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The Cubs became the third MLB team to clinch a playoff spot this season after beating the Pirates 8–4 in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

The Chicago squad all partook in a champagne spraying celebration after the win, which marks their first postseason appearance since 2020. For a lot of the Cubs players, this will be their first career trip to the playoffs.

One Cubs player who has yet to make the playoffs in his career is All-Star pitcher Justin Steele. Unfortunately, Steele has been out since early April as he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery that put him out for the remainder of the season. He was watching the game from home on Wednesday and made sure to send a message of congratulations to his teammates.

"Just sitting here smiling at my TV," Steele wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Steele will easily be one of the Cubs' biggest supporters this postseason, even if he has to watch his team on television instead of joining them on the field. Hopefully he'll be back next season and can lead the Cubs to a second consecutive playoff run.

Hasaranga is back after recovering from a hamstring injury

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-20252:05

Jaffer: Hasaranga’s return big boost for SL

Toss Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka chose to bowl in the high-stakes clash against Bangladesh on a fresh pitch in Abu Dhabi. He confirmed that Wanindu Hasaranga, who missed the recent tour of Zimbabwe with a hamstring injury, is fit and back in the XI.Hasaranga is one of three allrounders in Sri Lanka’s XI alongside Dasun Shanaka and Kamindu Mendis, and the only attacking spin option, with Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage left out. They picked three specialist fast bowlers, however, in Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara.Bangladesh picked three quicks too, but made one change to their pace attack from the win over Hong Kong, bringing in Shoriful Islam for Taskin Ahmed. This meant they had two left-arm seamers – Mustafizur Rahman being the other – apart from the right-arm swing of Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and two spin-bowling allrounders in Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain.Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5, Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Matheesha Pathirana, 11 Nuwan Thushara.Bangladesh: 1 Litton Das (capt & wk), 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Parvez Hossain Emon, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.

The squad is missing a few key names, forcing Hayes to continue broadening the player pool ahead of the final two matches of 2025.

To close out the year, U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has named her final training-camp roster for a pair of friendlies against Euro semifinalists Italy. With the 2027 World Cup creeping closer, Hayes continues to broaden the player pool, calling in three uncapped players once again: Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz, Chicago Stars forward Jameese Joseph, and Washington Spirit defender Kate Wiesner.

This squad features seven changes from October and several notable returns. Hayes has summoned a Chelsea trio – Naomi Girma, Alyssa Thompson, and Catarina Macario – with Girma’s long-awaited comeback headlining the group. The defender has played only four U.S. matches all year, but Hayes has long made her admiration clear.

With injuries, NWSL fatigue, and several fringe players pushing for bigger roles, this camp should offer one last meaningful look at the depth chart before the calendar flips to 2026.

GOAL looks at key takeaways from Hayes' roster release.

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  Girma's return

  Girma returns to the USWNT roster after missing the previous FIFA window with an injury. The defender last appeared for the U.S. on July 2 in a 3-0 win over Canada and has played only four of the team’s 13 matches this year, starting all of them at center back.

  Her return has been long-awaited – and no one seems more thrilled than Emma Hayes. Girma was instrumental in the U.S. run to Olympic gold in 2024, when Hayes famously called her “the best defender I’ve ever seen.”

  In club play, Girma has also dealt with injuries, but she recently worked her way back into Chelsea’s lineup, starting their 6-0 Champions League win over St. Pölten.

  Ahead of camp, Hayes told reporters: “I’m just so happy she’s back… I realize more and more the importance, not just of her qualities on the field, but her quiet leadership – not just in terms of leading the line, but off the field as well.”

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  Goalkeeper questions…answered?

  After the October friendlies, Hayes made it clear she was pretty set on her trio of goalkeepers: Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Claudia Dickey, and Mandy McGlynn. There has been a consistent rotation between all three, with Tullis-Joyce and McGlynn earning three starts and Dickey starting twice. 

  Hayes called on a new face to this camp, with Tullis-Joyce ruled out due to a facial injury she suffered with her club team, Manchester United. This is just the second international call-up for Jordan Silkowitz, who was named to the roster alongside Dickey and McGlynn. Silkowitz earned her first-ever U.S. National team call-up earlier this summer when she played in Germany with the Under-23s. In total, the three goalkeepers in this camp have just eight total career caps. 

  Will Hayes give Silkowitz a shot? Perhaps. She hasn't at all shied away from trying new things during her tenure, and the time is still now to do so. 

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  Chelsea trio called on

  They might not be ‘Triple Espresso’, but Catarina Macario, Girma, and Alyssa Thompson will all represent the USWNT after featuring for Chelsea in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Macario is coming off a standout performance, scoring twice in the Blues’ win over St. Pölten.

  In total, six players on this roster are currently based in Europe – four in England and two in France. Lindsey Heaps and Lily Yohannes feature for Lyon, while Emily Fox plays for Arsenal.

