Martin O’Neill signed off his second spell with Celtic in style with a 1-0 win over Dundee at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night.

The experienced interim won seven of his eight matches in charge of the club after Brendan Rodgers resigned at the end of October, and Wilfried Nancy will take on the role from Thursday.

Daizen Maeda scored the only goal of the game for O’Neill’s side as he bravely competed to head into the back of the net after Hyun-jun Yang’s effort was saved, which led to him wearing a bandage for the remainder of the night.

Ranking Celtic's best performers against Dundee

The Japan international was, of course, one of the top performers on the night for the Hoops because it was his goal that ultimately sealed all three points to send Celtic level on points with Hearts at the top of the table.

He was not the top performer on the night for the Scottish giants, though, as a couple of other players were ahead of him in that respect, because the striker also missed a ‘big chance’ and lost five of his six duels, per Sofascore.

Reo Hatate was one of those two players. The Japanese whiz created two ‘big chances’, including Yang’s initial shot before the goal, and won four of his seven duels, per Sofascore, in what was a masterful showing in the middle of the park.

1

Colby Donovan

2

Reo Hatate

3

Daizen Maeda

4

Hyun-jun Yang

5

Kasper Schmeichel

As you can see in the table above, Yang and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who pulled off three saves and three run-outs to keep his clean sheet intact, were also among the top performers on the pitch.

However, we have ranked Colby Donovan as the best performer on the night for the Scottish giants, as he provided a reminder of his quality after a shaky game against Hibernian.

Why Colby Donovan is undroppable for Wilfried Nancy

On Sunday, the Scottish full-back lost two of his three ground duels, per Sofascore, and was subbed off at half-time after being booked for a late challenge on Jordan Obita.

After that disappointing showing at the weekend, Donovan may have known that he needed to respond with a big performance against Dundee to ensure that the new manager does not drop him for the game against Hearts on Sunday.

Now, the Scotland U21 international is surely the first completely undroppable player for Nancy at Parkhead, because he was the best performer in the last game before his first match in charge.

Donovan won three of his four ground duels and three of his three aerial duels, winning 87% of his total battles, per Sofascore, whilst Maeda, for example, lost five of his six duels and struggled on that side of the game after scoring his goal.

Sofascore rating

8.3

1st

Duels won

6

1st

Aerial duels won

3

1st

Aerial duel success rate

100%

1st

Tackles won

2

1st

Touches

91

4th

Successful crosses

3

1st

Key passes

2

2nd

As you can see in the table above, the academy graduate also added creativity in possession to go along with his outstanding defensive work, as only Reo Hatate (five) made more key passes on the night, whilst no one completed more crosses.

Donovan showed Nancy, who was unveiled before the game kicked off, that he is capable of delivering a quality performance at both ends of the pitch from the right-back position, which is why he should already be undroppable.

With Alistair Johnston still sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Scottish youngster should be the first name on the teamsheet ahead of the clash with Hearts on Sunday.

That is also influenced by Anthony Ralston’s disappointing form. Pundit Chris Sutton described his play as “really shaky” when he came off the bench against Hibernian, whilst he was also caught out twice by Mikel Gogorza in the Europa League clash with Midtjylland.

Given Ralston’s lack of form and Donovan’s impressive showing on Wednesday night, the 19-year-old defender will surely already be undroppable for Nancy in the short term.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says star midfielder Rodri is "suffering" due to a troublesome hamstring injury. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner picked up the issue in early October, just months on from returning from a long-term knee problem. And while the Spain international is "getting better", he is "struggling" with this newer setback.

Rodri wasn't getting carried away

When Rodri returned to the City team after nine months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury earlier this year, he knew it would take time to return to the form that earned him the Golden Ball. 

In late June, he said at the Club World Cup: "I feel very, very strong, to be honest. The process was long, but I was taking my time. The most important thing was to keep focused and be strong. Don't be sad or whatever. One day I'll come back and this day has finally come and I'm very excited to play again. I know it's still going to be months until I reach my level, but I'm so happy."

