Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino had an at-bat to forget during Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox.

During the first inning up against new Red Sox pitcher Dustin May, Pasquantino was sat down on strikes after swinging through a devastating sweeper. It was a nasty pitch, and it broke so much that despite Pasquantino swinging and missing, the ball ended up running all the way inside and hitting him square on the thigh.

It looked for a moment as if Pasquantino fouled the ball off, but in reality it just bounced straight off his thigh and he was ruled out on strikes.

On Thursday, the Royals first baseman posted the aftermath of his embarrassing strikeout on social media, revealing a massive bruise on his thigh while having a laugh at his own expense.

All in all, not a moment Pasquantino will look back too fondly on, though the welt on his leg will certainly serve as a frequent and painful reminder of it throughout the next few days.

عبر خالد النبريصي مهاجم منتخب فلسطين، عن سعادته بفوز منتخب بلاده على منتخب قطر في بطولة كأس العرب. 

وفاز منتخب فلسطين على منتخب قطر بهدف دون رد، في الجولة الاولى من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب قطر 2025. 

طالع.. إيهاب أبو جزر: فوز فلسطين على قطر تاريخي.. ونهديه لشهدائنا وجرحانا

وقال خالد النبريصي في تصريحات على فناة دبي الرياضية: “الحمد لله على الفوز، نبارك لشعبنا، شعبنا الصامد فلسطين، رحم الله شهداءنا، الفوز طالع من القلب للشعب الفلسطيني، فعلاً يستحقون هذه الفرحة، عانوا كثيرًا، والحمد لله قدمنا مباراة جيدة، مباراة تكتيكية بتعليمات الجهاز الفني”. 

وأضاف: “واجهنا منتخب قطر الصاعد لـ كأس العالم، وكان يجب علينا التحلي بالصبر، وهذا هو سبب المكسب اليوم، الحمد لله قدرنا نكون صابرين وربنا أكرمنا في النهاية”. 

بينما أكد عميد صوافطة لاعب المنتخب الفلسطيني على قناة أبو ظبي الرياضية: “الفوز على قطر شعور لا يوصف، الفوز بثلاث نقاط أمام بطل كأس آسيا، وبعد هذا الفوز الذي نهديه لكل جماهيرنا الفلسطينية طموحنا أكيد يكبر، والمباراة القادمة أمام المنتخب التونسي ستكون صعبة ونطمح لحصد ثلاث نقاط”.

وتابع: “في البداية جئنا إلى هنا ليس فقط للمشاركة، جئنا بطموح كبير، المجموعة صعبة لكن فلسطين منتخب قوي ومنتخب حاضر بإذن الله”.

   

The day-long elections, which included physical votes and e-ballots, was held in a hotel in Dhaka on Monday

Mohammad Isam06-Oct-2025Aminul Islam has been re-elected as the BCB president at the board election on Monday. He will serve a four-year term, after having been in the same role for the last four months. Faruque Ahmed, the former president who Aminul had replaced in May, and Shakhawat Hossain, will be the vice-presidents.The day-long election, which included physical votes and e-ballots, was held in a hotel in Dhaka. A total of 23 directors were elected and two government representatives were announced later to form the 25-member body. The election commission said 115 votes were cast out of the 156 eligible voters.The election process is two-fold. The voters, called councillors, elect 23 board directors in three separate categories. Aminul was one of ten directors elected from the first category, which includes only the divisions and districts of the country. The second category is the all-powerful Dhaka clubs who elect the majority of 12 directors. The third category includes representatives from different institutions, former cricketers, captains, and several other organisations.The election commission announced the names of the board directors at 6.30pm, before the new 25-member body held an election among themselves to choose the president and two vice-presidents. Aminul, Faruque and Shakhawat were elected unopposed in these posts.Three former captains are now in the board of directors, including Aminul, Faruque and Khaled Mashud. Former Bangladesh cricketer Abdur Razzak was nominated from the Khulna sub-category unopposed, becoming a board director. He had left his job as a senior men’s selector recently.While the voting was held without major incident on Monday, the election commission representatives made allegations of “intimidations”. The build-up to the election, too, had several controversies. Tamim Iqbal, the former Bangladesh captain, had withdrawn from the race after complaining of interference, when BCB chief Aminul issued a letter asking for fresh nominations for the elections’ first category. The letter was cleared by the country’s courts the day before the elections.After he was confirmed as the new president, Aminul said he wanted to continue in this role after “falling in love with Bangladesh cricket’s development”. When he was elected on May 30, Aminul had said that his short-term role would be like a “quick T20 innings”.Aminul played 13 Tests and 39 ODIs, and led the side during their maiden World Cup appearance in 1999.Category 1 directors: Aminul Islam, Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury, Asif Akbar, Abdur Razzak, Julfiker Ali Khan, Mukhlesur Rahman, Hasanuzzaman, Rahat Shams, Shakhawat HossainCategory 2 directors: Ishtiaque Sadeque, Adnan Rahman, Fayazur Rahman, Abul Bashar, Amzad Hossain, Shanian Taneem, Mukhsedul Kamal, Nazmul Islam, Faruque Ahmed, Manjur Alam, Mehrab Alam Chowdhury, Iftekhar RahmanCategory 3 director: Khaled MashudGovernment representative directors: M Ishfaq Ahsan, Yasir Mohammad Faisal Ashique

