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We break the match into six phases, and see who is likely to gain and lose in each

Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom08-Feb-2020

India’s batting innings

Overs 1-15
India openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena have to be watchful, looking to build a strong foundation with a steady start. Shoriful Islam, the left-arm seamer, has been accurate all tournament and will have the responsibility of getting Bangladesh the early breakthrough – there will be lateral movement for him, and that’s something for the openers to watch out for. Tanzim Hasan Sakib, the right-arm seamer, is the quicker bowler, but that might play in the hands of Jaiswal and Saxena, and they will look to pick him off for runs. Left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan and offspinner Shamim Hossain will have to be introduced early, and the India openers will look to play them out without much risk.Overs 16-35
Foundation in place, India will look to consolidate here, but a variety of spin and pace may earn Bangladesh some wickets in this period. Tilak Varma and Priyam Garg, who have had a quiet World Cup, will look to push on in the spin-heavy middle overs – with one of the openers around for a while, ideally – when Rakibul, Shamim and Hasan Murad will operate. Shoriful’s second spell will be crucial for both teams as India will look to score off him but not lose wickets in the process. Bangladesh have an opportunity in this period to dent India’s progress with quick strikes, perhaps even exposing their lower-middle order earlier than usual, but India will want to chug along at a decent rate.Siddhesh Veer has a variety of shots in his repertoire•ICC via GettyOvers 36-50
Siddhesh Veer, the swashbuckling allrounder, will be key here. If India are four or five down, he will look to take the innings as deep as possible before really changing gears. Veer’s reputation as a 360-degree batsman could create some doubts in Bangladesh captain Akbar Ali, and the rate will increase in the early part of this stage with India looking to wrest back some control – in case they have conceded any. Although wickets may continue to tumble, the impetus on scoring at a quick pace will be high. India’s lower-order batsmen will try to chip in with some handy runs but it’s also likely that Tanzim and Shoriful will be tough customers to deal with at the death. Expect a few expensive overs and a total in the 240-260 range, which will be very competitive, especially in a final.

Bangladesh’s batting innings

Overs 1-15
Looking at the target, the first priority for Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan will be to not lose their wickets in the early overs. They can’t afford to get bogged down either, so expect them to wait for the loose balls and cash in. The pace of Kartik Tyagi and Sushant Mishra might work well for Bangladesh, but they must tread with caution. If a wicket falls early, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, the centurion from the semi-final, will be in with the agenda to consolidate, but legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, India’s primary wicket-taking bowler, will come in to try and change the script. Bangladesh will stay in touching distance of the required run-rate, but two (or more) early wickets could hurt their chances.Mahmudul Hasan Joy acknowledges the cheers for his century•ICC via GettyOvers 16-35
Bangladesh’s middle order, which has been very prolific, will have to ensure they don’t crumble. Consolidation remains the key, but not at the cost of runs – too many dot balls will, as always, add to the pressure. Bishnoi and left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar are perfect when it comes to applying the choke, but Bangladesh know the latter can often err in his lengths. Left-arm seamer Akash Singh is probably India’s weakest link and Bangladesh will have to make full use of the overs he gets. It’s the best time for Bangladesh’s middle-order to send India captain Garg scampering for other bowling options, and it will be in Bangladesh’s advantage if he is forced to use up some extra overs from Tyagi and Mishra, which will leave Singh to bowl more in the back end.Overs 36-50
Bangladesh wouldn’t mind a required run-rate of around 6-7 in the final 15 overs, but only if they have wickets in hand. But, as it often is at the death, this is when they are most likely to lose wickets. If one of the top few manages to bat deep, as long as Akbar or Shahadat Hossain are at the crease, they would still be confident, even against a required run-rate of more than 8 in the final five overs. Bishnoi and Ankolekar will be bowled out by then, and if things go according to Bangladesh’s plans, India will be left with Singh and another pacer to bowl the final overs. Tyagi’s yorker-length deliveries will be key at this stage for India to prise out wickets, and how Bangladesh play his final overs out will determine the result.What strategies can the teams employ if it’s a rain-curtailed game?For India, it’s about how they best use their batsmen. Jaiswal, who has batted within himself so far despite being the tournament’s run-scorer, will need to up his strike rate, something he is famous for in domestic cricket. Barring his hundred against Pakistan, his strike rate has been below 80 in the other four games. Varma, Veer, and Ankolekar are best suited to score at a faster rate, so they could bat ahead of Garg and Dhruv Jurel. India could also be tempted to use Bishnoi inside the powerplay, instead of sending him too late.As for Bangladesh, they may be tempted to not play left-arm spinner Murad and opt for a quick bowler instead. Shahin Alam, the medium-pacer who can also bat, could be a good option. In the batting line-up, Hridoy could bat at No. 3 while Joy drops to No. 4. Shahadat, who has been unbeaten in his last three innings, is another pinch-hitting option whose potential they should not let go waste if it’s a short game.

