Stats highlights from day one of the second Australia-India Test match in Adelaide

Sampath Bandarupalli06-Dec-20243 Instances of India winning the toss, batting first, and getting bowled out for 180 or less in 2024. Only one team has been bowled out for 180 or less more often in a calendar year after electing to bat – five times by India in 1959.6 for 48 Mitchell Starc’s bowling figures in India’s first-innings are his best in Tests. It was also Starc’s maiden five-wicket haul against India in Tests, after 51 wickets in his first 19 matches against them.3 Instances of Starc taking a wicket off the first ball of a Test match. He and Pedro Collins are the only bowlers to strike with the first ball of a Test on three occasions.Starc previously dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne in the 2016 Galle Test and Rory Burns in the 2021 Brisbane Test on the first ball. He became the first bowler to take a wicket off the first ball of a day-night Test match by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal on Friday.ESPNcricinfo Ltd50 Wickets by Jasprit Bumrah in Tests in 2024. He is only the third India fast bowler to achieve this milestone in a calendar year, after Kapil Dev (74 in 1979 and 75 in 1983) and Zaheer Khan (51 in 2002). Bumrah is also the first fast bowler to take 50-plus wickets in a calendar year since Pat Cummins in 2019.4 Five-wicket hauls for Starc in day-night Test matches. No other bowler has taken more than two. Starc has played 13 day-night Tests so far, the joint-most by any player.53 Test wickets for Starc at the Adelaide Oval. He is the third bowler to reach the milestone of 50 at this ground, after Nathan Lyon (63) and Shane Warne (56). Starc’s bowling strike rate of 34.9 in Tests at the Adelaide Oval is the third best among the bowlers with 50-plus Test wickets at a venue.ESPNcricinfo Ltd8 of the nine dropped catches by wicketkeepers off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling in international cricket have been by Rishabh Pant. Pant has taken 34 catches off Bumrah out of 42 chances, at a percentage of 80.95. That number goes up to 92.42 against other fast bowlers, off whom he has only dropped only ten out of 132 chances.6 Sixes by Nitish Kumar Reddy across his three innings in this series. Five of those have come against fast bowlers, the most by any Indian in Tests in Australia. Zaheer, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Pant have hit three each.

The Ranji season resumes for two more league games after a break for the white-ball tournaments, and it’s going to be a star-studded show

Shashank Kishore21-Jan-2025Virat Kohli was barely a few months into his role as full-time Test captain when Rohit Sharma last featured in the Ranji Trophy, in November 2015. And when Kohli last played in India’s premier first-class competition, in November 2012, Sachin Tendulkar was India’s Test No. 4, and MS Dhoni the India captain. Both Tendulkar and Dhoni have now been retired for over a decade.Kohli and Rohit, on the other hand, are now both at a crossroads as far as their Test careers go, and with the tour of England coming up in the summer, the two of them are among some of India’s top players returning to the Ranji Trophy that resumes following a mid-season break for the white-ball competitions. Here is a primer to bring you up to speed ahead of the sixth round of matches beginning January 23.

Is Virat Kohli really in line for a Ranji return?

Kohli won’t be part of the upcoming round due to neck spasms. However, he is believed to have communicated his availability to the Delhi selectors for the final round of the league phase starting January 30, when Delhi play Railways at home.If he does make a Ranji return, Kohli will have four days to move from first-class cricket to the first ODI at home against England, with the series assuming great significance as it is India’s final ODI engagement ahead of the Champions Trophy.Kohli or not, Delhi have Rishabh PantDelhi will have the services of Rishabh Pant in what is a must-win game for both Delhi and Saurashtra, starting January 23 in Rajkot.Pant will, however, not captain the side as Delhi are keen on ensuring continuity in that regard. The squad will be led by Ayush Badoni, who will play under Pant’s captaincy at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at IPL 2025.This will be Pant’s first Ranji outing since December 2017. He will line-up against Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja in the opposition on what is expected to be a turning Rajkot deck, with voices within the Saurashtra team management saying that’s their best chance of forcing an outright result, which they desperately need to make a last-ditch effort to reach the knockouts.Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma are both in the mix for Mumbai’s next match•BCCI

Will Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal open together?

Mumbai vs Jammu & Kashmir at the BKC Ground should get plenty of attention. Mumbai, the defending champions, are very much in the hunt for a top-two spot in Group A, and will have in their line-up Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal – who could open the batting together – as well as Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur and Shivam Dube. The big absentee from this game is Sarfaraz Khan, who is recovering from a rib injury, while his younger brother Musheer Khan too isn’t ready yet as he rehabs for a neck injury sustained in a road accident last year.Rohit and Jaiswal’s pairing at the top, if it happens, means Mumbai will find it incredibly hard to fit the in-form opener Ayush Mhatre, who has had a sensational initiation into top-flight cricket in 2024. Mhatre, who was part of India Under-19 at the Asia Cup, has already hit two first-class centuries in six matches. He also hit two hundreds in seven games for Mumbai in his maiden List A season that finished with the Vijay Hazare Trophy last week.While Mhatre is still part of the squad, there is no space for another youngster Mumbai have punted on to deliver – 20-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who was one of the emerging stars for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during their title-winning run in the IPL last year.