At the start of the new season, City did their best to ease Rodri back into action but his injury issues have reared their ugly head again, something Guardiola has bemoaned.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportRodri 'struggling' with new injury

Rodri sustained this hamstring injury against Brentford on October 5, a game he only lasted 22 minutes in. The 29-year-old has played just one minute since then, as he appeared as a late substitute against Bournemouth on November 2. And it seems he will have to be patient for a while yet. 

Guardiola told reporters on Friday: "Do you know what it means playing without the best player in the world two seasons ago? Our main player, when we won the Treble and playing 70 games. [Then] during one year and a half [years] without him. Do you know what we miss? I want him back now…here. He is suffering, he is struggling because he wants to come back, but I want to protect him. I want to be sure right now that we minimise the risk. This is what we want. I want him desperately right now, in Madrid, or the next one but after that six more weeks he is out? No sense. When you have an injured ACL, your body is completely different."

Rodri on 'another level'

City currently sit five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal and while they haven't been at their best, they are still title contenders. But it seems Guardiola thinks they would be in a much better position if Rodri had been available for much of this campaign.

He added: "Rodri is another level of the players. If Rodri came on for the last 20 minutes against Fulham, put him in the middle and do you know what is the effect? Just his presence, not even touching the ball? The other 10 players feel safe and they play better. What will you do, you're a football player or you are a journalist, over 18 months you cannot do your job. You want to write, you want inspiration and show how good you are and you cannot do it. How do you feel? It feels bad. Of course, he is strong and in some moments he is sad. I would not be happy if he is not sad or concerned. Ahead of us, we have many nightmare things to live. He has to be there. He will be there."

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(C)Getty imagesWhat comes next for Rodri's Man City?

While Rodri continues his injury rehab, his City side host high-flying Sunderland at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon. If results go their way this weekend, they could close the gap to Mikel Arteta's Arsenal to two points, should the Gunners lose at third-placed Aston Villa. 

On newly-promoted Sunderland, Guardiola added: "They deserve to be where they are. Momentum can happen after a few games but after 14 fixtures in the Premier League with these opponents? To be in that position, they deserve it."

The batter said last week that he “should be right” for his hometown Test after suffering back spasms in Perth

Andrew McGlashan01-Dec-20257:36

Are England prepared for Brisbane pink-ball challenge?

Usman Khawaja batted for the first time since the Perth Test as looked to prove his fitness for the day-night encounter at the Gabba after the back spasms which curtailed his role in the opening match of the Ashes.Having done some physio and gentle fielding on Sunday, Khawaja was put through his paces by Australia’s medical staff on the outfield, including running and stretching, before batting for 30 minutes during the team’s day-time session on Monday.Khawaja purely faced assistant coach Michael Di Venuto with the sidearm during his half hour in the nets, of which a considerable number of deliveries were short, giving his back a good workout. The session was an optional one for Australia, although all the players were present, and they will have another full session under lights on Tuesday.Speaking last week at an event for his foundation, Khawaja said he “should be right” for his hometown Test and was not requiring further painkillers after initially suffering the back spasms on the opening day at Perth Stadium.Related

