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Birmingham City are now believed to be interested in completing the signing of a “fantastic” £8m midfielder in the summer transfer window, according to a new transfer update.

Davies discusses Birmingham's summer business

The Blues are back in the Championship after a stunning season in League One in which they cruised to the league title ahead of Wrexham, and it will be fascinating to see how they fare.

It’s now a case of Birmingham nailing their summer transfer business, with manager Chris Davies admitting last month that certain players could move on, and new faces may come in.

“To be honest, I’ve found it hard to look into next season whilst this season is still going on. I haven’t had time to sit down and say, ‘Right, who’s staying and who’s going?’ Now it’s all wrapped up and we’ve got seven weeks to pre-season, ‘Ok, what do we need?’ We’ve got the core of a really strong team there but we do need to add, of course we do. The details of that are still to be decided.”

In terms of potential new signings, former Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi has been linked with a move to St Andrew’s this summer, with the Japanese now plying his trade at Ligue 1 side Rennes. Now, a new update has emerged regarding another possible addition for Birmingham.

Birmingham want to sign "fantastic" £8m midfielder

According to a new update from journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon, Birmingham are in the mix to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien this summer.

He is also wanted by Southampton, following their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, in what is expected to be an auction for his signature.

O’Brien, who cost the Reds £8m in 2022, could be a really astute signing for Birmingham this summer, considering he has proven his quality in the Championship in his career, making 162 appearances in the competition, as well as playing 13 times in the Premier League.

An all-action midfielder who could add real quality for Davies in the middle of the park, he once scored at St Andrew’s in a 2-0 win during his Huddersfield Town days, as well as being lauded by former teammate Jonathan Hogg.

“His attitude is fantastic and his work ethic. Everything about him; he’s a top kid with a bright future ahead of him. We know he is going to play in the Premier League. Whether it is with Huddersfield Town or not, he will get there. His attitude will drive him there.”

Still only 26, O’Brien is at the perfect age to come in and have an immediate impact for Birmingham, and the idea of a move away from Forest could appeal to him, rather than warming the substitutes’ bench most weeks at the City Ground.

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Posts BySean Markus Clifford Jun 20, 2025

Davies will know the importance of signing players who have shown in the past that they can excel in the Championship and the Englishman certainly ticks that box emphatically.

Birmingham City’s move for a “technical” player is now as much as “95%” complete, according to a positive update from journalist Sebastiao Sousa-Pinto.

Who do Birmingham want to sign?

The Blues know the importance of building on their League One title win and cementing their place in the Championship next season, with new signings required to take Chris Davies’ side to the next level, perhaps following Ipswich’s lead after their back to back promotions.

The financial influence of Tom Wagner and Tom Brady has aided Birmingham greatly in recent years, and supporters are understandably excited to see what the next step will be at the club this summer.

Luton Town centre-back Teden Mengi has been linked with a move to St Andrews in recent days, following a solid 2024/25 season from the former Manchester United player that saw him average 3.9 clearances per game across 20 Championship appearances.

Meanwhile, NEC winger Sontje Hansen has also been mentioned as an exciting target for Birmingham in the summer window, with the 23-year-old representing the Netherlands across five different youth age groups, winning a combined tally of 46 caps. Now, it looks like one player is very close to securing a move to the Midlands.

Birmingham's move for midfielder "95%" done

Speaking on his YouTube channel [via Sport Witness], Sousa-Pinto claimed that midfielder Kanya Fujimoto’s move to Birmingham from Gil Vicente is nearly complete, with the Japanese set to join on a free transfer.

“I’m talking about Kanya Fujimoto, the midfielder whose contract with Gil Vicente ended and who is now a free agent and, as far as I can tell, 90%, 95%, has been agreed with Birmingham City. The clock is still ticking to seal the deal. We’ll have to keep waiting, but the feeling has been very positive for a few weeks now.

“The feeling is still very positive for the transfer to be completed, but we’re still taking it one step at a time until we can close this deal, and Kanya Fujimoto can then join the Championship team as a free agent, once again after his contract with Gil Vicente ended.”

This is great news for anyone of a Birmingham persuasion, with Fujimoto a player who has now proven himself at a high level, making 156 appearances in the Primeira Liga.

