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Crystal Palace now want to appoint an “unbelievable” 4-2-3-1 manager should Oliver Glasner leave Selhurst Park, according to Sky Sports.

Crystal Palace stretch unbeaten run to four games with Forest draw

The Eagles looked like they were on course to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League on Monday after going 1-0 up against Forest thanks to Eberechi Eze’s penalty. However, the away side soon got back on level terms, and that is how the game finished, meaning Palace picked up another point as they aim to finish in the top half of the Premier League.

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ByHenry Jackson May 6, 2025

Palace’s priority will be the upcoming FA Cup final, which they play in under two weeks against Manchester City. But despite not much being on the game against Forest, Glasner was pleased with his side’s performance and said the desire to win was “unbelievable”.

Glasner told BBC Match of the Day: “It was pretty even. After taking the lead, the equaliser was too quick. It was a set-play and a deflected ball. I really liked how the players wanted to win this game. I’m really pleased. The desire to win was unbelievable.

“We had many situations in the 60 or 70 minutes to come from the wing, but our crosses were not good enough. We got the penalty. We found the rhythm, and we had set-plays. You always have to be aware of the transitions – but we did well. We weren’t as efficient as in other games.”

Glasner also went on to provide an update on midfielder Adam Wharton, who had to come off after suffering an injury. He said: “It doesn’t look like it’s really serious. It was more precaution.”

Sky Sports: Crystal Palace now want 4-2-3-1 manager should Glasner leave

As the Eagles prepare for their Wembley final and look ahead to the future under Glasner, Palace, and by extension chariman Steve Parish, are also preparing for the worse when it comes to the future of their manager.

According to Sky Sports German reporter Philipp Hinze, Crystal Palace are interested in appointing Danny Rohl should Glasner decide to leave the club.

Hinze reports that Rohl, who has been dubbed “unbelievable” by Josh Windass, looks set to leave Sheffield Wednesday this summer. The German has a small exit fee in his contract, and that has alerted Palace as well as Fulham, as Glasner and Marco Silva are being linked with potential exits.

Leicester City and Southampton are also interested in appointing Rohl, who likes to play a 4-2-3-1 formation as a manager, as well as teams from the Bundesliga, but it looks as though he is likely to remain in England.

Sheffield Wednesday was the 36-year-old’s first managerial job, and after guiding the club away from relegation trouble last season, he guided the Owls to a mid-table finish this time around, comfortably away from relegation trouble but not enough to be in the race for the play-offs.

Games

89

Won

34

Drawn

19

Lost

36

Points per game

1.36

Palace’s interest in Rohl comes as the Austrian has been linked heavily with a move to RB Leipzig, as they look for a new manager, while Glasner has also emerged on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar as they look for candidates to replace Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham Hotspur were made to settle for a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first-leg clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday evening.

It was a game in which the Lilywhites had chances to secure the victory but could not find a winning goal that would have given them a crucial advantage in Frankfurt next week.

It was the visitors who took an early lead, just six minutes into the clash. The goalscorer was one of Europe’s most wanted centre-forwards, Hugo Ekitike.

He showed exactly why the biggest clubs want to sign him, cutting inside on his left foot and letting fly a shot from range that nestled into the bottom corner with pinpoint accuracy.

However, it was not long for Lilywhites fans to wait before their side clawed a goal back. The equaliser came from right-back Pedro Porro, who met a brilliant cross from James Maddison with a tidy, flicked finish into the back of the net.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Mickey van de Ven almost had a winner for Spurs. However, his header was superbly tipped over the crossbar by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos to keep the score on level terms.

It was certainly a disappointing night for the Lilywhites, who could have easily run out winners. There were some poor performances from some of those in a Spurs shirt.

Spurs' worst performers vs. Frankfurt

One of the Spurs players who struggled against the German side was winger Brennan Johnson. He found it difficult to make a real impact on the game at all, barely getting into the game out on the right flank.

In fact, Goal journalist Sean Walsh noticed that the Welshman struggled to stamp his authority on the game, handing Johnson a 4/10 rating for his performance, suggesting that he spent “far too much time hidden behind defenders”.

