Former England great looks forward to return Down Under, with a vital role to play in Ashes challenge

Vithushan Ehantharajah30-Oct-2025Andrew Flintoff played for England in just one Ashes tour, standing in as captain for the injured Michael Vaughan in 2006-07, as Australia regained the urn with a 5-0 drubbing. This winter, 19 years on, he returns in a different role, as head coach of the Lions, and with far more optimism.Arriving in Perth on Monday, Flintoff’s charges will be sparring partners with England as they look to regain the urn for the first time since 2015. They will provide vital opposition in the sole warm-up match at Lilac Hill, a three-day match ahead of the series opener at Optus Stadium on November 21, before embarking on their own tour which runs parallel to the first two Tests.The onus on supplementing the Test squad means the travelling party will feature six players – Rehan Ahmed, Jordan Cox, Matt Fisher, Josh Hull, Tom Hartley and Sonny Baker – with England caps. The Lions will have ringside seats to one of the most high-profile Ashes bouts in recent history – some could even find themselves tagged in for a few rounds.”I think it’s exciting all round,” Flintoff tells ESPNcricinfo at Loughborough, where the Lions have been training in an outdoor tent on pitches tailored to replicate those in Australia. “A couple of injuries and there might be opportunities.”Even for everyone, going to Australia for an Ashes year? Alright, you’re not at the same venues, but you’re going to be in and around Perth for the first Test. In Brisbane for the second. You’re going to experience the atmosphere being in Australia, all the hype around it.”I must admit, when I went and it didn’t go well, it was a bit of a shock. It was completely different to anything. But these lads are going to experience all these things, and they’re going to have the opportunity to practice with the England lads. Me included – I’m going to have a good day at the Ashes and watch England play. It’s all good.”The Lions’ fixtures, by design, will also offer those who miss out on Test selection time in the middle, should it be required. Four-day matches against a CA XI and Australia A begin a day after the start of the Perth and Brisbane Tests, with a fixture against a Prime Minister’s XI sandwiched in between.This is not the first time the Lions have shadowed England at the start of a major series. Next year, a red-ball series has been organised in South Africa ahead of next winter’s tour which features Tests, ODIs and T20Is. It is a continuation of more joined-up thinking throughout the national pathway, with the Lions now more of a bridge than ever before. It is something Rob Key was quick to reinforce when he took on men’s managing director duties at the start of the 2022 summer.Ed Barney has been the ECB’s performance director since 2023•England & GB Hockey”There’s a deep connection from top to bottom,” says Ed Barney, who followed Mo Bobat as men’s performance director in December 2023, a year before Flintoff became Lions head coach. “All credit to Keysy; he’s not a big process man, and I dont think he’d mind us talking to that too much. But one of the things he does believe in is alignment in terms of philosophy … playing philosophy.”There’s a natural level of alignment between Brendon McCullum, Fred and Michael Yardy (Under-19 coach), fundamentally. Some of the skills and attributes that we value and go after, and the understanding of international cricket. That’s unique in international elite sport.””We’re all in this together, aren’t we?” adds Flintoff. “We want the best for English cricket.”I look at the way England operate and I feel so fortunate to be involved in it, with Keysy, Baz, Ben [Stokes] and now Harry [Brook]. It’s a culture which I think is the right way to go about it. It’s all about expression, fun, backing each other, creating an environment, but underpinned from hard work.”Let’s be honest, I tried it every which way as a player. But it was no secret that the way it worked best was hard work, from a physical point of view, from a practice point of view, and also enjoying it. That should never be underestimated. I want these lads to enjoy playing cricket.”Flintoff and Barney have complementary experiences. The former was one of England’s most talismanic cricketers, the latter worked as performance director for England and Great Britain hockey, and was previously at the ECB from 2010 and 2013 as a talent indentification scientist.”Ed’s not from a cricket background, but he’s got an understanding of cricket,” says Flintoff. Barney interjects: “I’ve got a PhD in cricket, mate.””Have you?” comes the reply. “I’ve got an MBE”.Their combination has seen a re-imagining of what the Lions should – and could – be. While previously seen nominally as “England A” – the next-best set of players in the country – it is now a hybrid entity, dexterous enough to facilitate the differing needs of a variety of cricketers.Eddie Jack is one of the ‘high potential’ fast bowlers within the Lions set-up•Getty ImagesAt the start of the year, Shoaib Bashir toured Australia with the Lions to get a head start on what bowling off-spin over there requires. Stokes used an Abu Dhabi training camp in pre-season for some warm-weather rehabilitation as he returned from a second hamstring tear. In the summer, Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue played for the Lions to tune up for the India Test series, while Jofra Archer and Mark Wood were in regular attendance at various training sessions doubling as mentors. Bashir, having been overlooked by Somerset at the end of the season, attended a spin camp held at Loughborough overseen by legendary Sri Lankan batter Kumar Sangakkara.While the majority of the Ashes squad have been training in New Zealand alongside the ongoing white-ball series, Bashir, Ollie Pope and Matthew Potts have been in the UK with the Lions. Woakes, having retired from international cricket earlier this month, was on hand this week to do some coaching.At the other end of the spectrum, there are “high potential” picks and those fresh to the set-up. Six-foot-four quick Eddie Jack features, having come close to joining the full squad in the build-up to the Headingley Test against India before an injury crisis at Hampshire scuppered those plans. Somerset’s precocious 17-year-old batter Thomas Rew is an early graduate of the U19s. Glamorgan’s Asa Tribe, with five ODIs and 26 T20Is for Jersey, is getting his first exposure to the pathway.