The 25-year-old has scored 12 goals and registered 20 assists in Portugal’s top league, while analyst Ben Mattinson has hailed his “technical” quality.

Fujimoto has represented Japan in six age groups, further highlighting his pedigree, and he is a player who could be an instant hit for Birmingham, adding so much quality in midfield areas.

Kanya Fujimoto’s international career

Caps

Goals

Japan Under-20s

5

0

Japan Under-19s

3

0

Japan Under-18s

6

0

Japan Under-17s

9

0

Japan Under-16s

10

0

Japan Under-15s

1

0

Manchester United have a huge rebuild on their hands this summer, looking to catapult the club back towards their former glory within the Premier League.

Ruben Amorim has done a superb job to stop the rot at Old Trafford, already implementing his 3-4-2-1 system at the club, looking to transform their recent fortunes.

Whilst they still occupy a place in the bottom half of the table, the 40-year-old has led the Red Devils to a Europa League final, facing off against fellow English side Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the month.

Should they claim another win in Bilbao, the club will be featuring in the Champions League despite their lowly standing, offering the supporters a glimpse of joy in what’s been a dismal year.

If they are to be competitive across the board in 2025/26, new additions are needed to help Amorim in his quest, with numerous players already linked with a switch to Old Trafford.

The latest on United’s hunt for new signings this summer

Matheus Cunha has been United’s most linked player over recent weeks, with the Brazilian international potentially being their first addition of the summer window.

The latest update on his future has revealed that the hierarchy remains in talks with his representatives over a move to the North West, also looking to trigger his £62.5m release clause.

However, the 25-year-old isn’t the only player on their list this window, with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma emerging as a key option for the manager this summer, according to one Spanish outlet.

The report claims that the Red Devils are preparing to lodge a £50m bid for the 26-year-old during the off-season, looking to bolster the options in the goalkeeping department.

It also confirms the club are looking to take advantage of his current situation with the Ligue 1 outfit, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2026.

Why United’s £50m target would be their best since Bruno

Bruno Fernandes has been the shining light for United throughout 2024/25, often producing the goods in key moments and helping Amorim’s side reach the Europa League final.

The Portuguese international has registered 36 combined goals and assists in his 53 appearances, heads and tails above the tallies produced by any other first-team member.

Such form has led to former Red Devils star Gary Neville claiming that the 30-year-old is the only player in the last decade to have lived up to expectations after moving to Old Trafford.

The quote is hardly a surprise given the fact that he’s registered at least 20 combined goals and assists in every one of the seasons he’s spent in Manchester after joining from Sporting CP back in January 2020.

However, Donnarumma could be the club’s best signing since Fernandes, should he move to the club this summer, massively improving the options at the manager’s disposal.

Andre Onana has been the number one option between the sticks this campaign, but has often come into question for his mistakes, making five errors leading to goals across all competitions.

A deal for the Italian would hand the side an added bit of quality, with his moments of magic handing hand the Red Devils the added quality they’ve been craving in such a department.

Donnarumma, who’s been labelled “world-class” by Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, has made an average of 2.2 saves per 90 – capable of producing flashes of individual brilliance – as seen against Arsenal in the Champions League.

He’s also completed 87% of the passes he’s attempted, allowing Amorim’s side to play out from the back, whilst making zero errors leading to goals – handing the club a reliable option between the sticks.

Gianluigi Donnarumma’s stats for PSG in Ligue 1 (2024/25)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

23

Clean sheets

4

Save percentage

68%

Saves made

2.2

Pass accuracy

87%

Errors leading to goals

0

Long ball accuracy

44%

Stats via FBref

The ‘keeper has also shown his quality in preventing penalties, making two crucial saves in the penalty shootout against England in the final of Euro 2020, with the Italian certainly a huge piece of the club’s rebuild.

It will be interesting to see whether the Ligue 1 outfit will entertain selling their number one this summer, with his contract predicament one that needs to be resolved.

However, if he was given the green light to switch to England, it could be the catalyst for any success endured in the next few years, undoubtedly landing one of the very best talents in his position.

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Arsenal have now been informed an “unbelievable” forward could be available for a fee of £80m in the summer transfer window, according to a report.

Gunners planning to bolster attacking options

At this stage, it seems almost certain that a new striker will arrive at the Emirates Stadium this summer, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealing the Gunners are now “working hard” to secure a deal.

RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres are among the more attainable targets, while Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak is also well-liked, although the Magpies have shown little interest in sanctioning a departure this summer.

Not only has Mikel Arteta set his sights on a new striker, but there is also interest in a versatile forward, and Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo is on the shortlist, with the Bees looking to receive a fee of £50m for the Cameroonian.

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Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 21, 2025

Mbeumo’s performances in the Premier League this season indicate he could be a great fit at the Emirates Stadium, but there have now been suggestions the north Londoners could also look to bring in one of Europe’s most renowned forwards.

According to a report from The Boot Room, Arsenal have now been informed that Barcelona star Raphinha could be available for £80m this summer, with intermediaries hinting that a deal may be possible in talks.

The Gunners are huge admirers of the left-winger, and they will remain informed about his situation at the Camp Nou, where the Brazilian remains very happy, with Barcelona currently attempting to tie him down to a new contract.

There could be fierce competition for the 28-year-old’s signature, with Chelsea and Liverpool said to be big fans, while there is also interest from the Saudi Pro League, with clubs willing to fork out £100m for his services.

"Unbelievable" Raphina draws praise from Thierry Henry

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is clearly a big admirer of the Brazil international, stating he “has it all” after Barcelona’s triumph against Napoli in the Champions League back in March, while also tipping him as a favourite for the Ballon d’Or.

The former Leeds United man has been extremely influential en-route to the Champions League semi-finals, picking up 12 goals and seven assists, while also ranking extremely highly on several key attacking metrics over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.60 (98th percentile)

Assists

0.43 (97th percentile)

Shot-creating actions

5.36 (91st percentile)

Lauded as “unbelievable” by Romano, Raphinha could be capable of taking Arsenal’s frontline to the next level, but given that he remains happy at Barcelona, it remains to be seen whether a deal is possible.

They hadn’t conquered Asia since 2014, and following their series win in Bangladesh, South Africa are setting sights on higher honours

Firdose Moonda31-Oct-2024It still matters. Winning away from home matters. Winning in the subcontinent matters. Doing both those things as a country that is now seen as one of the Test nations matters most of all, as South Africa have just experienced.Don’t buy into the talk that it’s only Bangladesh, a place where South Africa have never lost a Test and look at the bigger picture. For the last ten years, the subcontinent has been all but insurmountable. Between September 2014 and September 2024, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies collectively played 35 series in the subcontinent and won just six. Of those, England were responsible for three series (Sri Lanka 2018 and 2021 and Pakistan in 2022) while South Africa lost all four series they played.To be able to finally change that is something South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram described in an understated way as “very special,” while also recognising the significance it has in serving as a marker of progress.”For us as a group of players, we’ve never won a game or a series in the subcontinent so that makes it very special. It’s been a tough journey at times and to slowly be progressing is a really good thing for us,” he said.Related