Another player in Postecoglou’s attacking trio who had a tough night at the office was striker Dominic Solanke. The England international showed glimpses of his best, and although he has been on a lean run of goalscoring form, he did link play up well at times.

However, his stats from the game, courtesy of Sofascore, show just how little he got into the game at times. For example, Solanke managed just 22 touches, completing seven of ten passes and winning three of five aerial duels.

As tough of a night it was for Johnson and Solanke, they were perhaps not Spurs’ worst attackers against Frankfurt.

Chalkboard

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

Spurs' worst player against Frankfurt

It has not been an easy season for Spurs captain Heung-min Son, and Thursday’s clash with Frankfurt summed that up in many ways.

The South Korean international lacked a real potency in his attacking play and did not pose too much of a threat to their opponents’ defence.

In fact, his stats really reflect Son’s struggles against the German outfit on Thursday. He had 61 touches in total, completing 38 of 44 attempted passes. However, the Spurs legend failed to compete either of his two attempted dribbles, and he lost the ball 12 times, once every five touches.

Touches

61

Passes completed

38/44

Number of times ball lost

12

Ground duels won

1/4

Dribbles completed

0/2

Crosses completed

1/3

Key passes

2

Son’s struggles against Frankfurt was a sentiment that the aforementioned Walsh seemed to agree with. He was critical of the Spurs captain, giving him a 4/10 for his performance, explaining that the winger was “seldom a threat in crucial areas” going forward.

It might be a worry for Spurs fans that their number seven’s career is petering out. While it’s certainly a different story, there is reason to suggest he’s winding down in a similar way to another modern-day club icon, Dele Alli.

The former Lilywhites midfielder was, at his peak, “the best” youngster in the world, according to Mauricio Pochettino.

However, Alli’s Spurs career tailed off when he began to have dips in form, and perhaps the same can be said for Son this season. It has certainly not been the easiest campaign for the attacker, who like Dele, has gone from an elite talent to someone struggling to make a real impact at Spurs in pretty swift time.

He has just 11 goals and 12 assists in 43 games, with seven goals and ten assists in the Premier League. Compare that to the 17 goals and ten assists in 35 games he managed last term, and there is certainly a Dele-esque decline in numbers.

It is a shame to see such a legendary Premier League player struggle to find his best form this term. No doubt, Lilywhites fans hope he can get back to the top of his game in what is a huge few weeks for the club.

He's a lot like Dele Alli: Spurs want to sign £20m "freak of nature"

The incredible youngster would be a hit at Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 10, 2025

The bowling combination and the identity of their reserve batters are in focus at the start of the home season

Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Sep-20251:48

Chopra: Don’t see Bumrah playing the first Test

On Wednesday, India will pick a 15-member squad for the two-Test home series against West Indies, which begins on October 2 in Ahmedabad. It’s a deceptively tricky selection, with India about to feel the full force of R Ashwin’s retirement for the first time (he didn’t miss even one of India’s 65 home Tests during his career), with Jasprit Bumrah’s workload still needing to be managed, and with questions still lingering from the unexpected, unprecedented 3-0 defeat to New Zealand last year. Here are five that Ajit Agarkar’s selection panel will need to answer.

Pick Bumrah or rest him?

The first Test in Ahmedabad begins four days after the final of the Asia Cup, which India have an excellent chance of featuring in. Four members of their Asia Cup squad – Test captain Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Bumrah – would ordinarily be certainties in a Test squad for a home series, but the circumstances around one of them are far from ordinary.Bumrah only played three out of five matches in India’s last Test series, in England, and that ratio of participation looks set to continue into the foreseeable future given his history of serious back injuries. So do India pick Bumrah for both Tests against West Indies, or just one of them? Or do they rest him for the entire series?In a similar situation a year or two ago, India may not have found it especially difficult to rest Bumrah. But their bowling resources at the moment aren’t quite what they’re used to having in home conditions. There’s the absence of Ashwin, for one, though you would expect a spin attack of Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep, Washington Sundar and Axar to cope with it.Jasprit Bumrah in action•Getty ImagesLast year’s defeat to New Zealand may have led India to ponder the kind of pitches they want to play their home Tests on, and potentially prompt a shift away from square turners to flatter surfaces that produce bigger first-innings totals. Any such shift, however, will also mean a bigger role for the fast bowlers. And India could have issues on that front if Bumrah isn’t around.India haven’t felt the overt impact of phasing out Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav – for so long their go-to quicks in home Tests – but it’s not hard to imagine a situation in the near future where they feel a desperate need for a bit of experience and know-how with an old ball on a bare surface. Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep have only played 19 home Tests between them, and Prasidh Krishna is yet to play one.Related

