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The board elections will be held on October 6 after plenty of controversy in the lead-up

Mohammad Isam05-Oct-2025BCB president Aminul Islam has said he operated within the board’s constitution in the election process last month. His statement was in reference to a letter he issued to the country’s sports secretary on September 18, in which he asked to cancel the previous councillor nomination forms and instructed them to submit new forms.A writ petition challenged the validity of Aminul’s letter, and on September 22, the country’s High Court had issued a ruling along with an interim order suspending the effectiveness of the letter.On Sunday, the chamber judge of the appellate division, Justice Farah Mahbub, ruled that the High Court’s suspension order would remain in force. It paves the way for the BCB election to be held on October 6 amid a cloud of controversy, including manipulation and interference.Aminul explained he had issued the letter as he had not received sufficient names of cricketers or organisers from the country’s districts and divisions.Related

Dhaka cricket clubs officials call BCB elections 'illegal'

Tamim withdraws from BCB elections: 'I cannot be a part of this'

BCB elections on October 6; Tamim accuses board president of 'interference'

Faruque Ahmed removed as BCB president

“I want to clarify one thing. There was a writ against my letter,” Aminul said. “The letters that were addressed to me as the BCB president had mentioned clearly the three important areas in the BCB election. The chairman of the district or divisional sports body, who is usually the district or divisional administrator, has to sign it. Since these sports bodies don’t exist now, there are ad-hoc committees which must have a cricketer and an organiser in the body.”When these lists reached me, I saw only three [districts/divisions] qualified [in the criteria]. Shariatpur and Jamalpur were among those that qualified. So we couldn’t do an election with three individuals. I was forced to send the letter [on September 18], based on the constitution. Thereafter, there was a writ against the letter. It was cleared today. This election is such that a lot of things came against my name. I want to defend myself [by saying] that I was always within the constitution.”Aminul also ruled out government influence or interference and said that the country’s sports adviser was trying to “ensure a fair election”.”I don’t remember exactly when I said that the sports adviser requested me [to participate in the elections]. The sports adviser always helped me during my tenure [as BCB president]. I want to thank him for it,” Aminul said. “He is a person at the ministerial level but I know that he spent night and day, going to different places so that we can have a fair election and we can form a good board.”I didn’t think there was any influence. I feel I need to continue for Bangladesh cricket. If anyone feels I am not good enough, I am ready to leave any time.”Aminul Islam was named BCB president in May•BCBAminul did not answer questions about Tamim Iqbal’s withdrawal from the election and Faruque Ahmed’s return to the BCB, after being ousted from the president’s position in May. Tamim had alleged interference in the election process, particularly referencing Aminul’s letter.Faruque’s return has come as a surprise, as he reportedly had a falling out with the country’s sports ministry. He then became a BCB councillor, which was also controversial as he had sent his nomination form a few hours after the deadline. Aminul said that if he gets re-elected as president on Monday, he will have zero tolerance against conflict of interest, a problem that has plagued the BCB for years.Aminul, at the start of his BCB presidency on May 30, had said his term was going to be a “quick T20 innings”. At the end of his tenure [on October 5], he used another cricketing term to describe his experience.”[On the field] there is a technique. You can’t bowl more than one or two bouncers in the over. You can’t bowl a no-ball. Here, there were plenty of no-balls. Beamers were not judged as no-balls.”

Callum McGregor’s stunning winner for Celtic against St Mirren on Saturday night in the Scottish Premiership looks even more important with the benefit of hindsight.

Hearts went on to lose to Aberdeen on Sunday in their match, which means that the Hoops are only four points adrift of the Jam Tarts and have a game in hand over them.

Martin O’Neill has done a terrific job in interim charge, winning all of his Premiership matches so far, but some of the players who struggled under Brendan Rodgers have also struggled under him, including Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

Why Balikwisha looks like a misjudged signing by Celtic

The Hoops signed the Belgian forward from Royal Antwerp in a deal worth up to £5m during the summer transfer window, but it was an odd piece of business because Sebastian Tounekti, who plays in the same position, was also brought in from Hammarby.