It’s a culture which is all about expression, fun, backing each other, creating an environment, but underpinned from hard workFlintoff on the ethos that fuels England’s set-up across squads

Crossover with established talent and up-and-comers is encouraged, even on the fly. During one session in the Loughborough tent earlier this month, Kent and England U19 batter Ben Dawkins, who attends the university, was given a surprise hour-and-a-half-long net against Stokes and Wood as part of their Ashes preparations.The malleability of the set-up is held up as a strength, and Flintoff takes pride in the way it has boosted the careers of up-and-coming fast bowlers. Baker and Jack, for instance, were handed first-class debuts by the Lions before they had represented Hampshire in the format. Similarly, Mitchell Stanley’s bowling workload increased from 32 overs in 2024 to 331 in 2025 (all formats and miscellaneous matches). Stanley finished the season by taking 11 wickets for Lancashire against Kent, made up of his first two first-class five-wicket hauls. All three are part of the ECB’s pace project, established last year to mould the next tranche of quicks.”One of the nice things about this job is you give someone their first-class debut in Australia, he takes wickets and then there’s the pride when he makes his England debut,” says Flintoff of Baker.Matthew Fisher is one of the quicks who will be on stand-by for the Ashes•SLC”Eddie Jack, we gave him his debut (against India A) and he gets Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel and Nithish Kumar Reddy. This is a lad that had never played red-ball.”Mitch Stanley, I saw him bowl in the nets at Old Trafford when they signed him a few years ago. He was off a few paces and I thought, ‘wow, look at this’. Then he goes back to Lancashire and takes 11-for. It makes you think, ‘maybe we are doing something right here’.”Barney goes deeper on Stanley as a testament to the program: “That’s an exceptional win in terms of what Lancashire have been able to do and our ability to work collaboratively with them off the back of Australia (at the start of the year). Sitting down and mapping out a plan and seeing that play through.”As ever, collaboration with the counties is a must. A meeting with the respective directors of cricket in London three weeks ago was used as a debrief of how the summer panned out, sharing notes and future plans. After Australia, the Lions head to India for a spin camp that will also feature fast bowlers, before a white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi that coincides with several counties also being in the UAE for their pre-seasons.It is no secret that there has been a degree of conflict between the county game and the ECB’s high-performance aims, the current example being the mooted binning-off of the Kookaburra ball, originally introduced in the County Championship to promote fast bowling. Barney believes the Lions can facilitate a healthier relationship between the two.”County cricket is where it’s played,” says Flintoff. “But to play international cricket is different. We’re trying to fill that gap, whether it’s using the Kookaburra ball more. Playing on different surfaces. Spin camps where Kumar Sangakkara comes down. Going to Australia where the ball bounces a lot more, and giving them games for what they might face playing for England.”Barney adds: “The reality is, the domestic game has a choice to make, as to whether it wants to align itself with producing future international players, or whether it wants to be more orientated towards a product that is recognised and valued by the game or the membership.Related

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“Lions cricket can adapt and, to a certain extent, respond to that. I don’t think it’s a problem at all. What we want to have is some consistency of contact time, so we’ll talk to these guys about how this is not just an Australia tour, this is a six-month period where we want to work with you consistently.”At the turn of the year, the focus turns to limited-overs cricket with a view to 2027’s ODI World Cup, as England look to reinvigorate their ailing white-ball fortunes.Amid the cultivation of new talent, there will be an eye on three crucial player types – spinners, finishers and seam-bowling allrounders for all formats. The ECB have depth charts on all of them, with Yorkshire allrounder Matthew Revis put forward as an example of the kind of player they are looking to challenge and grow.”There are a multitude of skills and areas we are wanting to succession plan well for,” says Barney. “Whether that is power-hitting and finishing with the white ball and players who are able to thrive in that role for 2027. Who is Adil Rashid’s successor? Or Liam Dawson from a left-arm point of view?”There is a real orientation to who are our pace-bowling allrounders in the future, both in red-ball and white-ball cricket. Revis has got some real strength to his batting, where can we get his bowling to?””It’s not a new thing, is it, searching for an allrounder?” Flintoff says, knowingly. “Geez, we’ve had a few good ‘uns.”

Everton’s good form continued with an impressive 3-0 win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium over Nottingham Forest.

The Toffees move into fifth in the Premier League, taking their record since the start of November to four wins, one draw and one loss.

