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Tottenham have confirmed that club legend Son Heung-min is set to return to north London to watch next week's Champions League fixture with Slavia Prague. The forward, who moved on to MLS side Los Angeles FC for a £20m fee in the summer, will now get the chance to say a proper goodbye to the club's fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 9.

Son heading back to Spurs

Spurs have made a surprise announcement and confirmed that Son will be in attendance for their next Champions League match. Son moved to MLS straight after Spurs' pre-season tour of Asia, where he said an emotional farewell to the club in front of adoring fans in South Korea, and will now get the chance to say a proper farewell at Tottenham's home ground.

Tottenham said in a statement: "Sonny will take to the pitch before the team walk-outs ahead of the 20:00 kick-off against the Czech champions. He will then have the opportunity to personally address the supporters that took him into their hearts following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and treasured him for the next 10 years – it is sure to be an emotional occasion in N17."

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'It will be emotional' – Son relishing return

Son has also admitted it's going to be an emotional affair when he returns to north London. He told the club's media: “When I announced my difficult decision to leave Spurs in the summer, it was in Korea and I never got a proper chance to say goodbye to fans at the stadium.

"Now I am so happy because I am going to come back to London on 9th December, for the Champions League match, and be able to tell the Spurs fans in person just how much their support and love over 10 years has meant to me and my family. It will be emotional, but it's important for me and the club that this happens.”

Spurs have also confirmed that work is continuing on a mural on Tottenham High Road to pay tribute to Son that will “further celebrate the legacy that Sonny has left in this part of North London”. The design has been chosen by the man himself and is due to be finished in time for the club legend's visit on December 9.

Son thriving in Los Angeles

Son has been thriving in MLS with LAFC since his summer move from Spurs. The South Korea international scored 12 goals and grabbed four assists for his new side in just 13 appearances before the end of the MLS season. LAFC's campaign ended with a play-off defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps, leaving Son with time to head back home for an emotional reunion with Spurs. The 33-year-old spent a decade in north London, scoring 173 goals during his time with the Lilywhites, and departed after captaining the club to Europa League glory over Manchester United. The win sealed a first trophy for Tottenham in 17 years and further cemented Son's place in the club's history.

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GettyWhat next for Son?

Although Son will be in north London next week, he has played down talk of a playing return to Spurs during the MLS off-season. There had been speculation that the South Korean ace could look for a temporary transfer over the winter, but Son has made his loyalty to his new club crystal clear. 

“I’ve never spoken to any club about a winter move. Such talk is simply untrue,” he told TV Chosun. “For me, showing respect to my club and giving everything where I play – that’s what matters most. That won’t change.

“I will not leave LAFC this winter, or ever, while I’m here. I respect this club deeply. As long as I’m wearing this badge, there will be no such thing as a loan or a move. Never.”

How the mighty have fallen at Liverpool.

Expectations for the season heading into this campaign would have been that Arne Slot and Co could achieve the tricky feat of lifting back-to-back Premier League titles, having splashed the cash on the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the summer.

Yet, the Reds are now deep in a depressing patch of form that has seen them lose a staggering nine matches from their last 12 outings – which has left them marooned in mid-table in the top-flight – with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday night surely the pick of a bad bunch.

Not a single Liverpool shirt would trudge off at the end of the shambolic loss at Anfield with much credit left in the bank, as Ibrahima Konate’s error-ridden season continued against the Dutch visitors.

Konate's disastrous season continues

Liverpool will want January to come around in a flash now, having been linked with Marc Guehi to fix their leaky defensive issues.

Konate wasn’t the only ropey figure in the Reds’ porous backline against PSV, though, with Virgil van Dijk setting the tone for what was in store when giving away an early penalty from a brainless handball.

But, after a “nightmare” showing against Nottingham Forest last time out in the Premier League, as it was branded by the Athletic’s James Pearce, the Frenchman did himself no favours in trying to get back into the good books of Anfield supporters, by putting in another shaky showing against Peter Bosz’s fortunate away side.