Tounekti has since started all 12 of his appearances in the Premiership and the Europa League, per Sofascore, whilst Balikwisha has started twice in the Premiership and is yet to start in Europe.

In fact, the former Antwerp star has been an unused substitute for O’Neill in the last two league games against Kilmarnock and St Mirren, which suggests that he has failed to impress the Northern Irishman in training.

Chalkboard

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

Balikwisha has, therefore, been a bad signing for the Hoops because he has failed to earn a place in the team on a regular basis, and it was an odd move by the club given the deal they then clinched for Tounekti in the same area of the pitch.

The 24-year-old flop was not the worst attacking signing made by the Scottish giants in the summer, though, as that award may go to centre-forward Shin Yamada.

Why Shin Yamada was a worse signing for Celtic than Michel-Ange Balikwisha

He was a curious signing by Celtic in the summer transfer window because the Japanese forward only scored two goals in 21 J1 League matches in the 2025 campaign for his previous club, after a return of 19 goals in 38 matches in 2024, per Sofascore.

This suggests that the Hoops were signing a player who was on the decline, given his poor goalscoring record this year, and that made it a slightly puzzling move.

His time at Parkhead so far this season has done little to answer any questions around why the club decided to sign him on a permanent deal, as he has rarely featured or made an impact when given the opportunity.

25/26 Premiership	Shin Yamada	Michel-Ange Balikwisha
Appearances	4	7
Minutes played	137	236
Goals	0	0
Big chances missed	2	0
Big chances created	0	1
Assists	0	1
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha has played more matches and more minutes in the league, delivering one assist, than the former J1 League marksman.

Shin was also left out of the squad for the league phase of the Europa League, as Johnny Kenny, Kelechi Iheanacho, Daizen Maeda, and Callum Osmand were picked ahead of him in his position, whilst Balikwisha has made three appearances in that competition.

Brendan Rodgers said that Shin was a “strong player who can score goals and create for others” in his unveiling, but a return of two goals and one assist in 27 games for Kawasaki Frontale and Celtic combined, per Sofascore, in 2025 does not back that up.

The 25-year-old striker is yet to deliver a goal or an assist for the Hoops in six appearances in his first three months at the club, and appears to be well down the pecking order after being left as an unused substitute against St Mirren last time out.

O'Neill could drop Tounekti by playing "tenacious" Celtic star in new role

Martin O’Neill could finally drop Sebastian Tounekti from the starting line-up by playing this star in a new role.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 24, 2025

Therefore, as it stands, Shin is looking like an even worse signing for the Scottish giants than Balikwisha, who has at least provided an assist in the league and been included in the European squad list.

Jon Lewis picks over the wreckage of failed campaign as Australia loom in the new year

Valkerie Baynes12-Nov-2024England will be seeking the ultimate response to their shock early T20 World Cup exit when they travel to South Africa for a multi-format series from the end of November.Last month’s failure to reach the knockout phase of a tournament where they were considered title contenders is still raw, but Jon Lewis, England Women’s head coach, has been unpicking what went wrong during a six-wicket defeat to West Indies in their final group-stage game in Dubai.The loss of captain Heather Knight once she retired hurt with a calf injury while in the midst of a free-flowing 21 off 13 balls emerged as a key factor at the time. With the exception of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 57, no other batter reached double figures after Knight’s exit as England collapsed to 141 for 7.Then, with Sciver-Brunt standing in as captain, England couldn’t contain a century opening partnership between Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph – the latter put down a staggering five times en route to 52 – and looked increasingly rattled in the field with every boundary and dropped catch.Related