It was a fast start for David Moyes’ side. Just two minutes into the clash with the East Midlands outfit, Forest centre-back Nikola Milenkovic headed a cross into the back of his own net, to give Everton the lead almost immediately.

Then, in the third minute of stoppage time before half-time, the Evertonians doubled their lead. It was a significant moment for Thierno Barry, who got off the mark in that famous Blue shirt after some impressive performances of late.

Iliman Ndiaye carried the ball to the edge of the Forest box before laying it into the path of Barry, who slotted home.

The perfect day for Moyes’ side was capped off in the 80th minute when another summer signing, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, drilled home a volley after the ball bounced to him from a corner. Everton ran out deserved winners to continue their excellent form.

It was a day to remember for the Toffees, with some standout performances.

Everton’s standout players vs. Forest

This will certainly be a day that Thierno Barry remembers. The Frenchman bagged his very first goal in an Everton shirt, showing the sort of quality in front of goal that earned him the big move to the Premier League from Villarreal in the summer.

What a tidy finish it was from the Toffees’ number 11, too. Ndiaye drove towards the penalty box, with Barry making a good diagonal run to find space.

The finish was composed, slotting it past Matz Sels.

Speaking of Ndiaye, the Senegalese attacker was in imperious form once again. So often the source of everything the Merseysiders do well in attack, he was a handful for the Forest defence and, of course, set Barry up.

One person who was impressed by Ndiaye’s efforts was Chris Beesley, Everton reporter for the Liverpool Echo. He gave the attacker a 7/10 rating, praising him for ‘always providing an outlet for his side’ throughout the night.

However, neither Barry nor Ndiaye were the stars of the show for Moyes’ side in a fantastic win.

Everton’s best player in their 3-0 win

What a performance it was from another of the Everton summer signings, Dewsbury-Hall.

The Englishman was at the heart of the Toffees’ midfield today, scoring his excellent goal late on, putting in the cross for the own goal, and offering plenty more on the ball.

The stats reflect just how well Dewsbury-Hall performed against the East Midlands outfit. He had 56 touches and 86% of his passes.

Off the ball, it was a masterclass from the former Leicester City star. He won an exceptional 8/13 ground duels and made five ball recoveries.

Touches

56

Pass accuracy

86%

Opposition half passes

16/20

Ground duels won

8/13

Ball recoveries

5

Tackles won

3/4

Goals

1

Dewsbury-Hall left thousands of Toffees fans impressed with his performance against Forest. Well, the same can be said for journalists, with Beesley giving him a 9/10 for his efforts, explaining he was ‘bright from the start’.

There is a case to be made that Dewsbury-Hall, described as the club’s “most important and best” player by journalist John Merro, is their best signing since Ndiaye.

The Senegalese attacker has been sensational since moving to Merseyside last summer, racking up 17 goals and assists in 54 games.

Chalkboard

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

As for the English midfielder, he has brought creativity and final third threat to Moyes’ side in just 15 games, with four goals and two assists so far.

However, the tenacity off the ball, on full show against Sean Dyche’s side, has been crucial this season too. It is certainly easy to see why Merro is of that opinion.

After paying just £28m for him this summer from Chelsea, it is looking like one of the biggest bargains in 2025. The all-action midfielder has shone so far, just like Ndiaye has on Merseyside.

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Liam Scott made 53 to go with his five wickets while Ben Manenti finished 49 not out as South Australia won by three wickets in a tight fourth innings chase

AAP12-Nov-2025

Australia’s incumbent Test allrounder Beau Webster has taken eight wickets, including Travis Head twice and Alex Carey once, but it wasn’t enough for Tasmania as Liam Scott and Ben Manenti guided South Australia to their first win of the Sheffield Shield season in Hobart.Needing to manufacture the highest innings of a bowler-dominated match, the reigning champions recovered from 88 for 5 to chase down the target of 217.Cult hero Manenti was one of the heroes, scoring an unbeaten 49 from No.8. Manenti also took the crucial wickets of Beau Webster, Tim Ward and Brad Hope in Tasmania’s second innings to help bowl the Tigers out for 184. He put on a crucial 71-run stand with player of the match Scott to steer the visitors out of trouble.Related

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South Australia were winless from their first three games of the season, losing two and drawing the other. The result came against stiff opposition, with Australia’s incumbent Test No.6 Beau Webster starring with the ball to ensure he remains in contention to keep his spot.After claiming 5 for 50 in the first innings, Webster backed it up with 3 for 73 in the losing cause.Two of his victims were Travis Head and Alex Carey, his Australian teammates. Head edged Webster to slips on 15 from a ripping off-cutter, continuing his disappointing run of form leading into the Ashes.Since smashing a blazing ODI century against South Africa in August, his highest score has been 31 in 11 innings.Although Webster got the better of his Test teammates, he was taken apart by Manenti and Scott, with his wickets coming at more than six runs an over.Manenti was thrilled with the win.”We’ve been pretty successful down here the last couple of years. It’s a place we love to come and play at,” he said. “Probably rode the game a bit, it was a tricky wicket early.”We needed it. We’ve been close the last couple of weeks, playing some really good cricket, we’ve just lost patches.”South Australia will return to Adelaide Oval for their next match against Western Australia, starting on November 22.