His woes were summed up when he failed to clear the ball away for PSV’s rampant third of the one-sided affair, which then resulted in second-half substitute Ricardo Pepi breaking forward with pace to play a major part in the Eredivisie outfit’s game-clinching strike.

For Konate’s sake, who has now been in the heart of a “disgraceful” defence – as it was bluntly branded by Reds-based content creator DAVEOCKOP – across Liverpool’s last three games, where ten goals have been given up, Slot should ditch him for the next away match at West Ham United.

Yet, worryingly, Konate was far from the worst performer on a night that will live long in Anfield infamy. Indeed, another underperformer faces the axe for their must-win clash at the London Stadium.

Not just Konate: Liverpool star faces the chop

Indeed, although it meant very little come the full-time whistle, Konate would, at least, come away from the game with just one misplaced pass next to his name and three ground duels won.

Unfortunately for the under-fire number five, though, his horror moment leading to PSV’s third is all that will be remembered, with Cody Gakpo also another figure that generated a lot of criticism come the full-time whistle, as his goalless stretch of form shows no signs of stopping.

Games played

6

Minutes played

315 mins

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

It’s now been six games in November for the Dutchman with no goals or assists coming his way, but it could have been very different against PSV on another occasion, as Gakpo spurned a big opportunity against his former employers when the score was just 2-1.

On top of fluffing his lines to the dismay of Anfield, the hot-and-cold 26-year-old also lacked the same cutting edge that PSV showed throughout when bursting forward with pace, with possession given away 21 times by Gakpo when attempting to set his teammates up for chances.

On an evening when the defence received the majority of the pelters, Gakpo wasn’t completely immune from scathing criticism himself, with Liverpool World’s Will Rooney handing him a very low 3/10 post-match rating after the dust had settled on the harrowing loss, noting that he needed to “be better” in various attacking scenarios to up his score.

Further labelled as “laughable” on the ball by one Reds content creator, Gakpo will surely be worrying now that he will be shoved down to the substitutes bench for the tie with the Hammers up next, as Slot makes selection decisions that he hopes save his skin.

Journalist David Lynch has stated that he doesn’t think Slot can “survive” his predicament, whatever he does next, but it does look like a smart immediate call anyway to drop both Konate and Gakpo, to attempt to steer the collapsing ship back on course.

Ranked: The worst title defences in Premier League history

Look away now, Arne Slot…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 25, 2025

George Hill steers hosts on shortened day with both dressing rooms eyeing Hampshire result