• Lewis: Staying on a roll poses biggest challenge as England Women scatter

• Sloppy fielding and low energy deflate England's campaign

• Alice Capsey omitted from T20Is as England name South Africa tour squads

• Kapp, Khaka rested for England T20Is; Naidu to skip for school exams

It all pointed to an inability to withstand the pressure of things not going their way, a scenario England had rehearsed throughout their home summer, even leaving Knight out of a match to simulate what turned out to be their worst-case scenario.Speaking on Tuesday from England’s high-performance base in Loughborough where he was working with the South Africa touring party – minus those in Australia playing in the WBBL – Lewis highlighted the difficulty of training for tournament cricket, despite that being a challenge for teams universally.”Yes, we have done a lot of work around how we how we work under pressure, and we’ve done a good amount of ‘what if’ planning, if our captain’s not around and so on,” Lewis said. “It’s not back to the drawing board, but it’s a continuation of that work, and to make sure that, rather than going, ‘oh, what we’ve done hasn’t worked, we can’t do this, and we can’t do that’, it’s, ‘okay, what is it we need to tweak, to improve, to make sure that if that situation ever happens again, we’re able to cope with it better than we did last time?’Once England are joined in South Africa by their WBBL players – including Knight, who is among the competition’s leading run-scorers – Lewis said attention could turn fully to moving forward.”When we get to South Africa, we’ll be doing some work around that and how we respond to those sorts of situations,” he added. “The tricky thing is, to recreate those situations is incredibly tough in training. However, we’ll just continue to plan, talk and think and develop, because we are a developing side with a lot of young players… with a young group of players, there’s a chance that they will make mistakes when the pressure goes up. The key bit is about what they learn from that, how they reflect on it.”England dropped five catches against West Indies•ICC/Getty ImagesOf the eleven players on the field in that game against West Indies, seven were aged 25 or younger. But, of those seven players, only two in allrounder Dani Gibson and seam bowler Lauren Bell had played fewer than 30 T20Is.Sophie Ecclestone, the spearhead of England’s four-pronged spin attack, has played 90 T20Is despite being just 25 years old, while legspinner Sarah Glenn is the same age and has played 68. Alice Capsey, England’s youngest player at just 20, has 37 T20I caps and was one of the busiest franchise players in the world in 2023-24 – she has made 124 T20 appearances in all during her relatively short career.Lewis said “I 100% don’t agree” with suggestions in the aftermath of that defeat that his team weren’t fit enough. Instead he highlighted – along with the youth of his team – inconsistent bowling and skill execution with regards to the dropped catches as reasons behind the World Cup exit. He also felt the side “became a little safer at times in our decision-making” and wanted to see a return to the more fearless approach of last year’s drawn Ashes, especially with a return series looming in Australia in January.”There’ll be some real strong group reflection when we get to South Africa,” he said. “I would expect a real response from the T20 team in particular in this series against South Africa. What I would like us to do is to go back to how we were playing last summer against the Australians, how fearless we were.Related