When is the India vs Pakistan game? What’s the format? Who are the players to watch? And a lot more…

Abhijato Sensarma05-Sep-2025Isn’t the Asia Cup sometime soon?Indeed, and that’s why we’re here. The 17th edition of the Asia Cup starts on September 9 and ends on September 28. The tournament will be played in the UAE, with matches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. All games start at 6.30pm UAE time, with one double-header day when the two matches start at 4pm and 6.30pm UAE time.Why is the Asia Cup in the UAE this time?India were the official hosts of the tournament, but because of their strained political relations with Pakistan, neither team plays in the other’s country now. If India had hosted the tournament, the matches involving Pakistan would have had to be played at a neutral venue, like India’s games were in the UAE when Pakistan hosted the 2025 Champions Trophy. So while the BCCI remains the official host, the matches will be played in the UAE this time.Tell me more about the Asia Cup…The first Asia Cup was played in 1984, between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament is only nine years younger than the ODI World Cup. It was set up as a way of promoting goodwill between the participating countries and then became progressively bigger as more Asian countries developed strong teams. It was initially a stop-and-start presence in the international calendar, but has been played every alternate year since 2008, except for the interruption in 2020 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.India are the defending champions. Mohammed Siraj ran through Sri Lanka with a six-for in the 2023 Asia Cup final in Colombo and they chased down the target of 51 in just 6.1 overs. It was India’s eighth Asia Cup title, making them the most successful team in the tournament. Sri Lanka are the second-most-successful team with six Asia Cup wins.Related

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So the Asia Cup is an ODI tournament?It began as an ODI tournament, but over the last decade it has switched between the ODI and the T20I formats, depending on whether the upcoming World Cup is an ODI or T20I tournament. The previous Asia Cup in 2023 was an ODI tournament because it was held a few months before the 2023 ODI World Cup. This Asia Cup is a T20I tournament ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next February.India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are the participating teams?Not just them. For the first time, there are eight teams in the Asia Cup. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan qualified directly for the tournament, and they are joined by the top three teams – UAE, Oman and Hong Kong – from the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup, which is the top-tier tournament for associate countries in Asia.Salman Agha’s Pakistan will have a new-look top order at the Asia Cup•AFP/Getty ImagesWhy didn’t Nepal make it?They came up short in the 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup. They topped their group but lost to UAE in the semi-finals, and then to Hong Kong in the third-place playoff in a last-over finish. Hong Kong qualified for the Asia Cup and Nepal, despite their rise in recent years, will sit this tournament out.What’s the format of this Asia Cup?The eight teams have been split up: India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE are in Group A, while Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka are in Group B, and each team will play the others in their group once. The top two from each group will qualify for the Super Four round, where they will all play each other again. The top two from the Super Four will play the final on September 28 in Dubai.India and Pakistan are playing each other?Yes, but there was some uncertainty around the fixture due to cross-border tensions earlier this year until the Indian government clarified its stance on playing Pakistan recently: India will not play bilateral cricket against Pakistan but will play them in multi-nation events like the Asia Cup and ICC tournaments.Their group A game is on September 14, Sunday, in Dubai. If both teams qualify for the Super Four stage, they will play each other a second time. And then there’s the possibility of an India-Pakistan final too; they have never played an Asia Cup final against each other before, though.Bangladesh recently beat Sri Lanka in a T20I series•Getty ImagesWhat else is there to look forward to in this Asia Cup?Plenty. Pakistan have a new-look top order, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan still out of the side after a period of diminishing returns (and strike rates).Bangladesh recently beat Sri Lanka in a hard-fought bilateral T20I series.India have picked a full-strength squad for the first time since winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, but questions remain over the balance of their best XI.Hong Kong – who take on Afghanistan in the tournament opener – have a new captain, Yasim Murtaza, and a new coach, former Sri Lanka international Kaushal Silva.Afghanistan are gunning for their first major title after they had their best finish at a global event at the 2024 World Cup, where they got to the semi-finals.Oman will also be playing their first major tournament since a payment dispute with their board, in the aftermath of the same World Cup.India vs Pakistan is the biggest fixture, of course, but there has been a lot of needle in games featuring Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka over the years. No one can be certain where the flashpoints of this year’s tournament might be.Will Afghanistan’s AM Ghazanfar be a hit in T20 internationals?•ACBAny exciting new players in the Asia Cup?There is a significant pool of expected debutants and fresh-faced internationals at the Asia Cup. The most high profile among the second lot would be Abhishek Sharma, who already has two T20I centuries and scores at a strike rate of 193.84, but is only 24 and has played just 17 matches for India. This will be his first major tournament since his ascent to being first-choice India opener, and a litmus test too – how will he perform under serious pressure?Afghanistan’s 19-year-old mystery spinner, AM Ghazanfar, has just made his T20I debut after impressing with two five-wicket hauls in 11 ODIs. He is also becoming a regular on the T20 franchise circuit.Pakistan left-arm quick Salman Mirza is 31 and has made a name for himself recently. After an impressive PSL season with Lahore Qalandars, he debuted in the series against Bangladesh and picked up seven wickets at an economy of 5.21.UAE captain and opener Muhammad Waseem is by far their best batter and a prominent name in the T20 franchise circuit. He has a strike rate of 155.73 in T20Is* but he will be entering the Asia Cup without much experience in big tournaments. It remains to be seen if he doubles down on his aggressive batting.Hong Kong’s 34-year-old captain Murtaza has played T20Is for three years but will be captaining the side for the first time. A bowling allrounder, he has taken 70 wickets with a tidy economy of 6.33.So, a lot of entertainment to look forward to?Of course. In T20 cricket, even relatively lower-ranked teams have a fair chance of challenging the stronger teams. And, in recent years, the Asia Cup has produced some memorable matches.In their first appearance at the tournament, Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 91 runs in 2014. Four years later, they tied an ODI against India. Hong Kong almost chased down 286 against India after a 174-run opening stand in the 2018 edition. While major shocks have not been too frequent, matches like these prove the quality of cricket has been high and the competition fierce.Sri Lanka won the last T20I edition of the Asia Cup – played in 2022 – against the odds after facing Pakistan in the final, underlining the close gap between top teams. In short, plenty of excitement awaits with no results guaranteed. And we’ll be covering every moment on ESPNcricinfo, so stay tuned.

