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Exatamente daqui uma semana, o Palmeiras enfim retornará ao Allianz Parque após mandar cinco jogos na Arena Barueri, por conta da reforma no gramado sintético da belíssima arena alviverde localizada na Pompéia, bairro da zona oeste da cidade.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPromessa do Palmeiras celebra renovação com o Verdão: ‘Transformou a vida da minha família!’Palmeiras21/03/2024PalmeirasAgora zagueiro no Palmeiras, Marcos Rocha fala sobre mudança: ‘Foi difícil aceitar’Palmeiras20/03/2024Campeonato PaulistaPalmeiras, Santos… Saiba datas, horários e onde assistir às semifinais do PaulistãoCampeonato Paulista20/03/2024

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Por conta da ausência do Verdão no bairro que cresceu em torno dele ao longo dos seus mais de 109 anos de história, muitos lojistas e comerciantes que dependem dos jogos pra sobreviver estão passando apuros neste início de temporada.

Segundo apuração do Lance!, em relação as lojas que vendem artigos oficiais do clube, a queda no faturamento em fevereiro e março chegou a quase 50%, e bares da região também sofrem com a queda de receita, inclusive um estabelecimento teve a água cortada pela Sabesp por falta de pagamento.

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– Os jogos movimentam muito a região, principalmente nessa época do ano, com lançamento de produtos, camisas de jogo e a linha de treino e viagem que foi lançada agora. O entorno vive em função do Palmeiras, e os jogos são essenciais para a sobrevivência das lojas, bares e restaurantes. Jogos por aqui despertam até a curiosidade em turistas que visitam São Paulo – disse um funcionário de uma loja que não quis se identificar.

Entre os cinco jogos que o Palmeiras teve que mandar em Barueri neste período, entre eles teve um clássico contra o Corinthians, um dos jogos em que o entorno do Allianz Parque mais fatura durante toda a temporada.

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– Tive uma queda de mais de 60% do meu faturamento. Os jogos do começo do ano são o nosso carro chefe, ficar sem esses jogos não foi fácil. A expectativa agora é a gente conseguir retomar, esperamos que o torcedor volte com muita sede e que o Palmeiras classifique pra final do Paulista – disse o dono de um bar na rua Caraíbas.

O retorno do Palmeiras para o Allianz Parque está marcado para a próxima quinta-feira (28), quando o Verdão encara o Novorizontino, pela semifinal do Paulistão 2024.

Pat Cummins is a chance of making a stunning comeback to Australia’s XI for the second Test against England at the Gabba with a final decision to be made by selectors on Wednesday afternoon following a further inspection of the pitch.Australia’s stand-in captain Steven Smith did not confirm the final XI on Wednesday’s press conference, with an update later in the day saying it would be named at the toss, keeping the door open for Cummins to return as captain and also leaving open the possibility of Australia excluding their sole specialist spinner Nathan Lyon for the second day-night Test in a row.Australia also need to replace injured opener Usman Khawaja, and Josh Inglis appears the favourite to come into a middle-order role ahead of Beau Webster, with Travis Head to shift up to open. But Smith could not confirm that either.Related

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“A whole heap of things I think are on the table,” Smith said. “We’ll wait and see what the wicket looks like, and from there we’ll determine a playing XI.”Cummins’ inclusion would be a surprise given he was not named in Australia’s 14-man squad for the Gabba Test when it was announced last Friday. However, he was never officially ruled out because of how well he had been bowling in the nets in Perth and Brisbane after recovering from the bone stress injury in his lower back.”He looks pretty good to me the way he’s bowled in the nets,” Smith said. “Obviously, games are a different intensity, for sure, but he’s tracking really nicely. He knows his body well, and yeah, we’ll wait and see.”There is a possibility that he could replace Brendan Doggett in the XI but that would come with risks regarding his workloads. Given he has not played any cricket since July, there would be more comfort among Australia’s medical staff if he played in an all-pace attack given his bowling loads would likely be less in such a scenario if Australia’s selectors decided Lyon was surplus to requirements in the pink-ball game.0:46