Aston Villa are now believed to be eyeing a surprise January move for one of Chelsea’s summer signings, according to a new report.

Chelsea prepare for Bournemouth after humbling Leeds defeat

Chelsea make the journey to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, desperate to bounce back from their humbling 3-1 defeat at Leeds United, with Enzo Maresca insisting his side have no fresh fitness worries.

The Blues are forced to navigate another difficult fixture without suspended £150,000-per-week midfielder Moises Caicedo, though, who was a sore miss at Elland Road as Daniel Farke’s side exposed their fragility minus the Ecuadorian.

Maresca addressed the media on Friday morning ahead of the Vitality Stadium encounter, confirming Caicedo will serve the second match of his three-game domestic ban following his dismissal against Arsenal.

The star’s absence continues to leave Chelsea light in central midfield, particularly with Roméo Lavia and Dario Essugo both ruled out through injury problems of their own.

Maresca provided a concerning update on Lavia’s condition, revealing the midfielder faces an indefinite spell on the sidelines due to muscular issues.

When pressed on whether the problem was short or long-term, the Italian offered little reassurance, stating only that it represents “a muscular problem” with no clear return date.

The setback compounds Lavia’s frustrating Chelsea career, having missed the entirety of last season and significant chunks of this campaign through various fitness issues.

Essugo’s situation offers similarly grim reading for Maresca.

The Portuguese youngster appeared close to rejoining training sessions last week but has since suffered a setback that will keep him sidelined against Bournemouth.

Long-term absentee Levi Colwill remains unavailable as he continues rehabilitation from his ACL injury sustained during pre-season.

One positive emerged from Maresca’s briefing regarding Cole Palmer’s availability. The England international returned for the final 30 minutes at Elland Road on Wednesday evening after two months absent through groin and toe injuries, though whether he starts on the south coast is unclear.

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The widespread absences have forced Maresca into makeshift solutions, with captain Reece James and Malo Gusto both deployed in central midfield roles recently.

Maresca quite simply needs every man he can count on as Chelsea look to put that Leeds defeat behind them, making Villa’s interest in Liam Delap quite a surprise.

Aston Villa eyeing January move for Chelsea striker Liam Delap

The former Ipswich and Man City striker joined Chelsea six months ago in a deal worth around £30 million, spending much of the early campaign out with a hamstring problem before returning to the fold.

Delap finds himself behind Joao Pedro in the pecking order, with Football Insider’s Wayne Veysey now reporting that Villa are keen to capitalise and move for Delap in January.

It is believed Unai Emery’s side are eyeing a potential winter move for the 22-year-old amid their search for a prolific striker to complement Ollie Watkins, and could try to tempt him with a more ‘prominent role’.

It is unclear what Chelsea would demand for their new striker, but it’s far more likely they just won’t entertain a sale, period.

Delap’s first Chelsea goal arrived against Esperance in the Club World Cup, offering a glimpse of the predatory instincts that convinced BlueCo to invest in his services.

The highlight of Delap’s opening months came in November when he scored his maiden Champions League goal for Chelsea during their commanding 3-0 victory over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge.

Delap would arguably have more to show for his efforts if not for that hamstring injury, and it is very hard to envisage a scenario where Maresca could be open to selling the number nine already, especially amid their push for silverware and hectic fixture calendar.

That being said, in today’s footballing landscape, you can never rule anything out.

قدّم محمد شريف لاعب منتخب مصر الثاني، اعتذارًا علنيًا لمدربه حلمي طولان، موضحًا حقيقة الموقف الذي أثار ضجة كبيرة عبر مواقع التواصل خلال المباراة الماضية أمام الإمارات في كأس العرب عقب استبداله.

وقال محمد شريف خلال المؤتمر الصحفي قبل مواجهة الأردن غدًا: “الكابتن حلمي طولان بمنزلة أبي، وهو أول من منحني الفرصة للعب في هذا المركز، أعتذر له أمام الجميع، رغم أنه لم يحدث ما يزعجه، ولكنني أوضح الأمور حتى يفهم الجميع الحقيقة”.

وتابع: “حين خرجت من الملعب وضعت يدي على فمي لأنني أدرك كثرة الكاميرات، قلت له: يا كابتن، كنت أتمنى الاستمرار لأنني كنت أشعر بأنني قريب من التسجيل، لكن للأسف في مصر نضخم كل شيء دون معرفة السبب الحقيقي”.

وأضاف: “الكابتن حلمي قال لي: (اخرج يا شريف مش وقته)، وفهم البعض أنني قلت لفظًا غير لائق، وهذا غير صحيح إطلاقًا، لا طبعي ولا تربيتي تسمحان بذلك، والرجل بالنسبة لي أب. حديثي معه كان من باب القرب والثقة فقط”.