• Lewis: Staying on a roll poses biggest challenge as England Women scatter

• Sloppy fielding and low energy deflate England's campaign

• Alice Capsey omitted from T20Is as England name South Africa tour squads

• Kapp, Khaka rested for England T20Is; Naidu to skip for school exams

“What I’ve been able to do here with the players, in terms of one-to-one reflection, they’ve all been really honest and really understanding of what they got right and what they got wrong, and they’re all really clear about what the next steps are for them moving forward. And so the work begins now to put that right in terms of getting better at our skills and being braver with our skills, and then moving the team forward.”One player who won’t be part of the South Africa tour, which begins with the first of three T20Is on November 24 is Capsey, who was dropped as one of just two changes to the T20I squad, the other one enforced after Gibson underwent surgery on a knee injury sustained in the field against West Indies. Paige Scholfield has been brought in to add firepower with the bat at No. 6 or 7 and quick Lauren Filer returns after missing the World Cup where seam bowling played a bigger role than many teams had anticipated.Capsey’s omission comes amid an extended form slump in which she managed a top score of 19 in three World Cup innings and has made 64 runs in seven innings – with just two double-figure scores – for Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL. But, given that Lewis identified bowling as an issue at the World Cup, making her the only omission seems a one-dimensional response.Alice Capsey was dropped for the South Africa tour•ICC/Getty Images”The reason for leaving Alice out of the T20 squad was her inconsistency over a period of time, not just at the World Cup,” Lewis said. “Alice’s form has been trending downwards for probably the last eight to nine months. I felt that it’s a really good time for us and her to have a reset in how she goes about what she does, and give her a little bit more time to work out the issues that she’s having within her game and then come back stronger.”The most important thing from my point of view, in that position at No.3, is that she continues to try and impact the game and play the way that we’d like her to play, but we would also like her to be a little bit more consistent in that space. What I do know about Alice is that she’s incredibly strong-willed and really determined to be the best player she can be. There’s no doubt in my mind that, over time, she will play lots and lots of games for England in all formats but at the moment, she’s just trending in the wrong direction, and we just need to have a little reset.”Lewis also said there had been lessons learned off the field, especially with the optics of players posting on social media from a yacht trip during a day off in Dubai. While he was “really confident” in players’ off-field behaviour, he acknowledged that such posts could further arm critics.”I think that’ll be a sharp learning curve for the players involved in that,” he said. “What I would say is, I really trust our players and they train incredibly hard, but the female game particularly was getting a lot more scrutiny than ever before. Unfortunately for the players, that’s something that they’re going to have to think about and understand the consequence of those things, of the misconception of what they are doing and how people can misconceive a social media post.”I’ve got an incredibly diligent and incredibly hard-working group of players who I feel get the balance really right in terms of relaxing and having fun and being able to turn off from the high-pressure jobs that they do. I feel that they get it just about right. They won’t always get it right, because young people make mistakes, but I would say the vast majority of the time, they get it very right.”In South Africa, England face opponents sifting through World Cup disappointment of their own, having reached a second consecutive T20 World Cup final, only to lose it, this time to New Zealand. And their task won’t be any easier in the new year against Australia, the defending champions who were sensationally beaten in the semi-finals by South Africa.With so much to play for over the next two-and-a-half months, the trajectory of England’s education is sure to remain steep.

One European club is now ready to launch a move to sign a big-money Liverpool star in 2026, despite facing competition from the Saudi Pro League.

Slot expects "aggressive" Leeds vs Liverpool

Despite Wednesday night’s timid draw against Sunderland at Anfield, Arne Slot was in good spirits ahead of Liverpool’s next game against Leeds United this weekend. The Reds will be looking to stretch their mini-unbeaten run to three games in the same week, but must also get back to winning ways after Wednesday.

On paper, a trip to newly-promoted Leeds looks routine and once upon a time it was exactly that for the Reds. Those days, for the time being, are gone, however, and the Premier League champions are now set to square off against a side who could physically outmatch them once again.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot admitted that he expects to face an “aggressive” Leeds side: “Yesterday I looked at Leeds v Chelsea and I thought I saw a Liverpool game; Chelsea conceding a set-piece and for the third goal making a big, big error where they conceded a goal from. [It was] very difficult for them.

“Either Leeds went very aggressive to one-v-one or they went to a low block and it was really hard to create chances. It’s not only difficult for us, that playing style, it’s difficult for many teams – including us.”

It’s been the story of Liverpool’s season so far. Whenever they’ve encountered physicality, the Premier League champions have simply been bullied.

Something had to change and that has seen Mohamed Salah sacrificed. The struggling Egyptian has not started either of Liverpool’s last two games and reports suggest he could yet leave the club in 2026.

Galatasaray ready to launch Salah bid

According to reports in Spain, Galatasaray are now ready to launch their bid to sign Salah next year. The Turkish giants are looking to take full advantage of the winger’s situation and will reportedly aim to beat clubs in Saudi Arabia to his signature.

Whether Liverpool are willing to sell Salah remains to be seen, though. The Anfield icon only signed a new two-year deal last season, which is set to expire in 2027, but they must ask themselves if he is now past the peak of his powers.

Van Dijk raves over "world-class" Liverpool star who has been "really bad"

Liverpool have not been at the races of late.

By
FFC Staff

Dec 5, 2025

Former centre-back, turned Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Carragher certainly believes that’s the case, recently saying: “The catalyst for Liverpool at the very start of the run in 2018 with Jürgen Klopp was Alisson, Van Dijk and Salah.

“Alisson’s injured a lot now, he doesn’t play so much. But you watch Van Dijk now, not the same player, and Mo Salah looks like his legs have gone.”

The 33-year-old will be desperate to prove Carragher wrong and make his £21m-a-year contract worthwhile even if that is to be from the bench following Slot’s recent ruthlessness.

