerjee, captain and wicketkeeper”Many of them had just come back from New Zealand, they were outstanding cricketers. But we were playing at Eden Gardens, and we felt we could beat anyone. I said that at the team meeting too, that we had a good chance because we were playing at home. We had that belief. But belief isn’t enough, it’s not like punching another person, we had to play good cricket.”There were ego issues within the team, of course. But when we were on the field, we didn’t care. We had to win. I managed to drill that in. Not everyone liked me, I also had problems with others, but we managed to pull in the same direction. The day before the game, I stopped training and brought PK Banerjee [former India football captain and coach] to speak to the players, and motivate them. He used war analogies. That made a difference. It was almost like for seven hours we were at war.”Snehasish Ganguly”We felt that about Eden Gardens, that it was an ego thing, we couldn’t let someone come and beat us at Eden Gardens. It was our space. It was a matter of self-respect. It wasn’t acceptable to us.”The MoodAshok Malhotra”I used to travel by metro those days, so people would come up in the morning and say, ” (you have to win, you have to win). I told Arun, they have almost an Indian XI, how will we win? He said, ‘We will, we will try our guts out and see’. And we did. But I still say the crowd won it, not us. We were so charged up when we saw the crowd. I don’t know – 50,000-60,000 people. I had never seen that in India. We fielded like tigers, and we got them out. The bowlers bowled so well, they bowled their hearts out. Saradindu got someone run out, which was unbelievable, because he wasn’t a good fielder. Raja Venkat took a blinder at forward short-leg. It was unbelievable.”The best moment of my cricket career, more than being part of the team that won the World Championship in Australia.

“I used to travel by metro those days, so people would come up in the morning and say, ” (you have to win, you have to win). I told Arun, they have almost an Indian XI, how will we win?”ASHOK MALHOTRA

“That match, Delhi had 11 people and we had 50,000. Believe me, we didn’t win that final, the crowd did, they just intimidated Delhi and they lost.”The MatchUtpal Chatterjee”Eden Gardens those days was a pacer’s paradise. The large galleries [concrete stands] had already come up, but there was always something for the fast bowlers in the first hour and then in the evening, mainly because of the breeze from the river [Ganges]. This time, it was also very cloudy. It rained so much. So we knew the fast bowlers would do well.”Sambaran Banerjee”Dattatreya was magnificent. Rajib Seth too. Sourav didn’t bowl [he bowled six wicketless overs], and we had our most senior bowler, Sagarmoy Sen Sharma, in the reserves. We had a good pace attack. We always did. But because there were so much rain, we had to keep going off. That helped us, because Dattatreya and Rajib Seth could bowl more overs than usual. And Utpal and Saradindu [Mukherjee] were magnificent, they kept things tight when they came on.”Arun Lal”We were rank outsiders, not expected to beat six-seven-eight India players. When Delhi got out for under 300, I remember telling one of their players, ‘Boss, Krishan bhi tumko nahin bacha sakte hain. (Even Lord Krishna can’t save you now). Even if he is riding your chariot, you can’t win.’ We were expecting 500. They had everyone. All of them I knew, they were my juniors [Lal started his first-class career in Delhi]. And then we went ahead and did it.” in terms of winning. But it wasn’t outright. Two innings weren’t complete, and Bengal in fact scored fewer runs than Delhi. Those were the days of ‘quotient’. In case of matches where there was no clear leader after the first-innings exchanges, a team’s runs were divided by the number of wickets lost. Whoever had a better number won. In the final that year, only 164.2 overs of play was possible at Eden Gardens because of rain. Delhi’s 278 gave them a quotient of 27.8. Bengal ended on 216 for 4 – a quotient of 54.

“I was 17 and I was making my debut in the final. I think the first two balls hit my bat, instead of me hitting the ball. Then I hit some [five] fours.”SOURAV GANGULY

Arun Lal”We knew the rules, we knew we just had to stay there, not lose wickets. We lost two wickets early [20 for 2], and then I stayed there but we lost Sourav and Ashok too. But Raja Venkat and I managed to bat on. We had the rain delays and the rest day, but we just decided to bat on. If runs came good, if they didn’t, okay, we just didn’t want to get out.”