After losing the tournament opener to India, Sri Lanka play Australia in an ODI for the first time since 2019

Madushka Balasuriya03-Oct-20252:44

Can the Australia batting juggernaut be stopped?

India first, Australia second. No, that wasn’t an early prediction for the finals, just simply Sri Lanka’s first two matches at this World Cup. It should only get easier from here but for a Sri Lankan outfit that, despite having played 31 ODIs between the 2022 World Cup and this one, has been crying out for consistent, high-level competition, this upcoming game will lay the most accurate marker yet on their upward trajectory over the past couple of years.Having challenged the hosts India in the tournament opener, they fell short at key moments in that game, perhaps succumbing to the pressure of the occasion. And that pressure will only be cranked up against an imposing Australian outfit, one with so many avenues to hurt you, it’s hard to pinpoint any single weak point that opponents could potentially prey on.For Sri Lanka’s captain Chamari Athapaththu both these matches have come at the right time – at the start of the tournament – and she hopes they will serve as a building block for her side’s ambitions.Related

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“Yes, we’re playing against the two best teams in the first two games, but that’s really good for us,” Athapaththu said ahead of Saturday’s match against Australia in Colombo.”Because then we have some games against teams – like South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan Bangladesh – that we have beaten during the last 12-15 months. So it’s good to start with best teams so that we can prepare well and learn from our mistakes and bounce back.”That resilience to bounce back from setbacks is what has driven this Sri Lankan team over the past couple of years. Between October 2019 and June 2022, they didn’t play a single ODI. Since then, they’ve surged forward, culminating in their T20 Asia Cup title in 2024.Game time has helped, even if parity with the men’s team remains distant. Sri Lanka played 31 WODIs and 61 WT20Is between the 2022 and 2025 World Cups. Still, matches against elite sides like Australia remain rare. Before this tournament, Sri Lanka hadn’t played an international for four months; they prepared with domestic fixtures and games against youth teams.”Everyone knows the Australians are the best team and they have a very experienced side,” Athapaththu said. “In 2019 we played a series against them and I scored a century in Brisbane. After that we never played against Australia because of Covid and some other various reasons. So we missed playing against Australia.”We know we haven’t played international games during the past few months, but we played some domestic cricket. There are things that I cannot control as a captain but I’ll control my bat and ball. Our preparation is good, because we played some games against national youth teams.”Australia’s preparation, meanwhile, has been ideal. They won a hard-fought series in India in September and several of their players have gained exposure to Indian conditions through the WPL. They arrived in Colombo on Thursday afternoon, well in time to recover and prepare for Saturday.”It’s been good, positive vibes,” said opener Phoebe Litchfield when asked about the team’s mood following their journey from Indore. “Woke up this morning, hit the gym, got to the ground and hopefully have some food and get started into training. The commute was fine. It was pretty stock standard but the bodies feel great all around so we’re keen to play tomorrow.”Litchfield struck a 31-ball 45 against New Zealand to set the tone for Australia’s innings in Indore, but with conditions in Colombo unlikely to be as conducive to batting, she knows a more considered approach might be required.”I think we’ll see when we get out there,” Litchfield said. “I’m not going to swing from the limbs first ball. Going to assess conditions, see how it’s playing. And if we think it’s a 300 wicket, it’s a 300 wicket and we’ll play our way. But also know that we might have to adapt depending on the conditions that we face.Litchfield has played just the solitary match against Sri Lanka – a WT20I last year – but Australia know what to expect for the most part.”Their opening bowlers pose a threat but their spin attack is where their work gets done. They’ve got four spinners that are completely different to each other. That’ll probably be the biggest threat to us.”