Huge Gakpo upgrade: £70m "superstar" now keen to join Liverpool in January

After a generally productive international break for many of Rangers’ stars, can they bring this form back to Glasgow?

John Souttar, Liam Kelly and Connor Barron were all part of the Scotland squad that remarkably qualified for a first World Cup in 28 years, while Nicolas Raskin started both of Belgium’s matches as they booked their spot in North America, thrashing Liechtenstein in the midfielder’s hometown of Liège.

On Tuesday, striker Bojan Miovski scored his ninth goal for North Macedonia, albeit there was little cause for celebration given that his team were demolished 7-1 by Wales in Cardiff, their heaviest defeat for two and a half years.

While Miovski being back among the goals is undoubtedly good news for Danny Röhl, he does need to improve his performances on the domestic stage.

Rangers' lack of attacking firepower

While many supporters would blame now-dismissed manager Russell Martin’s ineptitude, the club’s poor recruitment over the summer is surely the key factor behind their underwhelming form this season.

This is most abundantly clear in attacking areas where, despite being a goal machine during his two seasons at Aberdeen, Miovski has netted only twice since joining Rangers from Girona for £2.6m in August.

Meantime, Youssef Chermiti has scored only once for the club so far, despite arriving from Everton for £8m, potentially rising to £10m with add-ons, thereby making him the club’s most expensive signing of the post-liquidation era, surpassed only by Tore André Flo’s move in 2000.

This is in complete contrast to last season when Rangers’ top three scorers, namely Cyriel Dessers, Václav Černý and Hamza Igamane, bagged 63 goals between them across all competitions, which represented 55% of all goals the club netted.

With the trio having all departed, new manager Röhl requires the attacking players he has inherited to step up and start contributing, something one “huge talent” in particular is yet to do thus far.

Thelwell signing has been a bigger waste than Chermiti & Miovski

In the summer, Rangers spent around £30m on 13 new recruits, including splashing a reported £5m to sign Thelo Aasgaard from Luton Town.

Upon his arrival, Scottish football analyst Kai Watson labelled him a “technical dribbler” who “loves to take on opponents and get shots away”, while journalist Jamie Allen asserted that he was a “huge talent”.

However, supporters have not seen very much of that thus far, with Aasgaard’s most noteworthy contribution being that red card he received during the League Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic at Hampden.

The table below underlines the fact that Aasgaard has not performed as expected to date. Aasgaard’s statistics are not terrible when compared to his Rangers teammates, ranked second for shots, first in terms of shots on target as well as in the top four when it comes to successful dribbles per 90.

Minutes

1,041

9th

Goals

1

7th

Assists

1

8th

Shots per 90

1.7

2nd

Shots on target per 90

1

1st

Big chances missed

2

2nd

Accurate passes per 90

19.2

12th

Key passes per 90

0.8

8th

Successful dribbles per 90

1.4

4th

Average rating

6.76

8th

Ultimately, however, he has scored only one for the club to date, on target against Dundee United last month, registering his first assist at Dens last time out, albeit scorer Djeidi Gassama did do most of the work.

This lack of end-product has seen his estimated market value, as recorded by Football Transfers, drop to around £3.4m, well below the fee Rangers paid to sign him.

Meantime, the Merseyside-born winger has been on fire for Norway, scoring four times in 24 minutes as his national team demolished Moldova 11-1 at the Ullevål in September, having marked his international debut with a goal in the reverse fixture in Chișinău back in March.

Thus, with Norway back at the World Cup for the first time since France ’98, Aasgaard will certainly be included in Ståle Solbakken’s squad that travels to North America next summer, but he’ll be desperate to improve his club form before then.

In Glasgow, Aasgaard has started three of Danny Röhl’s six matches in charge, but was introduced off the bench during the last two against Roma and Dundee.

With Röhl having switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation, there is one fewer attacking position up for grabs, and Aasgaard so far is not doing enough to suggest he should be ahead of Gassama, Miovski, Chermiti, Danilo or Mikey Moore in the pecking order.

