Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal and Arsenal star Declan Rice are among the 11 nominees for the FIFA 2025 Puskas Award. The global honour recognising the most breathtaking goal of the year kicked off on Thursday as FIFA revealed the shortlists for both the men’s and women’s prizes. The award, named after Real Madrid icon Ferenc Puskas, recognises the finest goal scored between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025, and this year’s competition is stacked with elite talent.

Yamal’s brilliance and Rice’s rocket steal the spotlight

Yamal earned his nomination for a stunning left-footed curler against Espanyol. It was a moment of individual brilliance that effectively clinched the league title for Barcelona. Cutting in from the right, he opened his body and sent the ball spinning into the far top corner, a finish dripping with maturity well beyond his teenage years.

Whereas, Rice stunned the Champions League with one of the most audacious free kicks in recent memory. His nomination came for the second of his two spectacular dead-ball strikes against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. From a seemingly impossible angle, Rice trusted his capabilities and whipped an outrageous shot into the top corner to give Arsenal a famous 3–0 first-leg win.

"To score my first free kick in a game is a special one. And then when I got the second one. I just had the confidence. I'm speechless, really," Rice told Amazon Prime after the Real Madrid game in April.

"When you score a goal, it's the best feeling in the world. It didn't make sense from that angle to cross the ball. It would have to be a delicate pass. And when I saw the wall, it didn't make sense to cross. You know what, I'm happy I took it because it was magic."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWho are the nominees of the FIFA Puskas and Marta award?

FIFA Puskas Award 2025 nominees

Alerrandro | Vitoria v. Cruzeiro | 19 August 2024

Alessandro Deiola | Cagliari v. Venezia | 18 May 2025

Pedro de la Vega | Cruz Azul v. Seattle Sounders | 31 July 2025

Santiago Montiel | Independiente v. Independiente Rivadavia | 11 May 2025

Amr Nasser | Al Ahly v. Pharco | 17 April 2025

Carlos Orrantía | Querétaro v. Atlas | 16 April 2025

Lucas Ribeiro | Mamelodi Sundowns v. Borussia Dortmund | 21 June 2025

Declan Rice | Arsenal v. Real Madrid | 8 April 2025

Rizky Ridho | Persija Jakarta v. Arema | 9 March 2025

Kévin Rodrigues | Kasımpaşa v. Rizespor | 9 February 2025

Lamine Yamal | Espanyol v. Barcelona | 15 May 2025

FIFA Marta Award 2025 Nominees

Jordyn Bugg | North Carolina Courage v. Seattle Reign | 22 March 2025

Mariona Caldentey | Olympique Lyonnais v. Arsenal | 27 April 2025

Ashley Cheatley | Brentford v. Ascot United |3 November 2024

Kyra Cooney-Cross | Germany v. Australia | 28 October 2024

Jon Ryong-jong | Korea DPR v. Argentina | 2 September 2024

Marta | Orlando Pride v. Kansas City Current | 17 November 2024

Vivianne Miedema | Wales v. Netherlands |5 July 2025

Kishi Núñez|Argentina v. Costa Rica |8 September 2024

Lizbeth Ovalle | Tigres v. Guadalajara | 3 March 2025

Ally Sentnor | USA v. Colombia | 20 February 2025

Khadija Shaw | Hammarby v. Manchester City | 21 November 2024

The legacy of greatness: A look back at previous Puskas Winners

The Puskas Award, introduced in 2009, has become one of the most cherished individual honours in world football. Cristiano Ronaldo’s thunderbolt for Manchester United against Porto in the Champions League remains one of the most astonishing long-range strikes in European history. From nearly 40 yards out, he unleashed a missile into the top corner, and that was the first Puskas winner. 

In 2011, a 19-year-old Neymar announced himself to the world with a goal that seemed sculpted from a video game. Picking up the ball near the halfway line for Santos, he slalomed past four defenders before putting up a composed finish. And the Puskas Award was almost inevitable.

The Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, took home the prize for his solo run against Everton in the Merseyside derby. Salah dribbled inside from the right, held off defenders with brute strength, then bent an unstoppable curler into the far corner. It was a quintessential Salah finish, and the Puskas Award was his in 2018. 