  Macario and Thompson have been consistently dangerous for the USWNT in attack. Thompson already has 22 caps and three goals, and arrived at Chelsea with 15 goals in 63 appearances for Angel City. Macario, meanwhile, has one U.S. goal this year and 13 in 27 career caps, underscoring her long-term impact when healthy.

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  Shaw's big moment

  All eyes will be on forward Jaedyn Shaw this camp, especially as it will be her second-straight call-up to the senior team after she spent two previous FIFA windows with the Under-23s. With the senior team, Shaw has 29 USWNT caps and eight career goals. She also attained a massive milestone when she became the first USWNT player to score in her first five starts. 

  Shaw has been instrumental in Gotham FC's end of the season, too, scoring a clinical overtime free-kick goal to send the NY/NJ team to the 2025 NWSL Championship. 

  Under Hayes, Shaw has been less than consistent, but with her seemingly finding her groove in the playoffs, her confidence is at another level.

With only nine Premier League wins under his belt as a manager in the top flight, it’s fair to say Daniel Farke has his work cut out for him right now to arrest the current Leeds United slide.

With four defeats from their last five league clashes, Leeds now sit just one point above the depressing relegation zone, as Sean Dyche’s equally relegation-troubled Nottingham Forest sucked the Whites deeper into the relegation pit by beating them 3-1 at the City Ground before the international break.

Yet, despite the West Yorkshire outfit hanging on for their lives, and Farke’s wretched record in the top division, it appears as if the ex-Norwich City boss will be kept on, for the time being at least.

Surely, though, if the results continue in their gloomy downward trajectory, the plug will have to be pulled.

But, until then, the under-pressure German has some big decisions to grapple with to try and save his job in the long run.

Decisions Farke needs to make to save his job at Leeds

Sack season is also in full swing now in the Premier League, with bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers getting rid of Vitor Pereira recently, after extending a vote of confidence his way.

Farke will hope he doesn’t follow Pereira in being the next managerial casualty, with the German now facing the decision to make a number of changes to his regular starting lineup.

One of those includes dropping the likes of Brenden Aaronson if he is to remain in the Elland Road dug-out moving forward.

Unfortunately, Farke does appear to be staunchly loyal to certain members of his camp, even when they’re obviously falling below their expected standards, with Aaronson selected now by the German a high 59 times, to hit-and-miss results.

Only one of his ten goals for the West Yorkshire giants under Farke has fallen in the Premier League, and with both Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto waiting in reserve, switching out the ex-Union Berlin playmaker for either the Welshman or Italian could seriously boost the relegation-threatened side in attack.

Farke might also help the wins to start flowing if he selects Lukas Nmecha as his sole striker more often, heading into crunch games this November and December, with the ex-Wolfsburg striker stylishly putting away a goal against Forest, which is his second for the club already, despite only amassing 279 minutes of total league action.

The German will also know he needs to change up his defence, with Jaka Bijol receiving plenty of pelters for his recent performances.

However, Farke didn’t exactly help out his tiring defence at the City Ground.

Bielsa signing must be given the boot by Farke

Another compelling argument to get rid of Aaronson from the first team picture, away from his hot-and-cold reputation, is the fact that he’s a remaining relic of the dismal 2022/23 squad that was relegated to the Championship.

The only other dire member of that team that featured against Dyche’s hosts was Jack Harrison, who is somehow still getting minutes under Farke, many years on from his Leeds peak.

Indeed, looking at the data above, it’s clear that the former Manchester City youth product was a dependable first-teamer many moons ago at Elland Road, with an impressive collection of 66 combined goals and assists for the Whites.

Leeds managerial great Marcelo Bielsa even once hailed Harrison as a “big influence” during his heyday down the left channel.

But, right now, the 28-year-old needs to be put out of his misery, on his subdued return to the Whites first team fold, after a two-season-long loan stay at Everton.

Last time out versus Forest, when strangely placed into the side at left-back, Harrison would clatter into a Forest shirt late on, clumsily, to gift Elliot Anderson his game-clinching penalty.

Moreover, away from that moment of stupidity, the below-par number 20 still manages to pocket a steep £90k-per-week salary at the Premier League newcomers, despite having no goals or assists to shout about this season from 11 forgettable outings.

Recent reports have also suggested that Harrison could be sold in January if Leeds can win themselves some more reinforcements in attack.

Still, if Farke wants to send out a message that he isn’t going to stand by and watch standards slip, he will try to offload the shoddy winger in the transfer window, anyway, as he attempts everything in his power to keep his precarious position.