England spinner stepped into big shoes for the Hundred, but has guided her side to the Eliminator

Andrew Miller30-Aug-2025Twelve months on from London Spirit’s victory over Welsh Fire in the 2024 Women’s Hundred final, Charlie Dean breaks into a grin as she recalls Deepti Sharma’s winning six over long-on, and her team’s agog reactions in the dugout by the boundary’s edge.”Every time you look at that clip, you see something different,” Dean tells ESPNcricinfo, thinking back to Spirit’s tightly fought four-wicket win, sealed in euphoric style with two balls to spare, and with Dean herself 1 not out at the non-striker’s end.Cordelia Griffith was the star of the subsequent meme: eyes out on stalks as she tracked Deepti’s shot, all the way off the bat and just out of the reach of a backpedalling Shabnim Ismail, but every player in the frame lived the moment in a different way.”There’s Eva [Gray] taking her helmet off, then putting it back on, then throwing it away,” Dean recalls. “I’d faced one full-toss and hit it straight to the fielder, so when Deepti hit the ball over the boundary there’s just a lot of relief. I’ve seen so many replays of the girls celebrating off the bench. It brings back a lot of good memories, a lot of good feelings. That’s why you play the game, isn’t it? To win big games like that. If we can replicate any of those feelings again this year, that would be amazing.”Spirit have certainly done the needful to give themselves a shot at back-to-back titles. For the second year running, they have qualified third in the table, meaning they will once again have to come through Saturday’s Eliminator at the Kia Oval to give themselves a chance to face Southern Brave in the Lord’s final.If there’s a slight nervousness about the weekend’s weather forecast, and the danger that a washout could send second-placed Northern Superchargers straight to the final without a ball being bowled, then Dean is unfazed. Not only has her team been in this position before, but now – as captain, in the wake of Heather Knight’s season-halting hamstring injury – she feels all the more ready to cope with whatever circumstances crop up in the coming days.Grace Harris opened the tournament with a blistering 89 not out•ECB via Getty Images”I’ve really enjoyed this year,” she says. “I’m in a place where I know my game quite well, and I can think about other people, and I feel like I’ve had a lot of personal development. I’ve gained a bit more confidence with my public speaking, and bits like that … things that would probably have challenged me a lot more in previous years.”The core group of girls is pretty similar to last year and the year before, with a few brilliant changes, so be able to lead this group is a bit of an honour,” she adds. “It’s lovely to have Heather still here with us, offering a bit of guidance and advice, then there’s Chris Liddle – it’s his first time being head coach, but you wouldn’t know it – so I’m incredibly lucky that I’m really well supported.”We work really well as a core leadership group, and that just makes my job so much easier. I trust my gut and go with how I see the game playing out on the pitch. The girls have performed really well, and different people have stood up at different times, so it certainly makes a captain’s job easier when that is the case.”The chance to captain Spirit – untimely though it has been for Knight – has the potential to transform Dean’s standing within English cricket. Back in March, when Knight left her role as England captain, Dean’s name had been one of many tentatively mentioned for the succession, but everywhere you looked, the problem was the same. Knight’s sheer longevity – eight years in the role – had inadvertently prevented anyone else within the England set-up from honing their leadership skills.Related

