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Rishad Hossain provided the final flourish in what was the second-highest chase in a men’s T20 final

Mohammad Isam07-Feb-2025
Fortune Barishal crafted the second-highest chase to win a final in men’s T20 cricket, knocking off 195 against Chittagong Kings with three wickets and three balls to spare. And with that they had successfully defended their BPL crown, having come into this season as defending champions. The packed house at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka was treated to Barishal captain Tamim Iqbal striking a rapid fifty, before Kyle Mayers did the running in the middle overs and Rishad Hossain’s two sixes sealed things.Rishad slammed Binura Fernando and Hussain Talat for a six each in the last two overs before a wide finished the game. The Chittagong players were left heart-broken but Barishal had been the most consistent team through the competition, winning 11 of their 14 games overall. This was a franchise that had spent big over the past two seasons, and it showed in their depth here, holding their nerve as the game swung both ways.Chittagong had reached 194 for 3 thanks in large part to an opening stand of 121 from Parvez Hossain Emon, who carried his bat with 78*, and Khawaja Nafay. It would eventually prove to be insufficient.Chittagong record startGiven the make-up of their batting line-up, Chittagong were always banking on a good start. That’s what Nafay and Parvez delivered. Chittagong were put in, and Parvez kicked things off with two sixes off Tanvir Islam, before they got a pair of fours off Ebadot Hossain. Nafay got on top of Rishad from his first ball, lofting him over midwicket. Nafay struck Rishad for three sixes in his first two overs in all, and the pair became the first to register a century opening stand in a BPL final. Parvez reached his fifty in the 11th over, before Nafay struck Rishad over extra cover to reach his third half-century in the competition.Tamim Iqbal launched Fortune Barishal’s chase with 54 off 29 balls•Fortune BarishalBarishal keep Chittagong below 200Ebadot broke the opening stand in the 13th over, even giving Nafay a send-off and then the salute. Graham Clark at No. 3 struck two fours and three sixes on his way to 44 off 23 balls, a solid follow-up to such a strong start. He was run-out in the last over, and Chittagong’s top three all struck at a rate of 150 or higher. Still, Barishal kept them from batting the opposition out of the game with help from Mohammad Ali. Fresh off his five-for in the first qualifier, he kept the scoring rate down in his four overs to finish with 1 for 21. Ebadot, Mohammad Nabi and Mayers also bowled well in patches, although wickets were hard to come by.Tamim goes bigIn the first over of Barishal’s chase, Tamim caressed Binura for three fours through the off side. He repeated the exact dose for Shoriful Islam in the next over, though this time he had one boundary down the ground. Tamim reached his second fifty in a BPL final in the seventh over, having faced just 24 balls. He slammed Arafat Sunny for a four and a six, as Chittagong raced to 70 runs in the first seven overs.Shoriful triggers mini slideShoriful turned things around with two wickets in the ninth over. He first removed Tamim, whose slam down the ground only found Khaled Ahmed at the long-off boundary. Then Shoriful rapped Dawid Malan’s pads; it looked at first that it might be sliding down the leg and the umpire agreed, but Shoriful was confident Chittagong should review. His captain Mohammad Mithun seemingly reluctantly agreed, but the bowler was proven right. Malan fell for 1, giving Chittagong a lifeline. Shortly afterwards, Towhid Hridoy struck Naeem Islam down midwicket’s throat to make it 96 for 3 in the 11th over.Khawaja Nafay and Parvez Hossain Emon put on 121 for the first wicket for Chittagong Kings•Chittagong KingsMayers boosts BarishalAll this didn’t bother Mayers much. He struck Talat for two sixes in the 12th over, before Mushfiqur Rahim fell for 16 in the following over. It was Naeem’s second wicket in as many overs, but Mayers was relentless. He struck a four and a six off Shoriful in the 15th, before pasting Binura for two fours in the following over. Mayers, who had conceded 30 runs in an over against Rangpur Riders earlier in the tournament, was using the biggest stage to make amends for Barishal.Chittagong take it to the final overThen, there was a slowdown. Mahmudullah and Mayers couldn’t find boundaries in the 17th and 18th overs, as Khaled and Shoriful bowled excellently. Shorfiul took the wickets of Mayers and Mahmudullah in his last over. Mayers swung one down deep square leg’s throat for 46 off 28 balls, before Shoriful had Mahmudullah caught behind for 7 off 11 deliveries. Nabi fell an over later, and at that point it seemed that Chittagong might have done enough. But Rishad didn’t think so.