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Sourav Ganguly takes a breather•Getty ImagesGanguly in, Ganguly outSnehasish Ganguly”It was a huge setback. I don’t know the reason even now. Maybe it was a team combination thing – Sourav was a bowler too, and I don’t regret it; I was replaced by Bengal’s best player. Raj Singh criticised the CAB. My father told me that he had shouted at someone saying, ‘How can you drop someone when he might play for India?'”Snehasish never played for India, while Sourav went on to become, well, Sourav.Sourav Ganguly”I was 17 [‘he didn’t even have a proper moustache,’ Sambaran remembers], and I was making my debut in the final. It was already a massive moment. And then… it was very special. I was a bit out of place initially. I think the first two balls hit my bat, instead of me hitting the ball. Then I hit some [five] fours. I was nervous, but I managed.”I came into a winning team, and that definitely shaped me. Ashok Malhotra, Arun Lal, Utpal Chatterjee, Snehasish… I used to watch them train, and I was playing with them. Sambaran Banerjee told me the evening before the game that I would play. It was like a fairy tale.”The after-partyArun Lal”Receptions, every day. It was huge! God, , there were felicitations for a month. Even on the ground that day, I had to go around high-fiving the crowd. There must have been 25,000 people, throwing Holi colours. Shouting, singing, crying… Those days they had that beautiful gold Charminar trophy for the Man of the Match. Silver ones for semis and quarters. I had the gold Charminar. It was a beautiful thing. It was a beautiful moment.”Ashok Malhotra”Arun and I are married to Bengalis, so we are like the (sons-in-law). Arun was already settled in Calcutta. I was still moving back and forth from Delhi. But after that, I was accepted. That day, after we won, everyone in the crowd, and even outside, started calling me . I would be lying if I said that that was the moment I wanted to make Calcutta my home, but I think it mattered. I had never felt such love in Haryana or Delhi.”

Why everyone’s favourite second team got that way

Dustin Silgardo20-Mar-2020The Black Caps have always enjoyed the support of neutrals by default, due to their mostly being underdogs, but there’s something about this current team that has expanded affinity into adoration. It won’t be long before they’re so good, they’ll turn the corner and become feared and resented, but until then, here’s our best guess at why this team has gained such a global fan base.They punch way above their weight
New Zealand’s population is just 4.8 million, less than that of London or Sydney, or of most major cities in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. Cricket isn’t even the most popular sport in the country, so for every million young kids in India trying to be the next Virat Kohli, there are probably about a thousand in New Zealand trying to be the next Kane Williamson. Heck, there are probably more young kids in India trying to be the next Williamson than in New Zealand. Still, New Zealand have reached the semi-finals or finals of World Cups ten times. Their current side is No. 2 in the world in Tests, and their women’s team is in the top four of the ODI and T20I rankings.“The New Zealand way”
Even Virat Kohli, a man capable of turning the nonchalant mike drop into a gesture of anger cracks a smile when talking about playing New Zealand. “You can’t think of revenge while playing them because they’re too nice,” he said before India’s tour there earlier this year.In 2014, New Zealand had to continue playing a Test match against Pakistan 24 hours after the tragic death of Phil Hughes. The generation before had adopted an aggressive, “Australian” approach; New Zealand of 2014 played that Test against Pakistan without even celebrating their wickets. None of the pressures and emotions normally associated with the game were on show, and they realised it was possible to play cricket just for the game’s sake and that that could actually be enjoyable.This has become the New Zealand way: to play attacking, enjoyable cricket without the nastiness that is sometimes seen as a necessary accompaniment. In a post-Sandpapergate world, you find many teams, including the Australians, talk about wanting to play more like New Zealand.Grace under fire? Check. The goodest sports? Check•Getty ImagesNo team is more Zen about cruel defeat
“It is what it is” has become the phlegmatic refrain New Zealand’s cricketers repeat after tough losses. But sometimes “it” is not just what it is; sometimes “it” absolutely sucks. Such as when you lose a World Cup final due to an umpiring error and an illogical rule. After said final, New Zealand’s players did not complain or moan – or even shed too many tears. “It is a game of cricket, isn’t it?” Williamson said . Some players even found it in them to crack a joke.

Kids, don’t take up sport. Take up baking or something. Die at 60 really fat and happy.