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The last time South Africa conquered Asia was in 2014, at the latter end of a dream run that saw them go nine years unbeaten on the road. At the time, Markram was fresh off captaining the under-19 side to the age-group title in the UAE and the future looked bright. They didn’t know it then, but things were already changing.Big-name retirements started with Jacques Kallis in 2013 and every year since then someone else who was considered essential to success stepped away. As recently as last December, former captain and stalwart opener Dean Elgar called it a day which means South Africa have been in transition for almost ten years. The subcontinent became an impossible place to win as South Africa experienced in India in 2015 and 2019, in Sri Lanka in 2018 and in Pakistan in 2021. Of course, it’s not as though SENA countries hadn’t been making use of their own home advantage for decades so they had nothing to complain about, but it didn’t make the losses hurt any less.South Africa’s batting has paid the highest price for that. Since May 2018, they do have a single Test batter with an average over 40 which includes all of the current squad. Tony de Zorzi, thanks to his 177, and David Bedingham, with a hundred and three fifties, are close but both have only played eight Tests.What that means is that South Africa didn’t often have hundreds, which is something they had to play down and Markram is still singing from that hymn book.”As for numbers, it’s all quite relative. You look at different surfaces that you play on, wickets around the world are so different from each other and have so many different types of challenges that you face as a batter so it can be tough to pump that average up but we don’t speak about numbers,” Markram said. “We just speak about making an impact on the game and there can be a time where scoring 60 or 70 is match-winning and then there will be times where big hundreds runs are match-winning.”In this series, the latter was the case. From Kyle Verreynne in Mirpur to de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder in Chittagong, South Africa’s wins were built on big runs which gave their attack a lot to work with. And while there is some sense in what Markram said in that an individual stacking up hundreds may not necessarily equate to a successful team, he also recognised the need for a collective progression in performance.”I’m certainly not too fazed about numbers and I don’t think the rest of the guys are either. It’s one of those things that will take care of itself if you put in good performances consistently. Naturally the numbers will lift. We’re all definitely striving towards that but trying to be more consistent and trying to have a good impact on the game.”With South Africa’s batters focused on the efficacy and not the amount of their runs, it was hardly surprising to hear the leader of their attack, Kagiso Rabada, also play down his own importance. Asked about being back at No.1 on the ICC rankings or taking 300 wickets in his post-match interview, Rabada glossed over that the game “moves on”.Aiden Markram believes South Africa have the players required to reach the WTC final•AFP/Getty Images”You have to keep working hard. don’t look at where I am on the rankings,” he said, acknowledging it is a “good motivator to keep going.” His highest praise was for his team-mates, who he said are all “willing to put their hands up,” to drive success.And they can see the rewards in front of them. Despite playing fewer Tests than almost anyone else in this cycle, they’re in with a chance of making the final. They see the potential to make that happen as brimming with possibility. “We don’t really know what the ceiling is because we haven’t managed to lift the trophy,” Markram said.That’s also one way of South Africa looking at their empty accolades cupboard and wondering whether it will ever fill up. They’ve taken the approach that the things they are capable of are still coming and this year has shown them that.They reached the final of the T20 World Cup in June and now their chance to reach the WTC final lies in their hands. It’s proof that something is working, that the talent pool is starting to play to their potential and that maybe, the impossible could become possible.”We believe that we have the players in the country to be able to do so but by no means will it be easy,” Markram said. “The journey itself has been incredibly difficult but worth the fight, worth the hours, worth the sacrifice. That’s pretty much how we see it.”

Unlikely death-bowling hero ensures UAE finish campaign with first win in T20 World Cups

Sidharth Monga20-Oct-20225:07

Erasmus: ‘Difficult to put the loss into words’

On the surface, Muhammad Waseem is the kind of cricketer you wish you were.By 10.10pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time, Waseem had bowled just 22 balls in official Twenty20 cricket. He had got three wickets in those 22 balls, which makes for an impressive strike rate of 7.33. Two of these three wickets were Namibians – one of them David Wiese – but still. His main role in the side is to open with the bat.Somewhere between 10.10pm and 10.15pm, Waseem came on to bowl in a match that had appeared to be UAE’s in the bag but was now in the balance. The momentum was with Namibia with Wiese refusing to have this as his last game in this tournament. And who knew if he would ever play one again?Related

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Waseem marked an extremely short run-up, making the keeper – standing as far back as he did for other quicks – look like either optimistic or unaware. Waseem tiptoed for a bit, and then off four paces he let the ball rip. First ball nearly a yorker. Second ball beat Ruben Trumplemann and carried comfortably to the keeper. He was like the old pro in the neighbourhood who could just turn up and do anything. As an opening bat, he had scored a half-century earlier in the day.This was the 17th over. Seventy-three off 36 had become 46 off 24. The last over had gone for 18. Even Trumplemann had begun to hit now. And here Waseem was, hardly a bowler, nailing his lengths off four paces at a decent lick.

****

UAE are a lovely mix. Their cricket is no longer just the first-generation guns for hire. Many of their cricketers are homegrown. Their background is diverse. Their captain is a Malayali, their youngest player of Goan origin, their hat-trick hero is Tamil, their fast bowlers have roots in Pakistan. The team language is Hindi/Urdu, but Waseem can speak a bit of Malayalam, the captain’s mother tongue. Unlike their former countries, they have no problem playing with each other. They are not insecure. They are loud, expressive and are not shy of having a go at each other on the field. They are also a team that was aiming for just their second win in all World Cups, after their triumph over Netherlands in 1996. So even though this was a dead rubber for them in terms of tournament play, but there was a big point to prove. To others and to themselves. The world just below Full Member sides is cut-throat.

