Tactics Board: The Bumrah, Archer and Kuldeep overs will be pivotal

It’s a day match, the weather is iffy, the ground is traditionally low-scoring – where will England vs India be won and lost?

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shiva Jayaraman26-Jun-20241:33

Will India continue with three left-arm spinners against England?

Rohit-Kohli vs Archer and Co.

In the 20 balls he has faced from Jofra Archer in T20s, Rohit Sharma has been dismissed three times, scoring just 17 runs. Virat Kohli, meanwhile, has had a long-running struggle playing Moeen Ali, across formats. Moeen has got the better of Kohli ten times in international cricket. Six of those have come in Tests, three times in ODIs, and one in T20Is. In all T20 cricket, Moeen has got Kohli out twice, conceding 26 runs in 18 balls in the process. Moeen has also taken Rohit’s wicket twice in T20s, and conceded 21 runs off 13 deliveries.While Moeen’s numbers in the powerplay have not been strong this tournament – 40 runs off 24 balls with one wicket – England could turn to him to put early pressure on Rohit and Kohli, especially in a day match on a pitch that has favoured spin historically.ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia’s openers will be aware that Archer – economy of just over eight in the powerplay with three wickets – will pose difficult questions to them. Reece Topley, who has an economy rate of just over six and one wicket in the powerplay, will share the new ball with Archer, with Moeen possibly bowling at least one if not two overs to make use of the hard seam. England wouldn’t mind if Rohit and Kohli choose aggression, since they know the dice is loaded in their favour.

How about Dube at No. 3?

In case Rohit falls early, expect England to mount pressure by bowling spin from both ends against Kohli and Rishabh Pant, who has played at No. 3 throughout the World Cup. Kohli and Pant don’t have great strike rates against spin. In T20s since the start of 2021, Kohli has struck at 116.98 against spinners, Pant has a strike rate of 125.00.Will India then dare to push Shivam Dube ahead of Pant? Dube’s role has primarily been to attack spin and disrupt the opposition’s bowling plans in the middle overs.In all likelihood, though, India will not gamble at this stage of the tournament and persist with the batting order they have played with so far.

Archer vs Suryakumar and Hardik

England’s abundance of bowling allrounders allow them the luxury of keeping at least two overs of Archer for the death. In the three matches where he has bowled four overs, Archer has bowled two at the death only once – against South Africa, where he picked up the wickets of David Miller and Marco Jansen, and gave away 16 runs. He helped restrict the target, but England fell short anyway.ESPNcricinfo LtdIf Archer ends up bowling two at the death against India, it is likely he will come up against the power-hitting pair of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. And Archer won’t mind that one bit. In all T20s, Archer has dismissed Hardik three times and Suryakumar once. If that’s not too impressive, look at the batters’ strike rates against him: Hardik’s is 110.86 (46 balls, 51 runs) and Suryakumar’s is 121.73 (23 balls, 28 runs).

Attack Bumrah or play him out?

Jasprit Bumrah is the biggest hurdle for England to cross. Bumrah’s ability to execute his plans to the last dot, ball after ball, regardless of the phase he bowls in, the opponents, the importance of the match or format, makes him, as Osman Samiuddin noted during the 2023 ODI World Cup – a one of a kind.ESPNcricinfo LtdBumrah has usually delivered two overs in powerplays and the other two mostly at the death. Guyana is a venue where experts recommend going hard in the powerplay, after which scoring becomes tougher as the pitch slows down quickly. Jos Buttler and Phil Salt have been explosive in the powerplay, with England leading the run chart in the phase. Buttler, though, has been dismissed by Bumrah four times in 12 innings in T20s, scoring just 71 runs off 82 balls.When Buttler bats deep, he invariably has a positive influence on the match result. So if England want to go hard against Bumrah, they might leave that job to Salt and if that plan crashes, they can think about promoting Sam Curran as an aggressor at No. 3.

Match-up to watch: Buttler vs Kuldeep

If Buttler does end up batting deep, he will run into Kuldeep Yadav, who has been one of the best bowlers in the world in the last year across formats.ESPNcricinfo LtdButtler has always been hesitant to attack Kuldeep, as the numbers suggest: 87 runs off 63 deliveries while getting out three times. The most recent dismissal came in March during the IPL when Kuldeep forced his Delhi Capitals captain Pant to review successfully for lbw after Buttler attempted to reverse sweep him from middle stump.England’s batters have a good record against left-arm spin so they will hope not to be troubled by the pair of Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.The main challenge is likely to come from Kuldeep, whose economy of 6.02 against Full Member teams in the middle overs since 2022 is the (just about) second to Rashid Khan’s (6.00) among the 70 bowlers who have bowled 300 or more balls in this period.

Bigger talent than Anderson: Newcastle have 'one of the world's best teens'

Newcastle United need some fresh ideas. This much is clear after a turbulent start to the season that has left Eddie Howe searching for answers, his side 14th in the Premier League after 11 matches.

There are internal solutions available to the esteemed English coach, but there’s no question that he views St. James’ Park academy graduate Elliot Anderson as being the missing cog in the machine.