Shubman Gill will face Karnataka

The other game to follow is Karnataka vs Punjab at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Shubman Gill, recently elevated as India’s ODI vice-captain, will play for Punjab after enduring a tough tour of Australia, where he featured in only three of the five Tests; he was injured for the series opener in Perth and was left out of the Boxing Day Test owing to team combination. In five innings, Gill tallied 93 runs at 18.60.Shubman Gill had a poor tour of Australia•Getty ImagesHis return to the domestic set-up comes at a time when his numbers outside Asia since June 2021 – he averages 17.64 in 18 innings – have come in for sharp scrutiny. His presence will, however, bolster a line-up that will be without Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, with both part of India’s T20I squad for the England series starting on Wednesday.Karnataka, winners of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, will welcome the return of Prasidh Krishna and Devdutt Padikkal to the XI as they look to win their two remaining games to try and qualify for the knockouts. KL Rahul has informed the KSCA of his unavailability to nurse an elbow niggle ahead of the England ODIs and the Champions Trophy.

What are the injury updates?

Fast bowler Akash Deep and opener Abhimanyu Easwaran won’t be playing for Bengal to nurse injuries that will need monitoring from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. Akash Deep is out with a back niggle that also forced him out of contention for the Sydney Test earlier this month. Abhimanyu, who didn’t get a game on tour, is believed to have fractured his middle finger on the right hand while playing a club fixture in the lead-up to the Ranji games. He will likely be out of action for three weeks.Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj isn’t part of Hyderabad’s squad as he has been asked to rest by the national team management as part of his workload management. Siraj played all five Tests in Australia, but has been left out of India’s ODI squads for the England series and the Champions Trophy.

Who are the other players to watch out for?

Karun Nair is on a dream run, having finished the Vijay Hazare Trophy with five hundreds and 772 runs. With Vidarbha all but through to the Ranji knockouts, he’ll have two league games and a maximum of three more games to try and get a place in the Test middle-order with the England tour coming up.

The Australian retired from ODI cricket after producing several moments of brilliance