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England collapsed so quickly on the first afternoon that Khawaja was unable to open due to the time he’d spent off the field and when he emerged at No. 4 could only make 2 before gloving a short ball from Brydon Carse.On the second day Khawaja took his place at first slip, taking a catch to remove Harry Brook and then spilling a low edge offered by Jamie Smith. His back went into spasm while leaping for another edge provided by Smith, opening the way for Travis Head to make his 123 in Australia’s chase.Khawaja’s form was under scrutiny heading into the series – he is now averaging 31.84 since the end of the 2023 Ashes with one century in 45 innings – and coupled with the way Head threw down the gauntlet as an opener, and his public statements about being keen for the role, it has sparked a debate about whether now is the time to draw an end to Khawaja’s Test career.”I think Usman is a high quality player,” Marnus Labuschagne said. “You look at his record, 85 Tests and what he’s done for Australian cricket, especially since his comeback in 2021. He’s been super consistent; he’s been really the rock [in] the top there. I think there’s been a lot of talk about how many opening partners he’s had over his time.”He’s an amazing player. The way he’s gone about his game, the way he’s gone from a No. 3, 4 and then opened the batting…navigated some tricky scenarios, he’s just been awesome.”But I’m not a selector. I think whatever happens is up to the people above my pay grade and what they deem is the best way for us to win the game and win this series. I think it’s just game by game and you work out what’s your best team.”Ahead of the 2023 Ashes, David Warner laid out his retirement timeline, stating that he wanted to finish at the SCG in early 2024. In the end he made it, providing some useful contributions against England then starting his final series against Pakistan with 164 in Perth.Khawaja has never publicly outlined what his ideal finishing point would be, but the final Ashes Test at the SCG, the ground where he returned with his twin hundreds in the 2020-21 series, has often been thought of as the perfect stepping off point. However, Labuschagne said that what the team needed should be the over-riding factor.”I think the most important thing is the team comes first at any stage,” he said. “I know there’s different times where different people may have done that [picked a finishing point] in the past. But taking nothing away, he’s an amazing player…averaging 45 for Australia all around the world… [But] it’s just what is the best way we win the game and what does that look like, and that’s what’s most important.”Carse played a straight bat when asked who England would prefer to see at the top of the order. “I don’t have to make that decision, so that’s up to the captain and the coach of the Australian side, but whatever we’re presented with we’ll stick to our plans,” he said.”That was a phenomenal knock played by a high-quality player [Head], and if he does open the batting again we’ve got set plans that we’ll look to use, but I don’t think anything changes from a mindset thing. He had an incredible day that afternoon.”Meanwhile, Pat Cummins put in another impressive net session, bowling two spells either side of having a bat, as he continues his path towards returning from his back injury. Cummins is not part of Australia’s 14-man squad for this match with a return in Adelaide appearing the most likely scenario.

The 18-year-old broke new ground against South Africa, hitting Bangladesh’s fastest fifty in ODIs

Vishal Dikshit15-Oct-2025When Bangladesh middle-order batter Shorna Akter shovelled Nadine de Klerk over long-on in their last game, the dressing room stood up for raucous applause. They were riding high on watching her spell-binding sixes. Shorna herself would have been chuffed – her third six propelled Bangladesh towards a competitive total, it was her hardest hit of the night, and it took her closer to her maiden half-century.It would have hardly hit her – if she knew at all – that nobody else had even struck three sixes in an innings for Bangladesh in their 14-year ODI history of 81 games. And that wasn’t the only record the 18-year-old broke that night. In the next over, when she ran a second for the overthrow from wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta, Shorna also registered the fastest half-century for Bangladesh in ODI. She reached the milestone off 34 balls, breaking her captain Nigar Sultana’s record of 39 balls from the World Cup Qualifiers earlier this year.Shorna’s power-hitting against an experienced South Africa attack hit everyone watching like a draught of cold air in a warm room. Bangladesh had ambled along to 150 for 3 in 40 overs, at under four an over, after a cautious start from the openers. Even touching 200 at the time seemed like a slightly distant dream because of the lack of power-hitters in their line-up.Related