The Magpies reluctantly sold Anderson to Nottingham Forest for around £35m in 2024 to avoid PSR ramifications falling on their head. But now, the 23-year-old is flying, and his boyhood club want him back.

The latest on Newcastle's interest in Elliot Anderson

It is understood that Newcastle and Manchester United are the most likely clubs to do battle for Anderson’s signature next summer. Word on the street, however, is that Forest are set to demand a figure in excess of £100m.

Matches (starts)

37 (33)

11 (11)

Goals

2

1

Assists

6

1

Touches*

54.2

94.4

Accurate passes*

28.7 (82%)

62.1 (87%)

Chances created*

1.0

1.4

Dribbles*

1.0

1.3

Ball recoveries*

5.6

8.4

Tackles + interceptions*

2.5

3.5

Duels (won)*

6.5 (52%)

7.5 (55%)

That might be an exorbitant asking price, but we can see why the City Ground side would be so reluctant to part with their man. Anderson has grown into a world-beater of a midfielder, and he is emerging as the most likely candidate to partner Declan Rice in England’s midfield at the 2026 World Cup over the pond.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed, but with the Tricky Trees likely to prove difficult negotiators, don’t hold your breath.

However, it might be pleasing to note that PIF have been busy at the academy level, reinforcing the youth team with top talents capable of finding a way into Howe’s outfit.

And there’s one who might actually prove a bigger talent than Anderson, once given an opportunity to make his mark.

Newcastle have a bigger talent than Anderson

There has been a concerted effort toward raising Newcastle’s youth system over the past few years. And it is working, with prospects such as Vakhtang Salia added to the fold.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all fancied Dinamo Tbilisi’s talented forward this year, but it is a testament to Newcastle’s development that they won the race, enticing the youngster with a clear pathway toward the first team.

A versatile forward, Salia can play on either flank or in a central striking berth. In Ukraine, he scored eight goals and provided four assists across 57 matches for Dinamo’s seniors.

Salia only turned 18 in August, and it was then that his move to Tyneside was green-lit. However, it’s been a rocky start on English shores for the man who has been likened to Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal. He hasn’t played for United yet, injured early in his new start.

Journalist Graeme Bailey has described him as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world”, and with the right care and attention over the coming years, there is every reason that Salia could be fashioned into a superstar, so naturally gifted and with a physicality on the ball that suggests he could adapt to the brutality of the Premier League.

It is frustrating that Salia should have been disrupted in this way so early into his Newcastle career, but this will teach him about adversity, and in this, he could rival Anderson, who has weathered storms of his own before emerging as a superstar at the City Ground.

Woltemade will love him: Newcastle targeting a "top 5 manager in the world"

Newcastle are in dire straits in the Premier League at the moment.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 19, 2025

De mudança no regulamento a 'catadões': Tocantinense volta a ser disputado após oito meses suspenso

MatériaMais Notícias

da 888casino: As atenções de boa parte dos torcedores estão voltadas para o jogo de ida da final da Copa do Brasil, entre Atlético-MG e Athletico-PR, no Mineirão, às 17h30. Porém, neste domingo (12), outro desfecho também começará a ser escrito. Após incríveis oito meses de paralisação, o Campeonato Tocantinense de 2021 tem sua reta final retomada. Dos “catadões” à presença de andarilho ilustre, não faltam histórias na competição que, prevista para acabar no dia 30, definirá o representante do Tocantins na Copa Verde, Copa do Brasil e Série D de 2022.

da esport betPARALISAÇÕES EM MEIO À PANDEMIA E… NOVIDADE NO REGULAMENTO

O Estadual transcorreu entre 20 de fevereiro e 14 de março. Contudo, um decreto do Governo do Estado de Tocantins informou que, em virtude da escalada da pandemia de Covid-19, a partir do dia 16 competições esportivas estavam suspensas inicialmente por 15 dias. Em circular no dia 30, o Governo prorrogou o adiamento mas, mesmo assim, a FTF manteve dois jogos: a goleada do Palmas por 5 a 1 sobre o Araguacema e o empate em 1 a 1 do Capital com o Gurupi, ambos realizados com segurança particular.

Houve uma tentativa de realizar mais três partidas na semana seguinte mas, no dia 6, a competição foi novamente interrompida. A partida entre Palmas e Avaí, prevista para o estado, “migrou” para Belo Horizonte, onde o jogo também não pôde ser realizado devido a decreto de emergência sanitária. Por fim, o duelo foi para Cascavel (PR).

Realizado por oito clubes, o Tocantinense voltará no fim da primeira fase e ainda faltando as semifinais e finais. Mas trará uma decisão que causará impacto na edição de 2022.

– Devido à pandemia, nenhum clube será rebaixado. Com essa definição que aconteceu em abril, no ano que vem vamos ter dez clubes. Estamos muito honrados com este retorno das equipes que aceitaram o regresso para este fim de 2021, que até aproveitam esta edição para já aprontarem o time de olho de 2022. E que vê tudo certo na volta do Estadual – afirmou o superintendente da FTF, José Wilson Soares, ao LANCE!.

