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Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters will already be fearing the worst regarding their side’s bottom-of-the-table position in the Premier League.

Only a sorry two points have been accumulated so far this season, with the Old Gold hierarchy ultimately left with no choice but to sack Vitor Pereira, after Wolves slipped to their disastrous eighth loss of the campaign already away at Fulham on Saturday.

Now, the hunt is on to appoint a miracle worker in the West Midlands, who can turn around this awful start, with a whole host of names being tipped to take on the vacancy.

The latest on Wolves' hunt for a new manager

The only certainty at the moment is that Gary O’Neil will not be re-entering the Molineux dug-out.

Indeed, rumours had begun to circulate that O’Neil was the favourite to take over from Pereira and return in dramatic circumstances. But, the ex-AFC Bournemouth head coach has since withdrawn himself from the race, after holding advanced talks.

Moreover, Michael Carrick is also on Wolves’ radar, with the former Middlesbrough manager still looking for work after being let go by Boro.

With three caretaker matches in charge of Manchester United also under his belt, he could potentially relish the chance of being a saviour for Wolves in the top division.

Carrick’s replacement at the Riverside Stadium in Rob Edwards is also high up the alleged priority list, having previously lined up for Wolves as a player, before earning his managerial stripes at Luton Town and beyond.

Yet, the most out-there name being linked to the Wolves vacancy right now could be viewed as Erik ten Hag, with reports from ESPN indicating that the Dutchman is ‘interested’ in holding talks with the Molineux outfit over the vacant job.

It’s stated that Ten Hag would like to return to the Premier League after his torrid spell at Manchester United, having had his already tattered managerial reputation put through the wringer again when axed three games into his Bayer Leverkusen stint this season.

Still, even with his back-to-back failures hanging over him, ten Hag has been a success in his career elsewhere, as Wolves potentially prepare to welcome a new Nuno Espirito Santo-style figure to Molineux.

How Ten Hag can be Wolves' new Nuno Santo

Despite his sketchy recent track record, the ex-Ajax manager would also be seen as an upgrade on O’Neil walking through the door.

Indeed, despite being the butt of many a Red Devils joke by the time of his dismissal, the 55-year-old guided United to 44 top-flight wins from his 85 games in charge. O’Neil has only 25 league wins next to his name on the contrary.

With other high-profile managers also struggling to get a tune out of the Premier League giants, since he left the Theatre of Dreams, it’s clear the problems run far deeper in Manchester than just who occupies the stressful dug-out.

Nuno has also been up against it in the top division since exiting Wolves, with spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest not exactly going to plan. But, having overseen 73 wins in charge of the Old Gold in the top-flight, he is still heralded as one of the finest bosses they have possessed in the elite division in recent memory.

Despite his wobbles, Ten Hag will hope he will be seen as a similarly ambitious appointment, like when Nuno entered the Wolves dug-out in the Championship after successful stints in La Liga and Liga Portugal, when taking in his glittering managerial numbers above.

The unemployed boss collected three Eredivisie titles as manager of Ajax, with a Champions League semi-final run also being spearheaded by the Dutchman, who has been noted as being a “world-class” operator by his former United midfielder in Fred.

An FA Cup success also came his way during his hot-and-cold reign in Manchester, as the 55-year-old attempts to become a much-loved name at Molineux by steering Wolves away from certain relegation.

If he pulls that unbelievable feat off, he will definitely be seen as the second coming of Nuno – with Ten Hag also regularly setting his teams up in the Portuguese’s preferred 4-2-3-1 make-up – as another bold coup of an appointment potentially goes down a treat.

After all, landing Ten Hag would surely be seen as a more exciting development than retreading old ground with O’Neil.

Wolves want Rob Edwards after Gary O'Neil snub, timeline of appointment revealed

Is the former Luton Town boss the right man for the job?

ByHenry Jackson Nov 4, 2025

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•BCB

Aminul 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.”