The World Cup draw, which is supposed to be a celebration of soccer, instead turned into a tribute to Donald Trump

WASHINGTON – Donald Trump could do anything he wanted – at least, that's what Gianni Infantino told him. 

That exchange – something that took no longer than 10 seconds as Trump clearly disrupted the schedule during the 2026 World Cup draw – summed up the baffling ceremony. Infantino tried to direct the President across the stage in a certain way. Trump took a different route. Whether it was a power play or simply a misunderstanding of directions, the FIFA President allowed it. 

"Mr. President, this way, this way. Oh, this way, you can do what you want," Infantino said, allowing Trump to play main man at his own party. 

But a draw is supposed to be something else entirely – not a stage for a single man.

It is supposed to let us forget the bad stuff – sportswashing, exploitation, and the uncomfortable political tensions between countries that will soon play each other.

Instead, it was an imperfect and inaccurate representation of what a World Cup should be. They are, from a hopeless football romantic’s point of view, about coming together, celebrating differences, and showcasing the world’s elite. This draw was about the exceptionalism of one country and, more specifically, one man – which misses the point altogether. What should have been the fun bit became a strange ode to one man – and that isn’t what a World Cup draw, or a tournament itself, should be about.

And everyone knew it. 

"I do not, like it, but we could have done it like, without all of this. I don't need it. But of course, it's a huge stage, and it's big entertainment. I was very well aware that it's not about the deep insight of football today," England manager Thomas Tuchel told reporters.

Getty Images SportThe circus

It all started, of course, with Infantino. The 55-year-old Italian aimed to be the hype man in a room full of executives, coaches, celebrities, and dignitaries. It was over the top at times, but it was justifiable in his view. 

"Because we are in America we need to make a show,” he said. 

This was Infantino-fest 3000. He rolled his favorite line, that the World Cup would be like '104 Super Bowls.' He then led the room in chants of "USA", "Canada" and "Mexico." 

That was one of the few times he split equal attention between all three hosts. Aside from that moment, there was little discussion of what this meant for the “other” two homes of the tournament. 

Canada coach Jesse Marsch, a U.S. citizen who was once an assistant coach for the USMNT, admitted he was unsurprised. 

"It was some serious pomp and circumstance, and like they said, very American, very American, to do it that way," Marsch said. 

There was little mention of Mexico, and a brief word for Canada. Otherwise, this was an event built entirely around Trump. 

The President, meanwhile, was given a chance to flex his football knowledge. Trump, supposedly a massive football fan, said he 'assumed' that Pele "was one of the greats."

After, he got in on the running gag that Infantino, a stand-up comic for the ages, had pushed, suggesting that the U.S. should conform to the rest of the world, stop using the word 'soccer', and 'come up with another name for the NFL.' 

Very few laughed.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe FIFA Peace Prize…

And then it was Trump's moment. It is worth acknowledging, first, that this is a World Cup that will have three hosts – even if U.S. soccer said as late as 2016 that it wanted to hold the tournament alone. Sure, the U.S. will host 78 of the 104 games, including the final. This event was also held at the Kennedy Center – reportedly due to its proximity to the White House. This does feel like the United States’ tournament. But the Prime Minister of Canada and President of Mexico were also in attendance. This should belong to all three nations. 