INTERPORTO: TÉCNICO QUE JÁ ELIMINOU ATLÉTICO-MG E APOSTAS PONTUAIS

A palavra reformulação permeia a retomada do Tocantinense de tal forma que também faz parte da rotina do líder da primeira fase com 12 pontos. O Interporto traz um nome de destaque inclusive em sua beira do gramado. Após ter ganho notoriedade ao comandar o Afogados que foi semifinalista do Pernambucano de 2019 e que, em 2020, eliminou o Atlético-MG na Copa do Brasil, o técnico Pedro Manta chegou para tirar o time portuense da fila.

– A gente já está treinando há um mês aqui, fazendo a montagem do elenco. Temos alguns remanescentes, mas a maioria é de reforços – e não titubeou:

– Agora que estamos classificados, sabemos que precisamos lutar muito para chegar à final – completou.

Manta contou que houve percalços para trazer jogadores sem o calendário organizado.

– Foi um hiato muito grande. Observamos mais atletas que atuavam em Séries A2, em times de Goiás… DIante do Gurupi e do Nova Conquista de Paraíso, não vou dizer que temos favoritismo, mas acho que a gente vem forte… – frisou.

Os retornos do goleiro Jean e do meia Tozin foram confirmados. O zagueiro Marcelo, o lateral Ítalo e o meia Jhonattan, do ASA, o meia Memo, do América-RN e o atacante Afonso, do CRB, são algumas das novidades.

O mandatário Weberson Tita admitiu que houve problemas devido ao adiamento.

– Foi muito dura essa longa paralisação. Estávamos na liderança, tínhamos um elenco muito forte e todos tinham encontrado um entrosamento difícil de conseguir – e destacou:

– Durante este período focamos em nossas categorias de base, que careciam de investimento. Acredito que voltamos mais fortes neste ano para concluirmos a disputa do Estadual -finalizar.

PALMAS CONTA COM TREINADOR PORTUGUÊS PARA BUSCAR O TETRA

Ainda com as cicatrizes deixadas pelo desastre aéreo que matou o então presidente Luiz Meira e mais quatro jogadores, o Palmas entra na lista de clubes brasileiros com treinadores vindos do exterior. Paulo Caroço (auxiliar que foi efetivado na temporada) reconhece que sofre com as turbulências do calendário tocantinense.

– O Campeonato Tocantinense tem sido muito peculiar, em especial nestes últimos dois anos. Não dá tempo de pensar muito em treinar variações. Além disot, tínhamos este ano um elenco preparado para a Série D, mas ele se desfez durante a paralisação – declarou.

Sua aposta será basicamente em jogadores jovens para classificar o Palmas, atualmente com dez pontos.

– Nossa ideia é de pensar em disputar a competição com a base, mais dois ou três jogadores. Mas a base terá uma prova de alto nivel, pois terá pela frente dois jogos de fase classificatória ao menos – apontou.

Caroço, que além de ter sido auxiliar do Tricolor passou pelo CTE Colatina, opina sobre o fato de seus compatriotas terem espaço no Brasil.

– É uma alegria enorme. Estamos em um momento muito bom. O Jorge Jesus e o Abel Ferreira têm apresentado uma interessante metodologia de trabalho para o futebol brasileiro. Aqui no Tocantins tentamos renovar as situações, mas as coisas são um pouco mais difíceis ainda – afirmou.

O confronto do Palmas com o Capital neste domingo (12) não contará com presença de público. Com a decisão da Prefeitura cancelar as festas de Natal e Ano Novo, o clube decidiu também não liberar a presença de torcedores para assistir ao jogo no Estádio Nilton Santos.

COM ‘CATADÕES’ E APOSTA ATÉ EM ‘RENATO GAÚCHO DA BAIXADA’

Também na lista de postulantes a semifinalistas, o Tocantinópolis e o Araguacema têm algumas coisas em comum. Além de estarem com dez pontos e em processo de reformulação, ambas as equipes têm só um jogo para definirem seus respectivos destinos na primeira fase.

– Foi muito difícil, em especial por sermos do interior. Nos reapresentamos no fim de 2020 para encerrar o Estadual de 2021. Depois, começamos de forma muito turbulenta a temporada atual. Veio a segunda, ou terceira… Aí parou em abril para ela retornar agora na Série D – disparou o mandatário do Tocantinópolis, Vagner Novais.

O clube deposita ficha basicamente em jogadores da região Norte e em clubes de menor investimento do Nordeste. O dirigente vê o duelo com o Palmas, no dia 18, no Estádio Ribeirão, como essencial.

– Dependemos só das nossas força para ganhar do Palmas (a partida é no dia 18). Os demais confrontos são bem duros – destacou.

O Araguacema, por sua vez, trouxe um planejamento bastante a toque de caixa. Na véspera da competição recomeçar, o clube anunciou seu novo técnico: Junior Gomes. O treinador, com passagens em clubes como Goytacaz e Nova Cidade (onde obteve o acesso à Série B1), ganhou o apelido de “Renato Gaúcho da Baixada”. Ele, inicialmente, “estreia” contra o Capital, no dia 18.