طالع أيضًا | حلمي طولان: أعددنا منتخبًا لكأس العرب ثم خضنا البطولة بفريق آخر

وأوضح شريف: “لم أعترض يومًا بطريقة غير لائقة سواء مع المنتخب أو الأندية، مررت بمواقف أصعب كثيرًا ولم يصدر مني أي رد فعل، المشكلة أننا نُضخّم الأمور دون أن نسأل أولًا، هذا هو كل ما حدث”.

ومن جانبه، علّق حلمي طولان، مؤكدًا متانة العلاقة بينهما: “أنا اخترت هؤلاء اللاعبين بعناية، وكلهم أصحاب أخلاق والتزام، شريف تحديدًا لاعب أعرفه جيدًا منذ أن كان في إنبي، وغيّرت مركزه ولعب رأس حربة وسجّل وأبدع حتى ضمّه الأهلي”.

وأردف: “علاقتي بشريف وبجميع اللاعبين علاقة أب بأبنائه، وشريف تحديدًا علاقتي به ممتازة للغاية، لم يتجاوز في حقي يومًا”.

واختتم طولان: “كل ما في الأمر أن شكل اللقطة أمام الناس لم يكن جيدًا، وهذا فقط ما آخذُه على شريف، لكنه لم يتجاوز، ولن أسمح له بذلك أصلًا، علاقتنا والحمد لله علاقة احترام”.

Game 1 of the National League Championship Series came down to one deciding at-bat on Monday night and the person in the batter's box would have done something differently if he had the opportunity.

With the Dodgers holding onto a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, Brewers' Brice Turang encountered a bases-loaded, two-out opportunity against L.A. reliever Blake Treinen. Turang quickly fell down 1-2 in the count and went into battle mode. The next delivery broke inside and potentially would have hit him on his back leg for a game-tying HBP, but Turang instead avoided it. Treinen would go on to notch a strikeout, ending the proceedings and giving the Dodgers a 1-0 series league.

Turang was asked about the pitch and his avoidance after the game and couldn't quite explain it.

"Well, if you see me look in the dugout, I'm thinking, 'Damn.' I know it. Everybody knows it. I couldn't tell you why I did it, I just got out of the way. That's how it is."

Turang didn't wear the breaking ball because he was in the biggest at-bat of his life and instinct kicks in when someone is throwing pure heat with incredible movement. It would have been nice for Brewers fans had he simply stood his ground and made the score 2-2 but it's much, much easier to make decisions given more than .1 of a second to consider them.

MatériaMais Notícias

O goleiro Cássio se despediu do Corinthians após 12 anos vestindo a camisa alvinegra. Em entrevista coletiva realizada no CT Joaquim Grava, o atleta agradeceu o clube pela oportunidade e pelas conquistas que teve, e afirmou que agora é o momento de um novo desafio na carreira, mas negou que ir para o banco de reservas tivesse sido crucial para a decisão de deixar o Timão.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Corinthians no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Timão

➡️ Acredita que o Timão avançará em primeiro no grupo da Sul-Americana? Se liga nas odds: 1.53

– Acho que foi uma série de situações. Em certo momento, você entende que seu ciclo acabou e estou tranquilo quanto a isso. No começo do ano, tive uma possibilidade de sair e entendi que naquele momento não era a hora. Acho que nesse momento é hora de ter um novo desafio na minha carreira, e sair bem, sabe? Não estou saindo porque fui para o banco, e sim por entender que o ciclo acabou. Eu fui outras vezes para o banco, em 2016, e não saí por isso – disse o goleiro.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos do Brasileirão

Cássio se diz feliz com a fase da carreira, afirma que sai tranquilo do clube e também como gostaria.

– Honestamente, todas as festas feitas, todas as homenagens, não tenho dúvida que saí pela porta da frente. Jogo de despedida é para quem vai se aposentar, na minha opinião. Não tenho dúvida que saio pela porta da frente, não é o que muitos imaginavam, mas não controlamos o futuro. Até brinquei com alguns funcionários, achava que eles iam sair antes. Agora saio em paz, com tranquilidade, olha todo o carinho que recebi, não tive atrito com ninguém, foi tudo conversado – afirmou o goleiro.

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+ Corinthians oficializa saída de Cássio: veja o que sabemos sobre a rescisão do goleiro

Cássio acertou sua rescisão com o Corinthians e irá atuar no Cruzeiro até o fim de 2027. Para antecipar a sua saída do Corinthians, Cássio e Carlos Leite, representante do atleta, abriram mão de alguns valores que tinham a receber da equipe do Parque São Jorge. 

Sobre a questão financeira em relação a sua saída, Cássio se limitou a dizer que está tudo bem resolvido, e que os responsáveis cuidarão disso.

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– Essa situação foi muito bem gerida com o presidente e diretoria. Isso nunca foi problema, em todo o tempo que estive aqui e tudo foi muito bem resolvida. Essa é uma parte que quem cuida são meus empresários e advogados e tudo correu tranquilamente.