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It’s an issue Dean recognises and accepts. “It’s hard, as an England player, to be in and out of domestic teams and still be a leader. You can’t captain a domestic team if you’re not there all the time. So opportunities to captain are few and far between, but I always relished the chance to step up in other leadership ways. This has been a perfect opportunity for me to test out how I’ve grown, and see where it takes me.”In the immediate future, Dean hopes it will take her north of the river once again, after this afternoon’s Eliminator, and back to the base-camp that she has been proud to call her midsummer home for the past five seasons.”Lord’s massively feels like home for us,” she says. “It really does feel like the norm to be able to go out and play there, which is crazy when you think, 5-10 years ago, you really wouldn’t be able to say that at all. Women’s cricket deserves that platform … the skill levels are increasing, day in, day out, with more professionalism and the chance to showcase our skills.”Even so, the Lord’s factor is a very real aspect of Finals Day, and so the chance for Spirit to have familiarised themselves with the surroundings, and the ground’s idiosyncrasies (“I don’t know if you know, but there is a slope here,” Dean jokes…) is undoubtedly a bonus.Lord’s ‘massively feels like home’ for London Spirit women, Dean says•ECB/Getty Images”It does give it a little home advantage, but a final is a final,” she adds. “You have to be the better team, but you also have to be smart. It’s not like The Oval or Headingley, where it’s a batter’s paradise most of the time. But equally, those are the games of cricket that really excite you as a player, when you have to engage a bit more, and plan for different scenarios – left-hand, right-hand, a smaller boundary, or whatever it is. Those are the things that really excite me as a player. It gets the brain ticking.”As Dean acknowledges, many of the same characters from the 2024 victory are still present in the Spirit dressing-room, from Georgia Redmayne at the top of the order, via Griffith and Dani Gibson in the middle, through the spin duo of Dean herself and Sarah Glenn, and with Gray topping their averages with nine wickets at 17.77.But Kira Chathli’s arrival as Knight’s replacement has been a revelation – 214 runs at a strike-rate of 150 has helped to propel their powerplays – while the return of Grace Harris alongside the marquee signing of Issy Wong has given Spirit a sprinkling of extra impetus as they seek to become only the second team after Oval Invincibles to land back-to-back women’s Hundred titles.”We picked up Kira before the wildcard draft, and that was gold-dust, really,” Dean says. “She’d had brilliant form in the Vitality Blast for Surrey, so it was a no-brainer for us to promote her to the top of the order and just encourage her to play the way that she’s been playing for Surrey.”As for Harris, she announced her return in irrepressible fashion in the tournament opener against Invincibles, where she clubbed a matchwinning 89 not out from 42 balls. Her returns since then may have been more hit-and-miss, but her threat has been ever-present, along with her indefatigable dressing-room attitude.”She’s a fantastic cricketer to have in your team,” Dean says. “The energy that she brings and the way she goes about her business, she just cracks on and gets it done. She set the tone with that opening game, and has been just fantastic for us. We let her go and express herself. And she does it really well, even though at times you may be like, ‘Wow, she really doesn’t stop!’ But it is fantastic to have someone in your dressing-room who just exudes energy, because it really brings everyone up with her.”And then there’s Wong, a player whose personal journey in recent seasons has arguably epitomised that of the women’s game as a whole. The huge promise, the inflated expectations, the inevitable dip in performance amid the glare of ever-building scrutiny. But now, still only 23, she’s been on the comeback trail for Warwickshire, England and Spirit all season long, and after a series of critical contributions with bat and ball alike, Dean believes she’ll be ready to deliver when her team needs it most.”Issy is someone that will always stand up under pressure,” she says. “That’s one of the qualities you really want in a player. She thrives in the battle and she’s really become resilient, and developed ways of bouncing back, because she’s had a few struggles.”She’s a fantastic bowler to have in our armoury. She’s come in and really owned what she’s doing, and she’s back with a bang, which is so exciting for English cricket. And for her, on a personal level, knowing how much work that she’s put in over the past couple of years.”

No result Pakistan will never know, and England won’t want to know after they escaped what had threatened to be the upset this World Cup craved, thanks to the start of the Colombo monsoon.Both teams took a point – Pakistan’s first from four matches and England’s moving them to the top of the table, leading Australia on net run rate – after what had shaped as a thriller ended in a washout, the second in as many days at the R Premadasa Stadium.But it is Pakistan who should hold their heads high after a devastating opening spell from their captain Fatima Sana, who put England on the canvas at 78 for 7 before a 47-run stand for the eighth wicket between Charlie Dean and Em Arlott dragged them to 133 for 9 in 31 overs.Chasing a DLS-adjusted target of 113, Pakistan were well in control, reaching 34 without loss after 6.4 overs before heavy showers returned to end the match prematurely.Related

