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Both sides could hand out debuts during the series as they look to firm up combinations ahead of next year’s main event

Andrew McGlashan19-Jul-2025Big picture: T20 World Cup preparation begins amid a farewellThis series marks the beginning of something – the build towards next year’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka – but the first two matches are also an ending: Andre Russell will retire from international cricket after the Jamaica leg of matches, another member of the powerhouse West Indies T20 era who has called time.Russell was part of both the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cup triumphs for West Indies, one of finest hours coming in the latter of those when he made vital runs against India and claimed nine wickets in the tournament. It took a while for Russell to click in T20Is: until the end of 2015 he averaged 11.52 with the bat (strike-rate 122.01) and 48.90 with the ball from 33 matches. Since then, in 49 matches, he has averaged 28.63 with a strike-rate of 177.11 and claimed 50 wickets at 26.56.Related

Australia to trial new combinations as T20 World Cup build-up begins

Russell rates 2016 T20 World Cup innings against India as his best moment

But he won’t be around for an attempt at a third World Cup title, instead opting to bow out on his home ground at Sabina Park where he can expect a hero’s welcome over the next few days.For two matches, Russell will be part of a West Indies’ batting order that, on paper, looks more formidable than the Test line up that recently crumbled for 27 albeit they are also without Nicholas Pooran who recently ended his international career. However, they have won just two of their last 16 T20Is including 3-0 sweeps against Bangladesh and England.Meanwhile, Australia have been light on T20s since the last World Cup with just nine schedule matches (one of which against England was abandoned) but this series begins a run of 16 fixtures leading into the next edition. This isn’t a full-strength squad with Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc rested – all of whom will likely feature in the World Cup – but it retains many of the key T20 personnel and is an important opportunity for captain Mitchell Marsh to bring the side together.4:10

Russell: I want to win and finish on a high

Form guideWest Indies WLLLL
Australia WWWLWIn the spotlight: Evin Lewis and Mitchell OwenMoving away from Russell for a moment, Evin Lewis will have some fond memories of Sabina Park. In the only other T20I he has played at the venue he hammered 125 not out off 62 balls against India in 2017. His most recent T20I innings brought 91 off 44 balls against Ireland. In four matches against Australia, which all came in 2021, he has made 139 runs at a strike-rate of 182.89 – his highest against any side he has faced more than once.Mitchell Owen has been confirmed for his international debut. There will be a lot of interest in how he performs following a standout BBL last season which included his breathtaking century in the final. A squeeze for batting spots at the top of the order means his chance will come in the middle order. “Just looking at the top order and the talent and the skill and the experience that we have there. If I get given an opportunity, I don’t really care where it is. I’m just happy to be playing for this team,” Owen said.Eighteen-year-old Jewel Andrew is in West Indies’ squad•Global Super League via Getty ImagesTeam news: Race from Guyana for WI players; Owen to debut Jewel Andrew and Jediah Blades are uncapped at T20I level while Matthew Forde will become Russell’s replacement. Seven members of the squad have been playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Global Super League, the final of which only finished on Friday night, and it’s understood their journey to Jamaica may involve a private jet so they can reach on Saturday.West Indies squad: Shai Hope (capt), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario ShepherdMatt Short has been ruled out of the series with a side strain and Tim David sits out the opening match as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Jake Fraser-McGurk, a late addition to the squad, gets the chance to open and Cooper Connolly slots into the middle order.Australia: 1 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Cameron Green, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Owen, 7 Cooper Connolly, 8 Ben Dwarshius, 9 Sean Abbott, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Adam ZampaPitch and conditionsIt remains to be seen how the white ball reacts under the Sabina Park floodlights compared to the pink one, but there is unlikely to be as much grass left on the pitch as there was for the Test match. There is the chance of a shower or two.Stats and trivia These are the first day-night T20Is at Sabina Park following the recent installation of the floodlights which enabled it to host the pink-ball Test. The head-to-head between the teams in T20Is is all square: 11-11. However, West Indies have won only one of the last six. Former captain Rovman Powell needs 25 runs to overtake Chris Gayle as West Indies’ second-leading run-scorer in T20Is

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has now identified an “incredible” midfielder as one of his main targets in central midfield.

Guardiola looking to sign new midfielder with Gonzalez struggling

Nico Gonzalez is yet to establish himself as a key first-team player for Man City, often being limited to appearances as a substitute in the Premier League so far this season, and the midfielder has received criticism for some of his performances.

City’s first major setback of the campaign came in the 2-0 defeat at home against Tottenham Hotspur back in August, and former Chelsea man Frank Lebouef claimed Gonzalez was at fault for the visitors’ second goal.

The commentator said: “Yes, Trafford made a mistake of giving the ball, but what about Nico [Gonzalez]?”