Yet Trump went solo for a while. FIFA announced that it would hand out its inaugural peace prize on Nov. 4. Some within the organization reportedly didn't even know that it would be awarded. But it didn't take long to figure out that this would be handed to the President. On Nov. 5, Infantino outlined the premise for the award: 

"The FIFA Peace Prize… will recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations," he said via Instagram. 

To further outline just how peaceful the prize was, that notion was reinforced by a video introducing it. 

"Throughout human history, a call for peace has echoed across generations and civilizations," it began. 

"The inaugural peace prize is presented on behalf of the billions of people who love this game and love peace," it continued. "In this spirit, we acknowledge a dynamic leader who has engaged in diplomatic efforts that created opportunities for dialogue, de-escalation, and stability, and who has championed the unifying power of football of the world's stage. The inaugural 2025 FIFA Peace Prize is proudly bestowed upon the President of the United States of America… Donald J. Trump." 

And then he appeared. 

Infantino gave him a glowing introduction and handed him a gaudy, glistening medal. Trump waited no time for it to be presented, and immediately threw it on. 

"I'm gonna wear it right now," he said as he slung it around his neck. 

“You can wear it wherever you go,” Infantino replied.

Getty ImagesThe underlying reality

And then Trump started preaching. It was a confusing work of self-promotion. He spoke for two minutes. First, he listed his achievements – his efforts for peace, the wars he claimed he has stopped, the ceasefires he claimed he was solely responsible for. Next, he praised Infantino for his ticket sales efforts, conveniently ignoring the fact that prices have spiked on the resale market, making the 2026 tournament the most expensive World Cup on record. 

After that, he reassured the world that Canada and the U.S. have an excellent relationship, something that contradicts well-known comments from the President over the past year. 

The sobering reality is that the spectacle on stage didn’t reflect the wider geopolitical picture. Iran threatened to boycott the event after members of its delegation were denied visas. Haiti is among several countries whose citizens face restrictive travel policies to the United States. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called on FIFA to “act on human rights” ahead of the 2026 tournament, even suggesting that relocation should be considered if protections aren’t guaranteed under current U.S. immigration policies.

In a way, it closely mirrors the human rights concerns that were raised before the 2022 World Cup. Back then, Infantino addressed human rights violations in Qatar by pointing out that he knew what it was like to face discrimination because kids used to make fun of him for having ginger hair.

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AFPA baffling draw

The rest of it was deeply puzzling. FIFA rolled out of slew of big names to get involved. Matthew McConaughey popped up in a not-very-funny skit to give Rio Ferdinand some advice as to how to lead a World Cup draw (glossing over the fact that he himself has never hosted a draw for a major tournament). 

For the event itself, which didn't start until one hour and 23 minutes into the ceremony, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neill, NFL legend Tom Brady, and Yankees star Aaron Judge all showed up. There was a bit referencing Brady's skill as a quarterback, before the NFL great pointed out that he 'believed in America'.

Ferdinand quipped that Judge – who hit 53 home runs last year – would 'knock it out of the park'. Wayne Gretzky, the only Canadian presence on stage, who spent the latter half of his career playing for American teams, struggled through the pronunciation of countries, breaking out the infinitely quotable 'Mac-A-Doe-ne-yah'. 

The draw itself took around 20 minutes. 

"I felt like football was second, and entertainment was first," Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said. "I’ve done a few draws for Euros, for Gold Cup, for Copa America, so I’ve done a lot of these kinds of events. Football should always be first." 

In one final flourish, the Village People showed up to lip-sync "YMCA". 

The show closed with Trump dancing in the rafters. The giddy President had owned the World Cup draw. And he knew it, too.

MatériaMais Notícias

Se o Santos começou a Série B do Brasileirão empolgando sua torcida com os resultados, as duas últimas rodadas mostraram que o time comandado por Fábio Carille precisa ligar o alerta. Diante do Novorizontino, na sexta-feira (7), às 21h, fora de casa, no entanto, o Peixe deve contar com os reforços de João Schmidt e Pedrinho.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

O volante ficou de fora justamente nas duas derrotas do Santos, contra América-MG e Botafogo-SP, e já está pronto para retornar ao time titular.