Dirigente do Peixe, Fábio Dias contou o que pesou para contratá-lo.

– Sem dúvida, o histórico dele – disse.

Além disto, detalhou que a busca por reformular a equipe já mira 2022. O intervalo será de um mês.

– Nosso elenco é todo renovado, mas só temos um jogo garantido, que é contra o Capital. Não tem sido nada fácil, só que estamos tentando a montagem do elenco para 2022 na sequência e inscrever todos até o dia 18. Se for para dispensar e recontratar, não damos conta. Já está sendo difícil agora… – desabafou.

O NC/Paraíso, com nove pontos, corre por fora nesta briga. Também com previsão de entrar em campo só no dia 18, contra o Interporto, O técnico Wilcemar Rodrigues também aposta na base para surpreender o favorito da competição.

-Estamos aproveitando uma base do nosso sub-20. Alguns atletas estão voltando e a gente tem de saber mesclar para encontrar a melhor forma do time atuar – e projetou o duelo com o líder da primeira fase:

– Não é fácil. Tem de matar um leão por dia, mas temos de saber derrubar. Os atletas sabem do perigo, que o futebol é o melhor esporte para pregar surpresas – concluiu.

ACOSTA NA ÁREA!

Entre os que não têm mais chance de classificação, o clube que mais desperta a curiosidade da torcida neste retorno do Tocantinense é o Capital. O andarilho Acosta, com passagens marcantes por Corinthians e Náutico, desembarcou no Rei do Cerrado.

O dirigente Ricardo Ricanato contou o que pesou para o acerto com o jogador de 44 anos, que também contabiliza passagens por clubes de diversos estados do país.

– A ideia de trazer o Acosta foi utilizá-lo nestes dois jogos foi sentir como seria o impacto de um jogador com o nome e a vivência dele no Campeonato Tocantinense. Em termos de público, de receptividade, de patrocinadores… É um projeto que fizemos para ele, que estava disposto a se aposentar, mas explicamos o projeto, ele se interessou e fará estes dois jogos. Conforme esse desempenho, se ele se se sentir à vontade para jogar, vamos tratar do contrato dele em relação a 2022, pois já temos uma visão diferente – e emendou:

– Nos dois jogos de 2021, vamos jogar basicamente com os meninos que foram campeões do Estadual Sub-20. Já em 2022, contrataremos uma equipe com atletas rodados para buscar o título – finalizou.

O técnico Guido Beltrão, da equipe sub-20 comandará o Rei do Cerrado nesta reta final do Tocantinense.

Acosta falou sobre o novo desafio em gramados brasileiros.

– Estava parado desde que tinha disputado o Campeonato Amazonense pelo Penarol. Depois, veio essa proposta para as duas partidas e já estou treinando. Estou em forma, fininho… Jogar com os meninos tem sido muito bom, dizem que eu corro muito – detalhou.

O uruguaio já adiantou sobre o que esperar do seu desempenho.

– Esperar o de sempre. Muito trabalho, estou me sentindo bem e com muita gana de fazer gols – garantiu.

Em seguida, ele brincou com o fato de ter cogitado a aposentadoria.

– Senti falta das chuteiras (risos). Agora vamos ver o que espera pela gente e, quem sabe, não continuo em 2022 – declarou.

Já Tocantins tomou uma medida drástica: com apenas uma partida por cumprir e também já eliminado, comunicou à Federação que não disputará o duelo com o Gurupi. Com isto, o Camaleão do Sul só entrará em campo neste domingo para enfrentar o Interporto.

– Encaramos isto com naturalidade, uma vez que ambas as equipes não têm possibilidades de classificação à próxima fase e também não há risco de descenso – disse o dirigente do Gurupi, Marcos Simão.

Para Simão, a decisão da FTF adiar o rebaixamento foi sensata.

– A pandemia trouxe sérios problemas financeiros inclusive em equipes mais tradicionais do futebol brasileiro. A mudança, justamente quando a pandemia estava em seu ápice, possibilitou evitar que clubes fossem rebaixados e tivessem ainda mais gastos dentro de uma mesma temporada atípica, pois a Série B seria disputada no segundo semestre – declarou.

SEMIFINAL NA VÉSPERA DE NATAL

A forma de adequar o calendário para terminar o Tocantinense em 2021 proporcionou uma situação inusitada. O jogo de volta da semifinal acontecerá inicialmente no dia 24 de dezembro.

O técnico do Interporto, Pedro Manta, reconheceu a situação delicada.

– Nesse caso é falta de datas mesmo. Vai ter de imprensar o calendário, temos de nos preparar para essa situação. Sabíamos que teria essa data uma em cima da outra e vamos para a guerra – afirmou.

Diretor de futebol do Palmas, Allan Meira avaliou.

– Recebemos a tabela com as datas da fase final e, embora sejam datas complicas em virtude do Natal e do Ano Novo, acredito que seja do interesse de todos que o campeonato seja finalizado o quanto antes para que a gente possa se organizar também para o calendário de janeiro – declarou.