Chelsea are now willing to pay nearly £87m to ensure they win the race for an “unbelievable” attacker in 2026, having identified him as a major target.

Blues willing to spend big on "unbelievable" attacker

With Cole Palmer recently spending time on the sidelines due to a groin injury, Joao Pedro has moved into a slightly deeper role, playing in-behind striker Liam Delap, but the Englishman has also now been ruled out for an extended period.

Enzo Maresca has confirmed Delap is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, saying: “Hopefully it’s not long, but this kind of case can be six, eight weeks.”

Subsequently, the Blues have now bolstered their attacking options even further by bringing in Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion until the end of the season.

However, given the nature of the deal, which does not include an option or obligation to buy, Buonanotte is unlikely to be a long-term solution in attacking midfield, and the west Londoners are now prepared to spend big to win the race for a Premier League star.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Chelsea are now willing to pay almost €100m (£87m) for Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers, with a new approach for the attacking midfielder being planned for 2026.

Rogers was identified as a target during the summer transfer window, but they were unable to prise him away from Villa, who have set an asking price of £100m to deter potential suitors, with Tottenham Hotspur also thought to be keen.

Boehly ditched Chelsea's own Alexander Isak in "unbelievable" talent

The talented international could have an excellent season away from Chelsea.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 6, 2025

Several elite clubs are in the race for the 23-year-old, with the west Londoners identifying him as a major target off the back of an impressive 2024-25 campaign, but the Villans are hoping to retain their prized asset, suggesting negotiations could be tricky.

"Unbelievable" Rogers would provide Maresca with great depth

Buonanotte could be considered a strange signing, given that the 20-year-old has only joined on loan, but it may actually be a savvy move, given that there are few players in the world capable of displacing Palmer in the starting XI.

Consequently, it makes sense to have a younger back-up option, who may be more content with receiving limited game time, but that is unlikely to be the case for Rogers, who has established himself as a Premier League star at Villa.

Indeed, the attacking midfielder has received plenty of plaudits for his performances in a Villa shirt, with agent Hesham Bilal-Hafiz singling him out for particular praise.

Given that the England international is capable of playing on both wings, scoring 21 goals in 85 appearances on the left, he could also push for a starting spot out wide, meaning he would provide Maresca with great depth in attack.

Tottenham have rejected Romania's bid to call up injured defender Radu Dragusin national team for their fixtures next month. Dragusin sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear during an Europa League match in January and has not played competitive football since then. Romania are scheduled to face Moldova in a friendly match, before taking on Austria in a World Cup qualifier.

Dragusin suffered dreadful injury in January

The 23-year-old sustained a serious knee injury during Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over Elfsborg in the Europa League in January this year. Coming on as a substitute at half-time, Dragusin landed awkwardly while trying to clear his lines and in the process damaged his knee.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportRomania named Dragusin on preliminary list of overseas-based players

Romania manager Mircea Lucescu kept Dragusin in his preliminary list of overseas-based players for their two October international games, first a friendly against Moldova on October 9 and three days later a World Cup qualifier at home against Austria. If Romania lose against Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina also beat Cyprus, their dreams of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup will be shattered. 

Spurs reject Romania's plea

Tottenham, however, are not keen on releasing the defender for international duty as the Premier League side want Dragusin to focus on his day-to-day rehabilitation plan, training and building his fitness steadily under the scrutiny of their medical team.

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Getty Images SportRomania accept Spurs' decision

While Romania could force the issue under FIFA rules, they have accepted Spurs' decision and won't push for Dragusin. Speaking to , Lucescu said: "I spoke with him. He was very happy for the national team comeback but I don't think I will call him. Tottenham wasn't so happy to let him come now at the national team. He needs one more month to play again. Radu wants to come, but others warned us it is better to let him train with Tottenham now."