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England, unbeaten heading into the match, were without their spin and seam-bowling spearheads when Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell were ruled out through illness and replaced by legspinner Sarah Glenn and seamer Arlott.But it was their misfiring batting line-up that came unstuck. Of England’s recognised batters, only Nat Sciver-Brunt, with a century in the previous match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, and Heather Knight, with a gritty 79 not out that rescued England from the threat of another upset at the hands of Bangladesh, had been in the runs since England chased down a paltry target of 70 without loss in their opening game with South Africa.Arlott, who had impressed England head coach Charlotte Edwards with a century at the start of the domestic season and went on to make her international debut during the English summer, was run out for 18 off 23 balls in the penultimate over while Dean expertly picked gaps in the field to top-score with 33 before becoming Sana’s fourth wicket, scooping to Omaima Sohail at short fine leg.Tammy Beaumont was bowled for 4•Getty Images

Earlier, openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones continued to struggle and both departed inside the first three overs of the match. Beaumont left a dazzling nip-backer from Diana Baig to her peril as the ball clipped the off bail, leaving her with scores of 21 not out against South Africa followed by 13, 32 and 4 so far.Jones, meanwhile, helped herself to two fours off Sana’s first over before the latter produced a superb nip-backer which clattered into the top of middle and off, Jones departing for a second single-figure score in three innings.Knight, who had three dismissals overturned against Bangladesh, challenged an lbw decision in Sana’s next over and replays showed the ball was missing down the leg side. She also survived a hopeful Pakistan review for lbw two balls later when the ball was tracking outside off.But Sana’s biggest and best wicket was arguably that of Sciver-Brunt, done by yet another one that nipped back off the seam. She shaped to cut only for the ball to slide under her glove and onto the top of middle stump.Knight tried her luck once more when she was rapped on the pad by Sana but, with the ball on target to hit the top of leg stump, England were left floundering at 38 for 4.Sadia Iqbal chimed in for the spinners when she bowled an out-of-sorts Emma Lamb, sitting back in her crease to an arm ball that dipped and slid through her defences. Lamb had entered the World Cup in great form with half-centuries in warm-up games against India and Australia but she is another England batter yet to reach 20 at this tournament.Omaima Sohail scored an unbeaten 19 off 18 balls•ICC/Getty Images

Likewise, Sophia Dunkley, who was removed for 11 via a successful review when she was struck on the pad attempting to sweep with the ball homing in on leg stump as Iqbal celebrated her second wicket and England lurched to 57 for 6 in the 12th over.Alice Capsey, on 8, swept Rameen Shamim’s first delivery, a low full toss, straight to square leg where Muneeba Ali shelled a simple chance. But Shamim had Capsey lbw for 16 when she missed a sweep shortly before the rain arrived for the first time, with England 79 for 7 after 25 overs.After a stoppage of around three hours and 45 minutes, play resumed with England needing to bat out another six overs, during which time they added 54 runs, thanks largely to Arlott and Dean.Pakistan have never beaten England in ODIs and have just one win against them in T20Is in 2013, which only added to their sense of what might have been had the weather not intervened.Sohail hadn’t played since her first-ball duck in Pakistan’s defeat to Bangladesh in their opening game but, recalled to bolster a batting line-up which – apart from Sidra Amin – had proved fragile at this event, she marshalled Pakistan’s pursuit here, easing to 19 off 18. She was supported by Muneeba, who remained unbeaten on 9.Pakistan’s performance offered some encouragement for a side that also had Australia 76 for 7 before losing by 107 runs, although that may well be an empty consolation.For England, it is a sharp reality check for a side which perhaps hasn’t fully exorcised the demons of a year ago, where their shortcomings under pressure knocked them out of another global showcase.

Sunderland have now made a decision on Granit Xhaka’s future, amid interest from Juventus ahead of the January transfer window.

The Black Cats have surpassed all expectations so far this season, currently sitting fourth in the Premier League table after collecting 19 points from their opening 11 games, and Regis Le Bris & co deserve major credit for the work they did in the transfer window.

It was a summer of change for the Championship play-off final winners, bringing in new additions all over the pitch, including at centre-forward, with Brian Brobbey getting off the mark courtesy of a dramatic late equaliser against Arsenal before the international break.

However, arguably Le Bris’ best addition has been Xhaka, with the central midfielder’s importance underlined by the fact he has played every minute in the Premier League so far this season, receiving plaudits from former defender Micky Gray after impressing against West Ham United.

Gray described the Swiss maestro as “absolutely incredible”, before going on to add: “You could see him trying to speak to everybody and calm everybody down. And when the ball came to his feet, he wasn’t rushing his passes. He was slowing everything down. So that experience is absolutely huge.”

Juventus eyeing January move for Sunderland star Granit Xhaka

As such, it will come as no surprise to learn that the 33-year-old is attracting attention ahead of the January transfer window, with a report from TuttoSport (via Sport Witness), revealing Juventus are now eyeing a shock winter transfer.

The 142-time Switzerland international’s agents are said to be seeking a move, given that their client has made a fantastic start to the campaign, with the report bizarrely also claiming the Black Cats are willing to sanction a January move if he asks to leave.