A largada para a retomada do Campeonato Tocantinense é dada neste domingo (12). E pelo que a tabela prevê, o campeão vai iniciar a celebração do Réveillon com título.

Not Eze & Gyokeres: Arsenal pair look like the best since Bergkamp & Henry

Being the massive club they are, Arsenal have been blessed with truly world-class players over the years, players who have formed sensational partnerships.

One of the best examples of this has to be Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, who, to many fans, remain the greatest ever to don the Gunners’ famous red and white.

The pair played 216 competitive matches together from the 99/00 to 05/06 season in which they combined for 20 goals, averaged 2.10 points per game and, most crucially, won two Premier Leagues, three FA Cups and two Community Shields.

The dynamic duo were the faces of Arsenal’s most successful era, and it now looks like Mikel Arteta might have created the club’s best pairing since them – and no, it’s not the summer signings of Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres.

Why Eze & Gyokeres could be a brilliant duo for Arsenal

They might not be the pairing in question, nor are they even all that in sync at the moment, but there is every chance that Gyokeres and Eze could become a formidable duo for Arsenal by the season’s end.

Chalkboard

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

One reason is the Swede’s positioning and the impact he has on opposition defenders.

For example, while he is most certainly still finding his feet in the Premier League and hasn’t quite found his shooting boots, it’s becoming increasingly clear that when he’s leading the line, he drags opposition defenders towards him.

Unlike Kai Havertz’s last season, who liked to drop deep and link play, the former Sporting CP star is playing more like a traditional nine, and thanks to his runs in behind and imposing strength, is stretching defences.

This, in turn, makes space for his teammates like Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Eze, who should become more effective at exploiting that space the more comfortable he becomes playing in the right eight for the Gunners.

Another reason the two summer signings could form a brilliant partnership is down to the Englishman’s ability to move the ball up the pitch.

After all, with Gyokeres spending more time in and around the penalty area than Havertz did last season, the Gunners need to get the ball to him, and that is something a fully up-to-speed Eze should be able to do.

Eze’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Shots Total

3.31

Top 1%

SCA (Shot)

0.83

Top 1%

% of Dribblers Tackled

100.0%

Top 1%

Shots on Target

1.16

Top 4%

Pass Completion %

80.9%

Top 4%

GCA (Shot)

0.17

Top 4%

Pass Completion % (Medium)

84.7%

Top 8%

Successful Take-On %

58.8%

Top 8%

Assists

0.33

Top 12%

Through Balls

0.66

Top 12%

Touches (Mid 3rd)

21.88

Top 12%

Passes Attempted (Medium)

14.09

Top 15%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.50

Top 15%

All Stats via FBref

For example, FBref ranked him in the top 8% of players in the league this season for successful take-on percentage, the top 12% for assists and through balls and the top 15% for goal-creating actions, all per 90.

In other words, the former Palace star is someone who can and will get the ball to Gyokeres in dangerous areas this season, and will only get better at it as he further beds into the team.

With all that said, while the summer signings could well become a game-changing pair this season, Arteta already has a truly world-class duo in his side today.

Arsenal's world-class duo

Some impressive partnerships are beginning to form for Arsenal this season, such as Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber and Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori, but the best of the lot is undoubtedly the one between William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

After all, while the wide players are hugely important to the Gunners, their most significant strength is, without question, their incredible solidity at the back, which stems from the centre-backs more than anyone else.

For example, as things stand, the North Londoners have not conceded a single goal in the Champions League or League Cup, and have let in just three in the Premier League, one of which is that outrageous free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai.

If the Gunners keep up their incredible efforts at the back, they stand a brilliant chance of beating Chelsea’s astonishing record of just 15 goals conceded in the 04/05 season.

Also, while the two centre-backs haven’t played all ten league games together this season, they have made eight appearances as a duo.

With that said, what is their overall record when playing together?

Well, across all competitions, the Frenchman and Brazilian have appeared in 126 games alongside one another, in which the Gunners have conceded 115 goals, combined for one goal and averaged an impressive 2.15 points per game.

And if that is not enough, before the Palace game on Sunday, the pair had made 93 league appearances together, during which they’ve conceded 0.78 goals per game, putting them as the sixth-best centre-back pairing in Premier League history.

However, given they’ve taken another massive step forward this season, it doesn’t feel unrealistic that they could eventually replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić at the top of that table one day, as their average of 0.71 goals conceded a game isn’t that much better.

PL’s Best CB Pairings

Players

Games

Goals Against

Ferdinand & Vidic

120

0.71

Keown & Adams

97

0.73

Campbell & Toure

59

0.73

Terry & Carvalho

85

0.76

Lescott & Kompany

58

0.76

Gabriel & Saliba

93

0.78

Van Dijk & Matip

72

0.81

All Stats via Transfermarkt (Pre Palace)

Ultimately, with how well they’ve already played together, how much more impressive they’ve been this season and their ages, there is every chance that by the time they leave the club, Gabriel and Saliba could be viewed as Arsenal’s greatest ever duo.