Knott took 4 for 14 and Smith claimed 3 for 13 as England A were bowled out for 136 chasing Australia A’s 261 for 8, set up by 68 from Wilson

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2025Spin duo Charli Knott and Amy Smith took seven wickets between them as Australia A took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match 50-over series thanks to a crushing 125-run over England A in Sydney.Knott took 4 for 14 with her offspin while Smith claimed 3 for 13 with her legbreaks as England A slumped from 81 for 1 to be bowled out for 136 chasing Australia A’s target of 262.Earlier, opener Tahlia Wilson made 68 for the hosts while five other Australia A batters made between 22 and 35, with Hannah Darlington smashing 26 not out from 14 balls to finish the innings and help post a competitive 261 for 8.England A took wickets at regular intervals with Kirstie Gordon and Issy Wong claiming three apiece but Australia A kept the momentum going throughout with a series of 40-plus partnerships that started with Wilson and Georgia Voll and ended with Smith and Darlington clubbing an unbeaten 43 from the final 21 balls of the innings.England A’s chase started well with Grace Scrivens striking six boundaries to reach 45 while sharing 35 and 46-run stands with Seren Smale and Hollie Armitage to have the visitors on track at 81 for 1 in the 18th over. But Smith sparked a huge collapse, removing Scrivens and Alice Capsey in consecutive balls. Hayward chimed in with a wicket, as did Tess Flintoff before Knott claimed the last four. Armitage was the only other batter aside from Scrivens to reach 20 as England A lost 9 for 55.Australia A had already won the opening game of the series thanks to a century from Voll after England won the lone T20I. The third 50-over match will be played on Monday before the unofficial four-day Test begins on April 12.

Hampshire captain gets first century in new role to guide team’s rearguard

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay04-May-2025Ben Brown scored his first century as Hampshire captain to eliminate fears of an innings defeat to Durham in the Rothesay County Championship.Hampshire were still 92 runs away from avoiding the follow-on when Toby Albert was the sixth man to depart, but Brown and Felix Organ ticked through the required runs with a 164 stand.Brown replaced James Vince – who has moved to Dubai – as club captain in the winter and led from the front with a patient unbeaten 143.Hampshire ended the day on 429 for seven, trailing by 82, with Organ, Mark Stoneman and Nick Gubbins also recording half-centuries – with Matthew Potts’ three for 62 the best for Durham’s bowlers.The hosts have very little hope of winning the match after Durham had racked up 511 on the opening two days, and regular wickets through the morning put them in deep peril.Stoneman only added three runs to his overnight 57 – which had been his first half-century sine arriving on the south coast from Middlesex – before he edged Potts behind off his inside edge.Tom Prest was guilty of stretching too far outside off stump when he was caught behind, while Liam Dawson was bowled by a Potts delivery which kept a tad low – as the pitch appeared to be working slightly better for the bowlers.The opening two days have been a turgid batting-fest with a used pitch not disintegrating has expected in the hot sun.But some occasional turn for the spinners and bouts invariable bounce gave Hampshire’s batters a few moments of worry.Toby Albert was more out-gunned by Codi Yusuf’s pace when he was bowled, as Hampshire’s fears of being asked to bat again began to raise.But Organ, a highly competent batter who has opened the batting regularly in the past, was a welcome sight coming in at No.8.Brown had bumped himself higher up the order from seven to five, seemingly to give more stability in the face of wickets.He picked his moments to jab at deliveries in his textbook manner, while occasionally negating the lower bounce by crouching lower to meet the ball at its trajectory.A half-century came in 102 balls before a fifth century for the Rose and Crown came in 178 balls – it was the 26th of his first-class career.Hampshire only picked up two batting bonus points, but at 17:00 BST their deficit had dipped under 150 and the game felt safer – only a monumental effort could stop this match from becoming a draw.Organ, on his first appearance of the summer, reached his half-century in 124 deliveries but fell when he edged George Drissell to first slip.His partnership with Brown was the highest seventh wicket stand for Hampshire against Durham almost doubling a 2007 record set by Michael Brown and Shane Warne.