Além de Schmidt, o atacante Pedrinho, que tratou uma pubalgia e está fora do time há um mês, desde a partida contra o Guarani. Com a ausência de Guilherme, a tendência é que o jogador tenha chances de entrar na partida.

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+ Veja a tabela da Série B do Brasileirão

A provável escalação do Peixe tem: Gabriel Brazão; Rodrigo Ferreira, Gil, Joaquim e Escobar; João Schmidt, Diego Pituca e Giuliano; Otero, Willian Bigode e Patati (Pedrinho).

O Alvinegro ocupa a terceira posição na tabela de classificação da Série B, com 15 pontos em oito jogos, atrás do líder Goiás, que tem 17, e do Avaí, que tem 16.

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In a video posted on social media, Tareen said the PCB wanted to surround itself with “yes-men and minions”

Danyal Rasool24-Oct-2025The Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen has apologised to the PCB in their ongoing dispute concerning the PSL, though in a manner that could escalate rather than defuse matters. The PCB had sent Tareen a legal notice charging him with breaching a clause in their franchise agreement and demanding an apology for his recent public criticism of the league.In a nearly five-minute-long video released on his social media accounts, Tareen apologised for his comments on the PCB in a tone heavy with sarcasm, while continuing to taunt the board, claiming it wanted to be surrounded by “yes-men and minions”.”You don’t even want to work with your stakeholders,” Tareen said, while flashing the legal notice the PCB sent him. “You cannot bear any criticism from anyone. If you were even remotely competent, you would have known this is not the way to manage things.”Only a big man apologises. I apologise for wanting to make the PSL better. I apologise for raising my voice when I saw problems. It is my fault, not yours, that I was dissatisfied with your mediocre mindset. I apologise for being unhappy that you give yourselves so much credit for doing so little.”Related

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He went on to further criticise the handling of the PSL, referring to the player draft, where issues with microphones persisted through the event, and for lip-syncing rather than live singing through the opening ceremony.He concluded the video by saying, “I hope you like my apology video,” holding the legal notice up to the camera and ripping it in half.ESPNcricinfo reached out to the PCB for comment, and understands the board will consult with its legal team before determining what, if any, further action to take, or whether to accept Tareen’s “apology”. While it does technically satisfy the PCB’s legal demand for a public apology, it appears set to only escalate the feud between the two sides.ESPNcricinfo has also seen a copy of the legal notice the PCB sent to Tareen on September 12. It accuses Tareen of breaching his franchise agreement and making “false, malicious, baseless, and defamatory allegations” in the build-up to the tenth season of the PSL. In the weeks leading up to the tournament, Tareen had become increasingly trenchant in his public criticism of the PSL management for what he believed was a lack of communication, ambition or transparency from the league, while deriding them for their incompetence.While the PCB had maintained a public silence in the months since, the legal notice threatens the most severe action the board, and the league, are in a position to take: blacklisting Tareen from franchise ownership, effectively stripping Multan Sultans away from him. Most seriously, Tareen is accused of deliberately seeking to devalue the PSL brand – with each franchise set for reevaluation at the end of the year – in order to pick up ownership rights to the Sultans at a lower value.The PCB also claims other franchise owners had urged action against Tareen earlier “for deliberately attempting to sabotage the marketing campaign and value of the PSL brand.”Amid the serious legal language, there are also allegations that display the triviality to which this feud between league and franchise owner has devolved. The PCB letter mentioned a video in which Tareen was filmed speaking to the Sultans players, telling them to target the opposition batters with bouncers in exchange for financial reward if they hit the helmet. The PCB called this “reprehensible,” accusing Tareen of disregarding players’ mental health and seeking to destroy their livelihoods.Tareen claimed the video was a joke and taken down, with Multans Sultans telling ESPNcricinfo their bowlers had bowled “the fewest bouncers in the league” last season, and accusing the PCB of desperation in their attempts to malign Tareen.Some aspects of the feud also appear to boil down to personal tastes. In the letter, the PSL called their trophy reveal at the opening ceremony “creative”. The trophy was unveiled as part of a short film that depicted it as lost at sea, with a military helicopter and expert divers sent to retrieve it. Tareen sarcastically called it a “game-changer” saying that it “gave me goosebumps”.While the nature of the feud may have become petty, its consequences are potentially severe for both the league and Tareen. The PSL could, in theory, preclude Tareen from rebidding to purchase Multan Sultans, meaning he would not be a part of the PSL as owner in the upcoming season. There remain plenty of unanswered questions for the PSL, too. Two new teams are to take part in the upcoming season but the PCB has not made any public statement revealing their identity or the date of the PSL draft.