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That’s when Shorna entered, ahead of the more experienced Sobhana Mostary. On her second ball she confidently swept Nonkululeko Mlaba, one of the best bowlers of the tournament, for a four. On her eighth delivery, she danced down to attack Chloe Tryon, another left-arm spinner, to send the ball sailing over the fielder stationed at long-on for her first six. South Africa would have hardly recovered from that when she dispatched Tumi Sekhukhune over long-on too. Bangladesh were suddenly racing towards 200 with more than four overs to go. For a batter who had a high score of 29 not out before this, and an ODI strike rate of just 61 in 17 innings, this daredevilry was stunning.After all the dabs, nudges, gentle flicks and some boundary strokes that relied mostly on timing from Bangladesh for 40 overs, Shorna came out all guns blazing, with a high backlift and a flourishing swing of the bat, exhibiting much more striking power than her team-mates.”She came in with really good intent,” Tryon said of Shorna after that game. “We knew we had to play with her pace, try and get under the bat as much as we could and she has a beautiful swing. I’ve watched her over the years and just see the talent that she has. So, we just knew that we didn’t want to let her get away from us and I felt like she did. Yeah, I feel like we just could have got a better plan towards that. But yeah, she played a good innings and I’ll give that to her.”Shorna’s third six was hit the hardest and it went the longest – 77 meters – as the cameras zoomed in on the young face under the helmet with steely-eyed determination before she bowed for the .She first emerged on screens around the world in the inaugural Under-19 World Cup in 2023, when she was just 16. After growing up in Jamalpur, a small town about 170 kilometers north of Dhaka, she first featured in representative cricket in 2021 before playing in the domestic zonal tournament and then the Women’s Dhaka Premier League, the most high-profile domestic tournament for women in the country.Shorna does not change her approach when the chips are down•ICC/Getty ImagesSoon, she was picked for the Under-19 World Cup and finished as the top run-scorer for her team in South Africa with 153 runs and a strike rate of 157.73. She also hit six sixes, the joint second-most, only behind Shafali Verma’s seven. The selectors fast-tracked her for a senior T20I debut next month, in February 2023, and an ODI debut in July.Shorna then played 35 T20Is and 18 ODIs until this World Cup, all this while training for her big hits and waiting for a day like the South Africa game. Having spotted her penchant for hitting big shots in training, the message from her captain and management was to stick to her natural game and not change her approach, even if the chips were down when she went out to bat.”She’s a very capable player,” Sultana said of Shorna after the South Africa match. “I’ve spoken about her before – she’s a powerful hitter and can rotate the strike really well. She used her skills brilliantly today. The way she batted was quite incredible, and she really helped our side reach a good total.”In a team not known for many aerial hits that clear the ropes, and in a tournament that has seen more collapses than big totals, Shorna is the breath of fresh air nobody saw coming.

Vidarbha allrounder Harsh Dubey chipped in with 84 in a game where Rishabh Pant took body blows

Shashank Kishore08-Nov-2025Dhruv Jurel struck his fifth first-class century and second in the match, to strengthen his case for a middle-order spot in next week’s first South Africa Test in Kolkata.Jurel struck an unbeaten 127, rescuing a floundering India A innings for the second time in the match, as they declared on 382 for 7, setting South Africa A 417 to win in a little over three sessions. The visitors were 25 for 0 at stumps, with openers Lesego Senokwane and Jordan Hermann surviving 11 testing overs from Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna.Siraj was particularly menacing, testing the inside and outside edge of Senokwane in his last two overs, where there were as many as three appeals for caught behind that were turned down – all superb decisions by umpire Akshay Totare – before he shouldered arms and survived a close leave to one that just missed the off stump. Siraj’s spell read 6-2-10-0.Related

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Jurel came in to bat with India A reeling at 108 for 4 when Rishabh Pant, the captain, retired hurt on 17 after copping multiple blows on the body and helmet by fast bowler Tshepo Moreki. Prior to this, India had lost KL Rahul after he managed to add just one to his overnight 26 when he was bowled off a nip-backer from Okuhle Cele.Jurel found an ally in allrounder Harsh Dubey, who took on the role of the aggressor early on in their partnership. Having had very little bowling to do in the first innings, Dubey proved his batting chops in making 84 as he put on 184 for the sixth wicket with Jurel. Dropped at slip off the very first delivery, Dubey used his feet well to loft spinners Prenelan Subrayen and Kyle Simmonds down the ground. He was also excellent while sweeping.At the other end, Jurel blunted a fired-up Moreki by defending with a straight bat and playing as close as he could to the body. Against spin, there were no half measures: he was either fully forward while driving, or assured while rocking back to cut. For much of his innings, Jurel hardly played across the line.On 49, Jurel had a massive slice of luck when he lunged forward to defend a sharp turner from Subrayen as the ball bounced back onto the stumps in a manner reminiscent of Siraj’s dismissal at Lord’s off Shoaib Bashir to signal England’s victory earlier this year, except this time the bails remained intact. To his credit, Jurel cashed in on that luck, getting past a half-century – it took him 83 deliveries to get there – and then shifting gears to cruise past three-figures.South Africa A took the second new ball immediately upon being available and struck off the second delivery when Dubey was out driving to the slips. That is when Pant returned to bat and quickly pounced on anything loose to charge towards a half-century. Pant got hit for a fourth time with a short ball, from Tiaan van Vuuren, the left-arm seamer, as he tried to pull. On 65, he attempted a slog that he top-edged to the wicketkeeper to drag the innings to a close.