CA said the incident occurred when the players were walking to a cafe on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2025Two Australian players were “touched inappropriately” by a motorcyclist in Indore, where they played South Africa in their final league game of the Women’s World Cup on Saturday. The incident occurred while the players were walking to a cafe on Thursday, the morning after Australia’s victory against England in Indore.”CA can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a cafe in Indore,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. “The matter was reported by team security to police, who are handling the matter.”Rajesh Dandotiya, the additional district commissioner of police, Indore crime branch, said they had made an arrest. “The security in-charge manager of the Australian team registered a complaint about inappropriate behaviour against two players. We carried out an intensive strategic operation and arrested the culprit, Aqeel. He belongs to Khajrana but now lives in Azad Nagar. He has an old criminal record.”The Indore Police Commissionerate held a meeting with the stakeholders, BCCI and MPCA, after which security protocols were put in place. We are examining where the security protocol was breached. The incident happened on October 23 around 11am and within the next six hours, we carried out an intensive strategic operation and arrested the culprit. The incident happened when they were headed to a cafe from hotel Radisson.”Devajit Saikia, BCCI secretary, described the incident as “very condemnable” and assured to “revisit our safety protocols if required.”The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) said in a statement that it was “deeply pained and shocked by the disturbing incident of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour with two players from the Australian Women’s Cricket Team in Indore. No woman should ever have to endure such trauma, and our thoughts and support are with those impacted by this distressing incident. This unfortunate event has deeply affected everyone from MPCA who cherishes the values of respect, safety, and dignity of women. It is truly inspiring to see the players rise above this painful experience and continue to compete with courage and determination, carrying the pride of their nation on their shoulders in the match against South Africa.”Over the years, Indore has earned a proud reputation as a safe venue for the visiting teams and dignitaries from other fields. It is deeply painful that the disorderly action of one individual has caused such harm and cast a shadow over the city’s image. As the host, MPCA extends sincere apologies to the Australian Women’s team for this deeply distressing and unfortunate incident while in our city known for safety, grace, and hospitality.”Australia ended the league stage on top of the World Cup points table and will play India in the second semi-final on October 30 in Navi Mumbai. South Africa will travel to Guwahati to play England in the first semi-final on October 29.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has declared that the weight of expectation lies firmly on Italy’s shoulders as his young side prepare for a daunting 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final away to the four-time champions. The March showdown in Italy on 26 March will mark the first step on what could be a remarkable path back to football’s grandest stage for both nations.Should Northern Ireland conjure an upset, they will face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later in a decisive, winner-takes-all play-off final for a coveted ticket to North America.

Two teams with ghosts of tournaments past

Italy’s recent record in World Cup qualifiers is nothing short of astonishing for a global heavyweight. They have missed the last two tournaments, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, both exits sealed by devastating play-off defeats and the Azzurri have not reached the finals since Brazil 2014. Northern Ireland’s own wait is even longer, stretching almost 40 years, but O’Neill believes that his side’s recent away performances prove they should not be dismissed. Despite away losses in Germany and Slovakia during the group phase, O’Neill believes that his players showed the resilience and quality needed to trouble elite opposition.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportO'Neill ready to take the fight to Italy

Northern Ireland qualified for the play-offs through their Nations League ranking despite finishing behind Germany and Slovakia in their World Cup qualifying group.

However, an upbeat O'Neill told reporters: "It's difficult to win away in international football and that is something this team still has to develop, but I take a lot of encouragement from the performances in Cologne and Slovakia where we were challenged and were missing key players in those games. We still gave a really good account of ourselves and were in the game in Germany for 70, 75 minutes. We were in the game in Slovakia right to the end and felt a little bit aggrieved by the nature of that result."

O'Neill wants his troops to turn the pressure dial up on an Italian squad already grappling with expectation and scrutiny.

"We have to make the game as difficult as possible for Italy and it will be difficult for them with the expectation they carry into the game," he said. "If we can add to that with how we play the game and the level of our performance, then who knows. We have an opportunity to go to a World Cup and we have to do everything possible to try to take it. What I will say to them is 'don't waste the opportunity'."

O'Neill wary of task ahead

The looming possibility of a third consecutive World Cup absence is unthinkable for a nation with Italy’s pedigree. Their previous two failures came in the most painful manner imaginable, play-off losses to Sweden in 2018 and a shocking defeat to North Macedonia in 2022. But O’Neill believes it is vital for his squad to avoid becoming distracted by Italy’s anxieties.

"The Italian team of now is not going to be the Italian team of eight years ago," he said.

"Not all their players are going to carry the burden of having been unsuccessful in play-off games. As a nation, they carry that burden, and the expectation of their crowd will be that they go to a World Cup. They have won it four times and are one of the heavyweights of world football, but those things are out of our control and our focus will be on how we are."