He might not have the big trophies just yet, but Mikel Arteta has already achieved a lot at Arsenal.

He has taken a club that was spiralling into competitive irrelevance and turned them into serious contenders for the Premier League and Champions League.

Furthermore, on several occasions, he has helped revitalise the careers of players most considered to be done at the very highest level.

He has done the same this year, with someone who only last year received some particularly scathing criticism.

The best career revivals at Arsenal

When it comes to redemption stories at Arsenal, the one everyone will think of first, and rightly so, is Granit Xhaka’s.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

The Swiss international famously fell foul of the Emirates faithful in late 2019 when, as he was being jeered, he threw the armband and his shirt to the floor while swearing at the supporters.

At the time, it looked like his time in N5 was up, and were it not for the Spaniard, it probably would have been.

The midfielder would later tell the press that “my suitcases were packed, but I had a meeting with Mikel when he came” and that “he [Arteta] is the reason why I’m still at this football club.”

Over the next few years, the passionate international would slowly win the fans back onside, and by the time his final game came at the end of the 22/23 season, the entire Emirates was singing his name, and seemed desperate for him to stay.

Another player whose career has been revived in N5 is Kai Havertz.

The German wasn’t taken particularly seriously when he made his surprise move to the club in 2023, and the fact that he struggled to have an impact in the first half of that season certainly didn’t help.

In fact, just a month into the campaign, former professional Gabby Agbonlahor described the former Bayer Leverkusen man as a “joke.”

However, a move up front completely changed the game for the struggling player, and in 18 starts as a centre-forward, the “magnificent” ace, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored eight goals and provided seven assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.20 games.

Starts

32

18

Goals

6

8

Assists

0

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.18

0.83

Then last season, despite being ruled out halfway through, he still managed to score 15 goals and provide five assists in 36 games.

In all, Havertz might not be Arsenal’s best player, but his revival under Arteta is undeniably impressive, and now another player previously written off is starting to show his best form again this season.

The Arsenal star who is now undroppable

The good news for Arsenal is that there are more than a handful of players who are currently undroppable, although few would have expected Leandro Trossard to be among them at the start of the season.

Now, the £90k-per-week Belgian is an undeniably talented player, but it would be fair to say that he underwhelmed last season.

While it took him just 46 games to produce 20 goal involvements the previous year, it took 56 games to produce the same number last season.

Moreover, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star was simply having less of an impact on games, unless, of course, you include the red card he picked up against Manchester City, for which Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville blasted him. The latter notably labelled the situation as “ridiculous.”

The 30-year-old was such a disappointment that by the end of the season, fans seemed alright with moving him on to sign someone more dynamic, and based on reports, it looked like that might have been the club’s plan.

However, such a move never transpired, and fans should be delighted about that, as so far this season, he has been utterly superb.

For example, in just 14 appearances, totalling 832 minutes, the Waterschei-born “little magician,” as dubbed by Arteta, has scored four goals and provided four assists.

In other words, he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.75 games, or every 104 minutes, which is a rate of return not even Bukay Saka can match at the moment.

It’s not just his raw numbers that have improved, though; he is also having far more of an influence in games.

For example, while his thunderous effort against Sunderland caught everyone’s attention, he played brilliantly throughout.

Ultimately, it’s early in the season, but as things stand, Trossard is utterly undroppable and looks like another player Arteta has revived.

Arsenal dealt Martin Odegaard injury blow after three-word Norway update

The Gunners captain was reported to be eyeing a return against Tottenham.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 13, 2025

شهدت مباراة منتخب فرنسا أمام منتخب أوكرانيا التي انتهت بفوز الديوك برباعية نظيفة، في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026 غياب أحد لاعبي وصيف العالم.