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Sep-2025Yorkshire 465 for 9 (Hill 88, Raine 4-79, Ghafari 4-114) lead Durham 346 (Raine 101, White 5-69) by 119 runsYorkshire are closing in on Division One survival in the Rothesay County Championship, but Durham are not quite sure of the size of their task heading into day four at Headingley.Should Hampshire – 148 for 9 chasing 181 to beat Surrey at the Utilita Bowl – lose, seventh-placed Yorkshire would be safe no matter the result here in this season finale. Second-bottom Durham would need a draw to be safe.Should Hampshire win – they are eighth in the table – Yorkshire would need to draw here, which they are very well placed to do. But Durham would need a miracle victory to get out of trouble.Yorkshire, replying to a first-innings 346 all out, started a weather-affected day on 314 for 5 and advanced to 465 for 9 in the 51 overs possible, with George Hill compiling a skilful season’s best 88.It’s difficult to see how Durham can win, so they desperately need Surrey to do so down on the south coast.Bad light interrupted play on three occasions at Headingley, with the bulk of the evening lost. No play was possible beyond 3.25pm.Hill impressively supplemented Indian batter Mayank Agarwal’s superb 175 on day two with his fourth fifty of a season which has seen him excel with the ball. His seamers have accounted for 47 Championship wickets.He shared in half-century stands with fellow allrounders Matthew Revis and Jordan Thompson, the latter contributing an unbeaten 44.The morning session was a relatively quiet affair, with Yorkshire advancing to 365 for 7. Ben Raine, who has been excellent with 4 for 71 from 33 overs added to his first-innings century, and Matthew Potts struck for Durham.Raine broke a sixth-wicket stand of 50 between Revis, 38, and Hill. Revis, crowned Yorkshire’s members’ player of the year at the end of day two here, was trapped lbw by an in-ducker before Dom Bess pulled Potts to deep backward square-leg.Hill was a calming presence for Yorkshire as they stretched their lead. In all, he hit 14 fours in 175 balls. Thompson was more expansive, whipping Will Rhodes over deep midwicket for six.Hill moved to a fifty off 105 balls shortly before the hosts reached 400 for 7 in the early stages of the afternoon. By this stage, Yorkshire led by 54 and Durham’s need for wickets was becoming more desperate.Hill did fall short of what would have been his season’s first century when bowled trying to attack the legspin of Afghanistan’s Shafiqullah Ghafari. But Yorkshire’s lead was 97 at 443 for 8.Hill and Thompson had shared an eighth-wicket 86, the latter allrounder playing his last match before a winter move to Warwickshire.Matt Milnes edged to slip to hand Ghafari a fourth wicket before the third bad light stoppage at 3.25pm was the last. With the players off the field at that stage, Durham’s dressing room would have been buoyed by news from Southampton.Yorkshire will head into day four in a much more relaxed state given their strong performance here. Durham, on the other hand, will be on tenterhooks not quite knowing the size or shape of their task in hand.

ATLANTA — Clayton Kershaw has skipped vacations and injury rehab to be at past All-Star Games, but when he found out he made this year’s roster, he initially didn’t want to come. 

On Sunday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gathered his team to announce who had made the National League All-Star team: catcher Will Smith, first baseman Freddie Freeman, and DH Shohei Ohtani, as fan selections; righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as a league selection; and Kershaw, whom the commissioner chose as his “Legend Pick.” While his teammates cheered, Kershaw, 37, scoffed. “What is this?” he asked. “A senior citizen’s discount?”

He considered declining the invitation—his 11th, the most in franchise history, but his first that has not come amid an exemplary season. 

No, Roberts insisted. It’s actually one of the highest honors you can receive, because it comes amid an exemplary . Kershaw’s 2.52 career ERA is best in the live-ball era for a pitcher with at least 1,500 innings. He has won three Cy Young Awards, an MVP Award and two World Series. He notched his 3,000th career strikeout last week, making him only the 20th pitcher to hit that mark. (And for what it’s worth, in 50 ⅔ innings this season, he has an ERA+ of 121—21% above league average.)

Kershaw remained skeptical. “It’s uncomfortable,” he says now. “I want the All-Star Game to mean something. I want it to be: If you deserve to be here, you should be here. The way that I got to be here is probably not how I would want to make a team.” And he dislikes the terminology: is “a weird word,” he says. “It’s a little embarrassing. But whatever they have to call it, I’m excited to be here.”

Freeman laughs. “He is a legend,” he says. “He’s one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers of all time. I saw his numbers on the board earlier—216 wins, two-five ERA. Yes, he deserves to be here.”

In the end, it was Kershaw’s wife, Ellen, who persuaded him. She was not interested in litigating who deserved to be where. She canceled the family’s planned trip to Colorado. “You’re going to have a lot of summers to do whatever you want,” she told him. “If you get invited to an All-Star Game, it could be your last one.”

Roberts loves that attitude. “In this day and age where players are opting out, he’s still living in a world where you never know when it could happen again, and [you should] relish every opportunity and be grateful,” he says. 

Kershaw says, “I think my wife’s the best at that of anybody, especially if I don’t want to do something. And she’s right, because stuff like this, having my kids come and watch, that’s special.”