****

When they came to the ground, the Malayalee captain, CP Rizwan, saw the pitch and decided in consultation with the Trinidadian/Indian coach, Robin Singh, that they would play an extra spinner, and told Waseem he might be called upon to bowl an over or two.Now domestic T20 cricket in the UAE doesn’t qualify as official T20 cricket. So it is easy to miss that Waseem bowls a bit in T20s. Not just bowl, he bowls at the death. He makes sure he does because he is the captain of his club side. Recently in D10 cricket, he defended eight runs in the final over. Sometimes he bowls 14, 16, 18, 20. And he is playing, as he says, every second-third day.Muhammad Waseem gets a hug from his captain•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the UAE team, though, the bowling is, in his words, “very good”, so he isn’t required to bowl. Now that he was bowling, he had to do so to the ultimate pro, Wiese, who knew UAE would need two overs from somewhere and was quite excited at the idea of playing spin. He can pounce on any error in length. Waseem missed his on the fifth, and got clubbed. This was, to borrow from the ICC’s punch line, big time.With the sixth ball, Wiese perhaps fell to the temptation of the short square boundaries and turned the bat face. Waseem settled under the massive top edge, but the ball caught him on the fingers. Waseem was good enough to recover and fire a quick throw that would have caught Wiese short had the keeper gone back to the wicket.”I was very upset because I hardly drop catches,” Waseem said. “It is very rare that I drop one. When I did drop him – I was under it, had judged it, but it caught the fingers instead of the palm – I thought it was a big mistake, but the way Zahoor bowled that 19th over, I got my confidence back.”It was Zahoor Khan, born in Faisalabad, about 200km north of Mian Chunnu where Waseem started his cricket, who kept the game alive with his yorkers and one bewitching slower ball. He has been fantastic throughout at the death in this World Cup. His 19th over – three runs and a wicket – against Netherlands created something out of nothing. In the 20th against Sri Lanka, he conceded three runs and took two wickets.Zahoor gave Waseem a second wind. He was confident again. “The good thing is, being a death-overs bowler, I get yorkers right,” Waseem said. “And the plan was to bowl yorkers so that even if I miss the length, they have to hit down the ground, which is a big hit. I wanted to avoid being hit square. The idea was to get hit straight down the ground if I did, and that’s what happened with Wiese’s wicket.”Wiese, who had been waiting to target the two overs from spinners, was spot on when he said he was expecting some error from the part-time bowler. “We weren’t really expecting him to come on but when he came on – at the end of the day he is a part-timer – so you would expect him to miss one or two but he bowled well tonight,” Wiese said. “He executed his skill and at the end of the day, we just didn’t have enough in us. Fair play to them, well bowled.”

****

The night ended in tears for Wiese. At the press conference, he sat stone-faced, staring at nothing in particular. He vowed to come back for Namibia in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Rizwan was a relieved man, having got that elusive first win. “I’m feeling really happy,” Rizwan said. “First win for UAE in a [T20] World Cup. Indeed, it’s a proud moment. Really, we can now fly back better.” Just another bittersweet final day of the first round of a T20 World Cup.

Does Dale Steyn make it? Is it even possible to leave him out with the numbers he has?