Alex Malcolm02-Jun-2025How do you sum up Glenn Maxwell’s ODI career? Mercurial, magnificent, marauding, mind-blowing, maligned, and maddening, perhaps.But even those words feel like they barely scratch the surface.The numbers don’t sum it up either. His 149 games across 13 years seem an oddly low number. His 3990 runs at 33.81 places him jarringly between Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor at 19th on Australia’s all-time ODI run-scoring list.He took fewer ODI wickets than two other batting allrounders in Steve and Mark Waugh, who turned 60 on the day of his retirement.Maxwell’s ODI legacy can’t be measured in totality. A Statsguru search for the greatest ODI players by conventional metrics won’t spit out Maxwell’s name anywhere near the top except, significantly, for his strike-rate.Highest strike rates in men’s ODIs•ESPNcricinfo LtdIt’ll be measured by the moments of sheer jaw-dropping brilliance that he produced more often than he’s given credit for.Mumbai 2023 was his masterpiece. No matter how many times you look at the scorecard, it will never make sense. But again, the numbers aren’t the story.Watching it live it made no sense. Re-living it on replay, it still makes no sense. The entire innings – 201 not out off 128 – was preposterous from start to finish for myriad reasons. He did something that simply no other player could do.But to suggest that was his one great high in an ODI career that featured plenty of lows would be unfair. He was often maligned for his inconsistencies and there is a perception that Maxwell would go missing in key moments.His record suggests otherwise. The key moments when Australia were in the most trouble was when Maxwell often shone brightest. Mumbai is the greatest example. Manchester is another. In a long-forgotten ODI series played in a bio-bubble in front of empty stands, Maxwell and Alex Carey made centuries as Australia chased 303 for a series victory against the defending ODI World Champions having been 73 for 5.Maxwell’s double-hundred in the World Cup 2023 was an innings for the ages•ICC via Getty ImagesMaxwell’s successful chasing habits started early. In just his fourth ODI he made an unbeaten 56 from 38 balls to guide Australia through a tricky pursuit against Pakistan. His unbeaten 44 in the face off in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final is often forgotten behind Steven Smith and Shane Watson’s tussle with Wahab Riaz, but it was no less critical.In 2016 he made 96 off 83 against India as Australia chased 296 with three wickets to spare. Just 17 months before his Mumbai masterpiece he pulled off a stunning chase in Pallekele against Sri Lanka with a mind-bending 80 not out off 51 balls, adding 54 with No. 9 Ashton Agar and No. 10 Jhye Richardson who contributed just four runs between them, to win with two wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Overall in the ODI World Cup, he averaged 47.42 with a strike-rate of 160.32.As recently as his penultimate ODI innings, at the Champions Trophy earlier this year, he walked out with Australia needing 70 off 50 balls chasing 352 against England and smashed 32 not out off 15 to end the game alongside Josh Inglis with 15 balls unused.Glenn Maxwell averaged 47.42 with a strike rate of 160.32 in World Cup cricket•AFP/Getty ImagesHis ability to translate T20 batting into ODI cricket is unparalleled. In 34 successful ODI chases, Maxwell averaged 56.40 at a strike-rate of 127.89. The list of ODI players who average 50 or more in winning chases striking at 90 or more is illustrious, and Maxwell sits in the rarest air.Maxwell’s outstanding chasing record is instructive about his mindset. For all the moments you wondered ‘how did he do that’, there were just as many thoughts of ‘why did he do that’ when the game was set up for him.Something about chasing near impossible targets simplified the game for him as he explained to ESPNcricinfo last year.”Sometimes the feeling of, oh, there’s no way back that can sort of free you up a bit, so you sort of take the pressure off yourself,” Maxwell said. “It makes it a bit more simple in front of you.”Where sometimes if you’re on top of the game, or level with the game, it can be a bit complicated, where you think we don’t need to go too hard, or we need to only go at four an over and we’re under no pressure. You can be a bit more tentative.”Glenn Maxwell played a huge role as a bowler too in Australia’s World Cup winning campaigns in 2015 and 2023•AFP/Getty ImagesHe thrived in pressure moments with the ball and in the field, too. His bowling record does not leap off the page, but his role in Australia’s two World Cup titles was crucial. In 2015 he played as the lone spinner on home soil and did a sterling job, taking the key wicket of Martin Guptill early in the final after Mitchell Starc had rattled Brendon McCullum’s stumps in the opening over.His wicket in the 2023 final silenced 100,000 people and broke 1.6 billion hearts. With Rohit Sharma flying, Maxwell was asked to bowl the last over of the first powerplay. Rohit clubbed him for six and four off the second and third balls taking his career ODI record against Maxwell to 161 from 127 balls for one dismissal. Maxwell held his nerve, changed the pace and trajectory and forced a mistake to change the complexion of the match.His figures of 1 for 35 from six do not adequately reflect how brilliant that delivery was in that one moment.The rollercoaster of his onfield displays matched the rollercoaster of his life off it. But it is amazing how well he has endured and has kept meeting the moment, despite form slumps, mental health challenges, a broken leg, a golf cart concussion and being hospitalised with severe dehydration at another golf day.He is mercurial in every sense of the word. And he is not done yet. If his ODI record undersells his brilliance, his T20I record emphasises it. Despite another lean IPL ending in injury, you wouldn’t put it past him to produce a special performance at next year’s World Cup.That is the magic of Maxwell. If you can’t handle him at his worst, you don’t deserve him at his best. Not every Australian regime got the best of Maxwell all of the time in ODI cricket, but he produced high points under each of them across a 13-year career.His best will be irreplaceable. That is without question. Seeing it was a privilege, every maddening and magnificent moment of it.

Stats highlights of the final day of the Lord’s Test between England and India

Sampath Bandarupalli14-Jul-2025

Ben Stokes was Player of the Match for the fourth time in a Lord’s Test•Getty Images

22 runs – England’s margin of victory in the third Test against India is the narrowest in terms of runs at Lord’s. The previous lowest was Australia’s 43-run victory against England in 2023.It is also India’s fourth-smallest margin of defeat in men’s Tests.193 – The fourth-lowest target that India have failed to chase down in men’s Tests. India have lost while chasing sub-200 targets only on five occasions; four of those defeats have come since 2015. All the other Test teams put together have failed to chase down sub-200 targets only five times during this period.The target of 193 is also the second-lowest that England have successfully defended in men’s Tests in the last 25 years, behind the 181 they defended against Ireland in 2019, also at Lord’s.Related

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4 – Consecutive half-centuries for Ravindra Jadeja, across the second and third Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s. Before him, only two Indian batters had four consecutive 50-plus scores in England – Sourav Ganguly (2002) and Rishabh Pant (2022 and 2025).Jadeja’s unbeaten 61 on the final day at Lord’s is his first 50-plus score in the fourth innings of a Test match.942 – Jadeja’s Test runs in England while batting at No. 6 or lower. Among visiting batters, only Garry Sobers scored more from those positions – 1097.Jadeja has eight fifty-plus scores – seven fifties and a century – in England, again only behind Sobers (nine) and joint with MS Dhoni.301 – Number of balls India batted after losing their seventh wicket on the fifth day at Lord’s – the most for the last three wickets in the fourth innings of a Test. The previous highest was 294 balls by England against Pakistan in Dubai in 2015. .Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah batted 22 overs for the ninth wicket, the most by an India pair for the last two wickets in Tests in the last ten years.4 – Player-of-the-Match awards for Ben Stokes in Tests at Lord’s, the most for any player at the venue. Overall, he has 11 Player-of-the-Match awards in Tests, the third-highest for England behind Joe Root (13) and Ian Botham (12).15 – Bowled dismissals in the Lord’s Test, the most in more than 2000 matches since 1965. The previous Test with 15 or more bowleds was between West Indies and Australia in Georgetown in 1965.