Considering he cost £5m, surely Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell envisaged that the Norwegian would be a guaranteed starter, but this is certainly not the case. Considering he was a player that Martin pushed to sign, it isn’t ideal when the manager is sacked after just 15 matches in charge.

Thus, while Chermiti and Miovski have established themselves as key figures in Röhl’s team, one could certainly argue that Aasgaard has been the biggest waste of money from last summer.

Rangers star looks set to become Ibrox's new Hamza Igamane under Rohl

As Rangers seek to replace Hamza Igamane, who has been on fire for Lille, which “exciting” forward, not Youssef Chermiti, could replicate his success?

ByBen Gray Nov 16, 2025

Blake Snell was electric in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night, twirling seven innings of scoreless ball and surrendering just two hits. The veteran lefty racked up 12 strikeouts and the final one came in interesting fashion after he talked manager Dave Roberts into keeping him in the game.

Holding a 3-0 lead with two outs in the seventh, Snell was working with runners on first and second. With the tying run at the plate and 107 pitches already delivered, it looked as though Roberts would be making a move to bring in Alex Vesia from the bullpen. Vesia certainly thought that was happening as his skipper jogged on the field but Snell had a different plan.

Snell was able to successfully lobby to keep competing and Roberts did a quick U-turn toward the dugout after hearing what he needed to hear from his starter. Vesia, who thoughtfully was trying to keep up the pace of play, was forced to stop his jog toward the mound and return to his perch behind the left-field fence.

"I was excited," Snell said after the game, via MLB.com. "I don't like the bullpen finishing my innings. I'm very adamant about that. I don't want them in that situation. I put myself in this, I can pitch my way out of it."

Roberts's trust was immediately rewarded as Snell fanned Otto Kemp to end the threat. Loving the moment, he raised his fist in celebration.

MatériaMais Notícias

Atletico-MG e Cruzeiro empataram por 2 a 2 no jogo de ida da final do Campeonato Mineiro. Bruno Fuchs e Hulk marcaram os gols do Galo na Arena MRV. Jemerson (contra) e Dinenno, nos acréscimos do segundo tempo, anotaram os gols da Raposa.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

O duelo decisivo pela taça do Campeonato Mineiro será no domingo (7), no Mineirão. Como teve a melhor campanha na fase de grupos, o Cruzeiro precisa de um empate com o Atlético-MG para ser campeão.

➡️ Com R$50 no Lance! Betting, você fatura R$255 se apostar no 1 a 1 entre Santos x Palmeiras

⚽COMO FOI A PARTIDA?

O Cruzeiro não se encontrou jogando com três zagueiros e cedeu espaços para o Atlético-MG dominar o primeiro tempo. O Galo soube aproveitar as chances e saiu na frente com Bruno Fuchs e Hulk.

continua após a publicidade

Na etapa final, a Raposa foi mais incisiva no ataque e pressionou a saída de bola do Atlético-MG. Foi assim que o Cruzeiro conseguiu diminuir a desvantagem em gol contra bizarro de Jemerson. No final, Dinenno empatou a partida.

O que vem por aí?

O próximo compromisso do Atlético-MG será na quinta-feira (4), contra o Caracas, na Venezuela, pela primeira rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores. Mais tarde, às 21h, o Cruzeiro enfrenta a Universidad Católica (ECU), fora da casa, pela Copa Sul-Americana.

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➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários do Paulistão

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
ATÉTICO-MG 2 X 2 CRUZEIRO
CAMPEONATO MINEIRO – IDA (FINAL)
Data e horário: sábado, 30 de março de 2024, às 16h30h (de Brasília);
Local: Arena MRV, em Belo Horizonte (MG);
Árbitro: Felipe Fernandes de Lima;
Assistentes: Felipe Alan Costa de Oliveira e Magno Arantes Lira;
VAR: Emerson de Almeida Ferreira.