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Getty Images SportWho will decide the Puskas winner?

Fans can now view all nominated goals on FIFA.com, with voting split 50/50 between supporters and a panel of FIFA Legends. The winners will be crowned at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025.

Vote for the best individual Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance by an Indian in Australia since 2000

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2024Update: This poll has ended. Rishabh Pant’s performance goes into the quarter-finals. Check the other polls here.ESPNcricinfo LtdRishabh Pant helped India achieve the unimaginable at the Gabba•Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty Images

Rishabh Pant – 89* in Brisbane, 2021

India won by three wickets, and the series 2-1All the things that didn’t make sense on this tour – India all out for 36, their three jillion injuries, the hassle of cricket in quarantine – found meaning when Rishabh Pant began to play the innings of a lifetime. He was 23 and he helped obliterate a record that had stood for way longer than he’d been alive. Australia’s undefeated streak in Brisbane was 32 years old when it was finally laid to rest. “This is one of the biggest things in my life right now,” Pant said after a performance that proved just how dangerous a batter he could be when he adopts even the smallest bit of restraint.Chasing 328 at the Gabba – 324 on the final day – India still needed 161 runs with about 43 overs to go when Pant walked in at No. 5. He got going, and kept going, even as wickets fell and the overs ticked by. Eventually, with only minutes left on the clock, he lashed Josh Hazlewood down the ground to accomplish one of the greatest series wins in Test history.By Alagappan MuthuWatch the highlights of these performances on the Star Sports network at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm IST, from October 25 onwards.Ajit Agarkar razed Australia in Adelaide•Tony Lewis/Getty Images

Ajit Agarkar – 6-41 in Adelaide, 2003

India win by 4 wickets, lead the series 1-0On the previous tour of Australia in 1999-2000, Ajit Agarkar was given the infamous moniker of ‘Bombay duck’ after he was dismissed for five consecutive ducks – four of them first ball – in the Test series. On his second trip down under Agarkar, only 17 Tests old, had the responsibility of leading a young pace attack comprising injury-prone Ashish Nehra and debutant Irfan Pathan, after Zaheer Khan was injured.After conceding 556 to Australia in Adelaide, India narrowed the first-innings deficit to just 33, with less than two days remaining in the Test. In a stunning spell of swing bowling, Agarkar got Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting with the new ball, and then reversed the old one to dismiss Simon Katich and three lower-order batters in a jiffy. In just 16.2 overs, Agarkar picked up 6 for 41, and Australia were shot out for 196 in less than two sessions, giving India enough time to chase down the target.It was fitting he was at the crease when Rahul Dravid hit the winning runs that gave India their first Test win in Australia since 1981 and a 1-0 lead in the series.By Shashank Kishore

England have a 6-2 superior record against South Africa in the tournament

S Sudarshanan02-Oct-20252:05

Sciver-Brunt: WPL experience will benefit us

Big picture: England’s strong record vs SA

England have been South Africa’s banana peel in the Women’s ODI World Cup. They have a 6-2 superior record in the tournament heading into the clash in Guwahati on Friday. While South Africa beat England in the group stages in 2022, they lost to England in the semi-final. The result was the same in the 2017 semi-final as well.”I feel like we’ve beaten them in the group stages in the past World Cups and then lost to them in the semi-final. So we know as a group, we can beat them, especially in the group stages,” South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said on Thursday. “We have played some good cricket recently. We’ve been batting really well. We’ve been bowling better and better. I think all of us know that if we really stick to our plans and are really clear with what we want to do, we can beat them tomorrow.”South Africa enter the World Cup on the back of a solid run of games. They played a tri-series with India and Sri Lanka, then played Pakistan in Pakistan. They have been in action regularly with the same set of players, high on confidence. While the women made it to successive T20 World Cup finals in 2023 and 2024, the men ended the drought of ICC titles with the World Test Championship win this year.”It’s been amazing to see how the country has supported them and how excited everyone was back at home and united to support them in that trophy,” Wolvaardt said. “Hopefully we have the chance to do something similar to really get the country behind us in this tournament.”England have had a contrasting run in this regard. Their leadership group underwent a change after the Women’s Ashes. Under head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, England played just the two series – winning comfortably against West Indies and losing to India, both at home.Sciver-Brunt, however, was okay with the team’s preparation away from internationals. They had a ten-day camp in Abu Dhabi, where they acclimatised to the conditions they would encounter at the World Cup. Plus, there are eight players in the England squad with WPL experience.”We got some great time out in the middle in really hot, humid conditions where in England it’s not like that,” she said. “So preparing physically in that way was really good. That is going to be a massive part of our tournament, making sure that we are adapting as quickly as we can.”During the India vs Sri Lanka match at the ACA Stadium, spin played a part in the middle overs while it was easier to face pace at the start. That is a template that Sciver-Brunt backed England to follow.”That’s a blueprint that we work with, especially when we’re bowling, making sure the spinners in the middle are doing a really good job for us and making it really hard for people to get away. I think that has been a really good strength of ours for a number of years. We’ve got a brilliant spin attack.”