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) July 15, 2019

Eight months later, New Zealand found themselves losing two Super Overs in a row to India, but Williamson called them “good fun”. You’d be tempted to chastise New Zealand for accepting defeat too easily had they not come back and thrashed India in the ODIs and Tests that followed.Kane Williamson
He really does deserve his own entry in this list. Williamson is now so popular, some of his early fans are disappointed he’s not just their cult hero anymore. Plenty has been written about him, but to sum it up: he is a batsman who has made patience, technique and finesse a recipe for success across formats in an age of aggression, power and outrageous innovation; he is a captain other captains can’t stop gushing over; and he is a man so down to earth, nigh every fan who has met him has a story of his approachability to tell. And he has a great beard.Kane you feel the love tonight?•AFPTheir uncelebrated heroes
Does New Zealand’s growing fan base mean they are losing some of their hipster appeal? Fear not. Here are BJ Watling and Neil Wagner. Watling has made a career out of getting tough, unflashy runs, often to rescue New Zealand, and he has played more Test matches (62), scored more runs (3226 at 40.32), and effected more dismissals (240) than any wicketkeeper since his debut in December 2009. How many teams of the decade did he get into?Wagner is a workhorse who is willing to wait till all the other seamers, including the gentle medium-pacer Colin de Grandhomme, use up the new ball before he runs in for nine-plus over spells where he bangs the ball into the pitch. And how: he has 206 Test wickets at an average of 26.60, better than those of Southee and Boult.Few are funnier on social media
A few months ago ESPNcricinfo started running a feature called the Buzz, to feature the best social media banter from cricketers. Recently we’ve been considering changing the name to “Jimmy Neesham’s Timeline”.Just take a look at some of his tweets. Here he is, bullying the brothers McCullum:

You can't hashtag with a space ffs you're too old for this https://t.co/77qDgzGmLu

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) October 31, 2015

Good to see grandpa finally figured out how to upload a photo https://t.co/Sxmb4WO3dA pic.twitter.com/xJOhWaAoOK

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) September 10, 2019

And it’s not just Neesham who’s entertaining. Playing for a small, laidback country means New Zealand cricketers’ social media pages actually read like the diaries of real people and not like PR releases. Oh, and all of them seem to have pets.

Our compilation of the ten best James Anderson deliveries in Test cricket. Over to you to rank them

Alan Gardner25-Aug-2020

The ask for both teams will depend on how New Zealand fare in their series against Pakistan too

S Rajesh15-Dec-2020Even as a standalone contest, Australia vs India is a marquee series with a lot riding on it, but with the World Test Championship final looming in June, there is plenty at stake for both teams in terms of the larger picture as well. New Zealand’s 2-0 series win against West Indies lifts them to third in the Championship table, and if they repeat that scoreline against Pakistan later this season, both Australia and India will have some work to do to stay above them on the table. Here is a look at what this series, and India’s home series against England, mean for their qualification prospects.India
India have two series left in the current cycle, against Australia and England. Both are four-Test series, which means the points allocation for both series are the same: 30 points for a win, 10 for a draw.If New Zealand get full points from their series against Pakistan, their tally will go up to 420, and their points percentage to 70. That means 70% is the target that India need to go past, to stay ahead of New Zealand.For that to happen, India need at least 150 points, out of the 240 that are on offer from these two series. That can happen in two ways: if India win five matches, or if they win four (120) and draw three (30).ESPNcricinfo LtdGiven India’s outstanding home record, they will have a fair chance of getting full points against England; that will mean they will need at least one win, or three draws, in the four Tests in Australia to reach that target of 150 points.If, for instance, India lose to Australia by a 1-2 margin, they will need 110 points from the series against England. Given that a win will fetch 30 points and a draw 10, the only way they can reach 110 is if they win all four.Australia
Australia are currently on 296, and need to go beyond 420 to have a 70-plus points percentage, if the series against South Africa happens. If that series is cancelled, their target will be to exceed 336. Given that the South Africa series is expected to be a three-Test one, there will be 40 points on offer for a win, and 13 for a draw.ESPNcricinfo LtdDespite the myriad injury worries, Australia are still on a pretty firm wicket, thanks to the points tally they have already built up. If the series against India ends 2-2, Australia will be on 356 points, and a percentage of 74.17. From there, even a 1-0 series against South Africa will push them to 422 points, and just beyond New Zealand’s reach. If they lose 1-2 to India, Australia will need a 2-0 series verdict against South Africa to stay above 70%.

