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We’re less than one month away from the end of the 2024/25 campaign, a year of shifting emotions for those of an Everton persuasion.

The Toffees started off dismally, losing their opening four fixtures of the season under Sean Dyche’s wing and lacking any semblance of spirit or invention. When The Friedkin Group took over and ended the interminable pursuit of new ownership, they (re)appointed David Moyes in January.

Now, hope has been restored. Everton are 13th in the Premier League with just a few matches to go, relegation fears long in the past.

However, with as many as 15 senior players departing this summer, there’s plenty of work to be done, and who can argue that strengthening the frontline ahead of the move to Bramley Moore isn’t the priority?

Everton ready to sign new forward

The Toffees are rightly in the market for a new forward this summer, particularly given Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s struggles and the fact that his contract expires in a few months time.

So, who could head to the new stadium and join Moyes’ revolution?

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Well, according to GIVEMESPORT, Moyes has decided to earmark Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison, with the Brazilian identified as the ‘dream’ target.

Richarlison, of course, spent four seasons at Goodison Park before transferring to Spurs in a £60m deal back in 2022, but it hasn’t worked out and both parties appear ready to cut their losses.

The 28-year-old wouldn’t come cheap, however, priced at no less than £40m, given Tottenham face a sell-to-buy scenario this summer.

Amid those claims, it’s stated that Everton are seriously weighing up a summer offer.

Why Everton should re-sign Richarlison

Richarlison is a versatile forward with a fiery personality that he uses to his advantage more often than not. It’s all come down like a house of cards at Tottenham, but that’s not to say he’s been poor, rebounding from a tough first season to provide a comparative clinical edge.

If Moyes can get him firing, it would be sure to dynamise Everton’s frontline. Currently, Iliman Ndiaye carries quite a weight on his shoulders, recognised as a “relentless forward” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, who “could be at least a squad player in every Prem team.”

Having scored nine times across all competitions since signing for Everton from Marseille in a £15m deal, Ndiaye has been one of the brightest sparks, with his silky movements and sharpness in the danger area making him a dangerous presence against any opponent.

However, Richarlison at his best could be the new cream of the crop, having already proved himself a £60m player as a Blue in the past.

Although his debut campaign in the capital didn’t go to plan, Richarlison has returned to prolific form in the two terms spent under Ange Postecoglou. If Moyes can solve the forward’s injury problems, there’s no question that he could usurp Ndiaye and take the tag of Everton’s best player next season.

The stats are on his side. As per FBref, Richarlison ranks among the top 8% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 11% for assists, the top 19% for progressive carries, the top 14% for tackles and the top 2% for clearances per 90.

With a firmly embedded goalscoring quality, a raw athleticism and a tried-and-tested past on Merseyside, Richarlison could be a “constant nuisance for defenders” under Moyes’ wing, as he has been described before by Postecoglou.

Of course, there’s nothing to say that the two mavericks couldn’t work in conjunction at Everton next year, Ndiaye charging down the left flank while Richarlison looks to add to his 53 goals for the Merseyside outfit.

If the Tottenham man can reach his highest level, there’s no question he could be Moyes’ standout star.

He won't start again: TFG must finally axe Everton's new Phil Neville

Recent results have shown Everton need a sweep of fresh faces in the transfer market this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Apr 28, 2025

Aston Villa are now “closing in” on a personal terms agreement with a “decisive” attacker, and they are confident they will be able to get a deal done, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Villa's Champions League hopes take hit

Villa were handed a major setback in their pursuit of the Champions League places on Tuesday night, falling to a late 2-1 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, in what could prove to be a real six-pointer.

That said, the Villans had been victorious in their five previous Premier League outings, having kicked on in the second half of the season, with the likes of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford making a difference since arriving on loan.

Performances suggest Unai Emery doesn’t need to introduce too many new faces to his squad this summer, but there may be a desire to bring in a new striker, having sold Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr at a late stage in the January transfer window.

Emery is also eager to bring in a new midfielder, with the manager said to be a fan of Athletic Bilbao maestro Oihan Sancet, who has been in fantastic form this season, netting 15 goals in La Liga.