وأفادت شبكة “راديو مونتي كارلو” الفرنسية أن إدواردو كامافينجا لاعب خط وسط ريال مدريد سيغادر معسكر منتخب فرنسا.

ولن يسافر كامافينجا مع منتخب فرنسا في رحلته الطويلة إلى أذريبجان، وسيغادر اللاعب معسكر الديوك بسبب إصابة في أوتار الركبة، ولن يلعب إلى جانب مانو كوني الذي حصل على بطاقة صفراء أمام أوكرانيا.

أقرأ أيضاً.. كيليان مبابي يحقق رقمًا مميزًا بعد ثنائية مباراة فرنسا وأوكرانيا

ولن يكون لاعب ريال مدريد متاحاً للمشاركة مع منتخب فرنسا ضد منتخب أذريبجان في المباراة الأخيرة من تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026 يوم الأحد المقبل.

وغاب كامافينجا عن مباراة أوكرانيا، حيث تدرب أمس الأربعاء بشكل منفرد وتم استدعاء ماركوس تورام لتعويض غيابه المحتمل.

وسيعود كامافينجا إلى مدريد للتعافي من الإصابة قبل لقاء إلتشي يوم الأحد 23 نوفمبر في الليجا ثم لقاء أولمبياكوس بعد ثلاث أيام في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

West Ham United fans staged a sit-in protest at London Stadium despite Nuno Espirito Santo's men beating Newcastle United 3-1. The Hammers have been struggling at the bottom end of the Premier League but claimed a morale-boosting win over the Magpies on Sunday. And although this victory temporarily lifted the gloom around the east London outfit, many voiced their displeasure at the club's ownership.

First win for new West Ham boss Nuno

West Ham's players gave their fans something to cheer about this weekend thanks to a comeback win over Newcastle – their first home triumph since February. Jacob Murphy's early opener was cancelled out by goals from Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek, along with an own-goal from Sven Botman. The victory was Espirito Santo's first in charge of the Hammers but they still remain 18th in the Premier League and are three points from safety. But the former Nottingham Forest manager believes this game can be a springboard for his team.

He said after the contest: "I think the fans saw something in the team today and this is what we want, this is how we should look at the situation. How can we as a team, show to our fans that we want to fight, we want to change [the] situation. We want to make things tough for our opponents. We want to change our game, we want to improve our game. The fans [we] cannot thank them enough."

AdvertisementAFPWest Ham protests continue

In recent months, opposition to owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady has grown, with head coach Graham Potter's sacking only intensifying their outrage. Fans have called on them to resign and have repeatedly staged protests before, during, and after matches. The club's fan advisory board recently issued a vote of no confidence in the board, and after the Newcastle match, a few thousand angry fans stayed to chant "sack the board". Many have chosen to boycott matches for the time being but they may return if results improve. 

Nuno addresses West Ham protests

While the West Ham boss will be aware of the discontent surrounding the club, the Portuguese coach – who replaced the sacked Potter in late September – thanked fans for getting behind the team and creating a great atmosphere against Eddie Howe's side.

He told reporters: "Our idea is to try and give something to our fans. And today we did give them a small thing and the way they give us back was huge and in the end the noise in the London Stadium was amazing. So we cannot thank them enough. So let's try against Burnley, give them a little bit more so they can make more noise. And we try to transform the London Stadium, [into] a very hard place for our opponents."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for West Ham?

While this has been a dreadful start to the season for West Ham, this result could kickstart their campaign. Plus, they host 17th-placed Burnley on Saturday at home. A win could see them leapfrog Scott Parker's side in the table, which would lift everyone's spirits heading into the latest international break.

Incidentally, West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen told : "It [a win] has been a long time coming. We know we haven't been good enough at home and we wanted to change that. Sometimes you think your luck is against you and it will never change but we stuck in there. I don't think we did anything different in terms of preparation. It is us as players understanding the situation we are in and wanting to change that. Different things have gone against us, set-pieces have gone against us and defending our goal. This time we deserved the win in the end."