McGlashan: An unfortunate end if Khawaja’s Test career is over

Lyon was left out of Australia’s most recent day-night Test in Jamaica in July and only bowled one over in last year’s pink-ball Test in Adelaide against India. He also did not bowl a ball in Australia’s last Ashes day-night Test in Hobart in 2022. He only bowled two overs in the first Test in Perth, both of which came in the first innings, as England only batted for 67.3 overs across the two-day Test.Lyon did bowl 50 overs in the last day-night Test as the Gabba in 2024 but Smith wasn’t sure if he was assured of his place.”I’m not sure,” Smith said. “We’ll look at the surface, as I said, and we’ll sum things up from there. And I think here’s a place where Nathan’s done really well in the past. He’s a quality bowler. But we’ll weigh up the options and we’ll see how we go.”The Gabba surface has looked very green from afar in the build-up to the Test match. There is warm, dry weather expected in Brisbane for the first three days of the game.”It’s still quite grassy, a little soft,” Smith said. “It’s obviously going to bake under the sun again today, and I think [the curator] is going to take a little bit off it, so might look a little bit different in a couple hours’ time.”

Mitchell, Bracewell half-centuries seal four-wicket win in series opener in Mount Maunganui

Andrew Miller26-Oct-2025New Zealand 224 for 6 (Mitchell 78*, Bracewell 51, Carse 3-45) beat England 223 (Brook 135, Overton 46, Foulkes 4-41, Duffy 3-66) by four wickets There was a strong westerly wind blowing across the Bay Oval on Sunday afternoon. If you happened to cock your ear to the breeze during the first hour of play, you would have heard – clear as day – the sound of mocking laughter, floating across the Tasman Sea and down through the shires of Hobbiton.In a contest billed as the official start of the Ashes phoney war, England’s Australia-bound top-order produced a stunning false start. Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jacob Bethell – Ashes bankers, bolters and, as the Aussies might now contend, bottlers – all found themselves caught up in a catastrophic collapse of 10 for 4 in 5.1 overs that was precisely as serious as the discourse that it will generate.Related

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Jos Buttler soon joined the procession at 33 for 5, and it was a measure of the nonsensical scenario that – when Sam Curran nicked off at 56 for 6, to become the fourth wicket of Zak Foulkes’ remarkable maiden spell in ODI cricket – the time back home in the UK, thanks to the peculiarities of daylight-saving, was 1.59am: in other words, one minute prior to the contest’s original start-time.New Zealand duly wrapped up victory with time to spare as well, by four wickets and with 80 balls left unused, thanks to Michael Bracewell’s run-a-ball 51 and a 91-ball 78 from Daryl Mitchell that had to surmount its own dicey circumstances at 24 for 3, courtesy of Luke Wood and Brydon Carse’s new-ball breakthroughs – including a first-baller on his return to action for the great Kane Williamson, his first in 15 years of ODIs.Harry Brook carried England’s innings on his shoulders•Getty Images

And yet, the game would scarcely have outlasted one of last week’s rained-off T20Is had it not been for Harry Brook – England’s white-ball captain, Test vice-captain-elect, and a man in no mood to let circumstance dictate his game-plan. His response to his team’s extreme adversity was a startling lone-wolf innings of 135 from 101 balls that turned an impending humiliation into an almost serviceable total of 223 in 35.2 overs.It was Brook’s fourth century in the country, following his three hundreds across two previous Test tours, and – given the circumstances – it was more extraordinary even than his 186 at Wellington in 2023 which, for those who witnessed that onslaught, is saying something.Brook scored each of his first 36 runs in boundaries, en route to a total of nine fours and 11 sixes. The latter included three in a row off Jacob Duffy to reach his hundred from 82 balls, and four more thereafter, as he juiced 80 runs from England’s final two wickets in an innings in which just one other batter scored more than 6.That man was Jamie Overton, who contributed 46 from 54 balls in a seventh-wicket stand of 87 that wrested the momentum back from New Zealand, after Foulkes and Matt Henry had rumbled their way through 15 new-ball overs in a row. His performance had distinct echoes of a previous tussle with New Zealand – on Test debut in 2022, when he had arrived at a near-identical 55 for 6 and partnered Jonny Bairstow with a career-best 97.Once again, Overton fell short of a milestone in this innings, as he chipped a Duffy slower ball to cover, whereupon Carse joined the procession of Ashes-bound players by cutting his first ball straight to the returning Williamson at point. Brook, by then, had had one key let-off on 63, when Rachin Ravindra dropped a fast-travelling slog-sweep at square leg, but the power and clarity of his subsequent onslaught took the breath away.And to think Mitchell Santner hadn’t even been sure whether bowling first was the sensible option. Henry’s first ball of the match immediately laid any doubts to rest as he wrecked Smith’s first outing of the winter with a perfect stump-rattling inducker, one that deserved to rouse a few memories of Rory Burns’ catastrophic start to the 2021-22 Ashes proper.Brydon Carse removed Kane Williamson for his first golden duck in ODIs•Getty Images

