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Coach offers backing to Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith, says tourists aiming “stay tight, keep morale high”

Vithushan Ehantharajah08-Dec-2025

The viral clip of Liverpool’s media manager reacting to Mohammed Salah’s explosive mixed zone interaction on Saturday struck a chord over in Brisbane.Just under 10,210 miles separate Elland Road and the Gabba, where England head coach Brendon McCullum, in the aftermath of a second eight-wicket Ashes defeat, stated he thought the team had trained too much. The sentiments were as far apart as the straight-line distance, but the reaction was still the same: why, oh why, have you gone and said that?The motivation behind McCullum’s comments, which are likely to live in infamy, is far easier to unpick. For this England Test team enjoy the luxury of shelter from the realities of top-level, international sport. A bubble that may be invisible but has long been audible, with the head coach, and, up until his press conference after the second Test, the captain, Ben Stokes, the two prominent voices quipping down missiles headed for their citizens.Related

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For England's batters, the heart seems unwilling and the mind unconvinced

Judging by the reactions, McCullum’s latest attempt has only attracted more unfriendly fire. Particularly at him. Though his contract runs until 2027, a deal which takes into account his white-ball head coach role, he will likely be first for the block if things go further south. Depending on how badly it goes – who can rule out 5-0 right now? – he won’t be the only collateral.”When you’re in positions as we are as captain and coach, you wear a lot of that burden,” McCullum said. “You wear a lot of that responsibility and that’s what you sign up for.”Of course, that coddling of their players does not seem helpful right now. In taking away the stresses and strains of Test cricket, England seem to lack the on-field appreciation that this supposed to be hard. It supposed to hurt. The struggle real, even six days into a five-match Test series.You would not wish adversity upon anyone. But in life, one way or another, it comes for us all. What you do wish, above all else, is that the people you care for are equipped to deal with such adversity.The merits of the McCullum and Stokes approach – and, by proxy, managing director Rob Key – are hard to remember at this juncture. But it’s worth trying.For starters, it is worth considering that first summer in 2022, when a team who had won one in 17 successfully pulled off four of their top 15 biggest chases. That included a new best of 378 against India, who also found themselves on the wrong end of the second-highest earlier this year.We can throw in the victory in Hyderabad and, more presciently, the comeback from 2-0 down during the last Ashes series. Ultimately, McCullum has made a home in the intersection of the sports psychology Venn diagram, nestled between what players need to hear and what they want to hear. Suggesting that five days of training leading into the Gabba Test might have been over the top plays on that idea that they wanted it too much.”There’s a fierce determination to succeed in this series, right?” McCullum said. “Sometimes that can get in your own way, clouds your judgement or affects your ability to make the right decisions in the right moments.”It’s a really fine balance between being fiercely driven, competitive and desperate to succeed, and that getting in the way of yourself.”It’s the coaches’ job to find that balance in them as well. I firmly believe it’s not training five days straight in sapping conditions as the answer. We need to keep a little bit in the tank physically, a little bit in the tank emotionally, to be able to allow yourself to embrace the conditions you’re being challenged with.”When you come to Australia, it’s such a stark contrast in each ground you go to and the surfaces you play on, you can’t just have one set preparation. You need to make sure you’re ready for whatever is coming and adapt to it. I didn’t think we were quite good enough at that in this Test with either bat or ball.”McCullum subsequently went on to back Ollie Pope, England’s No. 3 under Stokes and, from 2023 until this tour, their vice-captain. A promising 46 in the first Test at the Optus Stadium, featuring plenty of straight drives that suggested better balance and alignment, was followed by 33, 0 and 26. All four innings ended with wince-inducing dismissals that suggested in-play, in-series regressions despite a lot of hard work in the lead-up. Nevertheless, McCullum – unsurprisingly – is sticking by his man.”I think most people were frenetic outside off stump on this pitch tonight,” he said, which actually makes you wonder why England did not sit on that line during Australia’s mammoth first-innings of 511. “Popey has been number three. He’s done well. He’s averaged 40 odd [40.58] for us. He’s our number three here in Australia.”There was greater support for another Surrey man, Jamie Smith. The newest member of the top seven, the wicketkeeper’s arrival into the team at the start of 2024 was as the best of two worlds, between the glovework of Ben Foakes and the outlandish strokeplay of Jonny Bairstow. Right now, he is falling well short of both.A dropped catch off Travis Head and innings of 0 and 4 were the latest extensions of a batting decline that may be attributed to crouching behind the stumps far more than he is used to. Since the start of the summer, he has kept wicket for 1,375.3 overs across eight Tests. That amounts to around a third of what he has done for his entire first-class career for his county.Having begun the home series with India with scores of 40, 44, 184 not out, 88 and 5, he has averaged 10.14 in the next seven innings.Brendon McCullum speaks to the press•PA Photos/Getty Images