O presidente do Corinthians, Augusto Melo, falou brevemente sobre a saída do goleiro. O mandatário, aliás, prometeu um busto em homenagem ao goleiro, que será eternizado no Parque São Jorge.

– Dia triste para nós corintianos, mas faz parte. Nessas horas, não temos palavras para descrever a emoção e tristeza. Agraço a essa pessoa fantástica que convivi, um grande homem e ídolo que ao longo desses 12 anos aprendi a admirar e torcer. Obrigado, Cássio. Obrigado pelos títulos maravilhosos, por entrar na história, você estará eternamente em nossos corações e será lembrado todos os dias quando entrarmos no CT. É um ciclo que se encerra e que você seja muito feliz.

Com 712 jogos disputados com o manto alvinegro – sendo o goleiro que mais atuou –, Cássio é um dos maiores ídolos da centenária história do clube. Ao todo, foram nove títulos conquistados: quatro Paulistas (2013, 2017, 2018 e 2019), dois Brasileiros (2015 e 2017), uma CONMEBOL Libertadores (2012), um Mundial de Clubes FIFA (2012) e uma CONMEBOL Recopa (2013).

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Saturday’s edition of was billed as a homecoming for Pat McAfee, the former West Virginia special teams star who grew up outside of the city. McAfee paid tribute to the city’s impressive sports history.

Of course, the modern Pittsburgh sports landscape features both one of the most electrifying athletes in the country—Cy Young winner Paul Skenes—and his otherwise disappointing franchise, the Pirates.

“We even have baseball history,” McAfee said. “Paul Skenes just won the Cy Young, he’s the best player in baseball. That’s sick.”

Cheers for Skenes quickly turned negative, and as McAfee began to address the Pirates struggles, saying, “And although the team may be absolute …” the Pirates fans in attendance came close to drowning him out with loud chants of “Sell the team!”

“Yeah, that’s what they’re saying,” McAfee continued after cutting himself off.

“What’s going on with the Pirates is they don’t spend any money and they don’t actually win, you see, so we have Paul Skenes go on a historic run at PNC Park, the most beautiful ballpark in of MLB,” McAfee continued, acknowledging the fan base’s complaints before kicking it to Kirk Herbstreit for a quick history lesson about great Pirates players and teams of yesteryear.

“Sell the team” chants have become commonplace in Pittsburgh, with Skenes addressing them—and putting the responsibility to win on his own shoulders and those of the team’s players—all the way back in early April. The Pirates would finish 71–91, the franchise’s seventh consecutive sub-.500 season. Pittsburgh last reached the playoffs in 2015, the last of three straight postseason bids for the franchise. The ‘13 trip to the NLDS broke a 20 year streak without playoff baseball.

As we’ve seen in recent days with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, fan outrage can make impact with a struggling sports franchise. Ousting an ownership group that doesn’t feel incentivized to invest in a winning ballclub is a much more difficult undertaking, even with pressure coming from the set.

The No. 3 batter talks about making it to the West Indies side, and looks ahead to the ODI series in Bangladesh

Deivarayan Muthu17-Oct-2025While Shai Hope and John Campbell were standing up to India’s attack in the Delhi Test earlier this week, Keacy Carty, another promising West Indies batter, was sweating it out against spin a few thousand kilometres away in Chennai, in the lead up to the ODI series in Bangladesh, which will kick off on October 18. Carty was left out of the Test side for the India tour, but is arguably the first batter on West Indies’ team sheet in ODI cricket right now.The 28-year-old has become a stable presence at No. 3 for West Indies in ODIs, thanks to his ability to construct and reconstruct innings. He can also bat at different tempos – as his strike rates, ranging from the sixties to 100-plus indicate – a rare skill among emerging batters from the Caribbean.Since his ODI debut in May 2022, Carty has slotted in 23 times at No. 3, scoring 1110 runs at an average of 52.85 and strike rate of 85.97. Only Kane Williamson (62.47) and Virat Kohli (58.28) have a higher ODI average than Carty among No. 3 batters who have played at least 20 innings during this period.So what makes Carty tick in this crucial position in ODIs?Related