Sancet could be capable of making an instant impact at Villa Park, but an up-and-coming prospect has also been identified as a target in midfield, namely Rosenborg’s Sverre Nypan, who could be available for a fee of around £12.5m this summer amid Monchi’s trip to Norway over the weekend.

Romano has dropped a new update on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Nypan, taking to X to state they are “closing in on the agreement” over personal terms, with just the final details left to be sorted.

Talks with Rosenborg are set to follow, in order to strike an agreement on a transfer fee, and Villa are “confident” they will be able to get a deal over the line.

Romano: Aston Villa star club are "happy" with could leave for right offer

He’s future at Villa Park isn’t guaranteed.

By
Barney Lane

Apr 22, 2025

"Decisive" Nypan is one for the future

The Norwegian is yet to prove himself outside his home country, so it is unclear how quickly he would be able to adapt to life in the Premier League, but his performances for Rosenborg have been very promising.

The 18-year-old is particularly impressive in an attacking sense, picking up 14 goals and 11 assists in 63 appearances for the Norwegian club, while he has also received praise for his playmaking abilities from freelance scout Ben Mattinson.

Nypan is showing very promising signs in Norway, so it is exciting news that Villa could be set to win the race for his signature, despite being linked to some of the Premier League’s top clubs earlier this season.

Well, after a thumping win away at the weekend, Arsenal returned to form with yet another draw last night.

The result against Crystal Palace was the North Londoners’ 13th tie of the Premier League season, and while it wasn’t a total disaster, it would not have been what Mikel Arteta would have wanted to see ahead of next week’s colossal Champions League game.

From practically the first minute to the last, it felt like a game played in slow motion, and aside from Jakub Kiwior and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Leandro Trossard – the Gunners’ goalscorers – the entire starting lineup was poor.

That said, there were at least a couple of players that stood out as being particularly disappointing, such as William Saliba.

Saliba's performance vs Crystal Palace

Now, it should be said that away to Real Madrid last week, Saliba was almost perfect right up until he lazily gave the ball away to Vinícius Jr mid-way through the second half.

Unfortunately, instead of putting together a solid performance ahead of next week, the Frenchman made another silly mistake when, entirely unforced, he passed the ball to Jean-Philippe Mateta close to the box, who then saw David Raya off his line and pulled off a brilliant finish.

It was the sort of mistake fans might have been worried about Kiwior making, but instead, the Polish international was once again assured at the back while the former Saint-Étienne gem struggled.

We weren’t the only ones disappointed by the Bondy-born monster either, as Arsenal writer Charles Watts gave him a paltry 5/10 match rating at full-time, describing him as a ‘bit off it,’ which may be rather kind.

With all that said, there can be no doubting Saliba’s immense ability and importance to the team, so he should still be starting the game on Tuesday.

However, the same cannot be said for one of his fellow starters last night.

Arsenal's biggest underperformer against Crystal Palace

Now, as we’ve already said, there were a number of players who let themselves down last night, from Raya to Gabriel Martinelli, but only one starter was so dismally poor that he should not start another game for the club: Raheem Sterling.

Yes, in what was just his 12th inclusion in a starting lineup for the Gunners this term, the Chelsea loanee might have managed to put in his most lacklustre showing yet.

Unlike Saliba, he wasn’t directly at fault for a goal, but he was also never likely to score or create one either, as when he wasn’t losing the ball, making the wrong run or fading out of the game entirely, he looked bereft of ideas.

It might sound hyperbolic, but once again, it’s an opinion shared by Watts, who slammed the Englishman for being a “passenger” when he came off and then gave him a damning 3/10 match rating at full-time.

Unsurprisingly, the Kingston-born ace’s statistics more than back up this appraisal, as in 60 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.02, took no shots on or even off target, failed in 100% of his dribbles, took just 19 touches, made just ten passes, failed in 100% of his crosses, lost four of five duels and was dribbled past twice.

Ultimately, it was a real night to forget for Arsenal, and while Saliba will undoubtedly come back stronger and remain a crucial part of the team, Sterling should not start another game for the rest of his loan spell.