Indeed, that was ultimately the deciding factor. Kershaw likes being around the other All-Stars, he says, although he says he can’t point to anything he has learned from them. He likes the chance to face some of the game’s best—a chance Roberts, who is managing the NL squad, says he plans to afford his pitcher on Tuesday for an inning. But “at the end of the day,” Kershaw says, “All-Star Games are for your family.”

So at Monday’s autograph session, he had 8-year-old Charley hand him baseballs to sign, and at the Home Run Derby that night, he clutched 3-year-old Chance, watched as 10-year-old Cali hung out with teammates’ children and facilitated autographs for 5-year-old Cooper. Kershaw was beaming the whole time.

In many ways, this year will not compare to his first All-Star Game, in 2011, or the one he started at Dodger Stadium, in ’22, or even the one he attended despite injury in ’16. But in some ways it will be better: His kids will likely remember it. So on the whole, he’s glad he listened to Ellen. 

He grins and says, “That’s usually the case.”

Athletic Club star Nico Williams scored a magnificent goal to hand his side a slender win over Real Oviedo in La Liga. The goal has brought Williams back into the limelight, ending a long goal drought that resulted in him being questioned in the wake of the failed summer transfer to reigning Spanish champions Barcelona.

• Athletic get the better of Oviedo

  After three successive losses to Getafe, Real Sociedad, and Newcastle United across La Liga and the Champions League, Athletic are back on track with a 1-0 win over Oviedo on Sunday. It was their young, dynamic winger Williams who salvaged the solitary goal of the fixture, adding his second of the campaign to lead his team's triumph. 

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• Williams ends goal drought

  The last time Williams scored or assisted for Athletic was in their first La Liga game of the season – a 3-2 win against Sevilla. The 22-year-old missed a handful of matches due to a groin injury, failed to find the net since his return until he sparked into life against Oviedo. Williams was sharp as he went past three defenders and powered his shot into the goal, rattling the crossbar and the net in the process. 

• Williams was once a Barcelona target

  Not for one transfer window, but Williams was a top target for Barcelona across two summers. Before this season kicked off, he was almost set to travel to Catalonia after agreeing on personal terms and a six-year contract with Barca, a club that he has admired for a long time. However, Athletic were continuously hesitant to let go of their most promising young talent. Such was the rivalry that there were moments when administrators aimed to block the move. Ultimately, the move came to a surprising halt as Barcelona refused to grant a demand from his agent and the Spain international ended up signing a 10-year contract with the Basque side.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  What comes next for Williams?

  Williams has found his foot just at the right time. After Athletic return from the international break, their first game will be against Barca. It will be the first time the two sides meet since Williams snubbed the Catalans and agreed to the Basque club's terms. The game will be played on November 22.

Madushanka was out of the ODIs with a knee injury, whereas Pathirana wasn’t part of T20I squad because of an infection

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2025Dasun Shanaka has been named Sri Lanka’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20I tri-series that will also involve Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Fast bowler Eshan Malinga, meanwhile, is in line to make his debut in the same series while also being included in the ODI squad for the three matches against Pakistan before the tri-series begins.Uncapped middle-order batter Pavan Rathnayake, 23, is named in the ODI squad. This is reward for longer-term domestic performance rather than recent form, though he did hit a List A hundred at the end of July.Dilshan Madushanka has been ruled out of the ODI series as he hasn’t yet recovered from a knee injury, and was replaced by Malinga, whereas Matheesha Pathirana isn’t a part of the T20I squad as he is recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection. Pathirana was replaced by Asitha Fernando.Top-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who last played a T20I at the start of the year, was back in the squad for the shortest format, having missed two bilateral series and the Asia Cup since then. His recall is partly down to some explosive batting in the recent SLC T20 tournament, in which he struck at 163 across four innings. Sri Lanka have generally struggled for firepower in the middle order.The exclusion of Nuwanidu Fernando, meanwhile, is despite him having top-scored in that SLC T20 tournament. His runs came at a strike rate of 124, however.Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage didn’t find a spot in either of the 16-member squads, but he will lead Sri Lanka A in the Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup in Doha later this month, with Nuwanidu also named in that squad.Sri Lanka’s ODIs against Pakistan are all scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, on November 11, 13 and 15. Those will be followed by the tri-series from November 17 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with the final slated for November 29.Sri Lanka squadsODIs: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan MalingaT20I tri-series: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka (vice-capt), Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga

West Ham could now be back in for a former transfer target who they were on the verge of signing for Julen Lopetegui in 2024, according to a new report.

West Ham poised for active January transfer window

According to recent reports, the Hammers are poised for an active January transfer window amid their battle against relegation, and could sign a defender, midfielder and striker for Nuno Espírito Santo.

Reliable club insiders like ExWHUemployee have backed this up as we fast approach the turn of the year, while former West Ham scout Mick Brown has claimed that Nuno is planning a major overhaul.

West Ham have undergone a mini revival under Nuno recently, losing just one of their last six Premier League games, but it is clear they need strength in depth across the pitch.

Niclas Füllkrug is set to leave the London Stadium in January following his lacklustre stint in England, so West Ham are believed to be looking at strikers to replace him.

West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Liverpool

Man United 1-1 West Ham

Brighton 1-1 West Ham

In terms of the midfield area, James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodriguez and Lucas Paqueta have all been linked with mid-season exits, so the prospect of a new name in the engine room hasn’t been ruled out either.

Meanwhile, Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell is back on the club’s radar after coming close to joining in the summer, with the Irons planning to ‘reignite’ talks for his signature (ExWHUemployee).

Sticking at centre-back, West Ham could now be back in the hunt for a familiar name — Cruzeiro centre-back Fabricio Bruno.

The 29-year-old made 51 appearances in all competitions for Cruzeiro in the recently-concluded 2025 Brazilian campaign, and his recent form has even earned him a recall to Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad.

Bruno featured in all of Brazil’s last three friendlies against Japan, Senegal and Tunisia, with the towering defender well in contention to be selected for next year’s World Cup.

Belief West Ham have rebid for Fabricio Bruno after near-2024 move

The former Flamengo stalwart was actually on the verge of joining West Ham in 2024.

Fabrizio Romano even gave his famous ‘here we go’ to the transfer and claimed he would be Lopetegui’s first defensive signing, but the transfer ended up collapsing.

Now, as per South American journalist Jorge Nicola, there is every reason to believe West Ham may have rebid for Bruno.

According to his information, a mystery English club has submitted a £13 million offer for the player, and Nicola theorises that the most likely candidate is Nuno’s side given their very advanced talks nearly two years ago.

Bruno’s move to West Ham apparently didn’t happen because of the player’s salary demands, but the Premier League door may now be back open following what has been a stellar 2025 for him.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender David Luiz, who was on the books with Bruno at Flamengo, once said he has the ‘quality to play for any team in the world’.

However, given Cruzeiro only signed him in early 2025, they may be reluctant to part ways.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is welcoming his Gunners squad back to training in London Colney ahead of his side’s crucial derby against Tottenham this weekend.

The face-off carries significant weight in this year’s Premier League title race, with Arsenal looking to maintain their position at the summit while Tottenham seek to disrupt their neighbours’ title aspirations.

Arsenal enter the match off a 2-2 draw at Sunderland, which ended their 10-match winning run in all competitions and eight-game run without conceding a single goal.

The Gunners have been in exceptional form this season, averaging over two goals per match and establishing themselves as the team to beat. Their defensive prowess has been particularly impressive, conceding just five goals so far and boasting the best defence in all of Europe’s top five leagues.

Fifth-place Spurs drew 2-2 with Man United in their last outing and currently hold the best away record in the Premier League with 13 points won from a possible 15, having scored the joint-most goals (12) and conceded the fewest (three) on their travels (NBC Sports).