Sunderland have done extremely well to be competing at the top end of the Premier League table, and they are already nearly half-way to the magic 40-point mark, but they are not out of the woods just yet, so it would, of course, be a mistake to cash-in this winter.

The Basel-born midfielder has contributed one goal and three assists in the Premier League this term, with Wayne Rooney suggesting he could be the signing of the season, given his experience and leadership qualities.

The former Arsenal man has also impressed at international level during the current break, scoring a penalty and making a number of other key contributions as Switzerland ran out emphatic 4-1 winners against Sweden on Saturday.

Granit Xhaka’s statistics against Sweden

Number completed

Accurate passes

65/77 (84%)

Ground duels (won)

4 (3)

Aerials duels (won)

2 (2)

Accurate long balls

5

In all honesty, it was a major coup for Sunderland to even sign Xhaka in the first place, and given that he remains under contract until 2028, there is no need to cash-in this January or in the summer.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 17, 2025

A goalkeeper’s role in football has evolved from just being a brilliant shot-stopper. Nowadays, ‘keepers have to be just as good with their feet, with plenty of managers opting to play out from the back, meaning their No 1s are their first point to build an attack.

But with coaches demanding so much more from their number ones, who takes the crown as the best goalkeeper in world football?

Ranking factors

To help rank the goalkeepers in order, we have considered the following criteria:

Current form – how well a player has performed in the past few months Importance to their teams – how influential they are to their teams’ performances Role – how unique their skillset is Reputation – what others say about them

Rank

Player

Age

Club

Nation

Gianluigi Donnarumma

26

Man City

Italy

David Raya

30

Arsenal

Spain

Thibaut Courtois

33

Real Madrid

Belgium

Alisson

33

Liverpool

Brazil

Jan Oblak

32

Atletico Madrid

Slovenia

Unai Simon

28

Athletic Club

Spain

Emiliano Martinez

33

Aston Villa

Argentina

Diogo Costa

26

FC Porto

Portugal

Gregor Kobel

27

Borussia Dortmund

Switzerland

Yann Sommer

36

Inter Milan

Switzerland

Manuel Neuer

39

Bayern Munich

Germany

Mike Maignan

30

AC Milan

France

Joan Garcia

24

Barcelona

Spain

Jordan Pickford

31

Everton

England

Mile Svilar

26

Roma

Serbia

15 Mile Svilar Roma and Serbia

Mile Svilar had a standout 2024/25 season, recording 16 clean sheets and the highest save percentage in Serie A which has seen him join the rankings for the first time.

The Serbia international, who joined Roma in 2022, is now 26 years of age and appears to be entering his prime for the Italian giants.

Liga Portugal

2019

Belgian Pro League

2017

Belgian Super Cup

2017

14 Jordan Pickford Everton and England

Everton’s No.1 Jordan Pickford has been first choice for England for almost eight years now, and he has impressed in recent weeks for the Toffees ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Pickford starred in the 1-0 win at Old Trafford and has been a consistent performer who arguably goes under the radar when it goes to being labelled as one of the best in the world.

13 Joan Garcia Barcelona and Spain

Joan Garcia was a goalkeeper in demand during the summer of 2025 following his eye-catching performances for Espanyol.

The Spaniard looked as if he was heading to Arsenal to link up with compatriots Mikel Arteta and David Raya, however, Barcelona came in and secured a deal.

It has proven to be a smart decision, with Garcia first choice when fit, and he’s under contract at the Nou Camp until 2031.

12 Mike Maignan AC Milan and France

Mike Maignan’s impressive displays in Italy with AC Milan have resulted in recent rumours of a move to the Premier League, with the France No.1 linked with Chelsea and Man Utd.

Now captain of Milan, Maignan has made more than 150 appearances for the European giants and has won the Goalkeeper of the Year award in France and Italy during his career.

At the age of 30, Maignan appears to be approaching the prime of his career, and he has been hailed by Kylian Mbappe for his penalty-saving bailout following his Nations League heroics for France.

Ligue 1

2021

Serie A

2022

Nations League

2021

Italian Super Cup

2025

11 Manuel Neuer Bayern Munich and Germany

Despite turning 39 years of age in March, Manuel Neuer is still one of the best goalkeepers on the planet. He’s won everything there is to win in the game and has made more than 550 appearances for Bayern Munich.

The German icon has suffered with some injury issues over the last 12 months, but when fit, continues to be first-choice at the Allianz Arena. He’s also still under contract until 2026, so it looks as if he’ll continue playing into his forties.