He's got a "bit of Bielsa": Leeds could sack Farke for "mental" 4-3-3 coach

A Bielsa-style change of manager could keep Leeds in the Premier League

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 12, 2025

Fakhar Zaman will return home after the T20I series and continue his rehab at the PCB’s National Cricket Academy

Danyal Rasool04-Aug-2025Pakistan top-order batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the third T20I and the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies after sustaining a left hamstring strain during the second T20I in Lauderhill. Khushdil Shah replaced him in the playing XI for the third T20I.The injury took place in the 19th over of West Indies’ innings when Fakhar was chasing a ball in the outfield. A subsequent medical assessment by the team’s support staff confirmed a mild strain to his left hamstring.The PCB confirmed that immediate treatment and initial management were provided, and Fakhar will now fly back to Pakistan on August 4, the day after the final, deciding T20I. His rehabilitation will continue under the supervision of the PCB medical team at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. The PCB are yet to confirm if a replacement player will join the ODI squad.Fakhar got starts in each of the first two games, but found himself unable to kick on in either, getting scored of 28 and 20.The injury to Fakhar, 35, bears uncanny resemblance to a knock he picked up at the start of the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Off the second ball of the opening game, he hared off in pursuit of a cover drive before pulling up in discomfort; he was ruled out of the tournament the following day. At the time, he was himself a part of the squad to replace Saim Ayub, who, too, was injured chasing after a ball to the boundary six weeks earlier in South Africa, and spent three months on the sidelines.The T20I series in Florida is tied at one apiece. The three ODIs will take place in Trinidad.

Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul has jumped to the defence of under-fire manager Eddie Howe, who he considers to be a club legend. The English coach is under immense pressure after the Magpies' poor start to the 2025-26 campaign, as they have won just three out of their first 11 Premier League matches and sit just two points above the relegation zone.

• Newcastle struggling for Premier League form

  Former Newcastle goalkeeper Krul, who spent 11 years with the senior team at St. James' Park, has addressed the Magpies' disastrous form in the Premier League this season. Howe's side, who lost their latest league encounter 3-1 against Brentford, are struggling in the bottom half of the league table. Krul has admitted that the poor form needs to be fixed as soon as possible, but he fully trusts Howe to fix the situation.

  The manager himself was critical of his players after the loss against West Ham earlier this month and questioned their mentality: "The dynamism wasn't there. The physicality and the energy were missing. We scored early and could have grabbed hold of the game but we didn’t and let it slip away. It didn't look like a Newcastle team that we've seen in recent seasons. The body language, the collective spirit on the pitch, loads of little things weren’t there. It was a by-product of us just not being where we needed to be mentally."

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  'Eddie will be the first one to admit'

  Speaking about the Magpies' poor run, Krul told : "There are a couple of points off the relegation zone, so does this feel like maybe a mini crisis for the club? Yeah, of course, but I think the people in charge know the task at hand for this season. Like I mentioned, they're in the quarter-finals in the Carabao Cup, they're in the top half in the Champions League. 

  "Yes, in the Premier League they need to kick into gear and I think the wingers, the midfielders, they have to start chipping in their goals. Injuries, they are massive obviously, suspensions, I think the liveramento, Lewis Hall, have been really, really a big miss for this team. There's not been that attacking threat from the full-backs coming up, so there's reasons why there's been some kind of issues at the club at the moment but Eddie will be the first one to admit that domestic form has to improve."

• Krul calls Howe a Newcastle 'legend'

  Further extending his support for the English coach, Krul added: "I'm a big fan of Eddie and I think he single-handedly changed the club and the people's expectations in that city. I mean, he's going to go down as one of those legend managers this club has ever had. Yes, of course, I think there could be some criticism, it's not good enough to not win an away game since April, but ultimately I think if you asked any fan a couple of years ago to have a trophy and to challenge the Champions League and to fire on all cylinders in the top competitions out there, I think they would have signed for that."

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  Newcastle's European form only ray of light

  While Newcastle have struggled in domestic football, their form in the Champions League has been impressive. The Magpies are sitting sixth in the league stage table with nine points, having followed up a narrow defeat to Barcelona with wins against Union-Saint Gilloise, Benfica and Athletic Club. With their latest 2-0 victory over Athletic Club, the English side have moved ahead of 15-time winners Real Madrid and reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.

  Howe will prepare his players for a huge home game against second-placed Manchester City in their next league fixture after the international break on November 22, which comes three days before their next Champions League outing at Marseille.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game rosters are set, and now we know who the league's players voted for.

The results of player balloting have been released and there are few surprises, especially at the top.

Players overwhelmingly voted for New York Yankees star Aaron Judge to get in, as he garnered the most votes with 898. Second in player voting is a man having an unbelievable season, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who checked in with 823 votes. Third was Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (746), and fourth was Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (700).

In the National League, Chicago Cubs phenom Pete Crow-Armstrong led the way with 636 votes, while Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was second (653), and Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was third (564). It's crazy to not see Ohtani in first place.

On the pitching side, players gave Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal the most votes (365), while Pittsburgh Pirates righty Paul Skenes led voting in the National League (289).