Foulkes then ripped into the contest with the first-over wickets of Duckett, caught flinching outside off for 2, and Root, who stepped into a wild drive and was also bowled by lavish seam movement. Two Foulkes overs later, Bethell too had his off stump plucked out by a jaffa, and there seemed no earthly way for England’s innings to pull out of its death spiral.Brook, though, had other ideas. His 135 out of 223 comprised 60.53% of England’s innings, a new record that outdid Robin Smith’s legendary 167 not out against Australia in 1993 – which, coincidentally was another mighty knock that was unable to stave off ultimate defeat.England gave it a good crack, mind you. Carse, a star of last year’s Test-series win in New Zealand, matched Foulkes with two wickets in his opening over as Will Young was bowled by an inswinging yorker for 5 before Williamson snicked a first-ball snorter through to Buttler behind the stumps.Luke Wood then did for a free-flowing Ravindra, well caught by Overton at second slip as the bowler – remarkably – claimed his first List A wicket since 2019. And when Carse fired a wobble-seam delivery into Tom Latham’s shin for 24, New Zealand were 66 for 4 and in clear danger of frittering away their unbelievable start.Bracewell and Mitchell turned the tide in a fifth-wicket stand of 92, though they needed some luck along the way. Bracewell was dropped at slip on 2 by Root, in Overton’s opening over, while Mitchell had an even more glaring let-off on 33, when Wood at backward point dropped a sitter of a reverse-sweep off the legspin of Adil Rashid.With the requirement under control, however, New Zealand were able to play well within themselves – at least until Bracewell needlessly ran himself out with 66 still needed, whereupon Mitchell ramped New Zealand’s first six over fine leg to signal the final charge. Santner added two more in quick succession off Rashid before holing out to long-on for 27, but Mitchell launched the winning hit over backward square.The fireworks, and the talking points, however, had long since been and gone.

No play possible on third day with contest evenly poised

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025Day three of Sussex’s Championship game against Hampshire at Hove was abandoned without a ball bowled – the first day’s play to be lost this season.Morning showers delayed the start to day three at the 1st Central County Ground and when more persistent rain arrived at lunchtime umpires Nigel Llong and Rob White called play off at 2.15pm with puddles forming on a saturated outfield.Both teams will be hoping for an improvement in conditions tomorrow with Sussex needing 241 runs and Hampshire nine wickets to claim a victory that would ease any fears both counties have of being dragged into a relegation battle.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a pretty disappointing outing in his Home Run Derby debut.

The New York Yankees star only ended up hitting three total home runs during his three-minute period and was eliminated in the first round. He swung 37 times, but only crushed three of those pitches out of Truist Park. His three homers traveled 463 feet, 409 feet and 400 feet, and he wasn't able to hit one out during the bonus round.

Chisholm's outing caused him to instantly be eliminated from advancing in the Derby. All of the other seven participants hit at least 15 home runs in the first round.

Here's a summary of Chisholm's hits, via Home Run Report.

Chisholm's three home runs hit from 37 swings were the fewest in the first round since 2014, according to Jayson Stark. It's important to remember the format was different then, too.

It doesn't seem like Chisholm took the advice from his Yankees teammate and 2017 HR Derby winner Aaron Judge in regards to having fun and pretending to just take batting practice. Judge was there on the field watching Chisholm, and he was there to console him right after his round.

They’re building towards a strong squad for the tournament, but some concerns linger

Andrew McGlashan08-Nov-2025The damp final match of the T20I series in Brisbane brought an end to a run of 16 T20Is for Australia since late July against West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand and India. They won’t play again until after the T20 World Cup squad is named next February. Having come away with 10 wins and three defeats over the last four months, and used 21 players, it’s a good time to ask where they stand heading into that tournament.”I think it’s been an amazing couple of months of cricket for our team,” Mitchell Marsh said after the washout at the Gabba. “We’ve had a lot of moving parts, probably to do with the Ashes build-up, but I think we’ve played some really good and consistent cricket, and I’m really proud of the run we’ve had.”We set out to create a squad that can hopefully win us the World Cup. We wanted to make some slight changes after what we saw as a couple of failed attempts, so we’ve been consistent with that.”