Nottingham Forest are considering replacing Ange Postecoglou with Sean Dyche, should they decide to part ways with the Australian coach after just a handful of games in charge. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss has failed to impress and win over the hearts of the Forest faithful and, with patience running low, could be moved on in favour of the former Everton and Burnley manager.

Postecoglou faces the chop

Dyche has emerged as the leading candidate to take the helm at the City Ground should Forest choose to dismiss Postecoglou, according the . He would also become the third man to take charge of Forest this season, following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of last month.

Postecoglou has been on thin ice for a number of weeks following his poor start to life in the Midlands. The fans did not take to him quickly and he has done little to prove them wrong, even if he has overseen just seven games in charge. Under his leadership, Forest are yet to win a game, but have been on the losing side five times, managing just two draws – against Sunderland and Real Betis.

Postecoglou suffered the humiliation of his own fans chanting that he would be ‘sacked in the morning’ and, ever since, has been fighting a losing battle. His task was not made easier by having to fill the shoes of the popular Santo, who had been shown the exit door despite guiding them to European qualification last season.

Postecoglou, known for his all-out-attacking football, struggled to stamp his philosophy on the Forest squad more attuned to Santo’s pragmatic approach. The Australian had complained that he had not had the time to work with his squad, owing to their mid-week Europa League fixtures, but football can be an unforgiving business and the die looks cast for Postecoglou.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportForest fear the drop

The appointment of Dyche would suggest the Forest hierarchy are bracing themselves for a bit of a relegation scrap and quite the fall from the heights reached last season. They sit 17th in the table, just one point above the drop zone, and even though there are plenty of games left to climb back up the table, Forest might not fancy taking on that risk.

Their decision will have been influenced by the overperformance of the newly promoted sides, particularly Sunderland, who suggest they will not go down without a fight, as Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester did last year.

The prospect of relegation to the Championship would be devastating to Forest, who had established themselves as a solid, Premier League side. The qualification for the Europa League would also have had fans dreaming of replicating the continental success they enjoyed under Brian Clough in 1980.

Few would expect Forest to end up being relegated, even if Postecoglou remained in charge for the rest of the season, but Evangelos Marinakis is unlikely to want to take that risk. Dyche would be seen as a safe pair of hands to guide the club away from the drop, given his success at staving off relegation at both Burnley and Everton.

Dyche proves the best of few options

The Telegraph stated that Dyche is not the only candidate under consideration, but may be the only one available. The report explained that Forest had wanted Fulham boss Marco Silva to take over from Postecoglou, but given the money it would take to pay out the Portuguese coach’s contract at the Cottagers, they have turned elsewhere.

Former Forest boss Steve Cooper was also earmarked as a potential replacement, but he is also under contract at Danish side Brondby. Cooper, who was sacked by Forest’s rivals Leicester last campaign, has been enjoying a small renaissance in Scandinavia and may not fancy returning to a place he was fired.

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Getty Images SportA chance to lift the Blues

The international break is well underway and is often a time in which boards opt for a change of management. Dyche will be waiting in the wings should Postecoglou be sacked and may have to start drawing up plans for his first game pretty quickly.

Forest’s first game back after the break is a home game against Chelsea, a tricky encounter for any incoming boss. A positive result against the inconsistent Blues would lift a lot of the clouds hanging over the City Ground, but one result won’t be enough to stave off fears of relegation.

It’s not all good news for Newcastle United back in the Champions League amid reports that they’ve comfortably breached one of UEFA’s rules and could be facing a punishment as a result.

Where Newcastle stand financially

Whilst they were incredibly limited in 2024 when it came to spending in the Premier League, Champions League qualification and player sales quickly solved their domestic problems this summer. As such, Eddie Howe was finally in a position to welcome fresh faces again and after much toing and froing, he secured Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Elanga, Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey.