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“Before I got the opportunity to bat at No. 3 in back-to-back games, [coach Daren] Sammy basically told me that this is what’s required from anyone that wants to bat in that particular position,” Carty says on the sidelines of a training session at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai. “He brought up the stats and said, ‘This is what the top three in the world is doing and this is what we are doing’.”So we identified a few areas I could improve upon, two-three new skills. Just the willingness to want to do well at the position is what really drives me. I feel in 50-over cricket, you have a lot more time, so you don’t have to be too helter-skelter. If you identify two-three areas where you can get a single, a two or a four, you’re always going to have someone in the circle, so you can always capitalise.”Carty doesn’t want to be left behind by the rapid evolution of the white-ball game. Conditions in the Caribbean, especially at his CPL home base in Trinidad, are often sluggish and unfavourable to playing in the “V” behind the wicket, but he sees his stint at the Super Kings Academy as an opportunity to hone the scoop shot, which could help him manipulate fields and open up new scoring zones in other parts of the world.”The purpose of coming here to Chennai was obviously to improve the way we play spin and the way we think of playing spin,” Carty says. “In the event that a team probably takes out the 45 [short fine leg] and puts him at short midwicket, I remember on one occasion I played it [the scoop] and they put him back. I wasn’t really practising it in CPL that much because I don’t think it would have been that useful. Hitting in front of the wicket is a better way to play in the Caribbean. Here, I’ve been working on a few things indoors, doing drills, and putting it to practice against the spin bowlers.”Carty’s awareness of conditions and his own game came to the fore during his maiden ODI century, against England in a successful chase of 264, which tipped the series decider West Indies’ way in Bridgetown in November 2024. On a slow surface, Carty knew he could simply play out Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid and line up Reece Topley and part-timer Liam Livingstone.In nine ODIs in 2025 so far, Carty has scored 495 runs at an average of 55•Nick Potts/PA Photos/Getty Images”It wasn’t necessarily the quickest pitch,” Carty recalls. “So by the time he [fast bowler Archer] finished his first spell and the first change came out with some spin… it was a night game too. I didn’t think the ball was doing too much nor was the pitch assisting him too much. So on that day, it wasn’t necessarily a big threat for me. I mean, on a different day, maybe a different ball game… But on that day, given all the circumstances, it wasn’t really too threatening.”Any opposition I’m coming up against, I always try to keep their main threat out of the game. I think that would put the team in a better position to do well. So I was a bit more cautious against him [legspinner Rashid]. But I really had the game plan of keeping him out of the game, to then force the other bowlers to be attacking who are probably not as good because we know [Rashid] has about 400 wickets [373 in white-ball cricket] for England.”Learning the game and being interested in expanding your knowledge of the game is going to help you sharpen your skills. I don’t think without attention to detail you can be that good of a player for a long period.”As part of Trinbago Knight Riders, the current CPL champions, Carty has also been feeding off inputs from his captain at the franchise, Nicholas Pooran, and his predecessor Kieron Pollard.”To be honest, it’s been a lot of knowledge and a lot of coaching at TKR,” Carty says. “Pooran is a bit more lenient with me versus Pollard (). That’s just the nature of the individual. But when I’m with TKR, they do come down hard on me in a sense because I guess they feel like I can do well, so they would like to see me do well and do well fast. And it’s not only me – it’s to all younger players as well.Carty has played in four CPL seasons, and he just won his first, the 2025 edition, with Trinbago Knight Riders•CPL T20/Getty Images”Something as simple as – we may finish with practice at 8 o’clock at night, I see a message from Pollard and it’s footage of me batting against spin now versus last year. He would ask me to tell him what I think. Obviously, he’s played a lot of international cricket, a lot of domestic cricket around the world, and has had a lot of coaching from different territories, different conditions and he always shares that knowledge with us.”While Carty plays for Trinidad and Tobago in the CPL, he hails from St Maarten and became the first player from there to represent West Indies in international cricket, against Netherlands in May 2022 in Amstelveen. Funnily enough, Carty was also eligible to represent the opposition, since St Maarten is a constituent country of the kingdom of Netherlands, but his loyalty has always been with West Indies.Daniel Doram, a tall left-arm fingerspinner from St Maarten, who now plays for Netherlands, is among Carty’s good friends. They are team-mates at Leeward Islands, but Carty is looking forward to coming up against him in international cricket in the future.”I remember when I went to bat, one of the players said, ‘Guys, you can have this every day if you want’. I can vividly remember that,” Carty says with a laugh. “Daniel and I are very good friends. He also plays for the same team [Leewards]. So we’re basically the two younger generations that came up and are a part of the team.”He’s obviously playing for Holland now. Hopefully, if we ever play against each other, I can get the better of him (laughs). Yeah, I am eligible to play for the Netherlands, but that part is definitely far off.”Carty top-scored with 52 not out in West Indies’ Under-19 World Cup final win against India in 2016•Pal Pillai/Getty ImagesCarty also credits older St Maarten players like Sherwin Peters and Colin Hamer for shaping his career.”What they learned at the league level, they passed on that knowledge, so I was a few steps ahead of anyone my age,” Carty says. “So it’s basically like a brotherhood and you really don’t like losing because of how they came up. That passion and willingness to win has always been a part of them. As a youngster being a part of it, it’s going to naturally adapt to your demeanour. I’ve not necessarily been a part of a [world-title-] winning West Indies team, but we are improving and I do feel one day things are going to turn around.”Carty is a late bloomer in international cricket. In 2016, he steered West Indies to the Under-19 World Cup title in Bangladesh with an unbeaten half-century in the final against India, but he needed six more years to break into international cricket even as some of his age-group team-mates stepped up to the next level almost immediately after the World Cup.Carty is happy, though, to have taken the stairs, and not the elevator, to the West Indies senior side.”A few guys like Shimron [Hetmyer], Keemo Paul and Alzarri [Joseph] played international cricket shortly after U-19,” Carty says. “I guess you can see why, based on their skillset. For me, it took a bit more time, which is okay. I just felt like I was a bit more… Like I knew my game a bit more.”He has now returned to Bangladesh as a bankable No. 3, well-prepared for whatever the hosts throw at him. While spin is always a factor in Bangladesh, he is also wary of their burgeoning pace stocks.Carty has spent his time in Chennai working on improving his batting against spin•Super Kings Academy”I’ve played in Bangladesh [before] and also watched Test cricket there, where they prepare spin decks. So the work here in Chennai will come into play there,” he says. “Hopefully it will be fruitful, but I’m keeping an open mind because they do have a pace attack that has been doing well for them – Tanzim [Hasan Sakib], Taskin [Ahmed] and the fast guy, [Nahid] Rana.”They also do have quality spinners – Taijul, Nasum and the two Hasans. So it’s going to be interesting to see what type of decks they prepare. But I’m keeping an open mind because I’ve been there twice and the pitches have been amazing.”West Indies missed out on qualifying for the last ODI World Cup, in 2023, and Carty dreams of taking them to the 2027 tournament. “Definitely you want to be a part of the World Cup,” Carty says. “But I’m basically taking it series by series and just trying to get over every small hurdle that we have ahead of us so far.”He isn’t part of the current Test squad or the T20I squad in Bangladesh, but has ambitions of becoming an all-format player for West Indies. Switching from one format to another in a short span has become a tightrope walk these days, but Carty is ready to walk it.”I do want to get back into the Test team. I think where it gets tricky is balancing all three and being able to adapt. Playing Tests today and in three days’ time you’re playing a T20 or an ODI… I feel that’s going to be more difficult. But I do want to be an all-format player for West Indies.”