Despite having won just three times at Arsenal since the Premier League’s inception, this remarkable away form makes them dangerous opponents and Arteta will be very aware of the threat Thomas Frank’s side pose.

Arsenal also face a real selection headache, with star defender Gabriel Magalhaes poised to be out for at least a month after sustaining a thigh injury on international duty with Brazil.

Arteta’s attacking depth faces a severe test heading into the derby too, with multiple forwards battling to prove their fitness. Viktor Gyokeres is still a doubt for the match, with little certainty around Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz.

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann revealed that Havertz had a “minor relapse” of his knee injury and is expected to return “towards the end of the year”, casting doubt on his involvement in this weekend’s derby.

Captain Martin Odegaard’s situation remains unclear as well. Norway boss Stale Solbakken said Odegaard is “some distance away”, but the player himself stated the injury is “starting to look better” and will hopefully be back soon (TV2).

Noni Madueke was actually close to making the Sunderland squad, so he could well return to the fold for Spurs, but the game comes too soon for striker Gabriel Jesus.

Gabriel Jesus pictured in Arsenal training with teammates after lay-off

The Brazilian hasn’t played a single minute since rupturing his ACL in an FA Cup defeat to Man United at the start of the year, and reports suggest he’ll be the last in a long line of Arsenal attackers to return from injury (Simon Collings).

However, Jesus is back in Arsenal first-team training, with football.london relaying that the 28-year-old was pictured taking part in a session this week alongside Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White.

The former Man City star, once he makes his comeback, is set to play a role under Arteta this season, despite reports of a potential January exit.

Arteta has called Jesus an ‘unpredictable’ weapon he can’t wait to call upon, while the player himself is adamant that he’s not going anywhere.

It is unclear when Jesus will be available for full selection again, but it could well be soon given he’s back with the squad.

The ace Sri Lankan spinner was a consultant for New Zealand on their subcontinent tours this season

Interview by Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Nov-2024Rangana Herath, the most successful left-arm bowler ever, was spin consultant in New Zealand’s set up when two left-arm spinners, Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner, played big roles in the 3-0 whitewash of India this month. Herath spoke about his experience on working with the bowlers on this history-making tour.Before New Zealand went to India, they had two losses in Sri Lanka. Let’s talk about what that was like.
I was very impressed by their team environment. When you lose, you tend to talk a lot about mistakes. But in this team, what we talked most about was what we learned, how we adjusted to conditions, and how to take the good things we did to India. That’s what we did after the series defeat in Sri Lanka. Although we lost, there weren’t many players who were that upset. I think there’s a lot to learn from that.Everyone – the coaches and the players – were on the same page. Rather than looking too big-picture, everyone was engaged with the match situation at hand and looking to find the best solution to the problem in front of them.Related

Battle of cricket nerds: How Herath helped New Zealand bring Karunaratne down

'Flatline' Mitchell Santner peaks with Kohli's wicket

'Every time I got a wicket, it felt better' – side soreness no barrier for 13-wicket Santner

