Paul Skenes was looking like his usual dominant self on the mound during the Pittsburgh Pirates' Sunday showdown against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Skenes racked up eight strikeouts throughout the first four innings, including a particularly devastating punch-out against Adrian Del Castillo in the fourth inning. The Diamondbacks' designated hitter stood absolutely no chance against a nasty 86-mph sweeper from Skenes that broke across the entire plate.
The pitch started on the outside and ended up running well inside on Del Castillo who whiffed on the pitch badly for his second strikeout of the game. Have a look:
Simply unhittable stuff from Skenes, who had some of his best stuff on the mound on Sunday, and received some rare early run support from the Pirates lineup, who tagged Zac Gallen for three runs early on.
He is their highest wicket-taker in the format but often there is no room for him in the XI due to issues around batting depth
Sidharth Monga02-Nov-2025
Arshdeep Singh came into the side and picked up 3 for 35 in Hobart•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
No Indian has taken more wickets in T20Is than Arshdeep Singh. Among the ten who have taken 50 or more wickets, only Kuldeep Yadav has a better strike-rate than him. Yet Arshdeep was not part of India’s first-choice XI in their previous T20I series, the Asia Cup. He played two matches, but only when India’s progress had been confirmed.Even in Australia, Arshdeep was brought into the XI only as an afterthought after India kept him out for the first two games. It comes down to the unfortunate scenario of having four excellent strike bowlers but never being able to play them all at once because none of them can bat. It was the issue with Virat Kohli’s ODI side as well when they just couldn’t afford to play Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal all in the same XI. Arshdeep and Varun Chakravarthy have taken the places of Shami and Chahal in this T20I squad, but the problem remains the same.Even so, if there are any conditions where India need to play both Bumrah and Arshdeep, they are the ones in early-season Australia. It was surprising that it took India till the third match to bring the left-arm quick in.Related
Arshdeep and Washington help India level the series against Australia
That they immediately had to leave Kuldeep out for Washington Sundar tells you about the balancing act India are forced to carry out. At the same time, Arshdeep immediately showed why he is such an important player in conditions that have a little bit of assistance for fast bowlers.In a match that largely followed T20 rhythms, the first four overs of Australia’s innings, in which they scored just 24 runs for the loss of Travis Head and Josh Inglis, proved to be all the difference. India scored 41 in their first four, and eventually had nine balls to spare when they overhauled the total Australia set them.1:43
Washington: There’s purpose to each of my practice sessions
In those four overs, Arshdeep took the wickets of Head and Inglis, aided in part by the threat posed by Bumrah at the other end. Arshdeep has the ingredients to use the conditions: he swings the ball both ways, and his high release aids seam movement and uneven bounce. In a game of such small margins as T20 cricket, these overs can have a huge impact. Arshdeep also returned at the end to team up with Bumrah and deny Australia a finishing kick.India again needed all of it because they did make a small selection error. Bringing in Arshdeep and Jitesh Sharma – the latter for Sanju Samson, who has not looked effective in the middle order – was spot on, but they still left themselves short on fast bowling by dropping Harshit Rana for Washington, whom they didn’t bowl at all because of a combination of the conditions and the abundance of right-hand batters in the Australia line-up.Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma had to fill in with four overs for 56, but in the end Washington also showed his importance with an unbeaten 49 off 23 when promoted to No. 6. That’s also the thing with Washington. He is wasted as a batter in the lower order when you mostly have to just walk in and swing.This match was evidence that there is no dearth of resources for Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir, but in conditions where the ideal line-up consists of three fast bowlers, they are always one small piece short of being the perfect team.
Bayern Munich's sporting director Christoph Freund confirmed that the club tried to sign Antony in the summer transfer window. The winger earlier revealed that Vincent Kompany personally called him late on deadline night before he chose Real Betis. Now Freund has confirmed that talks did indeed take place, offering clarity on Bayern’s approach, their evaluation of the player, and why the move ultimately remained only a possibility.
Antony’s revelation and Bayern’s confirmation
Antony recently opened up about the final hours of the summer 2025 transfer window, revealing that the Bavarians made a strong push to sign him and that Kompany personally called him to convince him. He described the call as emotional and destabilising but said he ultimately chose to honour his promise to Real Betis for family and personal reasons as he finally departed Manchester United.