“Why did Nico ask for the ball? And you can see that again when he really asked for the ball, when he has two guys behind him and forces the goalkeeper to give him the ball.”

He's perfect for Pep: Man City now rivalling Real Madrid for "pacy" £52m star

City are set to battle it out for a new defender, who is regarded as ideal for Pep Guardiola.

ByDominic Lund Oct 15, 2025

Since then, the Spaniard has continued to struggle, giving away the penalty in the 2-2 draw against AS Monaco in the Champions League, which was converted by Eric Dier in the 90th minute.

With fellow midfielder Rodri struggling on the injury front, Man City are now looking to strengthen their options in the middle of the park, according to a report from Spain, which claims Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlovic has been identified as one of Pep’s main targets.

The City manager is looking to revamp his midfield, and Pavlovic is described as his ‘favourite’ target, having put in some outstanding performances for Bayern, who are extremely reluctant to sanction a departure.

As such, a ‘significant offer’ will be required to prise the 21-year-old away from the German club, with it previously being revealed the Blues could be willing to shell out over £43m.

"Incredible" Pavlovic could be the "next Toni Kroos"

The central midfielder is held in very high regard by journalist Manuel Veth, who has suggested he could be capable of emulating a former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid star.

It is vital that any midfielder playing under Pep is an assured passer of the ball, and the Bayern star certainly ticks the box, having shown a remarkable ability to pick out his teammates over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90 (past year)

Passes attempted

97.42 (99th percentile)

Pass completion %

92.6% (98th percentile)

Progressive passes

8.39 (95th percentile)

It is clear to see that Pavlovic could be the perfect signing for Man City, given that he shares similar traits to Rodri, who attempted 95 passes in just 60 minutes during the 2-0 win over Napoli, and the young German could be the ideal successor.

Former England opener carries bat as Nottinghamshire post a hefty 407 in first innings

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay16-May-2025Haseeb Hameed’s remarkable unbeaten double-century put Nottinghamshire in a strong position on day one of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Durham.The Division One leaders, who were put in to bat at Banks Homes Riverside, had the better of the morning, with openers Hameed and Ben Slater combining for a partnership worth 104.However, it was Durham’s afternoon as four wickets from Codi Yusuf helped the hosts rein Nottinghamshire in, but Hameed reached three figures for the second time this season and he dominated the evening session to reach his second first-class double-hundred and lead his side to a first innings total of 407. Durham began their reply with one over left to bat and they reached two without loss at close.Hameed’s innings didn’t go without its chances, but on the whole it was an excellent knock from the former England opener, who was a rock during the Nottinghamshire first innings as wickets fell around him.Durham, who had England quick Brydon Carse in their line-up for the first time this season, won the toss and elected to bowl on a green pitch.However, Nottinghamshire got off to a good start with the bat, with skipper Hameed taking a liking to the bowling of Yusuf as he picked up three boundaries in an over.The opening pair continued to accumulate and frustrate Durham’s bowling attack, as they accelerated to their 100 partnership within 20 overs and Slater brought up his half-century with a clip off his legs that went to the boundary.James Minto got the breakthrough soon after as Slater departed for 52, with the opener edging one straight into the gloves of Ollie Robinson.The in-form Hameed then reached his half-century from 71 balls in the final moments before lunch, but Durham struck back after the break as Yusuf got Freddie McCann for 26 when the number three attempted a pull shot but he could only help the ball on its way through to Robinson.Yusuf struck again to remove Joe Clarke, with the South African forcing the Nottinghamshire man to chop one on to his off-stump and Carse then produced a moment of brilliance to remove Jack Haynes for one, as the former Worcestershire man chipped one up and the England bowler made an excellent one-handed return catch.Kyle Verreynne joined Hameed at the crease and they steadied the ship for the visitors, absorbing the pressure that the Durham bowlers were putting them under. Hameed looked to break the shackles as he got back-to-back boundaries off the bowling of Minto. The former England man then danced down the pitch to George Drissell and launched one down the ground for six.Shortly after, Yusuf broke the partnership and got his third of the day as the dangerous Verreynne was caught behind for a well-made 41. Lyndon James couldn’t build on a nice start as Yusuf got him caught behind for 21 and Drissell struck soon after to remove Liam Patterson-White without scoring.Despite the wickets falling, Hameed remained calm and passed three figures for the 17th time in his first-class career, but another partner was back in the pavilion when Ben Raine bowled Rob Lord.After tea, Hameed came out and attacked the Durham bowling, taking his side over 300 when he swatted a Raine delivery to the boundary.Brett Hutton remained solid alongside Hameed as they tried to eke out every run they could from their first innings and Hameed reached his 150 as he hooked a Yusuf ball for four.Durham continued to be frustrated as Hutton played a nice shot through the offside to the boundary.Durham took the second new ball, but it had little effect as Hameed pulled a Raine ball for four as he closed in on 200.Hutton then departed at the hands of Carse for a stubborn 32, but Hameed doubled up and reached 200 from 240 balls and he did it in style as he plundered a Drissell ball for six.Carse removed Muhammad Abbas to bowl Nottinghamshire out for 407, which left Hameed unbeaten on 206. Durham had one over to bat, with nightwatch Minto and Alex Lees seeing the hosts through to close.