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India would dearly love to have Bumrah in this scenario, but against this desire they will have to weigh the demands of a packed schedule. After this series India have a white-ball tour of Australia in October-November followed by an all-format home series against South Africa, and then a white-ball series against New Zealand in early 2026 in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in February-March.

Is there room for Nitish Kumar Reddy?

Over his first seven Tests in Australia and England, Nitish Kumar Reddy gave India a glimpse of the high-ceiling seam-bowling allrounder he could become in the future. He’s an exceedingly useful player even in the present when India travel away from Asia, but do they need him in home conditions?In Jadeja, Washington and Axar, India have three high-quality spin-bowling allrounders for Indian pitches. A fourth allrounder who might not bowl all that much could be hard to fit into a squad of 15. But given the push for batting depth that’s defined Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach so far, India may still try hard to find a place for Reddy.This could mean picking either one fewer middle-order batter in the squad, or one fewer frontline seamer.2:05

Is there a role for Nitish Kumar Reddy in home Tests?

What happens to Abhimanyu Easwaran?

Abhimanyu Easwaran has played 31 first-class games for India A, captained them eight times, and been part of five Test squads, but he’s yet to get his hands on the Test cap. Now it seems likely that he won’t be part of the squad for the West Indies series, because there may not be room for a specialist reserve opener.With Rishabh Pant ruled out with the foot injury he sustained in England, Dhruv Jurel looks set to be India’s first-choice keeper in Ahmedabad, with N Jagadeesan – who joined the team in England after Pant was sidelined – as his understudy.Jagadeesan can also open the batting, and he’s been in terrific form doing that. His last two first-class games, at the time of writing, have brought him 197 and 52* for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy and 64 for India A against Australia A, in a match where he alternated keeping duties with Jurel.Abhimanyu opened with Jagadeesan in that India A game, and made 44. When KL Rahul came into the India A side in the second unofficial Test against Australia A, he replaced Abhimanyu rather than Jagadeesan. A clear sign of things to come?Devdutt Padikkal has been in good form since recovering from a hamstring injury•PTI

Who are the reserve batters?

If they’re all fit, six of India’s top seven pick themselves: Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill, Jurel, Jadeja and Washington. That leaves the No. 3 slot, for which the incumbent B Sai Sudharsan appears the frontrunner, having firmed up his credentials with a 73 in the first unofficial Test against Australia A.If India also pick Reddy in their squad, it leaves either no space for another middle-order batter, or just one spot, depending on how many fast bowlers they pick.That one spot, if it exists, could go to Devdutt Padikkal, who was ruled out of the England tour after injuring his hamstring during the IPL. Padikkal, who made his Test debut against England last year in Dharamsala, also played the first Test of the 2024-25 Australia tour in Perth – he wasn’t part of India’s original squad there, but was added to it following impressive performances on the shadow India A tour.Padikkal has been among the runs since recovering from the hamstring injury, scoring 57 for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy and 150 for India A in the first unofficial Test against Australia A.If Padikkal is picked, it would be at the expense of his Karnataka team-mate Karun Nair, who played four of the five Tests in England but was ruled out of contention for the India A squad by a finger injury. Nair had a strange tour of England, getting to 20 in five of his eight innings but only managing a top score of 57. There were periods of pristine strokeplay, but also uncertain moments against the rising ball, and India may have expected better returns overall from a 33-year-old making a comeback in good batting conditions.Sarfaraz Khan could have been in contention for this middle-order role too, but the Mumbai batter has been out of action since May, and has been recuperating from an injury – quadriceps, according to reports – at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.Sourav Ganguly presented Akash Deep with an award for his performance in England•Garima Agarwal

How many fast bowlers, and who?