Form guide

England LWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWW

In the spotlight: Nat Sciver-Brunt and Marizanne Kapp

In her first World Cup match as captain, the spotlight will be firmly on Nat Sciver-Brunt. She is England’s leading run-scorer since the 2022 World Cup and only Amy Jones has more than her so far this year. That is in addition to her 20 wickets in the last three years. With a view to manage her workload, she hadn’t bowled since the WPL but resumed duties with the ball at the warm-up games. With Heather Knight returning from a hamstring injury, Sciver-Brunt will draw from her WPL experience to navigate the side at the ACA Stadium, where the track could be slightly two-paced.This will be Nat Sciver-Brunt’s first World Cup as captain•Getty Images

A like-for-like, South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp is at the peak of her powers. Give her the new ball, she’ll dry up the runs and pick up wickets. Send her in with South Africa in a spot, she will not just arrest the slide but also transfer the pressure back on the opponents. A WPL regular for Delhi Capitals, Kapp is into her fifth World Cup and would want her team to cross the finish line this time. “The amount of experience that she has is invaluable,” Wolvaardt said on match eve. “She knows every player going around. She’s bowled to basically all of them.”

Team news

Sciver-Brunt will bowl at the World Cup, which means England could play an extra spinner or an extra seamer. But she said on match eve that she would “like to select seven batters to go into this tournament” which opens the door for Alice Capsey, who also bowls offspin.England (probable): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Charlie Dean, 10. Em Arlott, 11 Lauren BellAyabonga Khaka bowled full-tilt on the eve of the game. She could shoulder duties with fellow seamers Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen. Karabo Meso had a long batting stint ahead of Sinalo Jafta, who is South Africa’s preferred wicketkeeper.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Annerie Dercksen, 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Nondumiso Shangase, 10 Nonkululeko Mlaba, 11 Ayabonga Khaka

Pitch and conditions

Rain washed out England’s pre-game practice session, while South Africa managed to get theirs done under lights. Showers are expected on Friday as well with IMD issuing thunderstorm alerts. A washout isn’t on the cards, though.A fresh pitch will be used for the game. Expect spin to come into play as the game goes on, as was the case during the India vs Sri Lanka contest.

Stats and trivia

• No opening pair has scored more runs than Laura Wolvaardt-Tazmin Brits in ODIs since January 2023. They have 1536 runs at an average close to 60. The next best is Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal with 1316
• South Africa have won only two of their last six ODIs against England
• Marizanne Kapp has dismissed Heather Knight five times in 15 innings, Nat Sciver-Brunt three times in nine innings and Tammy Beaumont five times in 13 innings
• Charlie Dean has got Laura Wolvaardt out three times in seven innings for only 65 runs and Sune Luus three times in four innings for just 19 runs

Quotes

“She obviously has a lot of experience. I think it would be stupid of me not to listen to her. She’s a hugely valuable person in our side, whether it’s with the bat or just that tactical thinking. She’s got a brilliant brain for cricket. So, yeah, I’m encouraging her to be as vocal as she wants to be.”
“The biggest learnings in that series are probably just how to play spin, especially being nice and proactive with the bat against the spinners in that middle phase. We generally get off to good starts, and I think we had really good death overs with the bat in that series in Sri Lanka, but probably could have done a bit more in that middle phase.”