Big Havertz upgrade: Arsenal confident of signing "the hottest CF in Europe"

Arsenal are looking for upgrades on Kai Havertz in their attack.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 23, 2025

Leeds United took a gigantic leap towards promotion back to the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Preston North End at Elland Road on Saturday in the Championship.

Some of the loudest cheers of the afternoon, however, did not come for Manor Solomon or Jayden Bogle’s first-half goals. Instead, they came from the stands when the news filtered through to fans that Sheffield United had surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to bottom-of-the-table Plymouth Argyle.

Thanks to that result for the Blades, the West Yorkshire outfit are now sat five points clear of third place and only need to rack up seven points from their last four matches to guarantee promotion.

They also have the added insurance of Burnley and Sheffield United still having each other to play later this month, which guarantees that at least one of them will drop more points.

Another one of the biggest roars from the Elland Road stands on Saturday came towards the end of the match when a teasing cross came into the box and was met by the hands of Karl Darlow, who fell onto the floor and removed any danger from the situation, as he continued his Leeds revival.

Why bringing Karl Darlow in has been a masterclass

Whilst some could argue that the English shot-stopper should have been brought into the starting line-up sooner than he was, the former Newcastle United man has been a reassuring figure between the sticks for the Whites.

Illan Meslier simply had to be dropped from the side after his third error that directly led to a goal this season in the 2-1 defeat to Swansea, fumbling a cross that allowed Harry Darling to score.

Daniel Farke replaced him with Darlow for the following match against Luton Town and the experienced colossus has shown his quality in the last three games.

The 34-year-old veteran has proven to be a safe pair of hands in goal, with no thrills or spills, and avoided the kind of controversial moments that have followed Meslier throughout the season.

As you can see in the table above, Darlow has been a positive between the sticks with his shot-stopping, compared to Meslier’s underperformance in that department, whilst he has also won twice as many aerial battles per game on average to claim crosses.

These statistics show that Farke has played a masterclass by bringing the Englishman into the team as the new number one because he has been a big upgrade on the French dud on current form, both as a shot-stopper and in terms of the command of his area.

His performances have gained instant respect from the fanbase, who – as shown in the post above – appreciated his cross-claiming efforts against Preston, and he will be hoping to continue this form into the final four matches to propel Leeds to the Premier League.

Darlow, who had only started one league game in more than 18 months at the club prior to the game against Luton, has revived his Elland Road career in recent weeks.

The former Newcastle and Nottingham Forest shot-stopper, however, is not the only Leeds star who has revived his career in West Yorkshire this month, as Patrick Bamford is in a similar boat.

How Patrick Bamford has revived his Leeds career

Prior to the last three Championship games, the former England international had become an afterthought at Elland Road due to his lack of impact on the pitch this season.

Bamford had been an unused substitute in 11 of his previous 19 appearances in the matchday squad in the Championship before that draw with Luton at Kenilworth Road.

TEAMtalk had reported in December that Wrexham and Genoa were both keeping tabs on the £70k-per-week centre-forward’s situation ahead of a possible swoop for his services.

The 31-year-old number nine’s current contract with Leeds is not due to expire until the summer of 2026, though, and this means that an exit from Elland Road this summer is far from guaranteed.

His last few performances off the bench suggest that a move away from the club this year may not be a foregone conclusion, that his prior lack of minutes on the pitch suggested, as he has shown great promise in his cameos.

As you can see in the highlights above, Bamford was incredibly unfortunate not to double the team’s lead against Middlesbrough with 15 minutes to go when he scored a perfectly good goal that was incorrectly ruled out for offside.

The replay showed that the striker timed his run perfectly to receive the pass from Wilfried Gnonto, and he finished equally as impressively, but the linesman got the call wrong – with no VAR to overturn it.

Even without the goal that should have stood, Bamford provided a strong presence at the top end of the pitch in that cameo by winning six of his nine duels in just 17 minutes on the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, Joel Piroe – the first-choice centre-forward at Leeds this season – has struggled with the physicality of the Championship this season.

The Dutch marksman, who has scored 15 goals in the league, has been dominated in duels by opposition defenders, losing 74% of his battles overall and only winning 1.5 duels per match.