Freund has now confirmed Antony’s version of events. Speaking to , the Bayern sporting director admitted that the period “wasn’t entirely calm,” acknowledged that Bayern had explored several players, including Antony, and agreed that discussions had indeed taken place.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportInside the deadline-day situation and Freund’s explanation
The summer saga became public only when Antony elaborated on how close he came to switching clubs. He said Bayern entered the race in the last 24 hours, Kompany personally called, and conversations were advanced enough to make him rethink what he had already agreed with Real Betis. But despite the prestige of Bayern and Kompany’s respectful approach, Antony insisted that breaking his word to Betis “was never an option.” Having thrived at the Spanish club during his loan period there earlier this year, his family felt settled in Seville, his son was thriving, and he viewed Betis as a place “of happiness and peace.”
Freund’s comments provide Bayern’s complete perspective. “This period wasn’t entirely calm. A lot happened. We looked into several players, Antony was among them. There was also a discussion, but that’s in the past. We’re very happy with how the squad is currently set up. In the end, we came out of it well and are satisfied,” Freund said.
Antony’s revival at Betis and rise as a key performer
Antony’s loan move to Betis from United in early 2025 marked a turning point in his career, laying the foundation for a revival built on consistency, influence and trust. He made an immediate impact-creating goals, dictating attacks and collecting several Man of the Match awards. By the end of that spell, he had produced 14 goal contributions across competitions, a decisive factor in Betis securing Europa League qualification.
His permanent return in September only accelerated his momentum. Across his first full season, Antony registered nine goals and three assists in 24 league games, underlining his evolution from a troubled talent to a reliable match-winner. This season, he has maintained that upward curve with four goals and an assist in eight matches.
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Getty Images SportAntony on adversity and rebuilding at Betis
Antony’s revival at Betis is rooted in everything he endured before arriving in Seville. Speaking about his turbulent spell at Old Trafford, he admitted how difficult those months were.
“I felt like I was disrespected… more than 40 days in the hotel, training separately,” he said. “I learn from everything I go through and learn that everything is possible when you persist.”
What ultimately brought him back to Betis was happiness, his own and his family’s. Antony stressed that money could never outweigh peace of mind: “Money is important, but happiness is much more… my children and my wife are happy here.”
He settled in well from the very first minute. In the spring, when he suddenly found himself in goal, he already did very well in important matches. When you see him with the team and the goalkeeping staff, you can tell that he's integrated really well. He wants to learn and improve. Jonas is already at a really good level."
He will be aiming to increase his tally even further when Betis face Girona on Sunday.
تحدث النجم السابق لنادي ليفربول، دانييل ستوريدج، عن أزمة محمد صلاح داخل أروقة الفريق الإنجليزي، بسبب التصريحات اللاذعة التي أدلى بها السبت الماضي ضد الإدارة والمدرب آرني سلوت.
جاءت تصريحات محمد صلاح إثر تهميشه في 3 مباريات متتالية في الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث تواجد على دكة البدلاء ولم يشارك إلا في شوط واحد، مما أدى إلى انفجاره في الحديث.
وقال ستوريدج، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “givemesport” الإنجليزية: “بالنسبة لي، عدم مشاركته في المباريات هو ما دفعه للقيام بهذا، تذهب إلى مباراة وست هام، حيث تعاني من خسارة مباراتين وهو ما لا يتمناه أي لاعب للنادي، تستقبل شباكهم سبعة أهداف في مباراتين”.
وأضاف: “تذهب إلى وست هام، وتفوز، وهو لم يدخل الملعب في تلك المباراة، ثم تأتي المباراة الثانية، ضد سندرلاند، وتدفع به بين الشوطين، نفسيًا، كلاعب، تفكر (رائع، هذه لحظتي الآن)”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. محمد صلاح يثير تعجب مخيتاريان بعد فوز ليفربول على إنتر ميلان
وواصل: “كمهاجم، أنا متأكد من أنك ستوافق، وتقول (حسنًا، سأكون الحل هنا، سأصنع الفارق)، لكن الأمور لم تسر على هذا النحو، تعادلت 1-1، في المباراة القادمة ربما تفكر (قد أبدأ هذه المرة)، أنا لا أفكر، بل أفكر من وجهة نظره حيث وجد نفسه على الدكة مجددًا، أعتقد أن هذا هو ما شكّل مفاجأة بالنسبة له”.