O'Neill expects a passionate Italian side to take the pitch and added: "Italy away is going to be a massive game, a great game for us to be involved in. The expectation and pressure is very much on the Italians, so we will need to use that in our favour. I know they've lost home and away to Norway and the bulk of their squad is based in Serie A. Gattuso is their manager, so you will expect them not to be lacking in passion.

"We have four months to prepare for this and look at Italy in close detail, so the work will start today and tomorrow. I suppose we would have preferred one of the other teams in Pot One, but to get to the World Cup, you're going to have to beat two good teams."

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Getty Images SportA defining moment awaits both nations

Two countries with proud football histories now stand on the brink of either redemption or renewed despair. For O’Neill and his young squad, belief is growing. However, for Italy, the stakes could not be higher, as another failure to qualify for the World Cup would be a dark spot. Gattuso has won the golden trophy wearing a blue jersey, and now it remains to be seen if he can inspire them to the main event after more than a decade. 

The New Zealand captain paid tribute to the team’s coaches who had shown faith during a long run of defeats

Shashank Kishore21-Oct-20243:54

Kerr, Halliday deliver World Cup glory to NZ

Long after the remnants of golden confetti and firecrackers that added to New Zealand’s moment of glory had been cleaned up following their trophy presentation, Sophie Devine and her band of women strolled towards the centre of the Dubai International Stadium.Some players kissed the turf as a mark of respect, others simply lay flat on their backs, arms spread out and eyes closed, soaking in the euphoria with the quiet calm of an empty stadium helping them connect with their inner sanctum.Then there were happy phone calls made back home to families who must’ve either stayed up all night or woken up early to watch them play. Melie Kerr played a Kiwi folk song on her guitar, Suzie Bates called for a huddle and made a rousing speech that was applauded wildly, Lea Tahuhu, with a trophy in one hand, a chilled beer in another, was showing off some funky dance moves, while Devine led the singing of their team song.Related

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Devine on New Zealand's T20 World Cup win: 'Hard to put into words what it means'

From schoolgirl dreamer to World Cup champion, Amelia Kerr bridges New Zealand's eras

The joyous mood was a reflection of how it was when New Zealand arrived at the ground for the final. Even if there was pressure, you couldn’t quite tell. Their first act upon entering the arena was to huddle near the boundary with Devine taking out a piece of paper and reading out from it to peels of frenzied laughter and back-slapping.”Well, we have a bit of a tradition before the start of each warm-up, someone gets nominated to do a joke of the day,” Devine revealed later, about their ritual. “I was in charge of a joke, but I had a number of them, but I’m not sure if I can repeat any of them unfortunately. We’ll keep it PG, but it’s just a nice way to lighten the mood and have a bit of a laugh before we get stuck into business.”Only last month, they were thrashed 3-0 by Australia to take their winless sequence to 10 matches. The top order looked wonky and was far too dependent on Kerr and Devine for bailouts that merely kept them in the game. They scrapped to stay alive, picking players on potential, and prayed they would come good.They landed in UAE as rank outsiders, not even dark horses, fully knowing their first match against India could make or break their campaign. It turns out they’d been preparing for it from a year out. The only bit of attention to detail they couldn’t account for was the change in venue. They’d been preparing to play amid tea gardens in Sylhet but ended up plotting India’s downfall around Dubai’s ring of fire.They laid down the marker right there, hitting 160 and using every bit of intel, like Devine’s knowledge of Smriti Mandhana’s propensity to step out to spin, having played with her at Royal Challengers Bengaluru. And then using that intel to set fields to target that weakness, like having a wide long-off and having her caught there inside the powerplay.That win should’ve galvanized them; instead, they were given jolted by Australia in their second game. From there, they went on a roll, gathering unstoppable momentum to beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies coming into Sunday’s final, where they went hard from get go, allowing no respite to the South African bowlers.Sophie Devine poses with the T20 World Cup trophy•ICC/Getty ImagesIn this journey of 18 months, mostly comprising new lows they kept plummeting to, like a 3-0 sweep in Australia or going through an entire summer in England without a win, Devine and co fed off crumbs of comfort. Like the satisfaction of bowling out Australia in the second T20I, even though they couldn’t chase it down. Or Georgia Plimmer, a teenage sensation, hitting her first fifty after averaging under 10 in her first year in T20Is.”It’s really hard to pinpoint one moment or one game,” Devine said when asked about the turning point in their journey between the end of the previous T20 World Cup to this one. “Probably most recently is that India game, though. I think that was probably the most complete performance we’ve had since the World Cup in South Africa and everything did come together.”As I said, it showed that belief and confidence in this group, and to put it together and to know that we could do it, I think was a massive moment for us and helped us on our journey to being here tonight with this [trophy] in front of us.