Bamford, meanwhile, won six duels in just 17 minutes against Middlesbrough and one of his two ground duels in just ten minutes against Preston, which suggests that he could provide more physicality than Piroe.

After that cameo against Preston, Farke told LeedsLive: “You need to handle the pressure and the praise. Everyone senses how much effort Patrick (Bamford) puts in. He deserves all the praise.”

The English attacker appears to have revived his Leeds career, with Farke clearly appreciating the effort the forward puts in on the pitch, and it could even be time to bring him into the starting line-up to repeat the masterclass that has been played with Darlow.

Saved by Bogle: Farke must finally drop 5/10 Leeds dud who lost 67% duels

This poor Leeds United underperformer nearly cost his team dear against Preston North End.

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By
Kelan Sarson

Apr 13, 2025

The 20-year-old allrounder from a small town close to Lucknow has already made a splash in IPL 2025

Shashank Kishore and Daya Sagar04-Apr-2025Vipraj Nigam, 20, is pleasantly surprised at how much recognition he has received over the past two weeks at IPL 2025.An allrounder signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) primarily for his legspin bowling, Nigam helped his team turn the tables on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on his IPL debut when he smashed a 15-ball 39 after going out at 113 for 6 in a tall chase of 210. DC won, with Ashutosh Sharma overshadowing Nigam with an unbeaten 66 in 31 balls.”I was nervous, but also excited,” Nigam tells ESPNcricinfo. “The feeling of earning the respect of your team-mates and coaches is something I can’t express in words. It’s been amazing to come and play with the same people I’ve watched on TV.”Related

• Noor and Kuldeep's catch up before IPL face-off

• Ashutosh's composure under pressure stands out

• The five IPL games that almost went the other way

Nigam’s batting chops were never in doubt – he broke through into the Uttar Pradesh Under-19s as a batter first, and then legspin took over. When he picked up “13 or 14 wickets in two crucial matches”, an opportunity to be part of a junior camp at the National Cricket Academy [now Centre of Excellence, in Bengaluru] opened up soon after domestic cricket resumed after Covid, sometime in 2022. It was there that he realised the need to develop his all-round abilities.”They [the coaches] told me legspinning allrounders are rare,” he says. “After that, I started working on my bowling seriously.”What he thought was a small step turned into a giant leap when he earned further recognition at the UP T20 League in 2024, where he was the second-highest wicket-taker. Blessed with a quick-arm action modelled on his hero Yasir Shah, the former Pakistan legspinner, Nigam found his way past batters with his fizz. Those performances earned him trials with DC, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).”A few other teams had invited me, but the Ranji Trophy was on, and I wanted to prioritise that,” he says. “But I did well at the trials wherever I went – they gave me good feedback. But there were no guarantees.”At the auction last year, Nigam was signed for INR 50 lakh, “big money” for the son of a primary schoolteacher from Barabanki, a small town near Lucknow. “My father never stopped me from playing cricket,” he says. “My mother would initially tell me it was important to study, but after a point even she started encouraging me. Sports wasn’t a thing at home.”

“I didn’t move to Lucknow initially, I’d do up and down by bus. There was this excitement of going every day to play, as a youngster you don’t think ‘oh, I have to travel this far’. It’s all you want to do. Now the journey has gotten more comfortable since I’ve bought a car”Vipraj Nigam