Fourth-choice left-arm spinner makes record-breaking start to Test career

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-May-2021Praveen Jayawickrama is essentially Sri Lanka’s fourth-choice left-arm spinner. If Lasith Embuldeniya or Duvindu Tillakaratne had been fit, or if Prabath Jayasuriya had passed a fitness test, he would have struggled to find a place in the squad. But such are the manic, dramatic turns that both engulf and somehow also enliven the island’s cricket, Jayawickrama took 6 for 92 to become Sri Lanka’s most-successful bowler on debut, surprising everyone, but also, in a sense, no one.See, this is the Test team that loses most of its pace attack and has its captain sacked, before going to South Africa and becoming the first Asian side to clinch a series there; the team that collapses twice at home to modest England spin, then defies a decent pace attack and the Dukes ball in the Caribbean; which has a batter with 11 Test hundreds and an average of almost 40 failing to make the XI, while an opener with an average of 26.31 after 41 Tests sits second on the year’s run-scoring list; whose coaches are forever in peril; whose administration has been dominated by the same smarmy figures for 25 years; and yet whose cricket refuses to die quietly, though the situation has often seemed terminal.Jayawickrama’s personal journey is one of steady progress. He would tell his mother that he’d play for Sri Lanka one day at age eight, long before he even took the sport up seriously. He’d rise through the ranks at his school in Kalutara, before being offered a scholarship by a bigger one in Moratuwa in his senior years. He’d make the Sri Lanka Under-19 side, and become a leading bowler in one-dayers in particular.But then in making the Test team, and producing bowling performance, claiming the biggest opposition wickets as he did, Jayawickrama has become the latest partaker in Sri Lankan mayhem. There are only 10 first-class matches on his log book, and somehow, he is already a record-breaking Test bowler. Where Wanindu Hasaranga has been groomed for over a year, and Lakshan Sandakan for several more, Jayawickrama has leapfrogged both and collected better innings figures than either have ever managed.There was no great magic to what he did on Saturday. In his own words, he kept the bowling tight, continued to probe, and had help from the surface, which in its own way has contributed to the chaos in becoming spin-friendly so rapidly, almost overnight. He put good revolutions of the ball, but suggested he was more a disciple of flight and subtlety, than of rapid, rasping turn.Crucially, though, Jayawickrama did not allow Bangladesh’s big-name aggressive batters to bully him off his lines and lengths. Tamim Iqbal lap-swept the first Jayawickrama ball he faced for four, then bashed consecutive boundaries off him next over. But there was no retreating to flatter deliveries, or faster darts. Jayawickrama continued to give the ball air, unperturbed by a batter who was racing at close to a run-a-ball in the first session. By the time Jayawickrama eventually got Tamim out, having him caught at slip with his second delivery to him from around the wicket, Jayawickrama was the frontline bowler Tamim had been most reticent against – his strike rate only 53.Related

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“What I wanted to do in this match was bowl a lot of dot balls and build pressure,” Jayawickrama said. “My favourite wicket was Tamim’s – I had really wanted that one. I had bowled a lot of balls over the wicket, but he wasn’t playing that many attacking shots to me. So the captain and a few of the senior players asked me to make a change and try it, and I’m very happy it worked.”Mostly, he got his wickets with deliveries that turned more than batters expected – one right-hander caught at slip, another at gully, before Mehidy Hasan was struck in front by a delivery he expected to go on with the arm. But he had Mushfiqur Rahim lbw with a straighter one too. If you’re testing both edges, signs are, you’re a left-arm spinner.But these are signs only. At this venue in 2016, Kusal Mendis played one of Sri Lanka’s greatest innings ever to turn a match against Australia on its head, and five years later cannot find a place in the national team. In that same match, Sandakan took 7 for 107 and has not replicated such success since. The tornado that is Sri Lankan cricket raises you up to dizzying heights occasionally; but for some, harrowing descents can follow.All we can hope for 22-year-old Jayawickrama is that his landings are soft, and his cricket resilient. And that with time, he finds his place in the whirl.