Power and depth, but is there an Achilles heel?

It’s hardly reinventing the T20 wheel to emphasise power, but Australia have clearly stacked their line-up with pure hitters. And it has worked. Since the last T20 World Cup, they are the second-fastest scoring Full Member, marginally behind England.They were already strong in the powerplay – in the 12 months including the previous World Cup they ranked top – but have pushed things even further. They’ve been happy to trade wickets for tempo, helped by the presence of many frontline batters as true allrounders. They can bat down to No. 7 and still have an abundance of bowling options.Related

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Josh Inglis has spoken about working on the strength side of his game to regularly clear the ropes, while Cameron Green’s brute force in the West Indies, albeit on smaller grounds, was eye-catching.However, one vulnerability showed up against India, especially on slower, turning surfaces. India’s spinners caused problems, posing the question of whether Australia have a Plan B to navigate such circumstances.”The Indian surfaces that we’ll face generally will be very good in smaller grounds, so we’ve certainly played a consistent style we want to continue and now it’s about carrying that into the World Cup,” Marsh said.

David’s new role

A subtle but key shift in Australia’s planning has been the elevation of Tim David. Once seen only as a finisher, he was sometimes underused, playing only a limited number of deliveries. But over the last four series he has batted at No. 5 and, in Green’s absence, at No. 4, with destructive results.”He’s just gone up another level in the last six to 12 months,” Nathan Ellis said during the India series. “The coaching staff deserve credit. They’ve empowered him to back his natural game, given him freedom higher up the order – just don’t change the way you play. It’s freed him up tenfold.”His century in St Kitts was spectacular and he followed that with 83 off 52 balls against South Africa when Australia were in early trouble but refused to consolidate. Against India, he hammered 74 off 38 balls in Hobart.Before July he had never batted in the powerplay for Australia, but this year his strike rate in that period is 215.15, behind only Namibia’s Jan Frylinck.”In the powerplay, any ball you hit past the field is a boundary,” David said in Hobart. “You don’t have to hit over the fielders, so it can be a bit easier. It’s a new challenge for me, having not done it much, but I’m getting experience up the order now and trying to make the most of it.”

Winning batting first?

Marsh now sits 21 from 21 in terms of winning the toss and bowling first in T20Is. But he insists he’s not wedded to the tactic if conditions call for batting first. In this series, the one time they were forced to bat – when India won the toss in Hobart – they made 186 but couldn’t defend it.”There’s been a bit of talk about that hasn’t there?” Marsh said with a wry smile. “I often ask would I get asked the same question if I’ve batted first every time, so I don’t necessarily see it as an unusual tactic that we employ. There will be times when the conditions suit and we will bat first so we’re not closed-minded by that in any sense. But a lot of the grounds and a lot of the conditions that we face we feel that we’re best suited to chasing. [On] the day it’s 40 overs of cricket so as long as we score more runs than the other team we’ll win.”Hazlewood’s metronomic bowling and T20 smarts makes him nearly unplayable on some days•Getty Images

Hazlewood’s cutting edge

Mitchell Starc has retired from T20Is and it remains uncertain if Pat Cummins will be available for the T20 World Cup, even if he plays in the Ashes. Australia have built their T20 pace depth, but Josh Hazlewood remains a vital strike weapon. His presence was missed in the last three games against India. Across three series (he was rested for the West Indies matches after the Tests), he has only once gone for more than 30, when Dewald Brevis had a day out in Darwin.In his most recent outing against India at the MCG, he was almost unplayable with 3 for 13 as the ball nipped and bounced. Among bowlers with 100-plus powerplay deliveries this year, Hazlewood has the fifth-best economy rate, of 6.72.