Sports wasn’t big in his hometown either. Those who aspired to play cricket had to move to Lucknow. Nigam, however, was fortunate to be under the mentorship of Sarwar Nawab, who had just started the lone cricket academy in Barabanki.As Nigam began to develop physically, Nawab worked on his power hitting, while state senior Zeeshan Ansari, who has also broken into the IPL this year, worked on Nigam’s legspin.Ansari played for India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2016 alongside Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan, but lost his way for a few years, failing to break into the UP senior team. During this period, Ansari kept his cricket dream burning by practicing and playing A-division cricket in Lucknow, while being a big brother for young Nigam.Nawab and Ansari helped enhance Nigam’s skills, but the proof of the pudding was in being able to play and perform in competitive games. Nawab happened to know Khaleeq Khan, who ran the UP Timber Cricket Club in the A division of the city’s club circuit. Khaleeq offered Nigam an opportunity to play for the club and he has been a regular since.”I didn’t move to Lucknow initially, I’d do up and down by bus,” Nigam says. “There was this excitement of going every day to play, as a youngster you don’t think ‘oh, I have to travel this far’. It’s all you want to do. Now the journey has gotten more comfortable since I’ve bought a car. Earlier, I used to walk, then take a bus, train there for five-six hours and come back. It used to be tiring.””I learnt a lot from several of my seniors,” Vipraj Nigam says of his UP team-mates•Delhi CapitalsAt the club, Nigam enhanced his skills by playing with the cream of UP’s next in line. “I learnt a lot from several of my seniors there,” he says. “Akshdeep Nath, Upendra Yadav, Mohammad Saif – all of them had Ranji Trophy experience. Playing and training with experienced players helped me tremendously.”Nigam also got to play with many of them when he earned a senior state debut in the 2024-25 season. UP made the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy quarter-finals after Nigam made an impression with the bat, an unbeaten 27 off eight balls against Andhra, a prelude of sorts to his IPL fireworks.”I feel very blessed to have had the journey I’ve had,” he says. “I’m learning from the best. KL Rahul is in my team. I’ve been speaking to him every day. Kevin Pietersen [the team mentor], Axar [Patel] , Kuldeep [Yadav] – they’re all amazing players. The IPL is such a platform where you see and learn from the best. I’d like to have a chance to speak to MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav.”For now, bowling and picking up wickets and being able to “make an impact” for DC and wherever he plays is enough for Nigam.

The fast bowler and his Canterbury team-mate Mitch Hay could make their Test debuts in the second Test against West Indies

Deivarayan Muthu06-Dec-20251:57

Latham: Can’t fault the effort when we were a couple of bowlers down

Uncapped fast bowler Michael Rae has been called up to New Zealand’s Test squad for the second match against West Indies in Wellington. Rae, 30, earned his maiden New Zealand call-up after Matt Henry (calf) and Nathan Smith (side) suffered injuries during the first Test in Christchurch.Both Henry and Smith are doubtful for the second Test, especially considering the quick turnaround between the first two games. The Wellington Test will begin on December 10, four days after the end of the Christchurch Test. Injuries to Henry and Smith reduced New Zealand’s attack to two frontline seamers and left them shouldering a heavy workload.Rae and Blair Tickner, who was the reserve fast bowler in Christchurch, could be in contention for the XI in Wellington.Rae started the second round of the Plunket Shield for Canterbury and took 3 for 65 in the first innings against Central Districts in Napier before he sat out of the second innings. Fraser Sheat replaced Rae in the second innings as the latter prepares for a potential Test debut.Related

• Henry, Santner, Nathan Smith ruled out of rest of West Indies Test series

• Blundell, Smith, Henry sustain injuries in Christchurch; Jamieson returns to Plunket Shield

At 6 feet 6 inches, Rae could give New Zealand’s attack a point of difference and replicate shifts that his Canterbury team-mate Kyle Jamieson put in for New Zealand in Test cricket. Like Jamieson, Rae is also capable of bowling fuller lengths and swinging the new ball.Along with Jamieson, Henry Shipley and Zak Foulkes, Rae has been part of a tall, funky Canterbury attack.”It’s got to be one of the tallest bowling attacks in the world,” Paul Wiseman, current Black Caps talent manager and former spinner, told ESPNcricinfo last year. “Jamieson at 6’8” and then you also have Michael Rae, who is probably 6’6”, and then the others are about 6’5”. Henners [Matt Henry] is shorter, but he’s a genius. I don’t know if we can get all those guys on the park at the same time but it will be a real test for any batter, I think. They are an exciting group and it would be great to see all of them fit in at the same time.”Rae, with his retro headband, has been a regular in domestic cricket in recent years. He has played 69 first-class matches so far, taking 205 wickets at an average of 33.06, including three five-wicket hauls.He also has some first-class exposure outside of New Zealand, having played five games for Warwickshire in county cricket, claiming 14 wickets at an average of 30.28. Gavin Larsen, the current New Zealand selection manager, has tracked Rae’s progress closely both at New Zealand domestic cricket and Warwickshire. When he was with Otago, he had also worked with current New Zealand coach Rob Walter.Michael Rae, in action, with his retro headband on•Getty Images