Sabina Park collapse symbolises West Indies’ Test malaise, but what is the way ahead?

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2025

AFP/Getty Images

There’s never a good time to be bowled out for 27. Monday at Sabina Park felt like a particularly bad one for West Indies.At 11 for 6, New Zealand’s 70-year record of 26 all out was under threat. When Scott Boland took his hat-trick, there was a realistic chance they would at least have someone to share it with. There won’t be many people across the Tasman shouting Sam Konstas a beer after his misfield.Less than 24 hours later, Cricket West Indies has called an emergency summit with invites to a host of former greats for help. But there will be skepticism about whether it will make any difference.Related

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Stats – WI post second-lowest Test total; Starc takes five in 15 balls

As impressive as Mitchell Starc and Boland were, it was a woeful display. They couldn’t even say it happened in the night session. There had been warning signs in the first two Tests when their second innings fell apart rapidly; their last performance of the series was the sum of all fears. Within six balls, there was the sense it could be a horror show.John Campbell can be excused somewhat as he edged a perfect outswinger from Starc. He had shown some gumption in earlier innings. You also need to have some sympathy for debutant Kevlon Anderson padding up to an inswinger and then reviewing, a clear sign of a frazzled mind. Brandon King, who had performed encouragingly, decided a booming drive was the best option despite having seen Starc curving the ball late.King made West Indies’ one half-century of the series – his 75 was also the highest individual score on either side – but no one else, barring Anderson Phillip who played a single match, averaged over 20. Batting was tough, for sure, and Australia weren’t immune from their own problems, but there were numerous techniques exposed. No doubt the game in West Indies needs help, but it also needs to help itself.Since February 2023, when Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul each score hundreds in a 336-run stand against Zimbabwe, West Indies have had two centuries: Kavem Hodge against England and Justin Greaves against Bangladesh. There have been some fallow periods in West Indies’ batting over the last 25 years – they started the 21st century by making totals of 54, 61 and 82 in 2000 – but this might be the lowest point, and not just statistically.This performance also comes at a time when the future structure of Test cricket is at the forefront of debates. Nothing is yet decided, although some plans may be outlined at the ICC’s annual conference in Singapore this week, and while it can be easy to be drawn into sweeping statements after events such as Sabina Park, the problems facing West Indies in the format are as acute as any of the Full Members.They have managed a couple of landmark victories in recent times – defeating Australia at the Gabba and Pakistan in Multan – but they look like outliers. The win in Brisbane persuaded administrators to add a third Test to this series, which became the Sabina Park day-nighter.Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph troubled Australia all series with the ball•AFP/Getty ImagesThat they competed with Australia for the first two days of each Test is worthy of note, but that was largely down to the fast bowlers. Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph and latterly Alzarri Joseph performed superbly, supported by Greaves’ brisk medium pace, and made life very uncomfortable for the visitors. They are carrying the team but are being asked to perform miracles.It needs to be questioned whether a factor they are taking advantage of – the pitches – has veered too far one way; although, with something of a grimace, Roston Chase said the Jamaica pitch was the best of all three.It’s all well and good playing to your strengths, the bowlers making the most of a ball zipping around, but when your weakness is so weak it makes everything futile. Since the start of 2023, the West Indies, as a venue for Tests, has the lowest collective batting average where more than a single match has been played. West Indies, themselves, average just 18.39 in that period, by far the lowest for a home side.Clearly, the problems in West Indies run deeper than the 22 yards but after the second Test in Grenada, coach Daren Sammy spoke about the surfaces around the Caribbean and how batters even at domestic level are unable to trust their games. Slightly counter to that, Chase said it was hard to judge players properly as each team had a couple of good bowlers.West Indies have away tours of India and New Zealand next where the batters are likely to be severely challenged again. Their other away series in this WTC cycle is in Bangladesh. Back at home they will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan, teams they may believe they can compete with.After the match had raced to its hasty conclusion and the presentations were completed, Starc delayed his return to the Australian celebrations to chat with uncapped West Indies quick Johann Layne who is highly regarded as part of the next generation. Layne appeared to be lapping up all the tips from one of the game’s greats. It can only be hoped that he has a viable Test team to be part of, and a chance to face Australia in the future.