Gols: Gabriel Fuchs e Hulk / Jemerson (contra) e Dinenno

Tudo sobre

Atlético-MGCruzeiro

Pakistan have the upper hand but the SA left-arm spinner has prevented them from making the most of it

Danyal Rasool14-Oct-2025When running late, there is always an instinct to rush, even if you cannot possibly make it to your destination on time. You might skip a long shower or an elaborate breakfast, or flirt with the top end of a speed limit on the way. There are wins to be had along the way, small gains that make no difference to the final outcome. But they’re worth pursuing anyway.And South Africa woke up late. Part of it, like the flip of the coin on Sunday morning, they could do as little about as if someone had turned off their alarm and drawn the curtains tighter to induce further sleep. But when Pakistan got the best of the batting conditions, South Africa’s spinners took over a session to find their lines, allowing Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood to gain an early, and what felt like a decisive, upper hand.It did not stop South Africa from scrambling to make up ground, even if the inherent disadvantage of batting last meant they were invariably treading water. That knotty sense of hopelessness was at its zenith at tea on Tuesday, a full two days after Imam and Masood pulled clear. But every time Pakistan’s position has veered into unassailability, Senuran Muthusamy has stood stubbornly in the way.Related

Azhar Mahmood blames shot selection for Pakistan's collapse

Noman puts Pakistan in driver's seat on 16-wicket day

Muthusamy has made a life out of ensuring innate disadvantages do not prove insurmountable. Growing up in South Africa as a specialist red-ball spinner around the same time as Keshav Maharaj is an accident of birth not conducive to a long Test career. Muthusamy made his first-class debut in 2013, and only got a shot at international cricket when South Africa toured India six years later. His Test match journey reads like a destination list even off-the-beat travel brochures would find too unusual to suggest: Visakhapatnam, Pune, Centurion, Chattogram, Bulawayo and now Lahore.With Pakistan 199 for 2 on Sunday afternoon, yet another one of those rare opportunities for impact appeared to have passed him by, but Muthusamy kept going. He spent the rest of the game showing everyone the value of a scrap to stay alive. Off the final two balls before tea that day, South Africa began to tug Pakistan back, and have held them in place in this uneasy stalemate. The hosts have the higher ground, but remain acutely aware that it is treacherous. Muthusamy accounted for 11 of the next 18 Pakistan wickets that fell, doubling his career Test haul over the past three days.On Tuesday, Masood’s men looked to make amends for leaving the door open. Abdullah Shafique scratched his way to 41, his highest Test score in over a year, and Babar Azam (42) and Saud Shakeel (38) both contributed with similar scores to swell Pakistan’s lead to 259 with six wickets still in the bag. Pakistan’s sense of comfort was illustrated by Shakeel – perhaps the team’s most conservative batter – stepping outside his crease to swipe Muthusamy over midwicket. He found the assured hands of Tristan Stubbs on the boundary, and South Africa began to claw their way back into plausibility once more.Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq had laid Pakistan’s groundwork on the first day in Lahore•AFP/Getty ImagesIt took a remarkable implosion from Pakistan, who lost their last six for 17 runs, to keep South Africa in contention. Muthusamy and Simon Harmer held their lines and nerve as the batters appeared to lose theirs; this was the third-steepest six-wicket collapse for Pakistan in a decade. By the time it was done, Muthusamy’s figures were the third-best in Gaddafi Stadium history, behind only Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir.By stumps, Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorzi were holding Pakistan at bay. The pair have complemented the tenacity of their spinners; it seems a long time ago but just this morning, de Zorzi had lifted Noman Ali over his head for six before bringing up the game’s only century off Pakistan’s most valuable spinner. Rickelton and de Zorzi have been responsible for exactly two-thirds of the runs South Africa have scored this Test, and will need to crank it up to an even more unlikely percentage if they are to fetch the remaining 226 to pull off a supremely unlikely heist.”A partnership on a wicket like this is gold,” de Zorzi said after play. “It’s tough to start and for a new guy to get rhythm. The beginning is the toughest but hopefully we can build a partnership and crack on.”Any reading of recent – or ancient – history suggests it remains an uphill challenge. Only one of the previous three completed Test matches in Lahore have resulted in a win for the chasing side, and never has a total anywhere near this magnitude been brought down. The advantage Pakistan built up by calling correctly at the toss and the three hours that followed still holds firm, but South Africa have refused to allow the hosts to stretch it further.At the end of the day, the PCB’s in-house website, in its report for the day, cautiously noted the game was “hanging in the balance”. This was around the same time as de Zorzi was beginning to talk up his side’s chances.”Ricks and I keep each other present,” he said. “We take it one ball at a time and remind each other of our options. The guys coming in are just as able, if not more talented. Hopefully they won’t [need to] but anyone in there, if they build a partnership, it’s on.”They may have woken up late, but Muthusamy and de Zorzi have ensured Pakistan are still on their toes three days after they were supposed to have pulled away.