“He’s a flair player, and he likes to approach the game in a simple way,” McCullum said. “He works very hard on his game, but he also has the courage and conviction, when he feels he’s given himself the best chance. It doesn’t guarantee everything but I’m sure he’ll appreciate the conditions in Adelaide with the boundary sizes and the pitch.”That might not be music to the ears of those who feel both are problems to address, particularly Pope. But it will tell them and the rest of the squad – including those yet to see action – that the vibes, at least, remain tight.”One thing we won’t be changing is the language in the dressing room, the way we approach the game and the style we’ve tried to operate with,” McCullum said.”Ultimately, you can’t afford to flinch when come down here. This is not a country to start doubting yourself or to walk away from the challenge. You can’t have a glass jaw when you get to Australia. You’ve got to get up and go on.”The skill level among various players all around the world, there isn’t a stark contrast. It’s those who are able to handle the big moments, able to read conditions quickly and able to adapt, problem-solve situations – they are the ones to excel. If anything, our boys need a freshen up. A few days away wouldn’t be the worst thing.”As the tide goes against them, England will head to the surfers’ paradise of Noosa and try and get back on the board. That they will be joined by journalists and photographers looking for the latest pound of flesh will not deter them from cutting loose and expending the nervous energy that comes with a nine-day lead into the third Test in Adelaide.Typically, McCullum sees the pressure on himself and Stokes as something to savour. After all, it can’t go on like this, can it?”Look, that’s the thing; the captain and I, this is the fun stuff, right? Again, you don’t get to feel sorry for yourselves and both of us stress that. We’re both tough blokes who have been in this kind of pressure in your own careers or your own stages in your own lives. You’ve been in tough situations and there’s only one way to go about it and that’s to have that belief in yourself and trust those around you who you believe in. Make sure you stay tight, keep morale high within the group and keep getting towards what you’re trying to achieve.”If the coach and captain seemed worlds apart on Sunday night in the aftermath of defeat – McCullum chipper, Stokes spent – they will use the coming three-day break to realign themselves before flying to Adelaide on Saturday. The fightback starts here. The hard work, well, that will start at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.”We’ve been here before, 2-0 down,” said McCullum looking to 2023, “and we came within a bee’s dick of getting ourselves the win, so there’s no point in feeling sorry for yourselves. That ends in all sorts of trouble.”Just pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off, sharpen off a few of the rough areas and keep heading towards the target.”

Jude Bellingham’s relationship with England boss Thomas Tuchel has been compared to the one that Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson once experienced at Old Trafford. Wes Brown witnessed that at close quarters and has, during an exclusive interview with GOAL, been discussing Bellingham’s role in the Three Lions squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup group stage draw.

• Character questions: Will Bellingham make England's World Cup squad?

  Tickets to that event next summer were booked while Bellingham was watching on from afar. Despite recovering from shoulder surgery and returning to action at Real Madrid, the 22-year-old midfielder was left out of Tuchel’s plans in October.

  He returned in November, as a faultless passage through qualification was completed, before more questions were asked of his character and temperament after a 2-0 victory over Albania – in which Bellingham made his first international start since June 7.

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  Keane & Ferguson: Bellingham vs Tuchel likened to Man Utd legends

  Tuchel has made it clear that he will not be selecting anybody that threatens to rock the boat and disturb group harmony, with a happy camp required in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That has led some to suggest that Bellingham may be overlooked, despite his obvious talent.

  Asked for his take on that debate, former United and England defender Brown – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “First of all, when it comes to a player and a manager, there needs to be respect. You look over the course of my Man United career, with Keano and the gaffer – they weren’t the best of mates, but there is an understanding that they are both here to win and both can play a big part in that.

  “You still need respect between the manager and the player. We all know how good Jude is and he’s a big part of the squad and a big player in the team – who the manager knows that he needs, by the way. He does need him in the team. At the same time, it comes down to making sure that the respect levels are right. Maybe that’s what it is. I’m sure it will be fine. At the same time, they have to come to an understanding. At any normal football club, if two people are not getting on then you find a way to work it out and fix it.”

• Too good: Bellingham expected to get England call

  Another former England international, Danny Murphy, told GOAL recently when asked if there are any concerns regarding Bellingham and his place in England’s plans: “I find the narrative around his character and any problems a little bit strange because when I have watched England – I have watched them a lot at tournaments and watched him closely, he is, by far, the best character on the football pitch when England play, in terms of producing big moments, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, leaving everything out there.

  “If you could have 11 Jude Bellinghams, you would win most tournaments. The element of not talking to the press or not doing interviews or the odd swear word or rant or a little bit of what some people would call arrogance, that is what creates the player on the pitch. They are just rumours because a lot of the feedback from the players – Jordan Henderson recently said how much he likes him and how great a character he is – I think some of it has been exaggerated.

  “From a footballing perspective, we have a much better chance of winning the World Cup if he is in the team. I don’t mean just in the squad, I mean in the team. He is a phenomenal talent. We should be – as pundits, fans, press – building him up, applauding him and being thankful that we have got him, not trying to pull him down because he is the best one we have got. He is the game-changer in our side. He is the one that can make things happen. He’s just a phenomenal player.”

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  World Cup draw: Date England will discover group stage opponents

  The expectation is that Bellingham, who has 46 senior caps to his name, will be handed a place on the plane heading over the Atlantic next summer. For now, he – and the rest of the England hopefuls – are waiting to discover who they will face in the World Cup group stage. All will be revealed when the draw is held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on December 5.

Are Chelsea outside challengers for the Premier League title this season?

Based on the weekend’s results, they are, as Enzo Maresca’s Blues comfortably got the better of Burnley 2-0 on the road to remain second spot in the early league standings, while Liverpool and Manchester City fell to unwanted defeats.

Maresca’s men managed to pick up that routine win, even with Moises Caicedo out of the starting lineup at Turf Moor, as Chelsea’s standout £115m midfielder was rested after a gruelling international break with Ecuador.

Thankfully, the defensive midfield partnership that did start in Lancashire in Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos rose to the occasion, with Santos stealing many of the plaudits at the full-time whistle, despite Fernandez’s late strike sealing all three points.

Santos' standout performance vs Burnley

Fernandez rightfully received plenty of praise at the final whistle, with the World Cup winner now up to 11 goals and ten assists in 2025 for the Blues as a forward-thinking midfield spark.