India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill will not play the second unofficial “Test” between England Lions and India A, to be played in Northampton from June 6.While announcing the Test squad for the five-match series in England, the BCCI had said that Gill, along with Gujarat Titans (GT) opening partner B Sai Sudharsan, would join India A ahead of the game. But ESPNcricinfo has learned that Gill and Sai Sudharsan will now travel with the main squad, which lands in England on June 6. KL Rahul, however, is expected to play the Lions game after joining the India A squad on Tuesday.The first Test against England starts in Leeds on June 20.England Lions, who had a total of six Test caps for the first game in Canterbury, are likely to be bolstered by the addition of Chris Woakes for this game.Akash Deep will also be available for selection for the second game against England Lions•Getty Images

For India A, Akash Deep will also be available for selection. The fast bowler suffered a back injury after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, but was declared fit in early April after which he played in IPL 2025 for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). While Akash Deep was in Canterbury during the first unofficial “Test” too, he mainly trained with the squad, bowling in short stints during the breaks across the four days.On Monday, the first Lions vs India A game ended in a draw on a pitch that was flat and slow, making it a toil for the bowlers. Among the India Test squad members, while Karun Nair, who batted at No. 3 in the first innings, scored a double-century, Dhruv Jurel hit two half-centuries, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Nitish Kumar Reddy hit quick fifties in the second innings.Reddy and Shardul Thakur, the second seaming allrounder in Test squad, bowled 14.5 and 28 overs respectively in the Lions game and would look to add to those numbers in the second game.Following the second match against Lions, which will end on June 9, India will play an intra-squad match against India A in Beckenham, which is likely to be a closed-door exercise. The Test squad will then travel to Leeds.

Sussex’s persevering seam attack finally broke Worcestershire’s determined resistance – led by Jake Libby’s 167 – to claim their second win since promotion back to Division One in the Rothesay County Championship.No opponent loves batting at Hove more than Libby, who has now made the three highest scores of his career at the 1st Central County Ground. And while he was there to anchor their chase, Worcestershire looked capable of overhauling a target of 361.But having seen off another testing spell by Ollie Robinson with the new ball, Libby was caught off Robinson’s replacement Fynn Hudson-Prentice. His was the eighth wicket to fall with 75 still needed and Robinson got belated rewards for an excellent performance when took the last two wickets after tea to seal victory by 47 runs.There was little assistance in the pitch, even on the fourth day, for Sussex’s spinners, so it was left to their seam bowlers – led by the indefatigable Robinson – to take the seven wickets needed at the start of the final day which began with Worcestershire requiring 244.It was no surprise that Libby offered supreme resistance. He made his career-best 215 in this fixture in 2022 followed by 198 a year later. Here, having resumed on 64, he batted superbly especially against Robinson who beat the bat on numerous occasions, regularly challenged the stumps and could easily have finished with five or six wickets.Ollie Robinson is mobbed after taking the final wicket•Getty Images

During a nine-over spell at the start of the day Robinson thought he’d removed Libby on 86 to a catch behind the wicket but umpire James Middlebrook remained unmoved and shortly before lunch Libby moved to the 18th first-class hundred of his career, from 180 balls.Hudson-Prentice had picked up nightwatchman Ben Allison in the second over of the day but Sussex only took one more wicket in the morning session when Ethan Brookes played on to Ari Karvelas.Skipper Brett D’Oliveira helped Libby put on 81 in 22 overs either side of lunch with few alarms but with the new ball due Tom Clark made an important breakthrough when he bowled D’Oliveira through the gate for 29.Matthew Waite then gave Libby solid support. They survived another outstanding spell by the luckless Robinson down the slope with Waite batting for an hour before Karvelas tempted him into driving at an outswinger and James Coles took a sharp, low catch at third slip.Libby still looked as if he could still guide Worcestershire home but when Hudson-Prentice replaced Robinson he broke through straight away, tempting Libby into a rare loose drive which Clark, diving to his right, clung onto at second slip. Libby had batted for six-and-a-half hours, faced 252 balls and hit 22 fours and departed to a fully deserved standing ovation from an appreciative Sussex audience.Fateh Singh was put down behind the stumps by John Simpson off Jack Carson on 7 but it didn’t prove costly. Robinson returned for a third spell after tea and finally got some belated reward when Singh took on a short ball and Tom Haines raced in from the midwicket boundary to take a well-judged catch.Robinson wrapped up victory in emphatic style in his next over when he sent Ben Gibbon’s off stump cartwheeling to finish with 3 for 66 from 29.2 overs.