An active Test cricketer choosing T20 franchise over Ashes tour is unprecedented development

Matt Roller01-Sep-2025Has a single training session ever revealed so much about the state of English cricket? England’s preparation for Tuesday’s ODI against South Africa started at 9am in Leeds with one-third of their squad still in London after playing in the Hundred final. Then, two hours later, one of the few players present told the world he was quitting red-ball cricket indefinitely.Harry Brook said he was “a little bit shocked” to learn of Jamie Overton’s decision, barely two months before an Ashes series for which he would very likely have been picked. But a glance around Headingley would have confirmed that things are not what they used to be: cricket’s scheduling has never been perfect, but gaps between series have never been shorter.Brook’s own schedule has been packed enough. Since the start of England’s home summer on May 22, he has played six Tests, six white-ball internationals and nine Hundred games: the tournament itself began just 24 hours after Brook’s involvement in the epic fifth Test against India. His post-match media commitments finished late on Saturday night at The Oval after a washed-out Eliminator; his pre-match press conference for an ODI series barely 36 hours later.It is just another example of a fixture list that is fundamentally flawed, and gives players little chance of performing at their best. “In an ideal world, we’d have liked to meet up yesterday and train yesterday, [then] train today and go into the game as a group,” Brook said. “But nobody is short of cricket, that’s for sure.”South Africa’s own preparation has been slightly smoother, despite the dislocation of a long-haul flight from Cairns last week following their brief tour to Australia. “The first couple of days were about the guys recovering, getting over jetlag,” Temba Bavuma, their captain, said. “We’ve had our practice sessions – gym, on the field – and a bit of leisure for the boys.”Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum have much to ponder ahead of the white-ball series against South Africa•PA Photos/Getty ImagesEven still, there are other “distractions” – as Bavuma put it – lingering in the background. “Guys always have one eye on what is happening in the Hundred, with the final happening yesterday, there’s the auction [next Tuesday] with the SA20… That’s the life of an international cricketer. It’s just part of the package.”Bizarrely, in light of England’s last-minute preparation, South Africa did not consider David Miller for selection since he was playing alongside Brook at Northern Superchargers at the start of their preparation period, though he remains in their longer-term plans. After losing one key pillar of their middle order to the franchise circuit in Heinrich Klaasen, they cannot risk losing another.The ECB’s financial clout has staved off the same threat for a long while, but Overton’s announcement was a landmark moment. A handful of England players have skipped tours to maximise their franchise earnings in the past, but an active Test cricketer effectively opting out of an Ashes tour to play T20 instead is unprecedented.It took Rob Key, England’s managing director, by surprise: he described the news as “unexpected” and “sad to see” while effectively confirming that he would have been named in the squad to tour Australia. “He would have been part of our red-ball plans for the foreseeable future… It serves as a reminder of the cricketing landscape we now operate in.”It is also further confirmation that Key’s grand plan to create a stable of all-format fast bowlers to emulate Australia’s ‘big three’ is a chimera: Mark Wood last played in February, Brydon Carse had to withdraw from the Hundred to manage his body, and Gus Atkinson’s stock as a white-ball bowler has fallen sharply. Remarkably, Jofra Archer has become England’s most durable quick across formats.Related

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Overton can hardly be blamed for his decision. He toiled hard against India at The Oval but his body struggled to cope, and he would likely have carried the drinks in Australia in any case. That would have meant sacrificing the majority of his lucrative Big Bash contract with Adelaide Strikers – and, had he played, risking an injury that could have ruled him out for some time.The pull of the Ashes will remain strong enough for the majority of England players but, at 31, Overton has decided that the potential benefits do not outweigh the drawbacks. He described it as “accepting reality” in a interview; that alone should prompt a minor rejig of England’s contract system, addressing the imbalance between annual retainers and tour fees.Brook is viewing this week’s series as a chance to “create an environment where we’re working towards something” in the same way that Eoin Morgan did before the 2019 World Cup, putting his focus on the same event in 2027. It is an admirable ambition, but the gradual erosion of the relevance of bilateral international series may soon wear them down entirely.It will be easy enough to ignore the warning signs on Tuesday, when two strong sides face off in front of a good crowd at Headingley and the cricket itself takes over. But if England learned anything at all from Monday morning’s thinly-attended training session, it is that they too are vulnerable to the same forces that have already reshaped the rest of the global game.

Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation from Celtic at the start of last week to end his second spell with the Scottish giants in the dugout at Parkhead.

The Northern Irish head coach opted to move on from the club for a second time after a 3-1 loss to Hearts left the Hoops eight points adrift of first place in the Scottish Premiership table.

Rodgers, as shown in the graphic above, enjoyed a largely successful second spell with the Bhoys, winning four trophies in two seasons, before the disappointing start to the current campaign.

After the ex-Liverpool and Leicester City boss left the Hoops last week, experienced manager Martin O’Neill was placed in interim charge and has managed two matches so far.

A 4-0 win over Falkirk and a 3-1 win over Rangers have shown that the club can afford to take their time to find the right man for the job, as O’Neill is a safe pair of hands for now.