واستكمل: “رد الفعل كان سيئًا للغاية، كيف فعل ذلك، وكيف قاله، كان سيئًا للغاية! أشعر بخيبة أمل تجاه صديقي، لكن في النهاية، كما تعلم، أعتقد أنه قادر على العودة بقوة، هذا هو المهم”.
واختتم: “أعتقد أننا ننظر إلى الأمر في لحظة جنون، المهم هو ما سيحدث بعد هذه المباراة، وما إذا كان سيشارك ضد برايتون”.
Thailand, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda will take part in the inaugural edition
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2025
Thailand will host the inaugural edition•ICC via Getty Images
A new global tournament, the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, involving eight teams from four continents, will be played from November 20 to 30 in Bangkok. Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda will take part in the inaugural edition.The trigger for the tournament, an ICC statement said, was the success of the recent ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where “more than 500 million viewers in India” were recorded and there was also “significant growth in viewership across countries”.”Nearly 300,000 fans attended matches across India and Sri Lanka and the event concluded with India becoming the first Asian team to lift the Women’s Cricket World Cup, a watershed moment in the evolution of the sport and the socio-cultural context of gender roles,” an ICC statement said. “Building on the extraordinary impetus provided by the marquee event, the ICC continues to invest in creating a sustainable future for women’s cricket. The Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy is part of a new three-tier development pathway designed to offer high-performance exposure to emerging nations.”Sanjog Gupta, the ICC chief executive, said, “It is the ICC and the Chair’s [Jay Shah] vision to sustainably expand cricket’s footprint across the world and grow the women’s game. Providing elite athletes from emerging nations more opportunities to play at the highest level is aimed at fast-tracking their development and improving the competitiveness of their teams.”It also drives the visibility of the sport in participant nations, serving as a driver of girls’ involvement in the sport and inspires women from other nations to stay committed to the development pathways.”The opening day will feature Thailand vs Netherlands and Papua New Guinea vs UAE.
On Monday night, the Athletics catcher led off his team's game against the Washington Nationals with a 402-foot home run to center field. It was the 27-year-old's 20th home run of the season, and helped him hit a major milestone.
According to MLB Stats, Langeliers is only the fifth catcher in major league history to hit 20 or more home runs in three of his first four seasons in the big leagues. A caveat is the player has to have played a minimum of 50% of games at catcher to qualify for the list.
The other players to do it are Cal Raleigh, Mike Piazza, Earl Williams, and Rudy York. That's it. To give you an idea of how rare it is, York made his MLB debut in 1937, Williams broke through in 1970, and Piazza won NL Rookie of the Year in 1993. In an odd twist, all of those players except for Raleigh played on the Athletics at some point during their careers.
Langeliers is having a career year in 2025. He entered Tuesday's game slashing .261/.313/.507, which are all career highs. In 2023 he hit 22 home runs, last season, he hit 29, and this year he's at 20. Meanwhile, his OPS has climbed from .681 in 2023 to .793 in 2024 and now to .820 in 2025.
It is still only October, and it already feels as if the wheels have come off at West Ham United.
The East Londoners are currently in the relegation zone and only being kept off the bottom of the table by an even worse Wolverhampton Wanderers side.
Worse yet, any of the positivity that came from the draw away to Everton in Nuno Espírito Santo’s first game has all but vanished thanks to three consecutive defeats.
Therefore, if the Portuguese coach is to save the Hammer’s Premier League status this season, he needs to make some changes to the team as soon as possible, such as dropping someone who looks miles off the pace.
Changes that Nuno has to make to West Ham
Given the dire situation West Ham currently find themselves in, Nuno has to make some dramatic changes to the team for the next game, and that starts at the back.
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Both Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman must come out of the team, as even though the other options are less than ideal, they have a chance of being better than the Frenchman and Englishman, who have been diabolical for a few games now.
Then, with Ollie Scarles recovering from his dislocated shoulder, the manager should move Kyle Walker-Peters to that right wing-back role if he insists on keeping the shape he used against Leeds on the weekend.