The New Zealand team having a nice sit down pitch side with the World Cup trophy and some chilled beverages pic.twitter.com/vBRnOMjLxb

— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) October 20, 2024

“So hard to pinpoint because there’s so much that goes into it. I mean everyone thinks about the games, but it’s the work that goes on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t see. But, yeah, I think if you’re talking about performances, that India one probably set the tone for us.”When Devine was crestfallen after a semi-final loss to New Zealand in 2016, she’d candidly reflected on how “not winning a World Cup trophy” despite having come close twice until then gave her sleepless nights. Now, sitting beside one, with a grin that didn’t leave her face from start to finish as she patiently answered questions, Devine doffed her hat to the coaching staff in her moment of glory.”Oh, I think the coaching staff don’t get enough credit,” Devine said. “They’re probably the first ones to get absolutely slammed by critics, media, outsiders, and they get forgotten when a team wins, but they have been outstanding. They’ve stood with every single one of us players and backed us and believed in us, given us the confidence to know that when we play our best, when we play the brand of cricket that we want to, you can win World Cups.”So, the likes of Ben Sawyer [head coach], Dean Brownlie [assistant coach] as well as Craig McMillan [batting coach] who’s recently on board, Paul Wiseman [spin consultant], but I also think back to Craig Howard who had a really important role with the spinners previous to that. I think about Andre Adams [former bowling coach] and his impact around the group.Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu celebrate New Zealand’s T20 World Cup win•ICC/Getty Images”There’s been so many people that have come into our environment and have added to it and have helped this team grow that to be able to, I guess, sit here with a World Cup trophy, it goes to them as well and everything that they’ve been able to give to the players, to the group, to New Zealand cricket.”I think so much has to go to them. Obviously, we’re the ones that do it out on the park, but the hours that they spend toiling away, planning, preparing players, Yeah, they really are the unsung heroes and so much credit has to go to them.”Devine’s sense of humour was also perfectly intact when asked what it meant to the people of New Zealand. “Yeah, great question,” she laughed. “I don’t know how much it means because, well, firstly it’s about 5am in the morning back in New Zealand, but I think the impact is going to take a bit of time to sink in.”We’ve spoken about it before, the 2000 World Cup [Cricinfo women’s World Cup, won by New Zealand] and the impact that had and that took years to see the numbers swell and the interest in cricket grow, and fingers crossed we can do that too back home as inspire that next generation of players.”But I think the great thing about being a Kiwi is we all get in behind each other. It doesn’t matter what sport you play. I think the amount of support we’ve had from fellow athletes, from members of the public, from celebrities, it’s been pretty cool to have that support and it does, it just shows you how connected New Zealand is and makes you really proud to be a Kiwi.”

Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan has replaced England allrounder Jordan Thompson in the MI Emirates squad for the ongoing ILT20 2025-26. Thompson has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.Rashid, 27, is no stranger to the MI franchise. He is the captain of MI Cape Town in SA20 and led them to their maiden title earlier this year against Sunrisers Eastern Cape. He has also played for MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC) in 2023 and 2024, but opted out this season. Rashid played two games for MI Emirates back in 2023, where he took four wickets.It has been learnt that Rashid will not be available for the entire ILT20, which runs till January 4, 2026 and is likely to be around until December 20 before travelling to South Africa for SA20 2025-26, where MI Cape Town play the season opener against Durban’s Super Giants on December 26.MI Emirates, the ILT20 2024 champions, will start this season against Gulf Giants in Dubai on December 4. Led by Kieron Pollard this season, they have reached the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons.The current season began on December 2, with Desert Vipers beating last year’s champions Dubai Capitals.

Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel rubbed further salt into Liverpool’s wounds as he celebrated like Alexander Isak after netting a hat-trick in his side’s 7-0 thrashing of the Reds’ Under-18s on Saturday. The highly-rated 15-year-old enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a remarkable performance which helped Darren Fletcher’s youngsters move up to third in the U18 Premier League table.