Forget Eze: Arsenal's 8/10 star is becoming Arteta's most important player

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

By
Ethan Lamb

Oct 27, 2025

Virat Kohli jumps back into top five in T20I rankings; Jos Buttler moves up to 19th

India’s captain Virat Kohli has moved back into the top five of the ICC’s T20I rankings for batsmen, while England’s Jos Buttler jumped into the top 20 as a result of performances in the ongoing five-match series in Ahmedabad.Kohli, who has led the T20I rankings before and currently tops the ODI table, gained 47 rating points and moved up one slot after making unbeaten scores of 73 and 77 in the last two matches. Buttler meanwhile advanced five places to 19th after his match-winning 83 had fired England to a 2-1 lead on Tuesday.Jonny Bairstow, who shared a 77-run partnership with Buttler in the third T20I, jumped two places to 14th, while Jason Roy was rewarded for scores of 49 and 46 in the first two matches by moving up to 24th. In the bowlers’ rankings, Jofra Archer (34th), Mark Wood (39th) and Sam Curran (74th) all made gains.For India, Shreyas Iyer (31st) and Rishabh Pant (80th) made up ground in the batting list, while Washington Sundar (11th), Shardul Thakur (27th) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (45th) all advanced in the bowlers’ rankings.Related

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  • Stick or twist for England, India with series at stake

  • Test rankings: Pant, Rohit joint-seventh; Ashwin moves up to No. 2

  • Ashton Agar and Ish Sodhi move up in T20I bowlers' rankings

In the ODI rankings for batsmen, West Indies’ Shai Hope shot up to joint-seventh, after he had been named the Player of the Series against Sri Lanka for his recent scores of 110, 84 and 64. Following West Indies’ 3-0 series win, Nicholas Pooran (32nd), Evin Lewis (44th) and Darren Bravo (99th) also climbed up the rankings, while seamer Alzari Joseph advanced seven places to a career-best 27th in the bowlers’ list.Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi was the biggest mover in the Test rankings for batsmen, leaping 47 spots to 90th, after becoming the first person from his country to score a double-century, against Zimbabwe. The team’s captain Asghar Afghan, who scored 164 and shared a fourth-wicket stand of 307 with Shahidi, moved up to a career-best 65th on the list. Rashid Khan, who bowled almost 100 overs in the second Test, vaulted nine places to 32nd in the bowlers rankings.Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams, who had kept Afghanistan waiting with his defiant 151 after following on, moved to a career-high 24th on the batting list with 621 rating points, the most by any player from the country since Brendan Taylor in 2014.

Peter Handscomb's delight as Victoria's youngsters overturn their idols

The team are set to spend more time on the road due to Covid-19 but the captain is happy to do whatever is needed to keep the season going

Andrew McGlashan20-Feb-2021Through necessity Victoria are giving a number of young players a chance this season so the result at the SCG, where they overturned a strong New South Wales side, brought plenty of satisfaction for captain Peter Handscomb.In the off-season experienced quicks Peter Siddle and Chris Tremain departed to new states while Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell have seen their red-ball chances reduced to zero by Australia duty and the impact of Covid-19 bubbles. Added to that, on the resumption of the competition this week Will Pucovski has been ruled out for the season due to a shoulder injury.Over the last three days in Sydney, two players with a combined age of 38 played central roles in a tense four-wicket victory on a tricky surface that offered something for the bowlers throughout with Nathan Lyon a considerable danger in the last innings.Mitch Perry, the 20-year-old seamer, claimed match figures of 5 for 39 which included the scalp of Steven Smith in the first innings (Smith fell to 21-year-old Will Sutherland in the second, although was far from happy with the decision) and then Victoria’s run chase was lifted from a rocky 5 for 87 by an unbeaten 38 from 18-year-old Jake Fraser-McGurk who is regarded as one of the most exciting batting talents in Australia.Related

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Fraser-McGurk helps Victoria survive Lyon threat to secure victory

“Playing against a strong New South Wales team, we’ve got a few boys who grew up watching these blokes,” Handscomb said. “So to come out and have the chance to play against them was one thing and to walk away with the win, it’s even better.”.”Mitch, it’s only his third Shield game and we had a couple of things for him after his first two, he was a bit pretty, maybe bowled a bit too wide and didn’t make the batters play enough.”For him to turn that around so quickly and ask questions of some of the best batters in the world was just awesome. He’s come along in leaps and bounds in a couple of months, I’m pretty excited to see what he’s going to do for the rest of the season”Then obviously Rooster [Fraser-McGurk] at the end there, [he had a] pretty calm head, maybe it helped he was young and didn’t have any demons or anything, he just went out and batted the way he batted, he’s an exciting talent. I’m pretty pumped to see what he’s going to do.”While all teams have had challenges thrown at them this season due to the impacts of the pandemic, that has been more acute for Victoria. They had to do two weeks quarantine in Adelaide, with very limited training, before the hub earlier this season and ahead of this game had to abide by stay-at-home orders having flown into Sydney due to the recent outbreak in Melbourne.They have now had their next match, also against New South Wales, relocated to Bankstown in Sydney due to border restrictions in Melbourne but Handscomb was more than happy to take the pragmatic view.”We were quite lucky to play this game,” Handscomb said. “With everything that was going on, Covid playing its role in everything, I think we’re all pretty aware there are going to be mini-outbreaks and they are going to force border closures and whatnot. So to still be able to have this competition running and moving forward is awesome and a great credit to everyone who did that.”We love playing at home, we know our conditions pretty well and in a year where we’ve spent a fair bit of time away from home, it would have been nice to go back. But to keep the competition going and make sure everyone can keep the schedule as planned, we’re pretty happy to stay up here. We’ve got a couple of days off in Bondi so that’s not the worst spot in the world either.”