Saurabh Somani and Gaurav Sundararaman25-May-2020The Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad all-time XI•ESPNcricinfo LtdSunrisers Hyderabad/Deccan ChargersWe’re calling this the Sunrisers Hyderabad all-time XI, but we have considered players from Deccan Chargers too for selection. We debated this, and finally decided that since the playing group didn’t change when the management did, we would consider them one entity. It also gives players who did well for the Chargers a selection avenue. Two IPL titles and four straight years of qualifying for the play-offs since 2016 suggest some very good players and a very favourable success ratio. While that is true, there were still some challenges to picking an all-time XI, thanks to the bowling-heavy avatar that the franchise has had. In a sense, it is almost the anti-RCB, with a surfeit of bowling options, but a bit of a struggle to pick batsmen. That the franchise has two titles – beating RCB in both finals coincidentally – perhaps tells a tale of which discipline helps win tournaments.The picks
David Warner, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were straightforward picks. Each of them have been almost synonymous with SRH’s success. With the inclusion of the Chargers’ players, Adam Gilchrist also makes it – forming a dream opening combination with Warner. Both men have led the franchise to titles, and Gilchrist’s win in 2009 came on the back of a wooden-spoon finish in 2008 – but we decided to give the captaincy reins to Warner, since Gilchrist will be keeping wickets too. Shikhar Dhawan may be with the other DC now – Delhi Capitals – but he’s still the top scorer for the two franchises combined, shading Warner by 466 runs. With both Warner and Gilchrist there though, Dhawan will bat at No. 3.The debate
The struggle to pick SRH sides involved filling up batting spots. At first, Dale Steyn was thought to be a walk-in selection. He has 71 wickets for the two franchises combined – second only to Bhuvneshwar – and his economy rate of 6.68 is outstanding. But picking Steyn would mean no more overseas slots available, since Warner, Gilchrist and Rashid already occupy three. And the fact of the matter is, that while there are decent pace options available (even if not Steyn quality), we struggled to pick Indian batsmen. Which meant Steyn had to be replaced by Kane Williamson. It was not an easy decision, but team dynamics demanded it.The paucity of batsmen is best reflected in the fact that for the role of the No. 6, we had to go back to Rohit Sharma. He had done an excellent job for the Chargers, before becoming the face of Mumbai Indians, and in fact is still the for the two franchises combined. Gilchrist is fourth, and both have played only three seasons – as telling a stat as any on the franchise’s batting troubles. Rohit in his 2008-2010 avatar was a middle-order batsman and a finisher, who occasionally rolled his arm over too. He is picked in that capacity for this side.The bowling line-up is potent though, with Amit Mishra, RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha added to the roster. Singh and Ojha were superb for Deccan, while Mishra straddled both franchises well. His legspin is distinct from Rashid’s and both in tandem would be a compelling sight. There was still one spot to fill, and with only five batsmen so far, it had to go to another batsman. That meant we had no room for a Siddarth Kaul or Sandeep Sharma, both of whom had done much better for the franchise in absolute terms than any batsman available for selection. The batting spot came down to Yuvraj Singh or Manish Pandey. While Yuvraj’s average (27.11) and strike rate (137.07) compare reasonably with Pandey’s (33.05 and 123.37), we went with Pandey because he showed a significant upward trend in the latter half of the last season and has sustained his numbers for more matches than Yuvraj.In terms of balance, the team has a top four who might all be more comfortable opening the batting, but that is down to how the franchise has built its squad over the years, and who have performed well. Rashid at No. 7 might feel one spot too high, but with the bowling attack this team has and the quality of the top order, going a bit light on batting might not matter.Incidentally, there are plenty of individual achievements in this side. Warner won the Orange Cap in 2015, 2017 and 2019, while Williamson did so in 2018. Singh and Ojha won the Purple Cap in 2009 and 2010, while Bhuvneshwar won it in 2016 and 2017.Playing XI stats for SRH1. David Warner
71 matches (2014-2019)
Runs 3271, Ave 55.44, SR 146.872. Adam Gilchrist
48 matches (2008-2010)
Runs 1289, Ave 27.42, SR 147.823. Shikhar Dhawan
120 matches (2011-2018)
Runs 3737, Ave 35.59, SR 126.204. Kane Williamson
41 matches (2015-19)
Runs 1302, Ave 38.29, SR 135.065. Manish Pandey
27 matches (2018-19)
Runs 628, Ave 33.05, SR 123.376. Rohit Sharma
47 matches (2008-10)
Runs 1219, Ave 30.47, SR 130.37Wickets 14, Ave 25.14, ER 7.337. Rashid Khan
46 matches (2017-19)
Wickets 55, Ave 21.69, ER 6.558. B Kumar
86 matches (2014-2019)
Wickets 109, Ave 22.33, ER 7.419. Amit Mishra
61 matches (2011-2014)
Wickets 62, Ave 25.38, ER 7.2910. Pragyan Ojha
56 matches (2008-2011)
Wickets 62, Ave 22.19, ER 7.0811. RP Singh
44 matches (2008-2010)
Wickets 54, Ave 23.59, ER 7.91Want to pick your own DC/SRH all-time XI? Head over to our readers’ voting page here. all-time IPL XIs, .