Another miserable afternoon for Liverpool

Liverpool fans are having a tough time currently, with the first team struggling under Arne Slot after having slipped to a ninth defeat in 12 games last time out in the Champions League against PSV. There was more misery on Saturday afternoon as Liverpool's Under-18s came up against bitter rivals United and slumped to a 7-0 defeat at the AXA Training Centre in the Premier League.

AdvertisementGabriel enhances reputation with hat-trick

United forward Gabriel put in another eye-catching display with a clinical hat-trick. The teenager showed brilliant skill, twisting and turning in the box to make it 2-0 to the Red Devils. He then escaped more defenders with another goal for 3-0 and then ensured he went home with the match ball by finishing off a well-worked move to wrap up the scoring late on for United. Gabriel also managed to troll Liverpool's struggling big-money signing Isak by imitating his goal celebration. It's the sort of performance that will have United fans purring about their rising star, who appears to have a very bright future ahead of him.

Amorim to call on JJ Gabriel?

The teenager, who was born in London and has spent time at the academies of Arsenal, Chelsea, and West Ham, has been at United since 2022. In that time, he has impressed through the club's age groups, so much so that he took part in the Red Devils' first-team training last month. The youngster, who earned a sponsorship with Nike at the age of 11, is understood to have taken part in a full 11 vs 11 practice game. Perhaps he will get more chances to play with Ruben Amorim's side in 2026.

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Getty/GOALWhat next for Man Utd wonderkid?

Gabriel, who is still too young to even play in the FA Youth Cup, will hope to continue his excellent scoring form when United's U18s host Newcastle's U18s next Saturday in a game between third and second in the division, respectively.

And who has played the most Tests without ever taking a catch?

Steven Lynch19-Aug-2025Bob Simpson, who died recently, had a ten-year gap in his Test career – was this the longest for Australia, or indeed anybody? asked David McCormack from Australia

Bob Simpson, who sadly died last week at the age of 89, had played 52 Tests when he originally retired, aged only 31, after the 1967-68 Australian season. But he returned to captain them again in 1977-78, when several first-choice players were unavailable as they had joined Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. Simpson was 41, but scored two centuries against India before captaining in the West Indies (which he had done before, in 1964-65). In all he played 62 Tests, scoring 4869 runs at 46.81. The highest of his ten centuries was his first, 311 against England at Old Trafford in 1964.There was a gap of nine years and 305 days between Simpson’s 52nd Test (against India in Sydney in January 1968) and his 53rd (also against India, in Brisbane in December 1977). That’s the longest such gap for Australia in Tests, but leaves him quite a way down the overall list.The offspinner John Traicos tops the list: he went 22 years 222 days between playing for South Africa in March 1970 and appearing in Zimbabwe’s inaugural Test, against India in Harare in October 1992. George Gunn of England and Pakistan’s Younis Ahmed both went more than 17 years between Test appearances.Simpson missed 71 Test matches during his absence, and lies third on that particular list for Australia, behind Brad Hogg and Tim Paine, who both missed 78. The overall list is headed by the England offspinner Gareth Batty, who was not selected in 142 successive Tests between June 2005 and October 2016.Who has played the most Test matches without ever taking a catch? And what’s the record for ODIs and T20Is? asked Zaheer Ahmed from the United States

I’ve answered this before, but not for a while I think, and it’s worth doing again as Zimbabwe’s Tendai Chatara has (possibly temporarily) joined four other men who have played ten Tests without ever taking a catch. The others are Australia’s Chuck Fleetwood-Smith, Imran Khan of Pakistan (the recent bowler, not the famous captain), India’s Abey Kuruvilla and Jayananda Warnaweera of Sri Lanka.In ODIs, the Pakistan seamer Ata-ur-Rehman played no fewer than 30 matches without ever holding on to a catch: he’s well clear of the next man, Zimbabwe’s Piet Rinke with 18.In T20 internationals, Chirag Suri of UAE has played 31 matches so far without taking a catch, while Hungary’s Ali Farasat has drawn a blank in 22. Australia’s Billy Stanlake has played 19 T20Is without a catch, as has Rwanda’s Yvan Mitari.For the women, Pakistan’s Sharmeen Khan played 26 ODIs without taking a catch and Jiska Howard of Netherlands 21. In T20Is, the Singapore offspinner Haresh Dhavina has so far played no fewer than 49 matches without a catch, and Harjivan Bhullar 43 for Austria.Has any captain ever done less than Mitchell Santner in the second Test against Zimbabwe? He only bowled one over and didn’t bat… at least he took a few catches! asked Christopher McKenna from New Zealand