But, with Caicedo out of the starting XI, Chelsea also needed a talent prepared to dig deep and do the required defensive work that the South American does week in week out, with the 24-year-old averaging 5.2 ball recoveries and winning 5.4 duels per Premier League contest this season, away from also chipping in with three goals and an assist.

Thankfully, Santos stepped up into his role effortlessly against Scott Parker’s hosts, with two tackles won, seven duels won, and four ball recoveries amassed, showing off the 21-year-old’s full-blooded approach.

On top of that, Santos also ended the game with one big chance created from his 34 accurate passes, with analyst Raj Chohan even stating that he provides a “lot of value” to the team as a stellar stand-in option for the likes of Caicedo.

The promising number 17 will hope he can get more first-team minutes soon, away from being in the shadow of the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion man.

But, he isn’t the only midfield asset being directly compared to Caicedo now.

Chelsea's next Caicedo

It’s clear that Chelsea have great faith in the youngsters rising the ranks at Stamford Bridge currently, with Maresca prepared to start a whole plethora of exciting, young talents, away from just throwing Santos into the first-team spotlight.

Chalkboard

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

Indeed, in attack, Estevao has been handed chances galore this season to impress, with a Premier League goal and assist coming the hotly tipped Brazilian’s way subsequently.

Moreover, Marc Guiu would gift Fernandez his goal at Turf Moor on a plate, with the 19-year-old now becoming a regular impact player off the bench. Could Dario Essugo be the next starlet to make a wild impression?

Already, the £18.5m summer purchase – despite only being 20 years of age – has shone in some challenging environments for two loan sides in Chaves and Las Palmas in Liga Portugal and La Liga respectively.

His attritional, yet polished displays, have even led to scout Jacek Kulig hailing the Portuguese enforcer as a “one-man army.”

Moreover, Kulig also boldly labelled Essugo as “one of the most exciting DMs in Europe” for his continued excellence with Las Palmas, even as they succumbed to relegation.

In the current Chelsea set-up, based on his numbers last season in that relegation-troubled camp, he would surely shine as bright as Caicedo has managed in West London.

Games played

18

27

Goals scored

0

1

Assists

0

0

Touches*

40.8

48.4

Accurate passes*

24.5 (85%)

30.0 (86%)

Tackles*

1.7

2.2

Ball recoveries*

4.2

4.4

Clearances*

1.7

1.6

Total duels won*

5.3

4.9

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Essugo will be prepared to battle and tussle for Chelsea when first-team chances eventually arrive at his door, winning 4.9 duels per game last season in La Liga action, not a million miles off Caicedo’s 5.4 tally this campaign back in England.

Unfortunately, the only drawback for Essugo so far is that he is sidelined with a nasty injury at the moment, but he did shine briefly in Caicedo’s place against AC Milan in pre-season, with 100% of his ground duels won from just 17 minutes of action.

Thankfully, Maresca has Santos to fall back on in defensive midfield for the time being, if Caicedo continues to look fatigued.

But, do not rule out Essugo exploding onto the scene when he returns from the treatment room, with Chelsea’s midfield options full to the brim with quality.

Shades of Kante: 8/10 Chelsea man had his "best performance" yet vs Burnley

As Chelsea beat Burnley 2-0 in the Premier League at Turf Moor, which player put in their “best performance” for the club, looking N’Golo Kanté-esque?

ByBen Gray Nov 22, 2025

From a young girl who loved to bat, she’s transformed into a legspinner and is a key part of Gujarat Giants’ run into the playoff

Daya Sagar12-Mar-20254:30

Priya Mishra: I feel batters are not able to read my googly

In 2005, Sandeep Mishra came to Baljeet Nagar, a locality in West Delhi, from Allahabad (now Prayagraj). The neighbourhood was home to daily-wage labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Back home, he was fed up with the unprofitable returns in farming and, having learnt the work of an electrician, had come to find some work in a big city.At the time, the expansion of Delhi’s metro network was on and the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation needed electricians, so Sandeep, a 30-year-old high-school dropout, found a job. He was blessed with a daughter just months before he came to Delhi, and brought her and the family along two years later. It was not long before that she started playing cricket in the street with the boys.That irked the neighbours and relatives, who used to taunt Sandeep. But it had little effect on Sandeep, who looked at it as a way for her daughter to get a government job via the sports quota, if nothing else. Like most of his time, Sandeep longingly looked at government jobs for the security they provided. He used to play state-level kabaddi for getting a government job using the sports quota but when that did not work, he dreamt of the same for his children.Related