Given that West Indies’ biggest strength is their fast bowling, it is unlikely that conditions in either Ahmedabad or Delhi will have too much help for the quicks. Given this, India are unlikely to play more than two seamers in their XI, which means their squad is likely to contain no more than four frontline quicks – potentially just three plus Reddy.Whether Bumrah is one of them remains to be seen. Siraj, Prasidh and Akash Deep, the other three frontline quicks who played at least three Tests each in England, would be the main names in contention now, but one of them has struggled with fitness issues over recent months.Akash Deep was less than fully fit during two of the three Tests he played in England, and has been out of action since his return. He was originally part of the East Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy but missed the tournament after being advised rest – he later told that he was dealing with an “impact” injury that he suffered in England and not a fresh one. There is a chance that his lack of recent match time – he isn’t part of the India A squad either – could count against his selection, at least for the first Test.Siraj and Prasidh, the heroes of India’s series-levelling win at The Oval, are playing the unofficial Tests against Australia A, and have no known fitness issues.If India don’t pick Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, who were part of India’s squad in England and are currently at the Asia Cup, could come into the picture. Punjab’s towering Gurnoor Brar, whom India called up as a net bowler ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh last year, and who is currently playing for India A, is a possible left-field selection.

Possible India squad for two-Test series against West Indies

Shubman Gill (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (possibly for one Test only), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Devdutt Padikkal, N Jagadeesan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy/Akash Deep/Arshdeep Singh.

All the landmarks and milestones reached by South Africa – some in tandem with Sri Lanka – in a run-fest in Delhi

Sampath Bandarupalli07-Oct-2023428 for 5 – South Africa’s total against Sri Lanka in Delhi is the highest in the men’s ODI World Cup, surpassing the 417 for 5 by Australia against Afghanistan in 2015. It is also the highest ODI total against Sri Lanka, surpassing India’s 414 for 7 in 2009 in Rajkot.8 – Totals of 400-plus for South Africa in ODIs, the most for any team. Three of those have come at the World Cup, while all the other teams have two 400-plus scores in total.3 – Hundreds in South Africa’s innings, the first such instance in the World Cup – Quinton de Kock (100), Rassie van der Dussen (108) and Aiden Markram (106).3 – Previous instances of three players scoring hundreds in the same ODI innings. Two of them were by South Africa in 2015 – against West Indies in Johannesburg and India in Mumbai. England had three centurions when they made 498 against the Netherlands last year.100 off 49 balls – Markram scored the fastest hundred in the ODI World Cup, breaking the 50-ball mark set by Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien against England in 2011.4 – Consecutive 300-plus totals for South Africa in ODIs; they had scored three in a row during the recent home series against Australia. It is the first time South Africa have made 300-plus totals in four consecutive ODIs.204 – Partnership runs between de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, the highest for South Africa against Sri Lanka in ODIs.17 – ODI hundreds for de Kock before his maiden World Cup century on Saturday against Sri Lanka. No batter has scored more ODI tons before a maiden World Cup century.4 – Number of specialist Sri Lanka bowlers who conceded 80-plus runs against South Africa – Kasun Rajitha (90), Dilshan Madushanka (86), Matheesha Pathirana (95) and Dunith Wellalage (81). It is the second instance of four bowlers conceding 80-plus runs in a men’s ODI innings. Netherlands suffered the same when they faced England in Amstelveen last year.754 – Runs scored in total by South Africa and Sri Lanka in Delhi, making it the highest aggregate for a men’s ODI World Cup match. The previous highest was 714 runs between Australia and Bangladesh during the 2019 edition at Trent Bridge.31 – Sixes hit by South Africa and Sri Lanka in Delhi, thejoint-second most for a World Cup game. The 2019 game between England and Afghanistan in Manchester featured 33 sixes, while New Zealand and West Indies collectively hit 31 sixes in Wellington in the quarter-final of the 2015 edition.