I don’t suppose Mitchell Santner was too bothered by his slim pickings in Bulawayo, since his side won by an innings and he ended up with two wins out of two as captain! He wasn’t required to bat, bowled one over for four runs, but did take three catches.There are 18 instances of a captain not batting or bowling in a Test, most of them rain-affected matches – it includes successive games for England’s Arthur Carr during the 1926 Ashes, and rival captains Tom Lowry (New Zealand) and Harold Gilligan (England) in a soggy match in Auckland in February 1930. The previous two instances were both in 2023, by Ben Stokes for England against Ireland at Lord’s in June, and the injured Temba Bavuma for South Africa vs India in Centurion in December.There’s one other instance of a captain not batting but bowling just one over in the Test, by Jackie Grant in West Indies’ innings victory over England in Kingston in 1935.Ben Stokes neither batted nor bowled but did take one catch when he captained England to a ten-wicket win against Ireland at Lord’s in 2023•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesOn his Test debut in 2019, George Linde scored the most runs in the match and also took the most wickets for South Africa. Has anyone else done this on debut? asked James King from South Africa

South Africa’s George Linde scored 37 and 27, and also took 4 for 133, on his debut against India in Ranchi in 2019.He was only the second man to make the most runs and take more wickets than any other team-mate on his Test debut, after Roger Blunt, who scored 52 runs and also took five wickets with his legbreaks against England in Christchurch in 1930, in New Zealand’s first-ever Test match.Two other players scored the most runs, and were the equal-top wicket-taker in their first Test: Tinashe Panyangara, with 50 runs (from No. 11) and three wickets for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka in Harare in 2004 (Blessing Mahwire also took three wickets), and Alick Athanaze, who top-scored in both innings with 47 and 28 and also took a wicket for West Indies vs India in Roseau (Dominica) in 2023. Athanaze was one of five West Indian bowlers who took a solitary wicket in that match.As a follow-up to last week’s question about Brendan Taylor, did Zimbabwe have the oldest average age for any Test team? asked Anandh Subramanian from India

The team in Bulawayo was Zimbabwe’s oldest in a Test, with an average age of 32 years 111 days: apart from the nearly-40s, most of the others were relatively young. Zimbabwe’s previous-oldest team was against England at Trent Bridge earlier in the year, with an average age of 31 years 133 days (Taylor wasn’t in that one).Buit it’s a long way down the overall list of the oldest teams: there have actually been 156 XIs with a higher average age. The top four places are occupied by England in the four Tests in the West Indies in 1929-30, when their side included two 50-year-olds in Wilfred Rhodes (who was actually 52) and George Gunn, two fortysomethings in Nigel Haig and Patsy Hendren, and 39-year-old Andy Sandham, who scored Test cricket’s first triple-century in the final Test in Kingston, when the team’s average age was 37 years 188 days.The oldest in the current century was Australia’s team in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June 2025, which had an average age of 33 years 156 days – only Cameron Green was under 30.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Fulham are now considering a move for Brendan Rodgers as a replacement for Marco Silva, with their current manager being heavily tipped to join a rival Premier League club.

Silva is under pressure at Craven Cottage, as a result of his side’s poor start to the Premier League season, now sitting in 15th place and just one point above the relegation zone after the 2-0 defeat against Everton at the weekend.

The 48-year-old is the third longest-serving manager in the top flight, behind only Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola, having been in charge since July 2021, but his future is now in doubt, having been unwilling to commit to a contract extension.

Consequently, the club hierarchy may need to start thinking about replacements, and they are weighing up a move for a former Premier League manager…

Fulham considering Brendan Rodgers as Marco Silva replacement

According to 67 Hail Hail’s transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey, Fulham are now considering Rodgers as a replacement for Silva, with the Northern Irishman available after resigning from his role as Celtic manager last month.

Not only is the Portuguese manager at risk of being sacked, but he has also been heavily tipped to take over at Nottingham Forest in the future, given his relationship with controversial owner Evangelos Marinakis.