Ellis: the variation king

You can’t discuss Australia’s pace attack without mentioning Ellis. After biding his time for an extended run in the team he has grasped it with both hands. Against India he took nine wickets – the most for Australia in a bilateral series – at an economy rate of 8.02. While known for his death bowling, Ellis is now trusted at any stage.Ellis’ hallmark is variation – he has a full range of slower balls – but he can be sharp when he wants to, as he showed with the bouncer to Abhishek Sharma in Hobart. Across 12 matches since the West Indies tour, he has 18 wickets and has only once gone for more than 40, but Ellis tries to distance himself from the numbers.”I think the role I’m doing now, and it’s hard in a stat-based game, but I really try not to live and die on the numbers,” Ellis said. “I think there’ll be games where I bowl one in the powerplay and three at the death and I might bowl well and go for heaps. I think that comes with the role. I’m really trying to not associate a good night or a bad night with numbers.”

Places up for debate

Injuries could yet play their part, but the majority of Australia’s likely World Cup squad appear locked in. Green will return as a middle-order option and, fitness permitting, offer another pace option. Ben Dwarshuis should have done enough to secure his spot, especially with fellow left-armer Spencer Johnson still sidelined.One call for the selectors will be whether to carry a specialist reserve wicketkeeper. If so, Matthew Short or Mitchell Owen could be squeezed out. If Cummins isn’t available, one pace-bowling slot could open up. The upcoming BBL season could could be a chance for 50-50 players to sway the selectors.Possible T20 World Cup squadMitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Matt Kuhnemann, Xavier Bartlett/Pat Cummins.

Despite registering an assist against Nottingham Forest, Leeds United attacker Brenden Aaronson has struggled to find his best form this season. Indeed, that strike he set up at the City Ground was only the second time in 2025/26 he’s chipped in with a goal or assist, despite playing 11 Premier League games.

It might not be a surprise to see the United States international struggling for form in the Premier League. Despite a dominant season in the Championship last term, former Leeds man Jon Newsome told BBC Radio Leeds that he doesn’t think he is “good enough to play in the Leeds United team.”

With Aaronson’s poor form continuing, it might lead Daniel Farke to look at alternative options on the right wing against Aston Villa.

Farke's options to replace Aaronson

One candidate to replace the American international against Villa is Wilfried Gnonto. The 22-year-old Italian is on the cusp of returning from a calf injury which has kept him out for most of the season, but Farke confirmed pre-match that his side have “not one player injured” this weekend.

Assuming the former Inter winger is back, he could get some involvement this weekend. Last term, Gnonto was excellent, scoring nine goals and assisting six in 43 second-tier games, and his direct nature could offer a new threat for Leeds.

However, given his recent fitness issues, this game may have come too soon for him to start.

An alternative option could be Jack Harrison. The 29-year-old Englishman has had a bit-part role this season in the Premier League, playing ten games, but featuring for just 262 minutes in total.

He is a player who certainly splits opinion at Elland Road. The former Everton loanee returned to the club this season after two years on Merseyside. He was not given a warm reception upon that return, though, and was booed by fans in preseason.

With Gnonto’s lack of game time and Harrison’s lack of form, there could be an ideal alternative to replace Aaronson.

Farke’s perfect Aaronson replacement

It would certainly be a fair call if Farke were to drop Aaronson from the side against Villa. He has struggled to have a real impact on the Leeds side this season, and has left a little to be desired creatively.

If the American were to be dropped from the side against the Villans, the man who could replace him is Daniel James. The Wales international has also not been fully fit this season, having racked up just eight Premier League appearances.

Yet, he played an hour for Wales over the last week as they beat Liechtenstein, a game in which he grabbed an assist, and North Macedonia, against whom he scored.

He is back fit and firing and in good form, which is a huge positive for Farke and Leeds.

Despite a lack of involvement this term, the former Manchester United star has previously impressed for the West Yorkshire side. In their Championship title win last term, he chipped in with a strong tally of 12 goals and nine assists in just 36 appearances.

He averaged 0.72 goal involvements per 90 minutes, which ranked him in the top 2% of Championship attackers.

James – 24/25 Championship stats

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile

Goals and assists

0.72

98th

Passes into penalty area

2.17

97th

Crosses into penalty area

0.9

96th

Goal-creating actions

0.52

90th

Progressive carries

4.04

87th

Stats from FBref

The Welsh international could hurt Villa in transition, too. It is no secret that he is lightning fast, with a top speed of 31kph, according to Speeds Database. Well, if Leeds decide to sit in a low block and hit Unai Emery’s side on the counterattack, James could be imperative to executing those fast transitional moments.

Statman Dave once described the 28-year-old as someone who is “unstoppable on the break.” If Leeds do decide their best way of winning is to try and hit the Villans on the counter, his pace and recent form in the final third could be pivotal.