One of the things that the next manager should make a priority when they arrive at Parkhead is reviving Reo Hatate, whose form has dropped off this season.

Why Celtic need to revive Reo Hatate

In the summer of 2024, Celtic reportedly rejected an offer of £10m from an unnamed French club, which shows that they valued him at even more than that at the time.

Then, in the 2024/25 campaign, Hatate stepped up his game to deliver 11 goals and nine assists in 55 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt.

The Japan international scored ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ in 37 outings in the Premiership, which shows that he provided regular quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old star has endured a frustrating 2025/26 campaign so far, so much so that he has been a substitute in the first two games of O’Neill’s interim tenure.

As you can see in the table above, Hatate’s influence at the top end of the pitch has waned. The midfielder is not as impactful as he was last term for the Hoops, as a scorer or a creator.

The Japanese star, who has one goal and no assists in 15 appearances in all competitions, is capable of far better and that is why the next manager needs to revive his performances as a priority.

Thankfully, for Hatate, there is a manager keen on taking the role who could be the perfect man to revive the central midfielder’s season.

Former Championship manager interested in the Celtic job

According to 67HailHail, former Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick has had his name thrown in the ring for the vacant Celtic job.

The report claims that the former Manchester United central midfielder would be interested in replacing Rodgers at Parkhead in the coming weeks, after leaving Boro at the end of last season.

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It states that the English tactician is looking to get back into management again, as he has been without a club so far this season, and the Celtic job is a potential option for him.

However, 67HailHail adds that Carrick does have some reservations about the size of the job and whether he is ready for it at this point in his career, which the site itself suggests may be a red flag.

However, if he is still interested in taking the job, as the report suggests, then the club should consider him as a genuine option, because he could revive Hatate.

Why Michael Carrick would be perfect for Reo Hatate

Carrick could get the Japan international back to his best in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants, and not just because he was a former midfielder for Manchester United and England.

The English boss plays a 4-2-3-1 formation, per Transfermarkt, and could play Hatate in the number ten position to get the best out of his attacking qualities, which were on full display in the 2024/25 campaign.

Carrick’s coaching in the last two seasons with Middlesbrough, before his exit in the summer, suggests that he can coach a team to be incredibly creative with the ball.

As you can see in the table above, Middlesbrough racked up roughly 137 xG in 82 Championship games across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns, which suggests that Hatate would be in a side that can create plenty of chances for him to start scoring goals again.

Carrick has also shown that he can develop and improve attack-minded midfield players. Finn Azaz, per Transfermarkt, had never managed more than seven goals and five assists in a Championship season before his haul of 12 goals and 11 assists in the division for Carrick’s side last term.

The out-of-work coach, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, was also named by Morgan Rogers as one of the coaches who helped him to improve as a player.

Rogers is now shining at Aston Villa, with 14 goals and 13 assists last term, and is an England international, which is further evidence that Carrick can help attacking midfielders to thrive.

Therefore, the English head coach could be the perfect appointment to reignite Hatate’s Celtic career because of his formation, his coaching, and his development of attack-minded midfield players.

Rodgers upgrade: Celtic could go far in Europe by hiring "unbeatable" manager

Celtic could upgrade on Brendan Rodgers in a key area by hiring this head coach.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 4, 2025

Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly in talks with Napoli ahead of a January exit from Manchester United.

Across his last four games, manager Ruben Amorim has won 10 points from an available 12, stringing together a run of three wins and a draw. The former Sporting boss has seemingly, after over a year in charge, found some consistency in his first team.

This could prove crucial for Amorim, who has found himself under varying amounts of pressure since moving from Sporting to Old Trafford in November 2024. In becoming more sure of his first team, though, the Portuguese has limited the minutes of Kobbie Mainoo.

A product of the club’s prestigious youth academy, Mainoo has played just 138 minutes in seven Premier League appearances this season. As a result, rumours have started to circulate about his future and now, reports in Italy have suggested that a move to Serie A could be on the cards.

Amorim wants Mainoo to stay amid Serie A talks

As per Football Italia, Napoli have “been in contact with the agent” of Kobbie Mainoo and that “interest in a loan deal is mutual” between the player and club. Reportedly, the defending Serie A champions are looking for midfield depth following an injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne.

Depth is made all the more imperative given that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will be absent during the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and Napoli have retained the interest that they seemed to have in Mainoo back in the summer transfer window.

Despite keen interest from Antonio Conte’s side, it would seem that Amorim hopes that Mainoo remains in Manchester, though it has also been reported that a move to Italy is “more likely” and something that has reached the “advanced talks” stage of negotiation.

Though Amorim may want Mainoo to stay, it is understandable as to why the midfielder wants more first-team football, especially with a World Cup coming up next year. With Napoli’s current absentees, Mainoo would certainly receive minutes at the club.

Not only that, but Napoli’s status as a Champions League club may only make the move more alluring to Mainoo. It remains to be seen, though, whether the England international departs in the next transfer window.