New Zealand’s team management will also carefully monitor the progress of Jamieson, who returned to the Plunket Shield for the ongoing round, and tearaway Ben Sears, who is currently playing white-ball club cricket in Melbourne. Sears, who is also prone to injuries, will not be rushed back to red-ball cricket.”I’d say he’s doubtful [for red-ball cricket] given he is going through more of a white-ball stepping stone over in club cricket in Melbourne,” New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram said on Friday. “Just to get him some cricket on grass, good facilities, and a good training environment around him, which he’s got over there with a contact we had internally here. Speaking to Ben the other day, I know that he’s feeling really good about his bowling but the Test series will be a bridge too far for sure.”With Tom Blundell sidelined from the Wellington Test, with a hamstring injury, Mitch Hay is poised to make his debut and take over the gloves from captain Tom Latham, who kept wicket across both innings in Christchurch in addition to scoring 145 in New Zealand’s second innings.”It’s been a long shift. I don’t think I’ve done that many amount of overs behind the stumps before,” Latham said on Saturday. “Usually 50 [overs] is about my cap, but obviously not ideal losing Tommy either, but giving to the group as much as you can in a role that I’m used to keeping. So from a familiarity point of view it was fine, just the duration was a little bit more than I’m used to.”In Blundell’s absence, Daryl Mitchell stepped in as a substitute and put in a long fielding shift in the slips though he hadn’t fully recovered from a groin injury. Mitchell Santner, too, was not available for selection in Christchurch because of his own groin injury.

LOS ANGELES — The Blue Jays lost a heartbreaker on Monday, an 18-inning slog that tied for the longest in postseason history in which they used every position player and reliever on their roster. Their heart and soul and one of the best October players of all time, DH George Springer, is out with an oblique injury for an unknown period of time. They arrived at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday to face the greatest player who ever lived, a man so dangerous that they intentionally walked him a postseason record four times the night before—and he was also starting the game on the mound. 

So naturally, they won Game 4, 6–2, to even the World Series at two games apiece. 

“There’s no choice,” said righty Shane Bieber, who warmed up on Monday to pitch the 19th inning and instead held the Dodgers to one run in 5 ⅓ on Tuesday. “What, are you going to feel sorry for yourself? It’s the World Series. We’re down one game. So now we find ourselves even, with a chance to take the lead, and take the lead back to Toronto after tomorrow.”

If indeed this is the David vs. Goliath matchup some have cast it as, it might be worth remembering that David won the battle.

In today’s game, there is no greater giant than Shohei Ohtani, and at first, it seemed that Game 4 would only burnish the legacy he is writing. In Game 3, he reached base a record-smashing nine times—three more than anyone else ever had in a postseason game. When most starting pitchers would be resting and studying the next day’s hitters, Ohtani was collecting two doubles and two home runs, then racking up five walks—four officially intentional, one unofficially intentional. 

In the moments after Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off homer to bring the game to a merciful end, the Dodgers gathered in the clubhouse, almost punch-drunk. Manager Dave Roberts told them he had never been more proud of them and reminded them that it would take the entire roster to win a World Series. He referenced the way Ohtani had insisted that his masterpiece in Game 4 of the NLCS—six scoreless innings, three home runs—had been a team effort. “Enjoy the s— out of it,” Roberts encouraged. As they cheered, he pointed at his wrist. “Hey!” he added. “We got a game later today!” Behind him, the most important person on that roster giggled as he raised his arms skyward and pantomimed his pitching motion. 

Then he got out of there. Immediately after the game, he had told SI’s Tom Verducci, “I need to go to bed.” It was perhaps the only relatable thing Ohtani has ever said. 

He left the ballpark at 12:10 a.m., sipping a sports drink, and he was guzzling another 16 ½ hours later as he warmed up in left field. He worked around a walk and a single in the first. 

Four and a half minutes later, he was standing on first base. Blue Jays manager John Schneider acknowledged after Game 3 that he did not see much point in pitching to Ohtani going forward, and indeed, even to lead off the game, Bieber walked him.