Batter was handed over gloves midway into the T20 World Cup, and credits Luke Ronchi for his progress

Deivarayan Muthu08-Nov-2021Before the T20 World Cup in the UAE, Devon Conway’s only experience of visiting the subcontinent was way back in 2005, when he was on a school tour to Sri Lanka. He came into his first World Cup without much game-time, having suffered a finger fracture in the inaugural Hundred.Conway expected to slot into the XI as a specialist batter; he did feature in New Zealand’s opener against Pakistan as a pure batter in the middle order. In that fixture in Dubai, Conway leapt to his left from wide long-off and plucked a catch out of thin air to get rid of Mohammad Hafeez. It was Tim Seifert who had instead kept wicket in that match.Seifert was New Zealand’s first-choice T20I wicketkeeper during their 2020-21 home summer, but in order to bring fast bowler Adam Milne into the XI, the team management benched Seifert and handed over the keeping duties to Conway. After pulling off an absolute stunner in the outfield, Conway showed off his reflexes behind the stumps as well. Standing up to legspinner Ish Sodhi in Sharjah, he snagged a smart catch to dismiss Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus. Then, standing behind to Milne in Abu Dhabi in a must-win for New Zealand, he leapt to his right, stuck out his right glove and snaffled a nick from Afghanistan’s Mohammad Shahzad on the rebound.Related

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One of New Zealand’s biggest strengths this tournament has been their players adapting to new roles on the fly. Cases in point: first Daryl Mitchell and now Conway.”So far, touchwood! It has been really good. I really enjoyed it. I do enjoy keeping – it keeps me engaged in the game and you’re always in the game,” Conway said. “So it’s exciting behind the stumps and then sort of today [Sunday, against Afghanistan], it’s a bonus standing behind the stumps for 20 overs and getting the opportunity to bat. We really do get a good feel for how the wicket is playing and come up with a plan before you go into bat, which is quite nice.”But I didn’t think I was going to get as much opportunity with the gloves, but the opportunity presented itself and I’m really enjoying it.”So, has Milne’s extra pace or the spinners’ variety challenged his keeping more?”Normally, it’s quite harder keeping to the spinners,” Conway said. “We’ve got Ish Sodhi who turns it both ways and bowls sliders, we’ve got Mitch Santner who has got really good control and can turn and slide it on as well. But, I think, I found it quite tricky keeping back to the seamers and felt like the ball was wobbling a fair bit behind the stumps, and yeah, it was a bit of a challenge keeping to the seamers today [Sunday].”

“It was pretty cool to see them and hopefully I can catch up with them at some point in the future.”Conway on seeing his parents in the stands during the match against Afghanistan

Former wicketkeeper and New Zealand’s current batting coach Luke Ronchi has had a hand in Conway’s progress. Conway had also worked with Ronchi at the Wellington Firebirds nets when he was on the road to recovery from the injury.”Working with Ronchs has been awesome,” Conway said. “He’s got a lot of experience on these surfaces and knows these wickets better than anyone here. So, good to get some of that knowledge from him and talk different game-plans. I’ve worked quite a lot with Ronchs over the last couple of years.”So, he knows my batting and what needs for me to get to my best as a player. I just continue to have those conversations with Ronchs and we just try to work out a plan, and hopefully that pays off at the end of the day.”After making 27 off 24 balls against Pakistan, Conway didn’t contribute much with the bat in the next three games. However, on Sunday, his smarts on a fairly true pitch were central to New Zealand acing a chase of 125 against Afghanistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. He threw both Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, in particular, off their lines and lengths with a variety of sweeps, including the reverse-hit. All told, he took 31 off 19 balls from the spinners.”The key to facing those sorts of bowlers is they are going to turn it both ways, so to combat that I just sort of thought we’d play with horizontal bats, using the sweep and reverse-sweep was my go-to [shot],” Conway said of his game plan against spin. “They were bowling quite quick into the wicket, so I thought I could sort of use that pace to my advantage. But that’s the things we talk about as a bowling collective – how we are going to attack certain bowlers and formulate a game-plan for that and try and execute it as we as we can in the game.”His captain, Kane Williamson, backed him up with an unbeaten 40. Conway has also had regular support from the stands, with Denton and Sandy, his South Africa-based parents, taking a month off to watch their son in action across the three venues in the UAE.New Zealand’s support crew is set to double up for the semi-finals as Mitchell’s father John, the former All Black player and coach, is preparing to fly in from the UK.”It’s been special to see my family – my parents – over the last few games coming to watch, and I haven’t seen them in a long time,” Conway said. “So just to sort of see them from a distance has been pretty cool, and yeah it was just nice to contribute to the team’s success today and have them there in the stands watching and supporting us all the way. So, it was pretty cool to see them and hopefully I can catch up with them at some point in the future.”If Conway can pull off the dual role once again against England on Wednesday in a rematch of the 2019 ODI World Cup final, then he will be a step closer to creating his legacy.