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That girl now has an India cap and a WPL contract to her name. Priya Mishra, 20, made her international debut last year and has 15 wickets in nine ODIs at an average of 26.60 and a strike rate of 27. She has picked up six wickets in eight league-stage matches of WPL 2025 where Gujarat Giants (GG) have made the playoffs for the first time.”When I played cricket in the streets, I did not think of it as a career prospect; I used to play with the boys just for fun,” Mishra tells ESPNcricinfo. “People used to tease me, saying I am playing with the boys for nothing, as I will have to take care of the house [get married and be a housewife] eventually. But my family, especially my father, supported me a lot.”The Gujarat Giants players gather around Priya Mishra after a wicket•BCCIThe turning point in Mishra’s life came when her sports teacher at Salwan Girls Senior Secondary School, Priya Chandra, saw her playing cricket. Chandra, a former state-level player, advised her to go to Shravan Kumar, who has coached Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Simran Dil Bahadur and Pratika Rawal among others.”When an 11-year-old Priya came to me in 2015, she loved batting,” Shravan says. “She came to the academy on foot and was also fond of medium-pace bowling. But since she was not tall, I suggested her to bowl spin, because she got the ball to spin sharper than the boys did. It did not take long for her to develop a googly, which is her main weapon now.”Most of Mishra’s international wickets have come with the googly, as have all of her six wickets in WPL 2025 so far – Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Deepti Sharma and Yastika Bhatia. Mishra maintans that the googly is just to deceive the batters and her stock ball is still the legbreak.”I take wickets from the googly because batters can’t read me,” she says. “I try to set batters up using legspin, try and attack their feet as much as I can. This makes batters think I can only bowl the legspin, which is when I bowl a googly to pick up wickets.”Shravan Kumar suggested Priya Mishra to bowl spin instead of medium pace•Priya MishraAfter enrolling in an academy, Mishra had to travel to various parts of, and sometimes outside, Delhi to play school-, district-, state-level and age-group matches. Since she was young, Sandeep used to accompany her for those, even when he did not get leave from work.”Irrespective of what happens at work, if Priya had a game to play, I used to always go with her,” Sandeep says. “As she progressed in the sport, my seniors became accommodating and I used to get more leaves. That aside, Shravan sir also never took money for coaching and cricketing equipment, which, at that time, was difficult for us to afford.”Mishra made it to the Delhi Under-19 team at the age of 13. She picked up wickets in bundles for two seasons, which meant she made it to Delhi Under-23 team at 15, and then to the senior team at 18. Since then she has 78 wickets in 35 List-A appearances at an average of 16.48 and a strike rate of 21.79. She also has 22 wickets in 26 T20 matches at an economy of a mere 6.85. In August last year, Mishra was part of India A’s tour of Australia, where she picked up six wickets in the unofficial Test including four in the first innings. She also returned a five-for in the only unofficial ODI she played.”I took about 26-27 wickets in nine Under-19 matches in a season and was confident of going to the next level. But there is a big difference in the level of international cricket and domestic cricket,” Mishra, who considers Shane Warne her idol, says. “Balls that are a good option in domestic cricket are easily played by international players, so I try and attack the stumps now.3:53

Mithali Raj impressed with Priya Mishra’s talent

“T20 cricket is such that you have to think before every ball because batters are there to hit every ball. You have to think about the line that will trap the batter. For now, I am trying to bowl in line of the stumps as much as possible. By doing that, you don’t give batters much room and increase your chances of picking up wickets.”At GG, Mishra works with spin-bowling coach Pravin Tambe, who makes her undergo single-wicket drills for a long time. She also exchanges notes with Deepti in the India team.”I constantly talk to Deepti and I consider her my second guru. She helps me as much as she can. If she is at slip, she tells me what ball I should be bowling and where I should be bowling. Even Harman tells me not to be nervous and do what I have been doing thus far.”For now, Mishra is happy she does not have to live on rent in Baljeet Nagar. With her WPL earnings from last year and savings from domestic cricket, she bought a house and a car in 2024. Now her dream is to play long for India and help them win a World Cup on home soil.

The spin-bowling consultant has also taken on the role of being motivator-in-chief at the Women’s T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda16-Oct-2024Most teams are made up of certain key characters: the responsible one, the serious one, the young one, the popular one, the talented one and most importantly the funky one. In South Africa’s case, the last of those is a position taken up by one of their support staff: spin bowling lead Paul Adams.He has assumed the role of motivator-in-chief, alongside his technical coaching, and taken some of the burden off captain Laura Wolvaardt, who also has opening the batting to focus on.”I found it one of the hardest parts of the job – finding something new to say every single game,” Wolvaardt said at her pre semi-final press conference. “A lot of it doesn’t really change, especially in the series where we play the same opposition six times, so to come up with a new pre-game speech is tricky. But we’ve had Paul Adams and every game he’s come up with something really creative and really new.”Related