Exciting update on young Man Utd defender's first team chances

A left-arm quick, a six hitter who can bat in the top order, and a couple of mystery spinners are all part of our list

Deivarayan Muthu12-Aug-2025The 13th season of the CPL, which will kick off on August 14, will feature a number of T20 stars from the Caribbean as well as from other parts of the world. Here are five CPL rookies who could make a mark in the upcoming season.

Jediah Blades (Guyana Amazon Warriors)

Jediah Blades made his T20I debut recently•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty ImagesHaving moved on from the likes of Sheldon Cottrell and Obed McCoy, West Indies are trialling Jediah Blades in the left-arm seamer’s role ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Even before he had played in the CPL, Blades, now 23, was fast-tracked into the West Indies side after impressing with the new ball for Guyana Rainforest Rangers in the inaugural West Indies breakout league, a tournament that was held earlier this year to identify emerging talent in the region.After conceding 40 runs in three overs on T20I debut against Australia, Blades bounced back in his second match, trapping Mitchell Marsh lbw with a sharp inswinger with the new ball before dismissing Mitchell Owen and Cooper Connolly with the older one. A good CPL season could potentially put Blades in T20 World Cup contention.

Kofi James (Barbados Royals)

Kofi James isn’t really a rookie – he is 27 and has played 12 CPL games so far – but hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet. Could this be James’ season?He showed attacking enterprise at the top for Leeward Islands Thunder in the breakout league, finishing on top of the runs charts (240 at a strike rate of nearly 158) and on top of the sixes chart with 16. With both Rahkeem Cornwall and Alick Athanaze moving out of Barbados Royals, James could be combined with Quinton de Kock and Brandon King in a new-look top order. James also bowls offspin and can be matched up against left-hand batters.

Usman Tariq (Trinbago Knight Riders)

Usman Tariq has played two seasons of PSL•PCBThe Knight Riders franchise has always been big on mystery spinners across leagues and for this CPL season, they have recruited Usman Tariq, who has had success with Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.Tariq, who is predominantly an offspinner, comes to a near-complete halt as he approaches his delivery stride before firing darts with a slinging, side-arm action. He often slings it in from wide of the crease, making it even more difficult for batters to pick him.The 27-year-old has played ten games in the PSL, taking 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.64, and the upcoming CPL will be his first stint in a franchise T20 league outside Pakistan.

AM Ghazanfar (Antigua & Barbuda Falcons)

Afghanistan teenager AM Ghazanfar is another mystery spinner who is set for his maiden CPL stint. He impressed Mumbai Indians with his variations during a trial in the UAE and had them forking out INR 4.80 crore (US$ 570,000 approx.) for him during the IPL 2025 auction.Though Ghazanfar missed the IPL with injury, he reminded the world of his mystery in the T20 Blast for Derbyshire, where he took 16 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.05. It included a mesmerising spell of 4-2-5-2 against Yorkshire at Headingley. Ghazanfar could be just as deadly and unhittable on the spin-friendly surfaces in the Caribbean.However, he might miss the second half of the CPL if he gets picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE.

Bevon Jacobs (Antigua & Barbuda Falcons)

Bevon Jacobs has a T20 strike rate of 147.31•BCCIBevon Jacobs is another emerging T20 star who is part of Mumbai Indians in the IPL and MI Emirates in the ILT20 in the UAE. He is now poised to make his CPL debut for Antigua & Barbuda Falcons along with Ghazanfar.At over six feet tall, the New Zealand power-hitter has the height and reach to mess with the lengths of bowlers. He has always been good against pace, and this CPL will be a test of his skills against spin on potentially slow surfaces.New Zealand currently have a settled middle order in T20Is, but success against spin in the Caribbean could prompt the team management to include him as a wildcard for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Big picture: Winner faces India in semi-final

On Wednesday, Chloe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp were on the opposite sides of the Holkar Stadium. Tryon was lofting throwdowns inside out from the practice nets towards the main pitch while Kapp was taking some high catches on the other side of the ground. Tryon and Kapp were on the same side and made vital contributions in the only ODI South Africa have won against Australia. They could once again be key in South Africa’s last league game of the Women’s World Cup, against the same opponents.This is a top-of-the-table clash. Australia are yet to lose a game, on 11 points, while South Africa are on 10. The winner on Saturday will go to Navi Mumbai for the semi-final against India, while the loser will head to the Guwahati semi-final, where England will be waiting.Related