Next week, the Cubs will play their first postseason series since 2020—and for that series, they will utilize the services of one of their best players.

Chicago is activating right fielder and designated hitter Kyle Tucker from the injured list and he is in the lineup Friday against the Cardinals, Tucker told Jesse Rogers of ESPN Friday morning. The 28-year-old has not played since Sept. 2 with a calf injury.

When healthy, Tucker has been a force for the Cubs this season. He's slashed .270/.381/.472 with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs during his first year on the North Side.

That's despite a slump believed to have been caused by a lingering finger injury; he hit .218 and slugged .295 in a July to forget before rebounding modestly in August.

Chicago is scheduled to play the Padres next week, though the venue is still to be determined. It will be the two teams' first playoff meeting since 1984.

Hazlewood will miss the entire series after picking up an Achilles issue and will now target the T20 World Cup for a comeback

Alex Malcolm09-Dec-20251:02

Finch: Neser ‘nailed it’ but selection debate remains

Pat Cummins will return to captain Australia for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide next week but Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the series with an Achilles issue with his recovery now set to focus on getting ready for the T20 World Cup.Usman Khawaja is also expected to be fit and available for Adelaide, with Australia set to announce a 15-man squad on Tuesday featuring Cummins as the only addition. Coach Andrew McDonald gave an update on Cummins and Hazlewood on Tuesday, confirming that the captain was ready to return.Related