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Adams started off by introducing the team to the ancient but now-popular practice of grounding, which traces its history back to ancient Egypt, and does exactly what it says on the tin. All it is is standing barefoot on a surface, preferably grass but beach sand or if circumstances are extreme, artificial turf or concrete might do just as well, and feeling the earth below. The team did it ahead of their first match to feel as though they had arrived in the UAE, the place where they will compete to win the World Cup for the first time.Then, he moved to poetry and composed four verses for the team ahead of their final group stage match against Bangladesh to urge them to stay in the moment. A taste of it reads: “So focus hard, embrace the fight, each second is our only right,” and Tazmin Brits described it to ESPNcricinfo Powerplay’s podcast as emotional and inspiring.Laura Wolvaardt: It’s an amazing opportunity we have tomorrow to have all those lights on us and have a good time•ICC/Getty ImagesNow, ahead of the semi-final, Adams has had to pull another trick out of the bag and he managed to come up with one. “Today we had a video about ebbs and flows and going with the game,” Wolvaardt said. “He absolutely loves it. He runs our spin meetings as well and every meeting there’s some kind of a video about birds that fly together and stick together and teamwork and all of that stuff.”Of course, we shouldn’t forget that spin coaching is Adams’ primary role and he has done some innovative things in that department too. He has worked on Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus and Seshnie Naidu’s actions, not by passing on his own contortionist means of delivery, but by using weighted balls to align their hips over their feet and get their arms into the optimal position for accuracy and the results, especially for Mlaba, are obvious. She is the second-leading wicket-taker of the tournament and has rediscovered an element of threat that left her after the last World Cup.Adams, who has himself been through a harrowing time after the Social Justice and Nation-Building hearing in 2021, will not necessarily be with the women’s team through all of their next series. Since the SJN, he coached a bit at the provincial team Border and has now been employed to work across all South African teams, but for now, the impact he is making is clear. “He’s very creative, he loves it, he always reads into things and he’s been really great for the group,” Wolvaardt said. “We’ve needed someone to really pump us up and bring our little fun element to each game as well, which has been awesome.”That comment is telling because this South African team, until earlier this year, had been under the same management for most of their careers. Hilton Moreeng, who oversaw the development to professionalism and years of succession in reaching semi-finals and eventually a final, was in charge for almost 12 years. Post last year’s World Cup, there was talk of a need for change in order to inject new ideas and move the team forward. That half-happened with the promotion of assistant coach Dillon du Preez to interim head coach and the appointment of other, new support staff.For the first time, the South African women’s team have a batting coach in Baakier Abrahams, and a spin-bowling consultant in Adams. They mention the pair almost every time they are asked about how this side is different, and perhaps better, than the one that reached the final in 2023. “We have a year of experience, we line up a little differently and we’ve also had a bit of change in staff,” Wolvaardt said. “So, a couple of fresh faces, fresh ideas. It’s been a bit of an up and down year for us. I think we’ve played some really good cricket in Australia and had a few disappointing series as well.”For South Africa, their first wins over Australia in an ODI and T20I earlier this year is what they are holding on to as they take on the world champions again. But whatever happens, they know they’ve already done something “very special,” as Wolvaardt put it by qualifying for another semi-final and doing it with a smile. “We don’t even realise how many people at home are following us and watching us. My mum keeps texting me that she’s been to the dentist today, and the dentist is asking about our game tomorrow, and they seem super excited,” she said. “It’s an amazing opportunity we have tomorrow to have all those lights on us and have a good time.”

ECB confirms central contracts for 26 players, with four more on development deals

Matt Roller04-Nov-2025Ben Stokes has signed a fresh two-year England contract, providing the clearest indication yet that he intends to play in the 2027 Ashes series on home soil.Stokes, 34, has tapered his schedule significantly due to injury, to the extent that the only side he has represented in the past 12 months is England’s Test team. He has been sidelined with hamstring and shoulder issues this year and has not played a limited-overs international since November 2023, but his new contract suggests he has no plans to stop soon.Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, is under contract until the end of 2027 and Stokes’ new deal suggests that the coach-captain combination could continue for another two years. England have won 25 and lost 14 Tests since McCullum and Stokes took over in June 2022, but are yet to register a series win over a “Big Three” opponent ahead of the imminent Ashes tour to Australia.Related

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Stokes is one of 14 players to have signed a new two-year central contract, with a further 12 players under contract until October 2026 and four more signing development deals. The ECB announced the list on Tuesday, which director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, said reflected “the depth and strength of talent” in the English game.Five players have signed their first central contracts: Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood. A further six players were not offered deals after their contracts expired: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, and Chris Woakes, who has retired from international cricket.Key said that multi-year contracts – which were introduced two years ago – were designed to help the ECB manage workloads of all-format players and to ensure that, in the case of players in high demand on the franchise circuit, “England remains their priority”.England central contracts 2025-2026•ESPNcricinfo LtdThese include Adil Rashid, whose new deal implies that he will continue until at least the 2027 50-over World Cup, while Sam Curran’s two-year contract marks a return to favour after he spent the first half of this year outside England’s white-ball squads. Jos Buttler has also committed to a two-year deal despite stepping down as white-ball captain earlier this year.Notably, several members of England’s Test side have only signed one-year contracts, leaving open the possibility of a post-series clear-out in the event of a heavy defeat in the upcoming Ashes. These include Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Mark Wood, who is now in the final year of the three-year contract he signed in 2023.Four seamers in the England Lions squad to tour Australia have been awarded development contracts for 2025/26: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley. Hampshire’s John Turner, who missed most of the 2025 summer after a back stress fracture, has lost his development deal.”This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible,” Key said.The most notable omissions from the contracts list are Tom Banton, an ever-present in England’s T20I side since Brook took over as white-ball captain, and Jordan Cox, who has been a regular squad member across formats in the last year.England men’s central contractsTwo-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2027) Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Josh TongueOne-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2026) Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, Luke Wood, Mark WoodDevelopment contracts: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes, Mitchell StanleyLapsed contracts: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, John Turner

West Ham United’s unbeaten run was brought to a halt by Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Now, the good news is that the Premier League champions were miles better than the Hammers, but the bad news is that they are still level on points with 18th-placed Leeds United.

Worse than that, though, at least in the immediate, is the fact that Nuno Espírito Santo is now going to be without Lucas Paqueta for the Hammers’ trip to Manchester United on Thursday night following his sending-off for dissent.

The Brazilian’s absence is undeniably a big problem, but Nuno might have a surprise solution in the shape of a particularly exciting prospect.

The latest West Ham team news

With every game now becoming increasingly crucial for West Ham and Nuno this season, it’s equally important that players are available.

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Fortunately, there are only two first-team players out injured at the moment who will miss Thursday’s game, alongside Paqueta.

Unfortunately, while nobody was expecting Ollie Scarles to be declared fit given his surgery, there was hope, at least among the fanbase, that Crysencio Summerville would be fit enough to play.

However, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Nuno revealed that “there are still some issues” with the knock that the Dutchman picked up in the game against Bournemouth.

He then added that, while the club “are still assessing” the issue, they believe “Thursday is probably going to be too soon.”