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An Australia vs South Africa fixture has been an anomaly in women’s cricket. Before they played a multi-format series at the start of 2024, both the teams had last played a bilateral series in 2016 (only ODIs). Their meetings have often been restricted to ICC tournaments, where Australia have emerged victorious every single time – until the T20 World Cup semi-final last year.In the ODI World Cup in 2022, South Africa had done well to post 271. However, their sloppy fielding – they dropped four catches – meant Australia comfortably aced that chase, with Meg Lanning’s century eclipsing Laura Wolvaardt’s 90.This South African unit, though, not only knows how to reach knockouts but also keeps its nerves in check. That was on show in the two chases in Visakhapatnam in this World Cup, where they hunted down 252 against India despite being 81 for 5, and then chased 233 against Bangladesh from 78 for 5. This is not to say that only the lower order has fired for them. As many as five South Africa batters have scored 150 or more in the competition.4:19

Healy, Knight, Mandhana, Devine, Dottin – analysing the best six-hitters

However, Australia could pose a completely different challenge to them on Saturday. There are question marks over Alyssa Healy’s fitness, but Australia have shown they can line up strongly even without her. One thing that Australia promise is being relentless. They keep coming hard and offer little respite, be it with bat or ball. Annabel Sutherland will be crucial to their all-round excellence: she has been superb with both bat and ball in the tournament so far, while being supported by the spin battery.Australia are dominant. However, they will know that South Africa are a team with pedigree, as recent ICC tournaments show. At stake is not just the top spot in league standings but a semi-final in Navi Mumbai on a truer batting surface than Guwahati (plus an extra day in hand before a knockout match).

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWWWW

In the spotlight – South Africa vs legspin

South Africa have been quite good against legspin in the last two years. Since the start of 2023, their top five averages 44.76 against that style of bowling. This is telling, because only Pakistan have faced more legspin bowling in this time (917) than South Africa (883). Australia average more (47.09) against legspin but their top five has faced only 491 such deliveries. Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt all average over 58 against legspin in this period. Brits and Luus also score quite quickly, and only have two dismissals each against legspin.2:11

The big question – Is Healy fit?

On Saturday, they will be faced with one of the most economical bowlers at this World Cup in Alana King. She has six wickets so far, but her X-factor has been the control she affords Australia in the non-powerplay overs. Against England, she was at her stingy best, which allowed other bowlers to pick up wickets from the other end. Australia also have another legspinner in Georgia Wareham, who has three wickets in the two matches she played when they rested Sophie Molineux. King has eight wickets in four ODIs and averages 13.25 versus South Africa. Before the Ashes where she took a five-for, her best bowling figures (4 for 26) came last year against South Africa.

Team news: Is Healy fit?

Alyssa Healy did a few rounds of the outfield before a half hour batting stint in the enclosed nets. Tahlia McGrath said Australia are taking it day by day with their captain, who missed the previous game with a minor calf strain. Beth Mooney did her wicketkeeping drills before nets on Friday. Is that an indication Australia don’t want to risk Healy before the semi-final?Australia (probable): 1 Georgia Voll, 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Annabel Sutherland, 5 Beth Mooney (wk), 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath (capt), 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Alana King, 10 Kim Garth, 11 Megan SchuttSouth Africa are one of the two teams to use all 15 players in the squad. They could bring back seamer Masabata Klaas instead of offspin-allrounder Nondumiso Shangase against Australia. They could also bring back Anneke Bosch, who scored 44 in South Africa’s only ODI win over Australia and also scored an unbeaten 74 against them in the T20 World Cup semi-final last year.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Annerie Dercksen, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Karabo Meso (wk), 7 Chloe Tryon, 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Nondumiso Shangase/Masabata Klaas, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Nonkululeko MlabaMasabata Klaas might slot into the side•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Pitch and conditions

A fresh pitch will be used and this one will also be a black-soil surface. But a day out from the contest it had a lot of barren patches and very little green grass on it. Indore will be hot and humid, but there is a spell of thunderstorm in forecast in the afternoon. However, similar weather was in forecast for the last game on Wednesday, but rain did not make an appearance. Friday morning in the city was cloudy before Australia trained under the hot afternoon sun.

Stats and trivia

• Both Marizanne Kapp and Megan Schutt have 38 wickets in ODI World Cups. Only Lyn Fullston (39) and Jhulan Goswami (43) are ahead in the list of most wickets in the competition
• Australia’s batters have scored five centuries at this World Cup, the most for them in a single edition
• Among those with at least 150 runs at this World Cup, Nadine de Klerk’s strike rate of 150 is the best, followed by Alyssa Healy’s 131.25
• South Africa registered their first ODI win against Australia in February 2024 in their 17th attempt

Quotes

“We’ve been here for six weeks now. The fact that it’s South Africa doesn’t change much from our prep. We’ve been pretty consistent with how we prepare for teams. So, we looked at South Africa in detail this morning. We match up pretty well and are pretty thorough in our plans. Even though we haven’t played a lot against them, we feel as though we’re really well planned and prepared.”
“They are the best team in the world, it is very difficult to beat them. You have to do the basics really well. The team that does the basics better for longer and stays in control for longer becomes successful. Even when they were in difficult situations, they found a way to put the other team under pressure. Just doing the basics well and sticking to what we do well should give us the best chance.”