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“His body’s ready to go and barring anything else happening in the next week, I’d be expecting Pat to be tossing the coin and putting the blazer on,” McDonald saidHe also confirmed that Hazlewood would play no further part in the series after suffering an Achilles issue following on from his hamstring strain.”Unfortunately, Josh won’t be a part of the Ashes,” McDonald said. “Really, really flat for him. A couple of setbacks that we didn’t see coming, and we thought he would play a huge part in the series.”It’s a totally separate injury. It’s somewhere lower in the calf to Achilles region. His preparation will then shift towards the World Cup, which is an incredibly important campaign for us.”McDonald said there are no concerns over Cummins’ preparation heading into Adelaide despite not played any cricket since July coming off a lumbar bone stress injury. He added the selectors were very close to picking him in Brisbane.Pat Cummins will return in Adelaide but Hazlewood has been ruled out of the Ashes•Getty Images”There won’t be any match opportunities for Pat, and this is something we’ve done with Pat before, off long layoffs, where we’ve put some time and effort into rebuilding his body,” McDonald said. “He was out at Allan Border Field, whilst everyone was out at the Gabba. So he simulated pretty much what a match will look like out there with multiple spells. So we feel as though he’ll be as best prepared as he can be.”He was well ahead of where we thought he’d be at. And it did create a real live conversation for Brisbane, the skill readiness, the loads, how he was pulling up. It was debated a lot leading into that Test match. So with that in mind, us seeing him further advanced, we feel it’d be really well placed for the challenges of Adelaide, albeit off a long way off. We feel as though the simulation in the nets have got him skill ready.”Meanwhile, McDonald added that Australia still valued spin bowling and the role of Nathan Lyon in their XI despite leaving him out of a home Test for the first time in 13 years. He has missed two of Australia’s last three Tests, however McDonald stated it was because both were pink-ball day-night Tests and the coach was adamant Lyon and spin would have a big role to play in the final three Tests in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.”We just value different things in the pink-ball game, and unfortunately, that meant Nathan had to be squeezed,” McDonald said. “That’s nothing to do with his skill set. Not a reflection on where he’s at from his own performance. It is a reflection on pink-ball cricket and a reflection on the surface that was presented to us.”We still do value spin. The surfaces have pushed us in different directions, and that’s the first game that Nathan’s missed in Australia for a long time.Nathan Lyon will return for the third Test•Gareth Copley/Getty Images”I think Nath is going to have an incredibly huge impact in the last three Test matches. If you look to what he did at the MCG last year, when the surface became benign, sort of day three onwards, he was able to navigate through and hold an end. And that’s the rhythm we want.”We want the spinner down one end and rotating the three quicks. That’s when we feel like we’re at our best. But you sometimes can’t play in spite of what’s presented in front of you and some of those decisions have been difficult, and they’ve been two pink-ball games that have put us in that position.”The likelihood of Cummins and Lyon returning to the XI in Adelaide creates a further selection squeeze. Brendan Doggett is almost certain to miss out but Michael Neser would be unlucky to be omitted after taking his maiden Test five-wicket haul in Brisbane to help swing the game in Australia’s favour.But it appears likely Australia will go with a first-choice attack with no thoughts of resting Scott Boland given there is only a short four-day turnaround between the Adelaide Test and the fourth Test in Melbourne starting on Boxing Day.”In the pre-planning, which is something we do around the Test matches and work out where the stress points potentially will be, the gap between [Test] one and two and two and three was something we think we could manage, so it would be more than likely the best balanced and available attack for Adelaide,” McDonald said. “We wouldn’t be thinking about [whether] someone would need a rest there, but it’s probably more so in Test match four and five.”McDonald confirmed that his star quick Mitchell Starc had pulled up well following some side soreness during the Gabba Test.”Starcy had a little bit of a hindrance with, I think it was his left side with a bit of a jamming injury there that probably you saw visibly on TV,” he said. “But nothing to worry about. That’s something he’s had before. It was just annoying during the game. But an incredible workload from him with both bat and ball, and he’s pulled up well, which is a real positive for us.”

The former captain acknowledges his life priorities have shifted as he prepares to play for his country for the first time since March

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2025

Kane Williamson will return to action with New Zealand for the first time since March•ICC/Getty Images

Kane Williamson says he remains committed to playing for New Zealand, and has half an eye on the next ODI World Cup in 2027, but acknowledges that his life priorities have shifted as he prepares to play for his country for the first time since the Champions Trophy final in March.Williamson, 35, was not considered for last week’s three-match T20I series against England, as he was recovering from an unspecified medical issue. However, he is back with the squad for the ODI leg of England’s visit, which gets underway at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.”It’s nice to be back amongst the group,” Williamson told NZC, after linking up with a squad that is now coached by Rob Walter, following Gary Stead’s departure in the off-season. “There’s been quite a bit of change since the last time I was here, so it’s nice to meet the new coach and some new players as well. And I’m looking forward to the start of the series.”Williamson spent much of New Zealand’s winter in England, on an extended contract with Hundred-franchise London Spirit that included a multi-format stint with Middlesex. As one of a group of senior players on a casual contract with NZC, he missed New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe in order to fulfil that deal, and also made himself unavailable for this month’s early-season T20Is against Australia.However, Williamson reiterated his commitment to international cricket, while also acknowledging that his involvement with New Zealand’s squads could not simply be a case of him doing all the picking and choosing.”It’s just an ongoing communication with New Zealand Cricket and with Rob, and I’m grateful for that,” he said. “It’s a lot about the balance, with family and time away, but also the delicate balance of being a part of this team that I’ve really loved and enjoyed for such a long period of time.Kane Williamson spent much of New Zealand’s winter in England•Getty Images