Pakistan were hurt by dot balls while batting and in managing the fifth-bowling options while bowling

Danyal Rasool10-Aug-2025West Indies overcame Pakistan’s spinners as well as the weather to power home by five wickets to level the ODI series 1-1. In a chase which ebbed and flowed, a blitz from Sherfane Rutherford and a controlled innings at the death by Roston Chase saw them home with ten balls to spare.Their task was made significantly harder than it might have been when Jayden Seales’ standout fast-bowling performance had restricted Pakistan to 171 for 7 in 37 overs. The target was slightly upwards (181 in 35 overs) of what was scored owing to multiple rain delays in the first innings.Pakistan were put in to bat first and played stodgy cricket inconsistent with the decade they were playing in. Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub found the occasional powerplay boundary but interspersed it with strings of dot deliveries; the first ten overs had just five singles taken. When Seales’ extra pace and Shai Hope’s canny field placement extracted an outside edge from Ayub in the ninth over, it was the ninth successive ball the left-hand batter had faced that had not produced a run.Mohammad Rizwan couldn’t make up for a slow start•AFP/Getty ImagesThree balls later, Babar Azam was cleaned up by a Seales special that burst through the gate and made a mess of his stumps, and put West Indies firmly on top.It brought Mohammad Rizwan out, but he appeared to have left positivity behind in the dressing room – he scored just 4 off his first 23 deliveries. A shower that delayed play by 90 minutes did not help Pakistan find their rhythm. Jediah Blades took his maiden ODI wicket by drawing an edge from Shafique that ended his battle of an innings the over after play resumed.As run-scoring increasingly became a struggle, West Indies’ bowlers – spinners and seamers alike – kept making inroads. Gudakesh Motie trapped the Pakistan captain in front. Chase got a ball to keep low and produce an under edge off Hussain Talat’s bat to conclude his comparatively brighter innings. Salman Agha struggled to see any scoring area beside the little dab to deep third, and when Shamar Joseph surprised him with the straighter bouncer, a top edge sent him packing.Multiple rain breaks curtailed Pakistan’s innings•AFP/Getty ImagesA further rain delay truncated the game to Pakistan’s benefit with the innings winding down, allowing Hasan Nawaz to go for broke in what became seven death overs. Cruelly for Pakistan, though, that stubborn cloud unloaded its contents upon the Brian Lara Stadium once more just as he had begun to get going. That little passage of play saw 32 scored in 3.1 overs, but Pakistan were denied a big finish with their final three overs wiped out.West Indies were set an entirely manageable target, though Hasan Ali’s opening salvo soon cast that expectation into jeopardy. Wickets in each of his first two overs sent the openers back, and the hosts found themselves stuck in the same mire that had dogged Pakistan. Rizwan, sensing an opportunity to strangle, brought the spinners on after six overs, with Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed producing the desired results.The scoring rate briefly slowed to a trickle, particularly as far as Keacy Carty was concerned. His first 26 balls produced just three singles, piling the pressure on his captain at the other end. An intriguing plot point concerned Pakistan’s fifth bowling option; the one over Ayub had bowled leaked 10, and another from Salman shed another 11.Sherfane Rutherford took Shaheen Afridi down in the 17th over•AFP/Getty ImagesWith a newly arrived Rutherford at the crease and the asking rate over six, Rizwan made the fateful decision of turning to Shaheen Afridi, and the batter picked his moment. Two fours and a six saw him plunder 17 that over, and with Rizwan turning immediately to the part-timer Salman, another 20 were lopped off the target.It bought West Indies the cushion to see off the primary spinners Abrar and Mohammad Nawaz more respectfully, but the pair wasn’t content with containment. Nawaz found extra turn to have Hope stumped before, in what felt like a game-turning moment, he induced Rutherford into a smear that found square leg. It was part of an eight-over period that saw just 17 scored, but just as significantly, Pakistan had bowled out Nawaz.Chase slapped a couple of sixes the following Ayub over to wrench the asking rate below six once more, and it was there that it would stay for the rest of the game.The returning fast bowlers never packed the same threat, and West Indies began to milk them in addition to finding the odd boundary that took the game further out of the visitors’ reach. Justin Greaves had looked uncertain against the turn, but was impressively assured now, a wristy flick over mid-on for six off Hasan perhaps the shot of the innings. By now, the equation was purely mathematical, With Chase’s crisp drive through the off side sealing a topsy-turvy win on a day that promised each outcome at certain points, before settling on the one the Trinidad crowd had come to witness.