It would be a bold call for Farke to drop one of his most trusted lieutenants in Aaronson, but James has the skillset to really hurt Villa and help his side pick up a huge win in dire circumstances.

Related Leeds flop is turning into an even bigger waste of money than Illan Meslier

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 20, 2025

“The final is the biggest stage, that’s the game that matters,” Chinelle Henry says ahead of the WCPL final, where her team, Barbados Royals, will be looking for their third title

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2025The Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) is in its fourth season, with the final lined up on Wednesday morning in Providence, and we will have the familiar sight of Barbados Royals in the middle, gunning for their third successive title. It’s a competition with just three teams, but Royals have been the dominant power, making all four finals, so “there was a lot riding on it,” when the WCPL began and Royals had to cope with the loss of regular captain Hayley Matthews. A shoulder injury left her on the sidelines and Chinelle Henry in the hot seat.”When she [Matthews] called me and asked me to be captain [because] she wasn’t going to be available, it was quite like, ‘yeah, just give me a moment to think about that’,” Henry said before taking on Guyana Amazon Warriors, the only team not to have won the title. Trinbago Knight Riders were the inaugural champions in 2022.”But I guess when [Matthews] asked, she was like, ‘you probably could be that person, because you have been around the team all the seasons before, as a senior player in the squad’, [despite] all the overseas players that we’ve had and even the captain in her own right in Chamari Athapaththu, who’s been brilliant helping me in the field in terms of decision-making and stuff like that.”Hayley is a big character, both on and off the field, and she has done a lot for us as a franchise. I think the girls have really stepped up. We’re in our fourth final, so that’s really something to talk about.”So far, the way we have been in the group games, there’s still a few areas to tighten up, but I think we are ready to compete in that final.”Royals have made the final winning all their four games this year, including the two against their opponents in the final, giving them a clear upper hand in the title fight.”Over the years, we have had a majority of the same girls playing on the team, so when it comes to culture, we already know what that’s like in terms of the players that we already have and the overseas players that we try to get into the squad,” Henry said. “Once they come in and get a feel of what the girls are about, everybody just fits right in and that’s what’s been the core thing for us this season.”Yes, Hayley’s not here, but how we play, how we come together as a group… she was here a few days ago, she had a few words for us, she will talk to me to say what she thinks, give a bit of advice, but it’s never anything to question my ability to lead the team. And that’s where she is really that person that trusts and believes in players and believes that players can step up when they need to. And, having done that, leading the Royals this season, it was just stepping into that spotlight and still playing my game.”The big star for Royals has been Athapaththu, who is 15 runs clear at the top of the run-scorers’ list with 169 runs in four innings, to go with seven wickets (second only to Amazon Warriors’ Laura Harris who has eight). Henry and Qiana Joseph have done their bit with the bat, but it has, at times, been a one-woman show.Chinelle Henry has played her part with the bat in Royals’ winning streak•CPL T20/Getty Images

“We have a lot of big characters in this group, and she is very passionate, and she loves what she does,” Henry said of Athapaththu. “To be the opener for this team and constantly coming up with runs for us and in the middle, when we are bowling, you can call on her and be like, we need to break a partnership or something, which happens, you know.”She is that person, you know, whenever you call on her, she puts up her hand and is ready to perform and is ready to do her all for the team. With somebody like her, a lot of us, a lot of the younger ones that we have, we really look to her in terms of advice, how she plays, how she thinks when she goes out, and she keeps it simple.”Going by the form Royals have shown in the earlier games this season, they are runaway favourites for the final.”The final is the biggest stage, that’s the game that matters. If we go into that game with a calm and clear mind, things that we have to do as a team and, I have said in a previous interview, we still haven’t got all the areas that we want to tick, all three boxes, the final will be the game to do that,” Henry said. “We know that and we have that in the back of our minds, and we go into Wednesday’s game with everything that we have and the girls are ready to fight. We’ve been in the finals and we know what it feels like to win finals, and we want to make it another one for us, so we go into the final with no complacency, we’re just going out there to fight and bring that trophy back home.”