“Your life situation changes, as mine has, and I’m incredibly grateful as well for that,” he added. “With three young children, the balance between where you spend your time and [who] give your attention [to] is really important to me. Still being able to play for New Zealand, and play the sport that I love at the highest level, is great, but the balance is the most important thing for me.”I still love the game. I still have a strong desire to get better and train hard, and offer whatever I can for the team. It’s been a huge part of my life for 15-plus years, we’ve been through a lot as a group, and a number of transitions. But I’ve just loved playing with a bunch of people that are really committed to each other, and to the team.”New Zealand’s run to the Champions Trophy final was a continuation of their strong showing in ICC events during Williamson’s career. When asked what ambitions he still harboured, he acknowledged the 2027 ODI World Cup – scheduled for Southern Africa in 24 months’ time – remained “at the back of my mind”.”There’s always other things,” he added. “Test cricket is pretty dear to me as well. So it’s a little bit about what I want, and little bit more about what the team wants, and where it’s going, and what we’re buying into.”We’ll keep those lines of communication open to make sure that we’re focused and clear on what it looks like,” he added. “I’m respectful of the fact that this is a team and a special place, and that they’re always trying to build towards something. For me, in this phase of my career, if I’m there and able to add to it, then brilliant.”

Toss India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and chose to field in the Asia Cup Super Fours match against Pakistan keeping in mind the dew in Dubai. He said there was a lot of dew around when India trained on the eve of the match.India went back to their first-choice XI, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy. Out went Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, who played against Oman once India had ensured their qualification for the Super Fours stage. As expected, Axar Patel was fit for the match after he went off the field with a blow to the head during the game against Oman.Pakistan, who had chosen to bat first in historically bowl-first conditions in their group game against India last Sunday, were looking to correct themselves had they won the toss, but didn’t get the opportunity to make that choice. Pakistan made two changes themselves, bringing in Hussain Talat and Faheem Ashraf for Hasan Nawaz and Khushdil Shah. That meant Haris Rauf stayed in the XI. Both Talat and Ashraf are seam-bowling allrounders.The captains didn’t shake hands with each other or match referee Andy Pycroft at the toss.Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Mohammad Haris (wk), 6 Hussain Talat, 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed.India: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.

Fulham are now planning to make a move for Brendan Rodgers, amid a new update on Marco Silva’s future at Craven Cottage.

Silva is going through a tricky period in the Premier League, suffering a 2-0 defeat against Everton prior to the international break, which leaves his side in 15th place, just one point above the relegation zone.

With the 48-year-old’s contract coming to an end in the summer, there has been speculation about his future, but it seems as though the club hierarchy is keen to keep hold of him, having recently tabled a new contract offer.

However, with the former Everton boss still yet to put pen to paper, there could still be a twist in the tale, and it has now been revealed that an ex-Premier League manager is set to be approached, having recently resigned from his previous role.

Fulham set to sound out Brendan Rodgers amid Marco Silva uncertainty

According to a report from Football Insider, Silva’s future in west London is still in major doubt, which means Fulham are now set to sound out Rodgers over a move to Craven Cottage, with the Northern Irishman still out of work after leaving Celtic last month.

The Cottagers are planning to hold talks with the 52-year-old, who is vastly experienced in the top flight, having managed Swansea City, Leicester City and Liverpool in the past.

Having offered Silva a new deal, there is still a chance he remains in west London, but there are some issues to iron out, with the manager eager to be backed in the transfer window, following a quiet summer, during which Kevin was the only major addition.

It would be a shame to see the Portuguese manager move on, given the fantastic job he has done at Craven Cottage, stabilising Fulham as a top-flight club after guiding them to promotion from the Championship.

Games

198

Wins

90

Draws

37

Losses

71

Points per game

1.55

That said, should Silva decide to leave, Rodgers could be a fantastic replacement, having been lauded as an “unbelievable” manager by Jamie O’Hara as a result of the work he did during his time at Leicester.

The ex-Foxes boss won the FA Cup and the Community Shield during his time at the King Power Stadium, two of 13 trophies he has lifted as a manager, having also been extremely successful at Celtic.

However, while the Cottagers’ current league position is concerning, their current manager has proven time and time again that he is capable of keeping them in the top flight, so it would be a risk to replace him.

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