Harry Brook will not read too much into “a bit of a shambles of a night” in Cardiff as England lost a truncated first T20I against South Africa.Just 12.5 overs were possible at Sophia Gardens as persistent showers delayed the start by more than two hours. Play eventually began at 8:50pm for a nine-over match. Having won the toss and elected to bowl, Brook watched on as a powerful South Africa batting card smashed 97 for 5 from 7.5 overs before rain curtailed their innings. That downpour subsequently gave England an adjusted chase of 69 in five overs, of which they fell 15 short.Related

• England 304 for 2; Salt 141* sets up crushing 146-run victory

• Luke Wood grasps latest chance on wet night in Cardiff

• Past, present and future of English spin unite

• South Africa beat England and the rain to leave Cardiff 1-0 up

England opted to remove Jofra Archer from their XI announced on Tuesday on safety grounds, after ruling conditions were too risky for their prized fast bowler. Luke Wood was the late replacement, earning his eighth T20I cap, and was the pick of the home attack with 2 for 22.”It was a bit of a shambles really, wasn’t it?” said Brook, whose 0 from four deliveries was his first duck in T20Is. “You can’t take much from that. There was so much going on. They got nine overs, we got five overs. You can’t take much from it.”It was a long, long day. I don’t think we need to make any excuses up. We probably didn’t execute as well as we should have done with bat and ball. It’s bloody hard when you only bat for five overs.”Brook stopped short of saying the match should not have gone ahead: “That’s not for me to decide, that’s for the umpires or the match referee. We just try to do what we can on the field.”However, the decision to park Archer was an admission of the risk involved, particularly given the amount of time and money invested to get the 30-year-old back playing all international formats this summer ahead of the winter’s Ashes. Brook even cited Adam Hose’s horrific ankle injury sustained during The Hundred as a worse-case scenario had Archer played.”It would have been stupid to play him with the amount of cricket we’ve got coming up,” said Brook. “If he’d have gone out in the boundary and done what Adam Hose did in The Hundred and broken his leg or whatever, that would have been a shambles.”As soon as we knew that the game was shortened, we didn’t think it was quite necessary for Jof to play. Obviously, the outfield was sodden and he’s got a lot of cricket to play in the next few months with a big series coming up. So, yeah, we, we decided to not play him.”

Former Manchester United star Mason Greenwood has been told he is 'becoming a complete player' after starring with a brace in Marseille's 5-1 demolition of Nice in Ligue 1 on Friday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Timothy Weah and Igor Paixao were also on target as Robert De Zerbi's side registered a thumping victory and climbed up to the top of the table, overtaking Paris Saint-Germain.

• Greenwood's purple patch continues

  Greenwood has been in prolific form for Marseille since joining the club from Manchester United. After ending his maiden campaign in France with 22 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions, the former Red Devils star picked up where he left off last season. The 24-year-old has already scored 10 goals in Ligue 1 this season and 11 in all competitions. He also recently won the Ligue 1 Player of the Month award for October, marking the second time he has received the accolade since his move to the French league. 

  On Friday, Greenwood hit the target twice as Marseille leapfrogged PSG in the Ligue 1 table to clinch the top position after a magnificent 5-1 win over Nice away from home. 

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  De Zerbi praises Greenwood after Marseille win

  Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi was understandably elated after the brilliant result as he hailed Greenwood's performance by saying: "We played well against a tough team, Nice. For them, it's a derby. It was a very tense match; we needed to play better in the second half. Everything's fine, we scored 5 goals and we're provisionally top of Ligue 1. We need to get some injured players back (Aguerd, Medina). That shouldn't be an excuse. We have to see what we can do in these circumstances. Greenwood? He's doing a good job. He's scoring goals, providing assists. He's more involved in the game. He's becoming a complete player."