Moreover, while he’s been a brilliant servant to the club, Tomáš Souček now offers little to nothing when he starts, and therefore, he should be dropped to the bench for the far more dynamic and promising Soungoutou Magassa.
Moving on to the attack, and the experiment of player Lucas Paqueta up top has to come to an end.
Paqueta vs Leeds
Minutes
94′
Expected Goals
0.09
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.10
Assists
0
Shots on Target
1
Touches
83
Crosses (Accurate)
4 (0)
Accurate Passes
45/62 (73%)
All Stats via Sofascore
Yes, Callum Wilson is not of the standard either, but by playing the team’s most creative player as a false nine, the chance creation from deep is practically non-existent.
Ideally, Nuno should revert to a four at the back system and play the Brazilian in attacking midfield.
Last but not least, another change should be made in the middle of the park: the removal of a player who is miles off being the standard required to play for West Ham.
The West Ham ace who must be dropped
He isn’t the number one problem at West Ham this season, but it has become increasingly clear that Andrew Irving is nowhere near good enough to play for the club and should therefore be dropped.
It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by journalist Jordan Rushworth, who described the Scotsman as a “National League standard” midfielder, adding that he “gets walked past every time an opposition midfielder has the ball.”
Unfortunately for the Edinburgh-born ace, his statistics from the game at Elland Road only back up such a brutal assessment.
Irving vs Leeds
Minutes
64′
Expected Assists
0.01
Key Passes
0
Shots
0
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Touches
48
Lost Possession
7
Duels (Won)
5 (1)
Dribbled Past
1
All Stats via Sofascore
For example, in his 64 minutes of inaction, he amassed an expected assists figure of just 0.01, failed to make a single key pass, didn’t take any shots, misplaced 100% of his crosses, took 48 touches, lost the ball seven times, lost four of five duels and was dribbled past once.
It’s not just his technical weaknesses that are a problem for the Irons, though, but also his complete lack of any real physicality.
He’s not strong enough on or off the ball and lacks any real athleticism or explosiveness, which in the modern Premier League is a massive problem, and one highlighted by Jamie Carragher after the Brentford loss, when he described the Hammers as “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history!”
Therefore, regardless of the formation he wants to play, Nuno simply has to take Irving out of the starting lineup from now on, especially when he has better options to choose from.
For example, while he can still be a little rash, respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described Magassa as someone blessed with “pure athleticism.”
Moreover, he’s still relatively inexperienced at this level, but Freddie Potts can get around the pitch far easier than the Scotsman, and as Mattinson says, is blessed with an impressive “passing range and powerful carrying” ability.
Ultimately, while there are plenty of changes that need to happen at West Ham, one of the big ones is the removal of Iriving in favour of a far more dynamic and promising alternative.
Worse than Summerville: Nuno must drop 3/10 West Ham flop who's "the worst"
West Ham’s woes continued as they were defeated by Leeds United in the Premier League.
كشف إبراهيم حسن، مدير منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، سبب استبعاد محمد عبد المنعم المحترف ضمن فريق نيس الفرنسي، من قائمة الفراعنة لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025.
ويستعد منتخب مصر في الفترة الحالية، لخوض المعسكر الختامي قبل المشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بالمغرب المقرر أن تنطلق 21 ديسمبر الجاري.
وقال حسن خلال تصريحات عبر المركز الإعلامي لاتحاد الكرة المصري: “استبعاد محمد عبد المنعم من القائمة المختارة للمشاركة في بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية جاء بسبب الإصابة”.
طالع | قائمة منتخب مصر استعدادًا لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 .. موقف إمام عاشور
وأضاف: “التقارير الطبية بالتنسيق بين الجهاز الطبي لمنتخب مصر عن طريق دكتور محمد أبو العلا والجهاز الطبي لنادي نيس الفرنسي أثبتت صعوبة جاهزية محمد عبد المنعم لبطولة كأس الأمم بعد إصابته بالرباط الصليبي في إبريل الماضي ثم تعرضه لإصابة بمزق في السمانة خلال الأيام الماضية وهو ما تسبب في تأخر تأهيل اللاعب وبالتالي صعوبة لحاقه بمباريات البطولة”.