The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) will have its final on a weekday (Thursday, February 5), and not over the weekend, for the first time, and feature two double-headers, both on Saturdays, after kicking off on January 9.The 28-day-long tournament will be played across two venues: Navi Mumbai, where India won the ODI World Cup in early November beating South Africa in the final, and Vadodara. The first 11 matches, including the two double-headers, will be played at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, and the remaining 11 matches, including the eliminator on February 3 and the final will be played at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium.The dates and venues were confirmed by the WPL’s chairman, Jayesh George, on Thursday, the day of the WPL auction. All games bar the earlier fixture on the double-header days will be evening affairs.The week of the final is a busy one for multi-team competitions, with the men’s Under-19 World Cup finishing the day after the WPL final, on February 6, and the men’s T20 World Cup starting the following day, on February 7.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Apart from having a weekday final, this is the first time the WPL will be played in the January-February window. The first three seasons were played in February-March just before the start of the IPL. This will also be the first time the WPL will not clash with major international fixtures.Mumbai Indians (MI) are the defending champions of the WPL and have won two titles in three editions so far, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) the other past winners. Delhi Capitals (DC) have been runners-up in all three seasons. The other two teams, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz, have never made the title round.Ten days after the WPL ends, India will start an all-format tour of Australia, playing three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test from February 15 to March 9.

WPL 2026 schedule

Jan 9: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 10: UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 10: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 11: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz
Jan 13: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 14: UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 15: Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz
Jan 16: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 17: UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 17: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Jan 19: Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 20: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 22: Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz
Jan 24: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 26: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 27: Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 29: UP Warriorz vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 30: Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians
Feb 1: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz
Feb 3: Eliminator
Feb 5: Final

It’s been barely a month since the 27-year old made his international debut, but he has been around the T20 circuit for a while

Omkar Mankame24-Nov-2025Mystery spinner Usman Tariq secured Pakistan’s entry into the T20I tri-series final with a hat-trick against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi. It’s been barely a month since the 27-year old made his international debut, but he has been around the T20 circuit for a while.Tariq made his T20 debut for Peshawar in the National T20 Cup in November 2023 and featured in the 2024 PSL but did not make an impact. A strong 2024-25 domestic season, where he picked up 22 wickets in 15 matches, revived his prospects.Tariq’s action is unmistakable: a normal run-up followed by an exaggerated pause at release, almost coming to a complete stop for up to two seconds before delivering side-arm, slinging offbreaks. It’s unconventional, deceptive, and central to his mystery.Related

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He has been reported for suspect action twice so far, first flagged during the 2024 PSL. He was cleared after testing at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore and continued bowling but was reported again in the next PSL. He passed the assessment again.Tariq played an important role in Quetta Gladiators’ run to the 2025 PSL final, taking ten wickets in five matches, including a three-for in Qualifier 1. In the CPL, he bagged 20 wickets in 10 games for champions Trinbago Knight Riders, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker.Tariq impressed on his T20I debut in Lahore by removing Reeza Hendricks and Dewald Brevis, helping Pakistan restrict South Africa to 139 for 9 in the series-clinching win. In his second outing, he finished with 4 for 18 – including that hat-trick – against Zimbabwe to cap a sparkling start to international cricket.

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