The full voting results are below.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game will take place on July 15.

The search for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ new manager goes on.

The Old Gold sacked Vitor Pereira last week after picking up just two points all season, as they look to salvage the campaign and avoid relegation to the Championship.

There have been a few names bandied about when it comes to who could replace Pereira in the hot seat at Molineux.

Former manager Gary O’Neill, who was only sacked last December, came under consideration, but pulled out of the race. There are also suggestions that Erik ten Hag and Michael Carrick are two options for the club.

However, a new contender has emerged in recent hours.

The latest manager to be linked with Wolves

It was clear that Wolves needed to bring in a new manager, with Pereira struggling to get the best out of his squad.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

However, his replacement is something they must get spot on, as they look to get their first win of the season.

Well, according to Football FanCast sources, the higher-ups at Molineux have sounded out a move for former Benfica boss Rui Vitoria.

The West Midlands outfit is said to be a job that the 55-year-old would be open to taking over.

Vitoria has not been out of a job long, having managed Panathinaikos most recently, who sacked him in September.

Why Vitoria would be a good appointment for Wolves

It is perhaps a bit of a red flag for Wolves fans that Pereira has struggled in his last three jobs. The Portuguese manager, who hails from just outside of Lisbon, has had three jobs in the last four years.

One of those was as head coach of the Egyptian national team. He coached them in 18 games and was sacked after crashing out of AFCON at the round of 16 stage. The role before that was at Spartak Moscow, where he lasted 26 games, and his latest job at Panathinaikos saw him manage 43 matches.

Yet, the 55-year-old has seen success at previous clubs. Said to favour an attacking 4-3-3 formation, his best spell came as Benfica boss, where he won four major honours. That included back-to-back Portuguese top-flight titles in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 campaigns.

One man who thought highly of Vitoria’s reign was Pep Guardiola, who said his team was “worthy of Arrigo Sacchi,” the legendary former AC Milan manager.

The pair met in the Champions League when Guardiola was in charge of Bayern Munich, and although Benfica were knocked out 3-2 on aggregate, Vitoria clearly left a strong impression.

Indeed, his record at Benfica was certainly impressive. He took charge of 183 games for the club and had an excellent win rate of 68%. That saw him lead his side to victory on 125 occasions.

It is easy to draw comparisons between the potential new Wolves boss and one of their best from the FOSUN era, Nuno Espirito Santo.

Now at West Ham United, the ex-Old Gold manager took charge of 199 games at Molineux and was a huge success story.

Nuno was adored by the Wolves faithful. Not only did he guide them back to the Premier League in 2017/18, but he even led them to the Europa League. He certainly brought happier times to Molineux during his time there.

Like Vitoria, the former Wolves manager learnt his craft in his native Portugal. He began at Rio Ave, and then managed FC Porto, with a spell at Valencia in between, before moving to Molineux and starting his dynasty.

Well, via a few more clubs, that is a similar route to what Vitoria will be taking if he gets the job at Molineux. Making a name for themselves in Portugal is something the two managers have in common, and Vitoria will be hoping he can earn the same level of adoration Nuno got at Wolves.

The new Nuno Santo: "World-class" manager wants to hold talks with Wolves

Wolverhampton Wanderers could appoint their next Nuno Espirito Santo by hiring this Gary O’Neil upgrade.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 5, 2025

Stats highlights from Pune, where India’s right-arm offspinners took all 10 wickets in an innings for the first ever time

Sampath Bandarupalli24-Oct-20241:23

Manjrekar: Washington an inspired pick; New Zealand might miss Henry

1 Washington Sundar and R Ashwin recorded the first instance of all ten wickets in a men’s Test innings being taken by right-arm offspinners for India. Ashwin took the first three wickets to fall, while Sundar took the next seven.4 Instances of right-arm offspinners sharing all ten wickets in a men’s Test innings since Jim Laker’s ten-wicket haul in 1956. Muthiah Muralidaran and Ajantha Mendis shared all ten wickets in India’s second innings in the 2008 Colombo Test, the previous such instance before the Pune Test.Muralidaran also shared ten wickets with Kumar Dharmasena and Jayananda Warnaweera against Pakistan in the 1994 Colombo Test, while Tony Greig employed offspin for his eight-wicket haul in the 1974 Port of Spain Test against West Indies, with Pat Pocock taking the other two.Related

• Washington Sundar's career-best 7 for 59 spins out New Zealand

• Which is the biggest Test upset of the year?

• How lucky were India on their last tour of Australia? A statistical model tells us

61 Balls bowled by Washington between his seven wickets, after being wicketless in the first 13 overs. Only one Indian took seven wickets in the space of fewer balls in a men’s Test innings since 2000 – 60 by Anil Kumble against Australia in Chennai in 2004, after seven wicketless overs.