Barcelona’s mounting injury crisis has taken another devastating turn as Raphinha’s recovery has hit a major setback ahead of El Clasico. The Brazilian winger is now at serious risk of missing the headline La Liga showdown against Real Madrid, joining Robert Lewandowski on the sidelines after the striker was ruled out with a thigh injury.

Raphinha suffers injury recovery setback

Barca have been dealt a major blow ahead of the upcoming Clasico, as Raphinha’s hamstring injury has proven more serious than initially feared. The Brazilian, who suffered the issue during a clash against Real Oviedo two weeks ago, was expected to return for matches against Girona and Olympiacos to regain fitness in time for Real Madrid.

However, reports that Raphinha “felt discomfort” during final fitness tests, forcing him to halt his recovery process. What was initially seen as a short-term problem has now escalated, with his participation in the Santiago Bernabeu showdown on October 26 now in doubt.

The 27-year-old has yet to train with the group since the international break and continues to work individually in the gym. With just days left before the Girona fixture, Hansi Flick and his staff are growing increasingly concerned about his availability for what could be a decisive fixture in Barcelona’s season.

Villarreal-Barcelona in Miami: Pre-sale Oct. 21Ticket accessAdvertisementgettyFlick’s tactical concerns as Raphinha’s return delayed

Raphinha’s absence could prove particularly costly for Barca boss Flick’s tactical setup, with the coach valuing the winger’s directness and pressing from the right flank. According to the report, the coaching staff recognise how crucial Raphinha is to Barca’s tactical setup and overall playing style. As a result, they have decided to delay his return slightly, allowing him more recovery time before reintroducing him to training on the sidelines.

The German coach is said to be adopting a cautious approach, preferring to prioritise the player’s long-term fitness rather than risk aggravating the hamstring injury. However, the report suggests that even a late push for recovery might not be enough in their race against time.

For now, the winger’s rehabilitation has been limited to light gym work, and he hasn’t stepped onto the training pitch since returning from the international break. That lack of progress has left both the technical staff and medical team pessimistic about his involvement in El Clasico.

Lewandowski ruled out as crisis grows

Blaugrana’s forward line has taken a further hit with their hero Lewandowski’s confirmed absence due to a thigh muscle tear suffered during Poland’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania. The 37-year-old, who has already missed several games this season with recurring muscle problems, is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks.

“Robert Lewandowski has suffered a muscle tear in the biceps femoris of his left thigh. His recovery time will depend on how the injury evolves,” Barcelona confirmed in a statement on Tuesday. Spanish media reports indicate that the Polish striker will definitely miss games against Girona, Olympiacos, Real Madrid, Elche, Club Brugge and Celta Vigo.

Already without goalkeeper Joan Garcia and Lewandowski, the Raphinha setbacks adds to further fears surrounding Dani Olmo, who is doubtful for El Clasico. Ferran Torres, meanwhile, has returned to the squad after a minor muscle scare, while Lamine Yamal resumed full training on Monday following a groin problem.

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GettyBarca's Clasico preparations in turmoil

With the Clasico just around the corner, Barca’s preparation has been thrown into disarray, and Flick must now reshuffle his attacking options, with Torres and Yamal likely to feature prominently in the absence of Lewa and Raphinha.

The Catalan giants will first face Girona at Montjuic before their Champions League fixture against Olympiacos, both of which were initially earmarked as warm-up matches for the returning stars. Instead, these games now serve as a test of Flick’s squad depth and adaptability.

Barca currently trail La Liga leaders Real Madrid and will head into the Bernabeu clash under pressure to secure a result without two of their key attacking players. The hope remains that Raphinha can stage a late recovery, but as things stand, the Blaugrana could enter the most crucial fixture of their season highly weakened.