وأكمل: “نتمنى الشفاء العاجل لـ محمد عبد المنعم، هو أحد الركائز الأساسية التي يعتمد عليها المنتخب ووجوده يشكل إضافة قوية لدفاع المنتخب، والجهاز على تواصل معه بشكل مستمر للاطمئنان على حالته، اللاعب كان يتمنى المشاركة في البطولة لولا الإصابة التي لحقت به وعدم جاهزيته”.
من المقرر أن ينطلق معسكر منتخب مصر، يوم 3 ديسمبر، ثم الدخول في معسكر مغلق يوم 7 ديسمبر استعدادا لخوض ودية نيجيريا يوم 14 ديسمبر الجاري باستاد القاهرة، ثم السفر يوم 17 إلى المغرب استعداداً لخوض منافسات بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية 2025 بالمغرب.
ويبدأ منتخب مصر مبارياته ببطولة أمم إفريقيا يوم 22 ديسمبر بمواجهة زيمبابوي ثم جنوب إفريقيا يوم 26 وأنجولا يوم 29 ديسمبر في دور المجموعات.
Caleb Jewell hundred helps Derbyshire post 315 but late collapse lets Rapids back in
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Aug-2025Worcestershire 316 for 6 (D’Oliveira 138, Libby 69) beat Derby 315 (Jewell 113, Montgomery 92) by four wicketsBrett D’Oliveira’s List A best 138 led Worcestershire Rapids to a four-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Group A match at Repton School.Rapids skipper Jake Libby made 69 before 19-year-old Dan Lategan scored an unbeaten 42 off 39 balls on his first-team debut to take the Rapids to their target of 316 with 11 balls to spare.Caleb Jewell made 113 off 107 balls and Matt Montgomery 92 before the Falcons lost their last five wickets for 25 to be bowled out for 315. The Rapids were in trouble at 11 for 2 but D’Oliveira and Libby revived them before Lategan saw them over the line.There was a sell-out crowd as first team cricket returned to Repton School for the first time since 1988 and the Falcons made a solid start after they were put in.Jewell and Harry Came took the score to 46 before Came pulled Kurram Shahzad into the hands of leg slip. But that was the Rapids last success for 24 overs as Jewell and Montgomery took full advantage of a good batting pitch.After reaching 50 from 57 balls, Jewell pulled Ben Allison for six and swept D’Oliveira for another maximum with 15 coming from his first over. Jewell surged towards his century, which came off 96 balls, by driving and sweeping D’Oliveira for two more fours before pulling Ethan Brookes over the ropes.Montgomery drove Brookes down the ground for four to go to his first 50 for the Falcons and the stand was worth 150 when Jewell skied a cut at Brookes into the covers.Brooke Guest missed a cut at Fateh Singh and the left-arm spinner ended Montomery’s fine innings by having him caught behind.Amrit Basra drove Allison to mid-on and the Falcons hopes of a total above 350 crumbled as the last five wickets fell in six overs. After Martin Andersson was lbw to Singh, Allison had Ross Whiteley caught at short midwicket and bowled Zak Chappell before Shahzad cleaned up.Even so, a target of 316 was a challenging one and it looked even tougher when the Rapids lost two wickets in the first four overs. Isaac Mohammed was dropped at second slip without a run on the board but failed to take advantage, slicing Ben Aitchison to third man.Rory Haydon beat Kashif Ali’s drive but D’Oliveira and Libby regrouped before asserting themselves on the bowlers.D’Oliveira cut and drove Haydon for sixes on his way to a run a ball 50 and with Libby easing the ball into the gaps, the momentum swung towards the Rapids.D’Oliveira took three fours from a Chappell over as he accelerated to an 84 ball hundred but Haydon returned to give the game another twist. He bowled Libby to end a stand of 183 in 28 overs and then deceived Brookes who chipped to short midwicket.Lategan pulled Haydon for six and with 67 needed from the last 10 overs, drove Jack Morley for another maximum. When he went for a repeat, Aitchison took the catch at long-on only to step on the rope but Morley hit back by bowling D’Oliveira.Henry Cullen sliced to cover but Lategan showed nerve and skill to settle an absorbing contest.