Finally, in the third, Bieber pitched to him—and by staying low and tight to the zone, he got Ohtani to strike out on a foul tip. 

It marked Ohtani’s first out at Dodger Stadium since Oct. 16. In the meantime, he hit three home runs and walked in NLCS Game 4; hit those two homers and two doubles and took those five walks in World Series Game 3; and walked in the first inning of Game 4. He struck out again, this time looking, in the fifth, and grounded out in the seventh. 

Matt Kelly was superb in leading the WA attack with five wickets after the home side lost left-armer Joel Paris to enjoy early in the second innings

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2025Stand-in New South Wales captain Nathan Lyon provided stubborn late-order resistance that might prove crucial as the bowlers continued to dominate the Sheffield Shield match in Perth after debutant Will Salzmann shone againAfter 13 wickets fell on day three at the WACA Ground, openers Cameron Bancroft and Sam Whiteman survived four overs late on Monday. That left the home side nine without loss, needing 222 to win this Sheffield Shield opener.Related

• CA to trial injury subs with tactical twist in Sheffield Shield with eye to Test cricket use

• 'Stripped back' Labuschagne takes leap towards Ashes recall with 160

• Handscomb ton and Warren's three put pressure on South Australia

Salzmann, making his first-class debut, compiled an excellent 72 to top score for the second time in the game, adding 76 with Charlie Stobo to lift the visitors from 79 for 6.NSW and Australia opener Sam Konstas failed again as he tries to shore up his berth for the first Ashes Test, but he had plenty of top-order mates.So far, the highest total at the fall of the third wicket in the match has been a paltry 23, while Sunday’s play featured 14 dismissals.Konstas fell for 14 on Monday after making four in the first innings, while No .3 Kurtis Patterson also did not advance his national cause with scores of 8 and 4.Bancroft is another Test hopeful needing a major knock after being fired out for 10 in WA’s first innings.Typical of how the match has gone, the first delivery of the morning from NSW paceman Ryan Hadley was a perfect yorker that bowled Matthew Kelly for 20.That left WA 116 for 8, with rearguard knocks from Ashton Agar, Cameron Gannon and Corey Rocchiccioli helping the final score to 161. Hadley claimed 5 for 38, his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.WA suffered a blow when opening bowler Joel Paris only managed one over before departing with a left hamstring injury. Had the injury occurred before the end of the second day, WA could have brought in substitute under the new trial being run by Cricket Australia.Test allrounder Cameron Green also did not bowl on Monday as he continues to return from back surgery.But Kelly stood tall with 5 for 43. When he bowled Liam Hatcher for a duck, NSW were 189 for 9. Lyon then dug in, with the Test offspinner scoring 40 from 57 balls, featuring six fours and a six.While the pitch appeared to be playing better late on day three, Lyon’s knock added some crucial meat to the bare-looking NSW bones.Another notable feature of the day was an incident involving Chris Green who was initially given caught behind when he duck a bouncer but was eventually recalled to the crease. Umpire Gerard Abood even gave Green out a second time having chatted with the square-leg official before reverse the decision

Both were masterly on a pitch that had enough to keep them interested, but not enough to give maximum results for their efforts

Sidharth Monga10-Jul-20250:57

What explains England’s ‘Blockball’ approach?

This Test is being played more on an upside-down ground than merely a sloped one. England are the toss and batting at home for only the second time since the start of 2022. Jasprit Bumrah’s deliveries aren’t carrying to the wicketkeeper. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s are surprising everyone with the extra bounce. Reddy is India’s highest wicket-taker in the game at the moment. England are playing according to the conditions and the bowling, and are Bazwalling at 3.02 an over.For a moment, it seemed the gods sent locusts out 20 minutes after the scheduled close of play to deliver judgment on what could be seen as an immoral day’s play in times of moral victories. Thankfully, they were just black ants, arguably the most threatening form of non-human life in England. Some argued they were ladybugs.Whoever they were, hopefully they stayed back to watch two masters at work. Also, the complaints about the ball and the eventual change around the 42nd-43rd over lent bits of normalcy to proceedings. It was only the last bits of it, but Bumrah and Joe Root were masterly on a pitch that had enough to keep them interested, but not enough to give maximum results for their efforts.Related