  The former Brighton manager added: "I was hoping for this result. It was a tough match, a derby. Both teams wanted to do well. We can still play better. I'm not satisfied with the quality of our play. Even though we won 5-1, we can do better. I'm certain this team can and must play better because it has more quality than it showed tonight. Despite the 5-1 scoreline, I expect even more. I'm thinking about the number of people we made happy. We have strong players; the only thing that worries me is the injury list. It's a real morale booster, we're top of the league tonight. We need to put that aside, there's Newcastle on Tuesday, Toulouse this weekend. We need to remember how we can improve. We need to maintain this momentum. We can't always play at the same level with the succession of matches. It's up to me and the physical staff to manage it. Weah? We missed him against Atalanta; he's a unique player, with a different profile than Murillo. We have a lot of respect for him; he needs to play with more courage and personality."

• Greenwood's goal sparked mass brawl

  Greenwood doubled his team's lead just past the half-hour mark after Aubameyang opened the scoring in derby. Following his first goal, the entire Marseille team celebrated in front of Nice Ultras, which triggered an extreme action. According to , Marseille defender Emerson Palmieri was struck with a lighter that was thrown by a Nice supporter.

  The violence at the stand soon entered the pitch as a melee broke out involving Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and Nice defender Ali Al-Abdi. The two substitutes were then cautioned. 

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  Greenwood still dreams of playing for England

  Earlier this month, the reported that Greenwood still dreams of making a comeback for the England national team despite being blacklisted by the FA and head coach Thomas Tuchel from selection. The winger's last and only appearance for the Three Lions came in 2020 in a Nations League clash against Iceland.

  However, with only months left before the 2026 World Cup, Greenwood's comeback into the national team looks improbable currently, with Tuchel having said back in September he is not being considered for selection.

Ecclestone will be England’s main spin threat when they take on West Indies in a must-win contest at the World Cup

Valkerie Baynes14-Oct-2024Sophie Ecclestone vs Deandra Dottin. It’s a bout Ecclestone is looking forward to as much as she is the England vs West Indies must-win contest at the women’s T20 World Cup.Having played together at Manchester Originals in the Hundred, their international rivalry will be rekindled in Dubai on Tuesday. “I love going against the world’s best and me and Deandra have great battles when we play against each other,” Ecclestone said. “We are people who want to get one-up on each other because we play against each other so often, then play the same team with each other.”It’s really exciting. I’m always really excited to play for England and especially against West Indies, who are going really well at the minute. They have some of the world’s best like Deandra in their team now – it’s great to see her back playing international cricket.Related

Linsey Smith: My mindset has flipped from six years ago

Charlie Dean, one of the gang and loving it

“She tries to whack me as far as she can as many times as she can, so hopefully I can get her out early and she doesn’t do that to me too many times.”Ecclestone has dismissed Dottin twice in five T20I innings, with Dottin boasting a head-to-head batting strike rate of 84.90 and Ecclestone an economy rate of 5.09.Dottin has the best batting strike rate of this World Cup so far at 181.81 but she is well down the run-scorers’ list with 60 runs from three innings and a highest score of 28 not out.Similarly, Ecclestone has the fourth-best economy rate of 4.08, but has four wickets from three matches, including 2 for 15 against South Africa and 2 for 13 against Scotland. Nonkululeko Mlaba of South Africa and Australia’s Megan Schutt are battling it out at the top of the wicket-takers’ list on nine and eight respectively.So they are both still seeking their ultimate match in the tournament and, with the stakes so high, what better time to find it?The winners of the game will secure a place in the final four, but the losers will only progress in two unlikely scenarios: if West Indies make 201 or more and win, England could get through if the margin of defeat is just a single run, or they could lose in a Super Over and make it if they match a West Indies score of 194 or more in the regulation 20 overs.