Ajaz triggers late India slide after Jadeja five-for keeps New Zealand to 235

India and England cannot sweep themselves out of trouble in Tests

In that second match in Sri Lanka, Glenn Phillips was the only spinner who took wickets – three. How did that tour affect the spinners?
When you go to Galle, some teams might think: “The pitch turns there, so the spinners have to do everything.” But this team didn’t have that mindset. They trusted their skill and put the emphasis on how accurate they needed to be. Sometimes spinners put unwanted pressure on themselves when they see a turning pitch. It was all about accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. Whether it spins or not, that’s really important. But we did talk about things like angles of attack, and release positions, and how you’d vary them. But mostly we talked about accuracy.What kind of advice did you have as they went to India?
So already there was an emphasis on accuracy. But one thing we knew was that India batters are quite aggressive in their approach. So the thinking for the spinners was around how to be smart when that happens. On the tactical front, what we talked about was how to set those in-out fields that close off the attacking options for batters.Did you look at each batter and plan fields?
Whether it’s a batting-friendly field or a bowling-friendly one, the first 20 to 24 balls is going to be tough for a batter. It’s hard to discern the pace of the pitch, and sometimes you don’t know what is happening. So the main thing we planned was around those 20 balls and employing the right fields during that period. For each batter we made some minor changes to our overall strategy. That was what a lot of the talk going into India was about.”That’s what happens when you put the ball in the right spot”: Ajaz Patel got Shubman Gill bowled with one that went on straight on day three in Mumbai•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the Bengaluru Test you didn’t need the spinners at all. In the second innings, because of the nature of the pitch, were the spinners asked to operate as holding bowlers?
No. Because we had batted and scored 400-odd and by then the pitch was helping spinners a bit. Again, the talk was about putting close-in fielders and shutting off those boundary options.Ajaz Patel got two wickets and those were very important. He got [Yashasvi] Jaiswal, and that was key because he is a batter who attacks a lot. He comes forward and what we saw was, his strength was hitting over mid-off and mid-on. We talked to Ajaz about how to change up his line and his pace, and he did that perfectly. [Patel had Jaiswal stumped for 35.] Then he also got Rohit bowled off the edge. And then Glenn Phillips got Virat Kohli’s wicket. So although the spinners didn’t run through the team, they got them a really important start.When you went to Pune and saw that pitch, what did you talk about?
We saw very quickly that it was going to turn and that we needed to play three spinners. Everyone was on the same page about that again.Mitchell Santner hadn’t been very successful in Sri Lanka, What did you think of his bowling at that point?
I think he had mostly played white-ball cricket for the past few months, and because of that, he was bowling white-ball lengths. When the pitch turns, you need to bowl fuller. Although Santner wasn’t bowling short, on these kinds of pitches he becomes more effective when he pitches it up a bit more.But then the biggest difference between Galle and Pune was that he varied his pace in Pune. That meant he had more leeway with his lengths and he could pitch it up or bowl it slightly shorter, and both could be effective. He understood the pitch really well.The Bengaluru Test was played on a seamers’ track but New Zealand’s spinners had their say in the second innings. Glenn Phillips got Virat Kohli to nick one behind•Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty ImagesFrom the time he started, I thought, “He’s going to bowl well here.” It’s hard to predict someone getting five or more wickets. But he was impressive from the outset in that game [with 13 wickets].Did a lot of the spinners’ plans work out against India’s batters, or was it more about building pressure?
I think we built a lot of pressure with spin. When batters have that attacking mindset, the fields that were set by Ajaz and Santner were really good. The bowlers take ownership of those fields and the captain and others are aware of what the plan is.What did you see as the strengths of each of New Zealand’s main spinners – Santner, Patel and Phillips?
They bowl three different lengths between them. Ajaz isn’t very tall – he and I are about the same height. He tries to toss the ball up over the batter’s eyeline and bowl a little fuller – between 4 and 4.5 metres from the stumps.Santner because of his height has the option to bowl a greater variety of lengths, on that pitch in Pune especially.Glenn has his own rhythm. He gets to the crease quickly, and because he bowls a lot of white-ball lengths, he knows how to set a field to that as well. We stressed that they should stick to their strengths. Glenn had a lot of protection. It wasn’t quite a one-day field, but he had more protection than the others.Going into the last innings of that Pune match, India needed 359. How did you approach that?