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Curiously, Root faced just 21 balls from Bumrah. That’s just 21 out of 72 that Bumrah bowled with Root at the wicket. It included Root facing just one ball from Bumrah’s first spell after lunch. Only Washington Sundar bowled less often to him.If it was a conscious thing that Root did, it is another masterful thing for a master batter to do, letting poor Ollie Pope face the brunt of a red-hot Bumrah. During that ten-over period, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj gave away just 15 runs. All told, Root faced just 24 balls in those ten overs. Pope later said it wouldn’t be so smart if it were a conscious move. Ollie, Joe did you in there.Through the day, Bumrah drew 34 false shots. That’s about two per over. That deserves more than the one wicket, but the Pavilion End, the one that alpha bowlers of every team take at Lord’s, hardly had any bounce. The first ball he bowled to Ben Duckett took the edge but didn’t carry to slip. Immediately, he asked everyone behind the wicket to move up. He bowled just four overs in that spell, and moved to the Nursery End, which had more bounce.1:12

Manjrekar: Reddy looked like India’s best seamer

Through the day, there was more swing and seam available than on any of the first days of the three Tests so far, but the lack of pace and bounce made it hard work to take wickets. The lack of pace gave batters time to adjust to the movement, and if they did edge them, they hardly ever carried. Except, of course, when Reddy bowled great balls of fire.It also took away one of the more profitable scoring avenues for Root: the dab behind square on the off side. He kept middling those dabs, but they just didn’t have enough pace on them to go past gully. That showed in his strike rate, and in the number of inside edges that missed the stumps. That’s the little luck you deserve as a Test batter when you are batting at 86% control on a pitch doing a bit.Bumrah tried both ends but had little luck even though he, and India, stuck to good lengths and kept testing the batters. Movement in the pitch notwithstanding, India’s fast bowlers remained on the good length 54% of the time as opposed to England’s 37% on the first day in Leeds and Birmingham. That has been the general trend in the series. India will have reason to feel good about their work, having kept England down to 251 on a day on which only four wickets came about.1:21

What makes Root a special batter?

After tea, Bumrah went back to the Pavilion End, where by now the length to hit the top of stumps had shortened by a metre as compared to the first session. If Ben Stokes felt Birmingham was subcontinent-like, this was subcontinent-like with seam. Just what Bumrah needed then to bowl the ball of the day: one that swung away 2.5 inches and then nipped back in about six inches to hit the top of Harry Brook’s off stump.Root kept doing his work like a busy bee at the other end. Against Bumrah, even he played six false shots in 21 balls. Against others, he accumulated in peace, even though it never looked as easy as milking them.If Root had an asterisk of struggling against Bumrah, India had an asterisk of not hitting the stumps enough. But they did improve as the day progressed: 5.33% in the first session to 10.6% in the second to 15.79% in the third.It was the best first day of the series, even though it was the slowest. There were no clear winners or losers, both sides could be pleased with their work with room for improvement still, and there was a promise of more to come should the pitch deteriorate in the 28-degree heat that is making everything fall apart in England. Of course, the flying ants saw only bits of it.

Predicting what's about to happen in a sporting event has become more commonplace during live broadcasts in recent years because it's objectively awesome when those predictions come true. Greg Amsinger of MLB Network's is the latest voice to prove prophetic as he saw Toronto Blue Jays leadoff man George Springer's first inning homer coming a mile away.

Here's Amsinger during Springer's at-bat. Amsinger pointed out that Springer has hit more leadoff homers than everyone in baseball history not named Rickey Henderson to explain his hunch. Then he went a step further and said that he only wanted credit for predicting the outfielder would go deep on Tuesday if Springer accomplished the feat in his first attempt.

As soon as those words left Amsinger's mouth, Springer connected with a deep drive to left field.

Amsinger really reveled in the moment, jokingly saying that it's his mission to teach baseball and conducting himself as though he had a sixth sense.

His desk partner Dan Pleasac, knowing he'd be hearing about this for a while, simply wandered away.

Great television.