“It’s just I’m getting a lot more bounce so my lengths can be a bit different from them. I’m still learning off Charlie, Glenny and Linsey about how they go about their work. It’s really interesting for me and to keep learning as I get older”Sophie Ecclestone on her fellow England spinners

“We had a conversation this morning about what distractions are and I think that we sometimes get a bit ahead of ourselves,” Ecclestone said. “So it’s staying in the moment, staying in the present. We’ve got a big game on Tuesday, we know, against West Indies and we needed to win [against Scotland] and we need to win on Tuesday to put us in the best position possible.”England’s bowling depth has meant they have spread their wickets fairly evenly across the attack – including seam and spin – with Ecclestone part of a four-pronged spin contingent. Offspinner Charlie Dean also has four wickets from the tournament so far, while Ecclestone’s fellow left-arm spinner, Linsey Smith, has three and legspinner Sarah Glenn three.Interestingly, Ecclestone, who has long been seen as the leader of that group, given her experience and dominance of the world rankings, revealed she had been comparing herself to her team-mates.”I didn’t feel at my best in the first game [against Bangladesh],” Ecclestone said. “It was the first game I’d played for a while so it was great to come back against South Africa and bowl where it’s come out really nicely.Sophie Ecclestone hasn’t picked up a lot of wickets at the World Cup so far, but has been very economical•ICC via Getty Images”It’s been really interesting for me. I think I’ve been comparing myself to other spinners sometimes about how much bounce and how much turn I get compared to others. I think I need to stop comparing myself to them because I get so much more bounce so my lengths vary from pitch to pitch and spinner to spinner, so yeah, it’s been really interesting, been a bit of a challenge for me.”Honestly, I was comparing myself to someone like Glennny and Charlie, who bowl different to me. I think it’s just I’m getting a lot more bounce so my lengths can be a bit different from them. I’m still learning off Charlie, Glenny and Linsey about how they go about their work. It’s really interesting for me and to keep learning as I get older.”Meanwhile, a predictable three of Stafanie Taylor, Dottin and Hayley Matthews have carried the bulk of West Indies’ run-scoring without posting a half-century between them.Taylor has been nursing a knee injury but is expected to play. Allrounder Zaida James, who suffered a nasty knock to her left thumb and chin attempting a return catch off Laura Wolvaardt in West Indies’ ten-wicket loss to South Africa, was able to grip the bat and knock some balls around in training on Sunday, meaning she could be in contention for a return.

We've arrived at MLB's All-Star break, and while most of the early award buzz surrounds the riveting offensive outbursts from players such as Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Yankees reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge and Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani, less love has been shown to those who keep runs off the board.

We're going to take a look at the crop of players this season that have stood out above their peers as the best defensive players in the league, and thus potential Platinum Glove candidates to follow the lead of the 2024 winners: Raleigh and Brewers second baseman Brice Turang.