Bundesliga

2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025

World Cup

2014

Champions League

2013, 2020

FIFA Club World Cup

2014, 2021

UEFA Super Cup

2013, 2020

German Cup

2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020

German Super Cup

2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022

U21 European Championship

2009

10 Yann Sommer Inter Milan and Switzerland

Another highly experienced shot-stopper who appears to be getting better with age is Yann Sommer.

The 36-year-old moved to Inter Milan in 2023 to replace Andre Onana and has starred in Serie A, keeping clean sheets in more than half of his appearances for the club in all competitions.

Approaching 100 caps for Switzerland as well, Sommer is another example of ‘keepers hitting their prime in the latter stages of their career, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he too ends up continuing for a long while yet.

Bundesliga

2023

Serie A

2024

Swiss Super League

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Swiss Cup

2007, 2012

Italian Super Cup

2024

Liechtenstein Cup

2008

9 Gregor Kobel Borussia Dortmund and Switzerland

Transfermarkt has €40m Gregor Kobel as the joint-most valuable keeper in the world today, with the Swiss shot-stopper waiting patiently to take over from Sommer as his nation’s No.1.

The 27-year-old has been an ever-present figure for Borussia Dortmund since 2021, with sporting director Sebastian Kehl calling him ‘a goalkeeper of world-class calibre who has attracted the interest of many top clubs in Europe’.

Under contract until 2028, it’ll be interesting to see if Dortmund can keep Kobel at the club in the years to come.

Bundesliga Team of the Season

2023, 2024

Champions League Team of the Season

2024

8 Diogo Costa FC Porto and Portugal

Diogo Costa, a Portugal international, made a name for himself at Euro 2024, saving three penalties in a shootout over Slovenia and has continued to impress with FC Porto.

Mikel Arteta has also hailed Costa’s consistency in recent years, and right now, he is the joint-most valuable ‘keeper according to Transfermarkt.

7 Emiliano Martinez Aston Villa and Argentina

A champion with Argentina, Emiliano Martinez has continued to star years on after helping his country to World Cup glory in Qatar.

With Aston Villa, Martinez played a key role in helping them into the Champions League and has been called a “more mature” and “better goalkeeper” by Unai Emery. Named as The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper in 2024, Martinez has dipped slightly in 2025.

World Cup

2022

Copa America

2021, 2024

FA Cup

2015, 2017, 2020

Community Shield

2014, 2015, 2020

6 Unai Simon Athletic Club and Spain

Athletic Club had the best defence in La Liga for the 2024/25 season, with goalkeeper Unai Simon playing his part in a solid backing under Ernesto Valverde by recording the best save percentage in the league at more than 77%.

Despite missing the first half of the season through injury, Simon has been a regular in 2025 and has now made more than 200 appearances for his current employers.

European Championship

2024

Nations League

2023

Spanish Cup

2024

Spanish Super Cup

2020

Monterrey have reportedly opened formal negotiations with Sergio Ramos to extend his contract beyond December 2025. While no agreement has been reached, both parties are interested in continuing the partnership as Rayados enter a decisive stretch of the Apertura. Ramos’ leadership and experience have made his renewal a priority for the club as it plans for the 2026 project.

Getty Images SportRamos and Rayados move toward possible 2026 extension

Although talks remain in the early stages, the intention from both parties is clear: they want the partnership to continue – according to ESPN.

Ramos, who arrived in February 2025, quickly became the anchor of Rayados’ defense and one of the most high-profile signings in league history. His presence on and off the pitch has shaped Monterrey’s locker room identity, making his renewal one of the club’s key decisions heading into next year.

Sporting president José Antonio “Tato” Noriega confirmed the discussions but emphasized that the team’s competitive priorities come first.

“Of course there are conversations – that’s normal – but I’d rather not get into details because it distracts us from what matters most right now: the team,” Noriega said.

He stressed that the club must stay fully focused as they prepare for a difficult Liguilla matchup.

“This is the moment to close ranks. We’re facing a complicated rival in América. Any opponent would be tough, but América brings a different level of attention and pressure. We have to stay centered on that,” he said.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportRamos comfortable in Mexico and open to staying

The length of the proposed extension remains one of the key items under negotiation. are considering at least one more season, though no final terms have been settled. The 38-year-old has expressed feeling settled both professionally and personally in Monterrey, enjoying the challenge of Liga MX and embracing a leadership role within the squad.

Getty Images SportRayados value his stability and experience

Keeping Ramos would help Monterrey maintain continuity in defense. Since his arrival, he has played 23 Liga MX matches – starting all of them – and scored five goals, with only one red card.

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

With Rayados set to face América in the Apertura 2025 Quarterfinals – first leg at Estadio BBVA on Wednesday, second leg Sunday in Mexico City – formal renewal steps may be paused until after the postseason. If no agreement is reached, Ramos could become a free agent in January 2026, though both sides prefer to avoid that scenario.