This was the fourth time that Hardik had dismissed Gill in T20s in just 18 deliveries

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-20251:54

How does Hardik get the better of Gill almost every time?

The ball dug in short. The pitch making it sit up and not zip through. On middle and off. Shubman Gill does what he must, play the pull. He hits it superbly. But straight to the fielder in the deep. And that’s the fourth time Hardik Pandya has dismissed Gill in just 18 balls in T20s.”It’s just the right length [to Gill]. Hardik tends to bowl that back-of-length [delivery] and he’s been using that short ball quite effectively,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show after the match. “Gill is someone who has a little bit of vulnerability when it comes to that length. It is his scoring opportunity, but at the same time, when he doesn’t get it right, you do get dismissed from that length.”Maybe Hardik knew that – there’s very little cricketers don’t know these days when it comes to data and numbers, strengths and weaknesses of opponents. Hardik stood there, looking pleased as punch. Of course he knew it would – or could, at least – work. Gill looked like he couldn’t believe he had fallen into the trap.Related

Gujarat Titans show how home advantage is done

'You know the match is almost done' – Gill's praise for Prasidh

Hardik: 'Batters have to come to the party, hopefully soon'

Unwittingly, though, Hardik might have laid a trap for his own batters in the process. On a black-soil pitch, with the ball gripping in the slow surface, slow, slower, slowest was the way to go. Not that Gujarat Titans (GT) or Mumbai Indians (MI) wouldn’t have known that anyway before their IPL 2025 match in Ahmedabad on Saturday evening, but seeing the proof in Hardik’s plan of action helped – GT stopped MI 36 short after putting up 196, and at no point did it really look like their wouldn’t.”There were some shots that were easy to hit on that wicket, there were some shots that were difficult [to hit], so we were making sure that we make sure that they were hitting difficult shots on that wicket. Which we thought were difficult when we were batting,” Gill said in the press conference afterwards. Prasidh Krishna, for one, made the most of the conditions. Going against his nature, so to say, he kept it slow, and into the pitch. And emerged Player of the Match for his 2 for 18.And Hardik, only half in jest, possibly, agreed that he might have helped Prasidh with the planning. “Definitely, I was just thinking that,” he told the host broadcaster. “Maybe I bowled way too many balls – they were able to see that it’s gripping.”On this wicket, I think those were the toughest balls because some were shooting down, some were bouncing and some were gripping. So when you have this much variable bounce or difference, I think as a batter it becomes difficult.”

Iman Beney's first goal for Manchester City secured a dramatic late victory for Andree Jeglertz's side, moments after it had appeared they'd thrown away all three points. Arsenal had twice pegged the hosts back in a lively second-half but as the clock ticked towards the 90-minute mark, up stepped the summer signing from BSC YB Frauen to smash home and make it 3-2, keeping the pressure up on Chelsea at the top of the WSL table.

Despite Arsenal being on the front foot for most of the first half, it was City who created the most dangerous chances and they would take the lead after 36 minutes. Daphne van Domselaar had reacted well to stop a delicious Yui Hasegawa corner arrowing straight into the net shortly before the goal but she stood no chance in keeping out Shaw's pinpoint header, with the ball bouncing past her and into the net following Kerstin Casparij's whipped-in cross from the right.

And it should've been two – Shaw being guilty of trying to score the perfect goal as she sat down both Van Domselaar and Lotte Wubben-Moy but with the goal gaping she saw her shot blocked, with Casparij flagged for offside as she tapped in the rebound. The hosts would pay for that failure to extend their lead within a minute of the restart as Mariona Caldentey was given far too much room to stride forward and arrow Emily Fox's ball inside high into the net and past a helpless Ayaka Yamashita.

Shaw's aerial threat continued to cause problems for the Gunners and it was her header back across goal that forced City's second goal, Casparij scrambling the ball home after the visitors failed to clear. The Jamaican forward should've had her second – and City's third – soon after, although she could only head straight at Van Domselaar from close range.

It looked as though Chloe Kelly would have the last laugh against her former team-mates as she thundered an effort into the top corner to make it 2-2, but then came Beney's big moment, as she capitalised on more good work from Shaw to hammer home the loose ball and secure all three points for City.