The Washington Nationals dismissed both general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez on Sunday after the team fell to 37–53 on the season. On Monday, the Nationals announced that bench coach Miguel Cairo will serve as the interim manager.

Cairo was reportedly offered the interim role on Sunday after the news about Martinez's firing was announced, but he took time to think it over, s Britt Ghiroli reported.

“Miguel is well-respected in our organization and around baseball,” Nationals interim general manager Mike DeBartolo said in a statement. “A diligent worker and student of the game, he has a proven track record of showing strong leadership in a variety of situations, and I believe that his voice and energy will serve as a catalyst to our team and our fan base in the second half of the season.”

Cairo joined the Nationals in 2024 as a bench coach. In 2023, he worked as a Minor League infield coordinator for the New York Mets, which he had previously done from 2017-20 for the New York Yankees. He was also a bench coach for the Chicago White Sox from 2021-22.

Cairo played 17 seasons in MLB from 1996-2012, competing on nine different teams during his career. Cairo did not play for the Nationals during his career.

A devastating all-round performance from captain Sophie Devine powered Perth Scorchers to a crucial 30-run win against Melbourne Renegades at the WACA in Perth.After top-scoring with a breezy 40 off 28 in Scorchers’ 184 for 5, Devine backed it up with the ball by snaring 4 for 25 as Renegades limped to 9-154. The Renegades’ chase started on the wrong foot at 2 for 2, then 34 for 4, ensuring they were already out of contention and Scorchers would celebrate in front of their home crowd.To win, the reigning champions would have needed to pull off the joint third-highest run chase in the history of the tournament.After the early carnage, wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum (28) and Georgia Wareham (43) attempted to steady the Renegades. But their 55-run stand ended as Faltum and Wareham both fell to star Scorchers spinner Alana King. Devine, who recently ended her glorious ODI career for New Zealand, showed she is still a major weapon in T20s, 19 years after making her international debut.It was the 36-year-old’s second fourth-wicket haul in the WBBL, falling short of her best figures (5 for 41).Sophie Devine top-scored for Perth Scorchers with 40 off 28 balls•Getty Images

Earlier, Devine combined for a 69-run stand with Maddy Darke (36) to put the pressure on the Renegades’ stacked bowling attack. King made an important cameo at the end, whacking 22 from eight balls to take Scorchers into territory Renegades would struggle to chase down.The result led to the Scorchers jumping from sixth into third on the points table, with just one match remaining. Renegades, meanwhile, slumped to sixth position.If they are to be any chance of backing up last year’s title triumph, Renegades will need to defeat the in-form Sydney Sixers in their final match of the tournament on Friday. Scorchers should be able to book a finals spot, with their last match against the struggling Brisbane Heat back in Perth on Saturday night.

Sri Lanka will finish above Pakistan and Bangladesh with five points, regardless of results in the final set of games

Madushka Balasuriya24-Oct-2025

No result Sri Lanka’s match with Pakistan in Colombo was called off at 8:06pm local time, with only 26 deliveries possible in the game. Play was called off prior to the scheduled cut-off, with the umpires deciding the outfield was too waterlogged for a timely restart.The result means Sri Lanka will finish above Pakistan and Bangladesh with five points, regardless of results in the final set of games. For Pakistan, they end the tournament winless with three of their seven matches washed out.On a day forecast to have rain throughout, it was little surprise that the toss was delayed by two hours and 45 minutes after an initial downpour that had begun minutes prior to the scheduled toss. When play eventually restarted, the match was reduced to 34 overs a side of which only 4.2 was possible before the rain brought an end to the game for good.During the little play that was possible, Pakistan, who had been sent into bat, managed a circumspect start, scoring 18 runs and a solitary boundary. Malki Madara found early movement through the air, and was tight in her lines and lengths. Sugandika Dasanayake, however, struggled to grip an increasingly wet ball.In terms of team news, Sri Lanka had made one change bringing in spin-bowling allrounder Dewmi Vihanga for seamer Udeshika Prabodani. Pakistan made two, with Sidra Nawaz and Diana Baig making way for Eyman Fatima and Syeda Aroob Shah.The result will be a downer for two sides who between them have had five games washed out this tournament, and who crave more regular international cricket.