It’s a real blow for the East Londoners, as while the former Leeds United star hasn’t quite delivered in terms of output, he is still one of their most dangerous and electric attackers.

Moreover, with him out and Paqueta out, that left-hand side looks a lot weaker, that is, unless Nuno makes a bold decision and unleashes one of the academy’s most exciting products there.

The academy star who could replace Paqueta

West Ham have a proud history of developing and promoting their best academy gems, and the latest youngster who could join the likes of Declan Rice and Freddie Potts, while also stepping in for Paqueta, is George Earthy.

The 21-year-old first joined the club at the under-6 level and has since worked his way up through the age groups, impressing the right people at every step.

For example, in 60 appearances for the u18s, totalling 4804 minutes, he scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 111.72 minutes.

Earthy’s Junior Record

Team

U18s

U21s

Appearances

60

55

Minutes

4804′

3703′

Goals

25

19

Assists

18

15

Goal Involvements per Match

0.71

0.61

Minutes per Goal Involvement

111.72′

108.91′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

And if that’s still not enough, he has scored 19 goals and provided 15 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3703 minutes, for the U21S, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.61 games, or every 108.91 minutes.

Last but certainly not least, the “priceless” youngster, as dubbed by coach Steve Potts, also has four first-team appearances under his belt, in which he’s scored one goal.

In other words, the boyhood Hammer is a huge attacking threat, whether scoring goals or assisting.

Now, some might argue that he lacks enough senior experience to be thrown in the deep end by Nuno on Thursday, but they would be mistaken.

Last season saw the Havering-born gem go on loan to Championship side Bristol City, where he not only made 40 appearances but was named the club’s young player of the year.

Finally, while it is undoubtedly true that the youngster is primarily an attacking midfielder, he has spent time out wide, and it’s not uncommon for managers to stick academy products where they are needed in the team.

Moreover, Paqueta is banned for just one game, and Earthy has more than enough talent and mental fortitude to do a job in a newish position for such a brief spell.

Ultimately, losing the Brazilian for Thursday’s game is far from ideal, but if Nuno is bold enough to start him there, Earthy might just be the solution he needs.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 27, 2025

Despite a disastrous start to the season under Will Still, Southampton now found themselves only four points off the final playoff position in the early Championship table.

Three wins on the trot – since Still was dismissed – have helped to arrest the worrying slide, as the Saints aim to be in and around the promotion spaces now until the close of the dramatic 46-game campaign, to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

While the Still reign failed spectacularly, his immediate successor in Tonda Eckert looks to be a short-term figure who is now destined for long-term success at St. Mary’s, with the full-time reins perhaps handed to the transformative 32-year-old very shortly.

The latest on Southampton's manager situation

The German, who is used to managing the U21s on the South Coast, really can’t do much more right now to put himself out in front for the running to be the main Saints manager.

As has been mentioned, Eckert has led the once sorry outfit to three straight wins in league action, with a 5-1 win over ex-Southampton boss Nathan Jones last time out versus Charlton Athletic very much the pick of the bunch.

The powers that be at St Mary’s have clearly taken notice now of how much of an impressive turnaround Eckert has managed to mastermind, with Fabrizio Romano reporting – via GIVEMESPORT – that the stand-in manager has a good chance of being handed the reins permanently, amid internal talks behind the scenes at the club.

There had been other rumours suggesting Russell Martin could come back for another shot at promotion glory with the Saints, but instead of walking down memory lane, Southampton could be better off appointing Eckert right now, as he might well be Martin 2.0 for the rejuvenated Saints.

Why Eckert could be Southampton's next Martin

Martin is likely in desperate need of some time away from the pressures of the dug-out after experiencing his own Still-like failures at the helm of Rangers.

On the other hand, Eckert looks hungry and ready for a chance as Southampton’s main boss, having got a taste for it now, after largely settling for roles as an assistant manager and U21 manager during his coaching career to date.

Games managed

13

Wins

8

Draws

4

Losses

1

Goals scored

31

Goals conceded

19

Points accumulated

28

When looking at Martin’s early career as a manager, he never looked back after being handed the MK Dons gig in 2019 at just 33 years of age, which is coincidentally only a year older than Eckert currently is, who boasts some impressive numbers on the South Coast as a U21 boss and as an interim stand-in after Still.

Martin gradually rose the EFL ladder to then take on the Southampton main post and clinch promotion, with 26 wins and 87 goals accumulated over 46 games in the second tier, making the now out-of-work manager a firm fan favourite at St. Mary’s.

Off the back of such a richly successful season, Martin was rightly hailed as a figure who prioritises “exciting attacking football” by analyst John Walker.

Safe to say, the excitement levels have returned to Southampton since Eckert has been given the temporary reins, with the barnstorming 5-1 success over the Addicks also calling back to when Martin was in the hot seat, with Adam Armstrong bagging two, and possession standing in the Saints’ favour at the full-time whistle at 59%.

Moreover, Eckert is willing to give the next generation of talents at Southampton chances to shine, having worked in the U21 ranks, much like Martin showed with the likes of Tyler Dibling before his big Everton switch.

It would be a big risk, but the numbers since Eckert took over from Still are very encouraging, with the German perhaps the man to take Southampton back to the Premier League, much like Martin pulled off during the memorable 2023/24 season.

Praised by Saints midfielder Finn Azaz for being “top level”, everything is pointing in the direction of Eckert being a very promising appointment with lots more to give.

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1 ByDan Emery Nov 22, 2025

It remains difficult to piece together just where the blame lies for Celtic’s current slump – is it the board, is it Brendan Rodgers, or is it a period of dismal recruitment?