Woltemade’s arrival would have come as a particular relief. The German was one of many options on Newcastle’s list of striker targets, as they were handed rejection after rejection. Eventually, it was the Stuttgart striker that arrived and, to his credit, he’s wasted no time before finding his feet – scoring on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But after a summer of spending and the record sale of Alexander Isak, where do Newcastle stand financially? Football finance expert Kieram Maguire had his say and compared it to when Aston Villa sold Jack Grealish to Manchester City in 2021.

He told BBC Sport: “It will give them that financial flexibility that they didn’t have 12 months ago when they were forced to do nothing for a couple of windows. You don’t want that repeating, especially when the club are ambitious and aspirational.”

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So, as things stand, it looks as though PIF will satisfy the Premier League’s financial regulations. However, the same may not be said for UEFA’s financial rules. Reports are now suggesting that Newcastle could be facing further trouble away from the pitch.

Newcastle could be facing UEFA punishment

According to The Athletic, Newcastle have comfortably breached UEFA’s loss limit, which allows teams to lose up to £52m over three years. PIF recorded operating losses at St James’ Park worth around £68m in each of the last two seasons and could now be facing a similar punishment to Aston Villa and Chelsea, who were hit with fines earlier this year.

Even after the sale of Isak, the problem that Newcastle have is that UEFA have noted Elliot Anderson’s move to Nottingham Forest as a swap deal with Odysseas Vlachodimos. They’ve also reduced the sale of Allan Saint-Maximin to Al Ahli to nil profit due to the fact that the Saudi club are a shared party with the club.

Whilst the official financial reports for 2024/25 are yet to be released, it doesn’t look good for Newcastle once again. They will hope that this is the final time that they face such issues after selling big in the summer.

For now, however, it looks as though they’re set to join Villa and Chelsea on the list of Premier League clubs to be hit with a fine by UEFA, unless their accounts provide an unexpected twist.

Wrexham AFC have enjoyed a phenomenal rise up the leagues under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and are now splashing the cash as a Championship side.

As a result, their annual payroll has increased dramatically to an eye-catching £18.2m, with the average Red Dragons’ player picking up more than £550,000 per season.

Wrexham's most expensive signings of all time

Football FanCast takes a look at Wrexham’s record signings.

ByCharlie Smith Dec 30, 2024

But who earns what at The Racecourse Ground? Here is what Wrexham are paying their players for the 2025/26 season, as per Capology.

Disclaimer – only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.

1

Kieffer Moore

£30,000

£1,560,000

=2

Conor Coady

£25,000

£1,300,000

=2

Jay Rodriguez

£25,000

£1,300,000

4

Lewis O’Brien

£17,500

£910,000

=5

Josh Windass

£15,000

£780,000

=5

Ben Sheaf

£15,000

£780,000

=5

Callum Doyle

£15,000

£780,000

=5

Matty James

£15,000

£780,000

=5

Liberato Cacace

£15,000

£780,000

=5

Sam Smith

£15,000

£780,000

=5

Issa Kabore

£15,000

£780,000

=12

Danny Ward

£12,500

£650,000

=12

Nathan Broadhead

£12,500

£650,000

=12

Ollie Rathbone

£12,500

£650,000

=12

Dominic Hyam

£12,500

£650,000

=16

James McClean

£10,000

£520,000

=16

Ryan Hardie

£10,000

£520,000

=16

George Thomason

£10,000

£520,000

=19

George Dobson

£8,500

£442,000

=19

Dan Scarr

£8,500

£442,000

=21

Lewis Brunt

£7,500

£390,000

=21

Ryan Longman

£7,500

£390,000

=23

Eoghan O’Connell

£6,000

£312,000

=23

Andy Cannon

£6,000

£312,000

25

Elliot Lee

£5,500

£286,000

=26

Ryan Barnett

£5,000

£260,000

=26

Callum Burton

£5,000

£260,000

28

Arthur Okonkwo

£3,000

£156,000

29

Max Cleworth

£1,200

£62,400

30

James Rainbird

£1,000

£52,000

=31

Harry Ashfield

£900

£46,800

=31

Aaron James

£900

£46,800

33

Max Purvis

£750

£39,000

Here's a detailed look at Wrexham's top 10 earners… 10 Sam Smith £15,000 per week

Sam Smith is just one of seven Wrexham players picking up £15,000 per week at The Racecourse, with the forward arriving in January 2025 from Reading.