Raheem Sterling told he's nothing more than a '25-minute man' at Arsenal as ex-Man City star receives stark warning following Emirates switch

Raheem Sterling has been warned he may have to settle for a place on the Arsenal bench this season following his loan move from Chelsea.

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  • Sterling joined Arsenal on loan from Chelsea
  • Has made two substitute appearances so far
  • Lawrenson doubts he will be a major player
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    After being frozen out at Chelsea, the winger made a surprise deadline day move to north London and came on as a late substitute against Tottenham last Sunday and then again in the Champions League against Atalanta on Thursday.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    The England international will have his mind set on breaking into Mikel Arteta's starting XI, but ex-Liverpool and Ireland defender Mark Lawrenson says he will likely have to settle for making an impact off the bench.

  • WHAT LAWRENSON SAID

    "At Arsenal, I think Raheem Sterling will solely be used for squad depth, I don’t see him breaking into the starting team," he told . "I’d imagine that the manager will have already told him that he’ll be a 25-minute man each week and that will be it, unless he does well when he gets a chance."

  • Getty Images Sport

    WHAT NEXT FOR STERLING?

    The 29-year-old may be given another chance to impress under Arteta when they come up against his former team Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Bentancur endures international nightmare as Tottenham star slumps ahead of Arsenal

Tottenham travel to Arsenal on Sunday facing their toughest challenge of the season so far, knowing a positive result could transform their campaign but fully aware that history is stacked firmly against them.

Thomas Frank takes charge of his first North London derby as Spurs manager, inheriting a team whose season has been defined by mixed fortunes.

Spurs sit fifth in the Premier League table and owe that to their extraordinary away form, averaging a competition-high 2.60 points per game, with four wins and a draw from their five matches on the road.

This remarkable record places them top of the Premier League away form table and represents a real bright spot in an otherwise inconsistent campaign. Since their opening day victory against Burnley, Spurs have lost three and drawn two at home, averaging just 0.83 points per game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.

Tottenham shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw against Man United in their last outing, and boast impressive away stats with the joint-most goals scored (12) and the fewest conceded (three) on their travels.

The numbers suggest that when the Lilywhites play on enemy turf, they transform into a different proposition entirely. That being said, their record away to Arsenal is truly abysmal, having won just twice there in the league since the Premier League began.

The timing of this game could hardly be worse from an injury perspective either.

While star winger Mohammed Kudus should recover from a knock to face Arsenal, and Lucas Bergvall could be available after completing concussion protocols, we are still waiting for official confirmation on Randal Kolo Muani, Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Yves Bissouma and Kota Takai’s availability.

James Maddison is a certainty to miss the clash, and likely won’t return until June next year.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

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via Premier Injuries

Tottenham are also waiting to discover whether Pape Sarr will be fine to play after he picked up a knock on international duty with Senegal, but apart from that incident, Frank will be relieved to come through the break fairly unscathed.

Rodrigo Bentancur gets 2/10 in 'nightmare' Uruguay performance after 5-1 USA defeat

However, another player who endured a non-ideal international break was midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.

Frank has been urged to ditch the defensive midfield partnership of Bentancur and summer signing Joao Palhinha, despite their exceptional performances individually.

The former was recently awarded a brand-new contract after his promising start to 2025/2026, but a slump in form for Bentancur appears to have come at the worst time.

Bentancur endured a nightmare in Uruguay’s 5-1 defeat to the USA in Tampa, with South American news outlet El País handing him a lowly 2/10 rating for his performance, despite being given the captain’s armband by Marcelo Bielsa.

El País states that the 28-year-old was overrun in midfield and could never get a foothold against Mauricio Pochettino’s USA side, who eventually ran rampant on a real night to forget for him.

The former Juventus star was left out of Frank’s starting eleven to face United in favour of Sarr, but given the African’s knock against Brazil, Bentancur could well return to the line-up against Arsenal depending on developments.

Frank will be praying that Bentancur can put that Uruguay showing behind him and help to keep Arsenal at bay this Sunday.