GOAL rates the home side's players from the Joie Stadium…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Ayaka Yamashita (7/10):

  Nothing she could do to keep out the Caldantay or Kelly strikes. Dealt with everything else that Arsenal threw at her, including smart saves from Mead and Blackstenius.

  Kerstin Casparij (8/10):

  Consistently read the danger at the back and sent over the cross that set-up Shaw's opener. Added to her assist with a goal of her own and her flying runs forward were decisive in the win.

  Jade Rose (5/10):

  In for Gracie Prior for only her second WSL start. Didn't get tight enough to Russo at times and she got away with one loose back pass that almost gifted a goal to Blackstenius.

  Alex Greenwood (7/10):

  Solid at the back to help steer City to a crucial three points. Her dangerous corners caused all sorts of problems at the other end, too, including for City's second goal.

  Leila Ouahabi (6/10):

  Tough assignment up against Olivia Smith and allowed her to run in behind too easily. Did put in some crucial blocks, though, and was a threat going the other way.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Laura Blindkilde Brown (6/10):

  Perhaps should've sensed the danger better as Caldantay galloped into the box to score Arsenal's first but was consistently accurate with her passing.

  Yui Hasegawa (6/10):

  Delightful lobbed through ball early on to create a massive chance for Fujino and her set-piece deliveries were a threat all game. That said, some of her passing was on the loose side and that invited Arsenal pressure.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Aoba Fujino (6/10):

  Her smart ball through for Casperaij helped create Shaw's opener but she was wasteful with her finishing on more than one occasion.

  Vivianne Miedema (5/10):

  Looked a threat driving forward but her finishing was uncharacteristically poor. Linked up well with Shaw on a couple of occasions but a disappointing display by her lofty standards.

  Grace Clinton (6/10):

  Did her best work in defensive areas as she tenaciously worked back to help stunt Arsenal's progress. Hooked on the hour mark.

  Khadija Shaw (7/10):

  An eventful afternoon for Shaw as she scored one and her presence in the box helped create two more. Despite her impact, she'll be angry with herself at not scoring that huge chance in the first half when she should've just stuck it away.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Iman Beney (8/10):

  Almost made an immediate impact as she hit the side netting within a minute of coming on before then arrowing home late in the day to put her name up in lights. What a moment.

  Laura Coombs (N/A):

  On for Miedema for the final 15 minutes against her former club.

  Sydney Lohmann (N/A):

  On in stoppage time as City looked to waste time.

  Andree Jeglertz (8/10):

  Made the bold move to take Clinton off midway through the second half but it paid off, with Beney coming off the bench to deliver the win. A massive three points in City's pursuit of Chelsea.

Vinicius Junior has revealed that teachings from former Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric led to him scoring "one of his best goals ever" against Levante. The Brazilian winger opened the scoring for Los Blancos with a brilliant trivela shot before Franco Mastantuono doubled the lead in the first half. Kylian Mbappe then scored a brace to seal a thumping 4-1 win for the Spanish giants.

Vinicus Junior scores outrageous goal

Vinicius Junior mesmerised supporters with a stunning goal as he broke the deadlock against Levante in the 28th minute of the match. The Brazil international picked up the ball on the far side of the box before bending a superb shot into the net with the outside of his right foot. 

AdvertisementAFP'Luka Modric taught me'

After the match, Vinicius Jr credited Modric for inspiring the goal, as he told Real Madrid TV: "Luka Modric taught me [that kind of shot]. I miss him. But I'm very happy with the game, and with the win. Let's hope I can score more goals like that. It's one of the best goals I've scored with the outside of my foot."

Vinicius in contract standoff with Real

The Brazilian winger, who still has two years left in his existing deal at Santiago Bernabeu, is yet to agree to sign a new contract as he is reportedly demanding wages similar to Kylian Mbappe. Madrid are standing firm on their current stance and will not change their contract offer.

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Getty ImagesMadrid derby next for Los Blancos

Vinicius and Real are now preparing for a derby clash against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. They are set to face Kairat in the Champions League three days later. Modric, meanwhile, is due back in action with new club AC Milan against Napoli in Serie A on Sunday.

After the surgery in London, Sai Sudharsan put out an Instagram post saying “will be back stronger in no time”

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2024

B Sai Sudharsan has undergone surgery in London for a sports hernia, and put out a social-media post on Tuesday saying, “Will be back stronger in no time.”Sudharsan, the 23-year-old Tamil Nadu and Gujarat Titans (GT) batter who is understood to be on the fringes of the India Test team – he has already made his international debut in ODIs and T20Is – played only one Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 game, scoring 9 against Tripura, before heading to the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He is expected to miss the entire Vijay Hazare Trophy 50-over domestic tournament, from December 21 to January 18.