Of course, it is likely a mixture of all of those factors, with the latter point particularly key. Indeed, of those signed amid Rodgers’ return in the summer of 2023, only Paulo Bernardo and Yang Hyun-jun remain part of the current first-team squad.

Far too many deals have backfired over the past two years, although that’s not to say that the departed coach is himself free of criticism, having not exactly got the best out of those at his disposal.

You only have to look at the case of Callum Osmand, a player largely ignored by the Northern Irishman, to see where Rodgers was misguided. While now cruelly struck down by injury, the Wales youth international was the hero at Hampden, before winning a penalty during his lively, albeit brief cameo at FC Midtjylland.

Although Rodgers’ return did see two further Premiership titles secured, prior to him walking away for the second time, the magic of his first spell in charge didn’t appear to be there.

The Hoops, hopefully, will be targeting a figure who can replicate that first version of the former Liverpool boss at Parkhead.

Celtic's ongoing manager search

A clear frontrunner has yet to truly emerge with regard to Celtic’s managerial vacancy, with a romantic return for Ange Postecoglou having been deemed ‘very unlikely’, despite the Greek-Aussie now out of work following his dismissal from Nottingham Forest.

Interim boss Martin O’Neill does remain an option to see out the season, alongside Shaun Maloney, although such a decision would likely be a last resort considering the 73-year-old last took on a top job back in 2019, following his own brief stint at the City Ground.

The nature and timing of Rodgers’ shock resignation has no doubt complicated matters, although with the international break now to come, it presents the perfect time to finally nail down a preferred pick.

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According to Football Insider, one of the current frontrunners is Ipswich Town boss, Kieran McKenna, with the 39-year-old deemed to be the “number-one target”, albeit with a potential obstacle likely to be his “big compensation package”.

As the report notes, it is believed that it would take a fee of around £5m to prise McKenna from Portman Road, with it yet to be seen whether the Glasgow side would be willing to fork out such a figure to get their man.

McKenna, for what it’s worth, did not wholly shut down talk of the move when quizzed on the speculation in recent weeks, having described Celtic as a “really big club”, amid suggestions that he is a rumoured Hoops supporter.

Why Celtic could be targeting the next Brendan Rodgers

An exciting young Northern Irish coach with a potential affinity to the Scottish champions – that certainly sounds familiar?

Yes, there are certainly real similarities between McKenna and his compatriot Rodgers, with Celtic no doubt hoping that the in-demand Ipswich coach can replicate the success that the latter man enjoyed following his first move to Parkhead in 2016.

While the ex-Swansea City, Liverpool, Watford and Reading boss had garnered far more experience at the time of his move north of the border, he had made the first major stride of his coaching career in the youth ranks at Chelsea, having been given the backing of Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.

McKenna – who initially worked in the youth ranks at Tottenham Hotspur – was also something of a favourite of Mourinho at Manchester United, having eventually become an assistant to the Portuguese coach in 2018.

Like Rodgers, the rising star had seen his own playing career cut short by injury, with the pair seemingly following in Mourinho’s footsteps by trying to make up for that on-field disappointment by shining in the dugout – as McKenna himself has admitted:

While Rodgers first truly made a name for himself by steering Swansea into the Premier League, the 4-2-3-1 coach has enjoyed similar success in the EFL with his current club, having claimed back-to-back promotions in what is his first managerial role.

Days in charge

1419

Games

187

Wins

87

Draws

50

Losses

50

Points per game

1.66

Players used

81

Promotions

2

Relegations

1

Although the Tractor Boys’ stay in the top-flight was short-lived, that hasn’t stopped interest mounting in this “incredible” coach – as hailed by Ipswich’s Wes Burns – with former club Man United believed to have been considering him in the summer of 2024.

That would’ve been like Rodgers’ own Anfield switch, although perhaps McKenna can skip a step and head straight to Celtic instead, with the Glasgow outfit no doubt in need of an exciting, young and fresh voice to try and reinvigorate the current first-team crop.

For all the frustration over his decision to twice leave his post at Celtic Park, it’s worth remembering the glittering success that Rodgers has achieved when at the helm, namely overseeing that invincible domestic season in 2016/17.

With a raft of promising young talents, and with an attractive, front-foot style of play, the now 52-year-old was just what was needed to breathe new life into the club, amid the mixed stint of Ronny Deila.

Now, again, Celtic need to be revitalised. Can the next bright young manager, McKenna, be the man to do just that?

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ByDan Emery Nov 8, 2025

He has transformed himself and his multi-faceted team to prioritise winning above all else

Alagappan Muthu03-Oct-20242:35

Manjrekar: ‘This is the legacy Rohit Sharma will leave as captain’

A century is a sacred thing. Everybody understands its significance, its pull. When Sachin Tendulkar was touring the world with 99 of them in his pocket, all anyone wanted to talk about was that next one, which would’ve been fine except he was trying not to think about it. It became awkward every time he went down to breakfast and they were giving him his tea with a side of knowing looks.The hundred is the most recognisable feature of our sport, to the extent that others have found reason to tap into it to generate that sweet, sweet engagement. Premier League champions Manchester City marked the occasion of their star striker, Erling Haaland, scoring 100 goals by putting a picture of him in full cricket gear on their socials.India just finished a Test match that flew in the face of all that. In Kanpur, Yashasvi Jaiswal not only had the chance to bring up three figures but do so quicker than anybody else from his country. He could’ve walked it in singles. Bangladesh had spread the field all the way out. Instead, he saw a little gap at third and went for the ramp shot. Now, there weren’t a lot of reasons for him to be in such a hurry. The one he had, though, was extremely compelling.Related