American League Platinum Glove

Ceddanne Rafaela, CF, Boston Red Sox

Teenager Ben Mayes gave a glimpse into the future with a match-winning 62 not out as Hampshire kept Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition progression in their own hands.England Under-19 star Mayes, just 17, mesmerised with a catalogue of power, guile and switch hits for his second List A fifty.Mayes put on 111 in 72 balls with James Fuller (54 off 39) to take Hampshire to their fifth win in the competition, after fifties for Fletcha Middleton and Ben Brown.Derbyshire Falcons had been in control after posting 339 thanks to 98 for Caleb Jewell and 76 for Brooke Guest but they were eliminated from the One-Day Cup, and are still yet to win a List A match at Utilita Bowl in seven attempts.Hampshire now know a final fixture win over Gloucestershire will see them into the knockout stage for a fourth straight season.Mayes and Fuller had joined at 206 for five, with Derbyshire boasting a tight grip on the match.Ali Orr and competition top-scorer Nick Gubbins had leaned into the chase with relish, finding boundaries with glee to put on 55 in the first seven overs.But fell in quick succession to Aitchison. Gubbins ended a 257 run, across three innings, without being dismissed when he was bowled and two overs later Orr chopped on.Middleton and Brendon McMullen straightened things back out with a flowing 66-run stand, but McMullen tamely chipping back to Joe Hawkins, drew the Falcons back to favourites.Middleton and Brown both posted their first fifties in the One-Day Cup but neither kicked on but just as Hampshire’s hopes were fading, their wonderkid arrived at the crease.Having scored four off his first 11 balls, he got moving with a cut boundary before a ludicrous reverse paddle found his groove.Mayes scored a fifty on his debut against Glamorgan to stick his name in the limelight, and played off that with a masterclass of modern shot-making. His second half-century came in 39 balls.At the other end, Fuller used brute power to clear the ropes four times in his 38-ball fifty before he was caught and bowled by Hawkins and Felix Organ was bowled.Andrew Neal took out the jitters by middling through midwicket as the hosts took the four points with five balls to spare.Derbyshire were given the first go on a batting paradise, and despite Kyle Abbott’s miserly opening spell, found runs flowed easily throughout.Jewell was the sparkle in the innings as he lusciously and repeatedly drove through the covers during a 99-run stand with former Hampshire batter Harry Came.It was just the start of a series of bulky partnerships that underpinned the visitor’s hefty 339 – stands of 46, 44, 94 and 39 all delivered in quick time.Wickets came in decade intervals, and when they did it often required either magic, or batter error.In the former category, Came was sensationally caught at midwicket by Nick Gubbins and Matt Montgomery had his off-stump glanced by an Abbott pearler,Jewell looked on course for a second century in the competition as he strode through 400 runs in the One-Day Cup.But having been fluently batting at a strike-rate around 120, he slowed up with the milestone in sight, and on 98 he missed a paddle sweep and was bowled by Felix Organ.Brooke Guest and Martin Andersson regained the sweet-striking momentum, the latter with an excellent eighth List A fifty but for the eighth time he couldn’t convert.Any chance of Derbyshire flittering at the end of their innings was kyboshed by Amrit Singh Basra – with 90 runs coming off the last 10 overs. The SACA graduate who signed a two-year contract this week showed off his range of shots in a breathless 15-ball 34 – but it wasn’t to be enough.

Leeds United are reportedly eyeing a move for an “unbelievable” Premier League player in the January transfer window, as he looks to boost his World Cup chances.

Aaronson hails impressive "mentality" at Leeds

The Whites continue to battle well in the Premier League this season, with last Friday’s 2-1 win at home to West Ham leaving them 15th in the table at the end of the weekend.

One player who is enjoying his football at Leeds is Brenden Aaronson, with the American hailing the mentality on show under Daniel Farke after scoring against the Hammers, and lauding the competition for places.

“It was huge for us today to keep the mentality. I think that was the message all week. Late minutes in the game, stay on top of it and get the result which we needed today to hold the 2-1 win. Defensively, we were good today. We handed a lot of crossing situations from them. West Ham is a team that has a ton of quality so it was definitely a difficult game. I am just proud of the group.

“I think we have this next-man-up mentality where I think everybody is ready to play and everybody is winning their chance. I think the biggest thing for me is getting in the box and the ball bounces your way but that is all about positioning and reacting. I am really happy with the goal and I am happy with the group and the atmosphere.”

But Leeds will know that there is still a huge amount of work to do this season, in terms of avoiding relegation back to the Championship, and new signings in January wouldn’t go amiss.

Leeds eye January move for "unbelievable" Barkley

According to The Leeds Press, Leeds and Farke are keen on signing Aston Villa midfielder Ross Barkley on loan in the January window.

The 31-year-old is seen as “an option amongst several other players” midway through the season, with Farke “keen to add a creative midfielder to his squad in January”. The player himself is “keen for more game time”, with a move to Elland Road giving him an “outside chance of a place in the England World Cup squad” next summer.

Barkley could be a shrewd creative loan option for Leeds in attacking midfield, scoring 37 Premier League goals in his career and being lauded by former Luton Town teammate Andros Townsend, who even once compared him to the legendary Diego Maradona.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Oct 27, 2025

Barkley has a point to prove and a big World Cup aim with England, which would only be a good thing for Leeds, and if the loan move didn’t work out, he would simply return to Villa at the end of the season.