West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo faces a fresh concern about star winger Jarrod Bowen, with the Englishman poised to play a key role in the Hammers’ fight against relegation.

The 2025/26 campaign has plunged Bowen into the most challenging period of his West Ham career. While the 28-year-old continues delivering on an individual level, his club finds themselves in a perilous battle at the wrong end of the Premier League table that threatens to define his future.

The Hammers captain has been West Ham’s top goalscorer for four consecutive Premier League seasons, netting 47 times in that period, cementing his status as the club’s talisman since his arrival from Hull City in January 2020.

Bowen is surely a shoo-in for Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup selection, having only missed out on two England squad inclusions since 2023, but the questions lie around his long-term future with West Ham currently in a dogfight.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

Bowen will get real encouragement by the fact West Ham have just won back-to-back home games for the first time since last year, and the Irons are a club he absolutely adores. He put pen to paper on a long-term seven-year deal back in 2023, keeping him at the club until 2030, but those were very different times back then.

After his winner against Fiorentina in the Conference League final that year, which gifted West Ham their first major trophy since the 1980s, optimism around the London Stadium was high.

However, amid fan protests against the ownership and their steep decline in the last two years, speculation surrounding Bowen’s future is rife.

Liverpool are exploring a deal to sign Bowen ahead of 2026, with West Ham reportedly willing to consider selling their captain if they receive an ‘irresistible’ offer. The connection to Anfield isn’t new, but the circumstances have changed dramatically. Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp previously described Bowen as his favourite player outside his own squad, and Bowen actually shares an agent with Reds defender Andy Robertson.

Arne Slot’s side could be keen on the 28-year-old as an heir to Mohamed Salah, but he’s also been linked with the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle.

West Ham dealt Jarrod Bowen blow as Nuno faces fresh concern

That is according to CaughtOffside, who also report the star forward’s stance on leaving West Ham in 2026.

As per their information, it isn’t good news, with Bowen looking to leave West Ham next summer and potentially compete for a Champions League club to test his own ambitions.

With 130 goal contributions in 250 appearances since joining from Hull, Bowen’s contribution at West Ham absolutely dwarfs his teammates.

The fan favourite’s departure would leave a gaping void that West Ham’s current squad lacks the quality to fill. Beyond stats, Bowen embodies leadership, consistency and the ‘West Ham way’ during very turbulent times – qualities desperately needed as the club battles a drop to the Championship.

Selling a homegrown hero who married into East London royalty and delivered European glory would also come as a major disappointment to the fanbase.

Replacing Bowen’s goals, assists, work rate and leadership would require multiple signings, and perhaps even more than that.

The task would be David Sullivan’s biggest one yet, and amid all-time high unrest over his leadership, the chairman needs to tread carefully.

Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee made one of the most ridiculous catches of the 2025 MLB season Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Out in center field, Hoo Lee tried to chase down a ball hit by Yandy Diaz that was destined for Oracle Park's "Triple's Alley." The speedy outfielder was able to get in range, but bobbled the ball while attempting to make a sliding catch. The ball bounced off the heel of his glove and then bounced off his left leg as he slid. It rolled down to his knee, where he was somehow able to pin the ball between his legs and secure it for an out.

Have a look at the circus show Hoo Lee put on in front of the home crowd in San Francisco:

"I don't care what anybody says, that's the catch of the decade. Not of the year, not of the day, not of the week, not of the homestand. The decade," said NBC Sports Bay Area commentator Mike Krukow after the catch from Hoo Lee.

He may be right, too.