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“When we gathered inside [the dressing room] for a small huddle, Rohit Sharma mentioned that we are going to go hammer and tongs and try and make, you know, 400 runs, probably, in 50 overs,” R Ashwin said after India found a way to win a five-day game in half that time. It involved a lot of risk. It wasn’t going to happen without a collective buy-in, especially from the batters, particularly the out-of-form ones.KL Rahul came into this series with an average of 34.08. He has only one century at home, a casualty of overarching plans to make the most of spin-friendly conditions. He might have liked to bed in at Green Park. The pitch wasn’t doing very much and time at the crease is a magical thing. It can erase all the doubt that had ever been cast on you, not from the outside, but also on the inside. It just settles you.Under a less adventurous captain, with a less willing group of men, facing a better quality of opposition and no pressure of World Test Championship points, India would’ve got in a bit of batting practice and left with a draw.”Rohit walked out and just tonked the first ball for a six,” Ashwin said. “So when you walk the talk, I think obviously the dressing room doesn’t have any other choice but to follow that same pattern. We had 50 runs out of three overs. There was no looking back after that.”Rahul made 68 off 43. He had two boundaries within the first ten balls and he was charging and reverse sweeping by the 15th.India have had many captains that have transformed the way they play. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi yanked them out of defeatism. Kapil Dev won them their first world title. MS Dhoni ended the wait for another one. Sourav Ganguly made being bad look sexy. Rahul Dravid broke the ODI chasing curse. Anil Kumble stood up right against wrong. Virat Kohli triggered a fast-bowling revolution. Rohit might just be outdoing them all because he is cutting right into one of the core values of Indian cricket.1:14

‘India exhibited a kind of dominance we’ve never seen before’

Batting means scoring big. You’re almost excused if you get out for a duck but if you get a start and then throw it away, you’re less than nothing. Rohit actually comes from the one place in India where this is basically gospel. He is Mumbai , which means come rain or shine, famine or plague, if you have a bat in hand, you have a responsibility not to get out. You are obliged to score those grand, daddy hundreds that utterly break the oppositions and make them question why they ever woke up that morning. His three double-tons in 50-over cricket are a tribute to this method and its far-reaching consequences. His next best score caused a bit of a flutter too.Rohit made 171 in Perth during a series where India faced questions about whether they cared more for milestones than victories, because their batters kept slowing down and it did have an impact on the final scoreline. Back then, the team was heavily reliant on its top order and so they had to play with a great deal of caution. It is only with time and effort and investment and experience that they now have a batting line-up with threats all the way down.In 2023, Rohit wanted to maximise that, weaponise that. So a man who used to set up to bat the full 50 overs went into a home World Cup and showed a very different side of himself. He kept hitting from ball one because he thought that was the best way for India to win. By then, he’d found strong influences that backed his beliefs.

“In the past, I know of players who have got a fifty in a game like that, they might have just walked out 52 not out. He chose to go for the gallery shot. It is just in his head to see the ball and hit it”R Ashwin on Yashasvi Jaiswal

“When Rahul Dravid was here,” Ashwin said, “he used to mention you will not remember the runs and the wickets that you take but you will definitely remember the memories that you create.”That’s so old school, right? Especially in 2024 where athletes have discovered they aren’t just people, they’re brands. There is incentive to putting themselves first; to safeguarding their success and minimising their risks. The power of a simple individual – let alone those with global acclaim – is sky high right now. It isn’t ludicrous for them to want to cash in, or at the very least have questions when their captain says things like “we’re gonna score 400 in 50 overs”. No one did in Kanpur. Even though the same social-media phenomenon that makes them walking bags of money opens them up to incredible rebuke whenever they fail. And this had potential for failure.Green Park is by no means a template. India will not be scoring at nine runs an over when they go to Australia. But even so, for Rohit to convince his men to follow him like that, in merely the hope of a result, and for them to do it, is no small thing. It’s been a hallmark of his captaincy, across formats. He helped Kohli reassess the price he puts on his wicket in T20s. He protected Jaiswal, genuinely worried he might jinx the opener during his coming-of-age performances against England. In that same series, when Sarfaraz Khan finally broke into the national team, Rohit spent an entire training session looking after him. He has been rewiring his own generation and encouraging the next one to put the win above all else.1:56

T20 champs for a reason? India break batting records in Kanpur

In Kanpur, it meant playing fast-forward cricket, the kind that didn’t just put pressure on the opposition, it caught them completely by surprise. Bangladesh admitted to needing a couple of overs to realise what was happening on that fourth afternoon when India, having batted for less than three hours, had enough on the board for a first-innings lead. Then they came out with similar intent to chase a target of 95, Jaiswal helping himself to another better-than-a-run-a-ball fifty.”It’s just the way he plays,” Ashwin said. “In the past, I know of players who have got a fifty in a game like that, they might have just walked out 52 not out. He chose to go for the gallery shot. It is just in his head to see the ball and hit it.”It’s probably the next generation of players and they are going to be like that. It’s us that need to be able to adapt to their style and be able to facilitate them with the best environment for them to be nurtured for them to prosper.”There are much sterner challenges ahead – the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starts in November and then there’s the Champions Trophy in February and, very likely, the WTC final in July. Each of them will require India to dig deep in various ways. They may come up short. It can happen. But they won’t die wondering. If there’s a chance – even the slightest, most outlandish one – they’ll grab it and they’ll run with it. Rohit won’t let them settle for anything less.