We thought that it was a big target for them to chase, so we had a lot of confidence, especially because our spinners had bowled well in the first innings. My experience is that even 200 is a big total in a fourth innings, so we were confident.Mitchell Santner was “bowling white-ball lengths” going into the India series, but he soon fixed that and ended up with 13 wickets in the Pune Test•Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty ImagesAgain, Santner and Ajaz varied their pace well. I think that was the difference between New Zealand’s bowlers and India’s.Ajaz didn’t get a lot of wickets in this match, though it was a helpful pitch. What do you think was the reason for that?
On any surface, not everyone is going to get wickets. Ajaz is the main spinner in this team, but sometimes when someone [else] is getting wickets, you have to change your approach also. Sometimes when one bowler is getting wickets, the other person builds pressure. I think Ajaz is someone who looks at what role he has to play in any situation. He’s got a lot of knowledge about cricket, and I think he adapted his game to what he needed to do at the time. At the time the attacking option was Mitchell Santner, and there was understanding there.Going into the third Test, New Zealand had already won the series. There must have been some serious confidence in the team going to the Wankhede?
A lot of players who play Test cricket want to win a Test in India. As someone who played for Sri Lanka I had that dream too, but I wasn’t able to get there. The New Zealand players were also like that. After we won the second match, they never got overconfident. It was more about it being a fresh start, and that this was a new surface, and that we had to adapt again. That was the mindset and that was fantastic. There was no guarantee about winning that third one as well.Ajaz got a lot of wickets in the third Test. Talk us through his first spell.
Ajaz is super interesting, because in the previous Test he’d played at the Wankhede, he’d taken all ten wickets in the first innings, and four wickets in the second. The difference between the previous pitches and this one is that on the Wankhede, you have the red soil, and when it turns there, it turns very sharply. Ajaz has a lot of revolutions on the ball, and so almost all his balls were very effective. Because he tosses it up, he especially gets that very sharp turn.In the last innings India had to get 147. You’ve defended a lot of low scores yourself. What did you say to the bowlers?
I had been talking to them in general about the fourth innings being incredibly tough for batters. Even when we had had to chase 107 in the fourth innings in the first match, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had made it difficult. So we talked about 147 being a big score to chase. The emphasis was again on accuracy and relying on the help from the surface, which was turning.”Ajaz has a lot of revolutions on the ball, and so almost all his balls were very effective. Because he tosses it up, he especially gets that very sharp turn,” Herath says of New Zealand’s lead spinner in the series•Surjeet Yadav/Associated PressAfter Matt Henry got Rohit out, Ajaz was getting big turn, but he bowled Shubman Gill with one that didn’t turn – that’s what happens when you put the ball in the right spot. We had the trust that the pitch would do the rest if we did the right things.Ajaz is in many ways a similar player to you. What did you speak to him about?
A lot of our talk was about how to be effective whether or not the pitch offers turn – how to adjust your angles of attack, how to change your release positions, how to bowl well, even in New Zealand. All the spinners in this group had an open mind, and that came out of them already having a lot of trust in their skills.What was the feeling like in the dressing room when those wickets were falling?
I was in the dressing room and downstairs during that period, and when Rishabh Pant was batting well, I also did have a doubt about whether they could win.But winning 3-0 was a huge joy. It was like when I was playing and we beat Australia 3-0 [in Sri Lanka in 2016]. It’s something that happens very rarely.Did you learn anything from being part of this series?
Players were very accountable in this environment. When things went wrong, players accepted responsibility and they looked for solutions. That was really impressive. As a coach, being part of an environment like that was really valuable. It was a boon to my coaching career as well.

Former Australia batter Lisa Keightley has replaced Charlotte Edwards as the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). MI were without a head coach after Edwards left the role to take over as the England Women’s head coach earlier this year, after coaching MI for the first three years of the WPL.”It’s an honour to join the Mumbai Indians, a team that has set the benchmark in the WPL,” Keightley said in a release. “The culture of excellence and care is something I deeply admire. I look forward to working with this talented group to build on our success and continue inspiring on and off the field.”Keightley, a two-time ODI World Cup winner with Australia in 1997 and 2005, has had several coaching roles in recent years, with England Women, Australia Women, Delhi Capitals (WPL), Sydney Thunder (WBBL) and most recently guiding Northern Superchargers to the Women’s Hundred title less than a month ago.