It is unclear whether the 52-year-old would be willing to make the move to Craven Cottage, but there are plenty of indications that he would be a solid long-term replacement for Silva.

In his most recent Premier League job, the Carnlough-born manager impressed considerably, with Gabriel Agbonlahor describing him as “world-class” courtesy of the work he did at Leicester City.

The ex-Leicester boss led the Foxes to FA Cup glory in the 2020-21 campaign, which he followed up with a victory in the Community Shield ahead of the following season.

The former Celtic manager also knows what it takes to win, having led the Hoops to 11 trophies during his two stints at Parkhead, winning two trebles on the spin across the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns.

Silva has arguably taken Fulham as far as he can, given their performances this season, and Rodgers has proven he could be an excellent replacement.

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Nov 8, 2025

Aitor Karanka, sporting director of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), assured that there were no tensions between the organisation and Barcelona following Lamine Yamal's shock exit from the Spain squad on Tuesday. Karanka quashed any speculation suggesting further bad blood between the two entities, claiming that the communication with the Catalans is "fantastic."

Spain and Luis de la Fuente shocked by Yamal exit

The Spanish national team and head coach Luis de la Fuente, were handed a hammer blow on Tuesday morning following the release of Yamal from the Spain squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey on November 15 and 18. The Barcelona superstar underwent invasive radiofrequency therapy to battle with his ongoing struggles due to pubalgia. He is set to be out for the next seven to 10 days. 

The medical procedure Yamal underwent left the Spanish football federation (RFEF) "surprised", claiming in their official statement that the "procedure was performed without prior notification to the national team's medical staff, who only became aware of the details through a report received at 10:40 p.m. last night."

On Tuesday, De la Fuente shared his thoughts and was perplexed because of the situation. “There are procedures that take place outside the Federation's control," he told . "That's what happens, we have to accept it. I've never experienced a situation like this before. I don't think it's very normal. It has surprised us all. You don't have any news, you don't know any details, and on top of that, it's a health issue, so you're left surprised.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSpanish FA director confirms there's no anger over Yamal's release

Karanka, who serves as the sporting director of the RFEF, downplayed the noise surrounding Yamal's shock withdrawal from the Spain squad. He assured that the communication between the federation and all the clubs was top-notch, adding that it was in Yamal's best interests to focus on his recovery.

“Discomfort? That’s no longer my concern, it’s a matter for the doctors," he said. "I’ve always said, even yesterday, that communication with all the clubs has been fantastic. I was in contact with Deco until this morning, when the decision was made. And it was done for the boy’s benefit, so that he recovers as soon as possible. The better he is at his club, the better he’ll be for the national team. The national team coach was with him last night and this morning, before he was dropped from the squad.”

“We were happy because Lamine was getting back to his best; he played a great game against Club Brugge and scored in Vigo the other day. We were eager to see him again, but he has these niggles and what we want, both the national team and Barça, is for him to return to being the player who dazzled us not long ago.”

Karanka addresses Hansi Flick's words

Flick was infuriated after Yamal suffered a knock in the September international break and publicly voiced his frustrations over the national team and De la Fuente's handling of the player. "Lamine Yamal will not be available. He went with the national team in pain and did not train," Flick said at the time. "They gave him painkillers to play. They had at least a three-goal lead in every match, and he played 73 minutes and 79, and between matches he couldn't train. That is not taking care of the player. I am very sad about this."

Later, in October, he defended his comments from earlier, adding: "I want to protect my player, support him, this is what it is. A lot of things happened. This is, for me, done. I have no bad things about this situation. I know it from the other side. It's not easy for me. It's not easy for [De la Fuente]. I must protect my player; this is the reason I made it a little louder than normally I want to do it. I don't regret this. Now, the important thing is managing this together. The players, the clubs and the Spanish Federation [RFEF]. We have to manage it together."

Karanka, however, was not too keen on adding fuel to the fire, opting to be diplomatic instead. When asked to address Flick's statements, the former Real Madrid defender said: “That's already happened. Today's situation demonstrates that the national team takes care not only of Lamine, but of all its players. When a medical report indicates a potential risk of injury, the player is sent back to his club.”

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AFPWhen is Yamal expected to play again?

The 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up will dedicate the international break to recovery work, as persistent pubalgia threatens to prolong his battle for full fitness. However, it is likely that he will be available for the league clash against Athletic Club on November 22.