Mohammad Rizwan breaks into top 10 for T20I batters

Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva move up in Test batting rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2021

Mohammad Rizwan gained five places to be placed 10th in the ICC men’s rankings for T20I batters•AFP/Getty Images

Mohammad Rizwan continued his rapid rise as a T20I batter by entering the top 10 in the ICC rankings on the back of his player-of-the-series performance in Zimbabwe.Rizwan hit 82* and 91* in the two matches Pakistan won, and that took him up five slots to tenth. He went past Eoin Morgan and Rohit Sharma on the table where Dawid Malan, Aaron Finch, Babar Azam, Devon Conway and Virat Kohli retained the top five positions.Haris Rauf was the other Pakistan player to make a noteworthy gain, up 17 places to 21st after taking four wickets in three matches.Zimbabwe, who won the second T20I to give themselves a chance of a rare series win, moved up one slot – past Ireland – to No. 11 in the team rankings, while Pakistan remained in fourth place. Elsewhere, Nepal’s victory in the T20I tri-series at home against Netherlands and Malaysia meant a move up (by one spot, past Scotland) to No 14, while Netherlands slipped from 17th to 18th and Malaysia stayed at No. 31.The drawn first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Pallekele had a number of major performances by the batters of the two sides, and that reflected in the Test batting rankings too.Dimuth Karunaratne’s career-best 244 helped him gain seven places to reach the 15th position. His 676 rating points was also his best since last January.The other Sri Lanka batter to move up was Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored 166, and was involved in a 345-run stand for the fourth wicket with Karunaratne in Sri Lanka’s only innings. He gained seven spots to reach his career-best 28th position.Among Bangladesh batters, Mominul Haque’s 11th Test century, and first overseas, took him from 35th to joint 31st, while Vishwa Fernando was the only bowler to have a decent haul, and his 4 for 96 in the first innings took him to 43rd place.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan slams Bangladesh's mentality after 'very ugly' dismissals

“Winning or losing today is not important. There’s no point bringing a good coach if this is their shot-selection”

Mohammad Isam23-May-2021Nazmul Hassan, the BCB president, has called into question Bangladesh’s shot-selection in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, their preparation ahead of this series, and the merit of using Liton Das as an opener in this format.Hassan made his comments at a press briefing during the innings break after Bangladesh had made 257 for 6 on a tricky surface in Dhaka, an unusually prompt response from the board chief, who usually waits till the end of a match before offering his reactions.”The BCB is trying to find out what’s happening, and why it is happening,” Hassan said. “Winning and losing today is not important. How many good balls or brilliant fielding got us out? Was our shot selection right? There’s no point bringing a good coach if this is their shot selection. We will talk about the coach later. First, we have to sit with the players to find out their mentality. Some of the outs [dismissals] were very ugly. There was no need to play those shots in that situation.”Hassan acknowledged that some of the Bangladesh batters were going through a lean patch, and said that “in his opinion” Das, who bats at No. 7 in Tests, would be better suited down the order in ODIs as well. Das and Mohammad Mithun both fell for ducks, with Das flaying outside offstump and Mithun trapped lbw while playing a paddle sweep.”Liton Das, Soumya [Sarkar] and [Mohammad] Mithun are capable players. People go through bad times. We will have to talk to the players and coaches. I can’t just take a sweeping decision from the top. It will become negative.”[Liton] can open in T20s, but my personal opinion is that he is better at No. 5 or 6. We have to sit with them. I don’t want to force anything on them. I don’t do that anymore. I think we will have a solution.”While Hassan said head coach Russell Domingo would have his contract renewed this year, he stressed on the need to ask questions and “find out the problem”.”If we don’t renew his contract, we would be needing someone as a back-up. We don’t have any such thoughts in this Covid situation with a World Cup coming up. This is the reality.”We haven’t had the chance to test them. If we ask him [Domingo] why they batted badly, he will point towards their shot-selection. What will be my reply? We first have to find out the problem. I can’t even sit with the players due to Covid. They don’t even allow me into the bio-bubble. What can I do?”Related

  • Sri Lanka look to arrest slide as Bangladesh eye series win

  • 'We know that the job is not done' – Tamim Iqbal after Bangladesh snap ten-match winless streak

  • Mushfiqur, Miraz give Bangladesh 1-0 lead despite Hasaranga heroics

  • First ODI on schedule after Covid-19 scare in Sri Lanka camp

  • Domingo wants Bangladesh 'to stick to basics, not try anything fancy'

While Bangladesh could theoretically top the World Cup Super League table if they win this series, their form across all formats has been erratic. The team has lost nine out of the last ten international matches. In fact, since the 2019 World Cup, Bangladesh have won only one international game against a higher-ranked side – the first T20I versus India in Delhi in November 2019.Besides a 3-0 ODI win against West Indies at the start of the year, Bangladesh have lost every other series they have played in 2021, including six consecutive defeats in New Zealand across formats.Hassan was displeased with Bangladesh’s preparation ahead of the Sri Lanka series.”Is this any type of preparation? We played ODIs and T20s in New Zealand after playing Tests. Then we played Tests in Sri Lanka. We are not having our usual procedure of preparation.”How much did they practice after coming back [from Sri Lanka]? They couldn’t practice one day due to rain. Then another day was missing due to permission. The bond of a training camp, where everyone is around, is missing. It is a difficult environment for us – continuously playing and being in repeated quarantines.”We are going to Zimbabwe, and then Australia, New Zealand and England are coming here. We have to abide by Covid protocols in every series. It is a problem for everyone but there are some countries who are continuously playing.”

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