This time last week, Chelsea looked like they would be the ones to rival Arsenal for the Premier League title.

Unfortunately, a humbling loss away to Leeds United, quickly followed by a drab one-all draw away to Bournemouth, has put such ideas to bed, for now anyway.

While Enzo Maresca’s squad is undeniably talented, some areas could be improved upon, such as the number nine position.

Fortunately, Chelsea are now being linked with someone who could do just that, someone who could be an upgrade on Liam Delap.

Chelsea target Delap upgrade

The transfer window is now less than a month away from reopening, and in a surprise to absolutely nobody, Chelsea are already being linked with a host of players.

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For example, the Blues have been one of a number of sides linked with Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.

Likewise, RB Leipzig’s incredibly exciting Castello Lukeba has been touted for a £53m move to Stamford Bridge.

However, while the two defenders would certainly bolster Maresca’s squad, neither one could or would displace Delap or Joao Pedro up top, unlike Joaquín Panichelli.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Chelsea are one of a few Premier League clubs interested in the RC Strasbourg striker.

Alongside the West Londoners, the report has revealed that West Ham United and Aston Villa have set their sights on the Argentine striker.

The report does not reveal how much the £28k-per-week star might cost, but considering his contract runs until the summer of 2030, he’s unlikely to be cheap.

Even so, Chelsea should do what they can to sign Panichelli, as he could be the striker to really take them forward, even if that’s bad news for Delap.

How Panichelli compares to Delap

Now it might sound simplistic, and that’s because it is, but the first and most important metric to compare when looking at two strikers is output.

Unfortunately for Delap, this is an area that Panichelli has him beat, and comfortably at that.

For example, so far this season, the Argentine, whom U23 scout Antonio Mango has dubbed “one of the most in-form Strikers in Europe,” has scored ten goals in 19 appearances, totalling 1367 minutes.

In other words, the Córdoba-born gem is averaging a goal involvement every 1.9 games, or every 136.7 minutes.

In stark contrast, the Blues’ summer signing has scored just a single goal in 11 appearances, totalling 453 minutes.

The next advantage that the former Deportivo Alavés star has over the Englishman is the fact that he seems to be less injury-prone.

For example, while he did suffer a significant ACL injury in the 23/24 season, which kept him out for 24 games, he only missed one game in the entirety of last season, and so far this year, he’s missed just one.

On the other hand, the former Ipswich Town star suffered a knee injury that kept him out for 18 games in 23/24

Furthermore, so far this year, he has already missed 12 matches due to a hamstring problem, and now his current shoulder injury.

Finally, the Winchester-born ace doesn’t even have the advantage of being significantly younger and therefore possessing a higher ceiling, as he’s currently 22 years old and the Strasbourg star only turned 23 two months ago.

Ultimately, Panichelli is clearly a more dangerous forward and, on top of that, seems to be injured less often. Therefore, Chelsea should do what they can to sign him in 2026, even if that spells the end of Delap’s time at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea flop has fast become their biggest liability since Bakayoko

Chelsea and Maresca need to move on from the walking disaster as soon as possible.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

3 days ago