Australian power-hitter belts five sixes before Welsh Fire mess up chase of 130

ECB Media20-Aug-2025A 19-ball half-century from Hilton Cartwright led Southern Brave to victory over Welsh Fire in a tight game in The Hundred.Cartwright made an unbeaten 51 to help Brave rally to 129 for 8, before Brave’s bowlers closed the game out with the ball in a topsy-turvy chase.Electing to bowl first in helpful conditions, Welsh Fire’s new-ball pairing of David Payne and Matt Henry were exceptional, bowling 20 of the first 25 deliveries.Henry in particular was relentless, dismissing Leus du Ploy and Jason Roy on the way to a remarkable return of 2 for 5 from 20 balls – the second-most economical figures in the short history of the Hundred.Brave skipper James Vince dug in, helping his side recover to 53 for 3 at halfway before eventually falling when he pulled a short ball from Chris Green straight down Saif Zaib’s throat at deep midwicket for 29.Enter Cartwright. The Aussie big-hitter went on the attack immediately, hitting five sixes, mixing power and innovation, as he reached a 19-ball half-century, finishing 51 not out as the Brave made 129 for 8.Jonny Bairstow’s lively start was not enough for the Fire•ECB/Getty Images

In the run chase, Jonny Bairstow came out swinging, hitting Craig Overton for two fours and a six in the first set. He then smashed Reece Topley for two fours as the Fire raced to 23 for 0 from the first 10 balls before he fell for 22, skying Overton to du Plooy in the ring.The chase ebbed backwards and forwards and with 20 balls left, Fire needed 27 to win with three wickets in hand and just the tail for company for Tom Kohler-Cadmore.Five wides from Jordan took some of the pressure off before four were taken from Jofra Archer’s final five, including Laurie Evans putting down David Payne behind the stumps to leave 16 required off 10.Kohler-Cadmore (25) then found Cartwright in the deep off Coles, leaving Payne and Henry – Fire’s heroes with the ball at the top of the day – to find the crucial 12 runs to take Fire to victory, from final five to be bowled by Jordan. He delivered a fine last five to ensure it was the Brave who got over the line.”That was an absolute thriller. It ebbed and flowed that whole second innings. The crowd got a bloody good game tonight,” Cartwright said. “I took the game on and it paid off, thankfully… It was an all-round team effort tonight. I thought the bowlers did an outstanding job to defend a small total.”

Manchester City have now identified a “top-level midfielder” as a priority target, joining a number of Europe’s top clubs in the race for his signature.

Man City set sights on Yaya Toure-esque midfielder

Despite his well-documented fallout with Pep Guardiola, Yaya Toure is undoubtedly a Man City legend, winning three Premier League titles, three EFL Cups and one FA Cup during his time at the Etihad Stadium.

The Ivorian, who is now working as Saudi Arabia’s assistant manager, posed a threat going forward throughout his time in England, scoring a whopping 20 goals during the 2013-14 Premier League season, while also amassing nine assists.

Since then, City’s style of play has changed, with Guardiola’s side reliant on Erling Haaland to provide the majority of their goals, and the Norwegian certainly hasn’t disappointed so far this season, averaging 1.05 goals per 90 in the Premier League, having found the back of the net 15 times.

However, Man City have now joined the race for an up-and-coming central midfielder with shades of Toure, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states they have identified Trabzonspor’s Christ Inao Oulai as a priority target.

Bayern Munich and Manchester United are also rivalling City for the 19-year-old’s signature, with all three clubs identifying him as one of their key teenage targets in Europe.

In his hometown of Yopougon in the Ivory Coast, the teenager is known as ‘Le Petit Yaya’, while City view him as a long-term partner for Rodri in midfield, and believe he could replace the Spaniard on a long-term basis.

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It could be difficult to get a deal over the line, however, with Trabzonspor unwilling to sanction a departure in January, and looking to receive £35m.

Christ Inao Oulai already a "top-level midfielder"

Former Premier League midfielder Michael Essien is a keen admirer of the Trabzonspor star, saying: “He’s a top-level midfielder, and he’s only 19 years old. I hope to see him one day wearing the Chelsea jersey.”

The two-time Ivory Coast international has emerged as a key player for the Turkish side this season, displaying his attacking prowess by chipping in with one goal and two assists in eight Super Lig matches.

Bernardo Silva’s future at Man City is up in the air, given that his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and it has been suggested that Guardiola is willing to let the Portugal international move on.

As such, it could be a savvy move to bring in a central midfielder with attacking qualities in January or the summer, and Inao Oulai is exhibiting very promising signs in the Super Lig.