He scored some vital goals to help Wrexham win promotion to the Championship and is under contract until 2028.

9 Liberato Cacace £15,000 per week

Liberato Cacace was Wrexham’s only 2025 signing made outside of England, with the New Zealand intermational arriving from Italian side Empoli.

The left-back cost just over £2m and put pen to paper on a three-year deal in Wales.

8 Matty James £15,000 per week

Wrexham didn’t pay a penny to sign Matty James in 2024 after he became a free agent following his Bristol City exit.

The central midfielder’s experience was key in the League One promotion run in.

7 Callum Doyle £15,000 per week

Callum Doyle is actually one of Wrexham’s most expensive signings of all time, but he’s down the list when it comes to the club’s highest paid players.

Signed from Premier League giants Manchester City for £5m, Doyle picks up £780,000 per season in Wales.

6 Ben Sheaf £15,000 per week

After starring for Coventry City over four years, Ben Sheaf swapped the Midlands for Wales, joining Wrexham on deadline day in September 2025.

He reportedly cost Reynolds and McElhenney £6.5m and is under contract until 2028.

5 Josh Windass £15,000 per week

After leaving Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 2024/25 season, attacker Josh Windass penned a three-year contract at Wrexham.

The forward actually scored Wrexham’s first goal back in the second-tier away at Southampton.

4 Lewis O'Brien £17,500 per week

Another marquee signing following the club’s promotion to the Championship was Lewis O’Brien, who arrived from Nottingham Forest in a £3m transfer.

His £910,000 per season deal in Wales runs until 2028.

3 Jay Rodriguez £25,000 per week

Signed at the beginning of 2025 to help Wrexham to promotion, Jay Rodriguez is on a deal worth £1.3m per season at The Racecourse.

A striker with Premier League experience, Rodriguez’s contract expires in 2026.

2 Conor Coady £25,000 per week

An England international, centre-back Conor Coady signed for Wrexham from Leicester City in a deal worth £2m.

He signed a two-year contract and was made a key part of Phil Parkinson’s plans straightaway.

1 Kieffer Moore £30,000 per week

Top of the list as Wrexham’s highest paid player is Wales international Kieffer Moore.

An experienced Championship striker who has scored goals for Cardiff City, Bournemouth, Ipswich Town and Sheffield United in recent years, Moore is under contract until 2028.

Thibaut Courtois is of the opinion that his Real Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham has to play for England at the 2026 World Cup. A surprising debate has been sparked there, with the all-action midfielder being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest Three Lions squad. He is still recovering from injury, but questions have been asked of Bellingham’s character and how he fits into the puzzle being pieced together by a demanding German coach.

Injury and lack of game time: Why England left Bellingham out

Belgium international Courtois is in no doubt that Bellingham will form part of England’s plans when FIFA’s flagship event heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico. The expectation is that he will return to that fold when another break in domestic action is reached in November.

Bellingham should be fully up to speed by then, with the 22-year-old working his way back from summer shoulder surgery. He has taken in just five appearances for Real this season, with only one start – in a derby date with neighbours Atletico Madrid – being seen under new Blancos boss Xabi Alonso.

Courtois is convinced that Bellingham will be recalled long before another bid for global glory is taken in, telling reporters when asked if he expects a club colleague to join him at a major tournament in North America: “Yes, of course. I don’t think we can imagine England without Jude. He should be in the England squad, definitely.”

AdvertisementGettyCourtois explains why Bellingham has to grace World Cup

The Belgian shot-stopper added on the Three Lions confirming their World Cup qualification without Bellingham – with the Blancos star also absent from fixtures in September: “I don’t think it’s a problem. Jude is coming back from an injury, a surgery and he has to get his fitness in.

“He has to play. He hasn’t had so many minutes so for England and Real Madrid it is better that he is training and getting that extra physical work. Now we have a couple of tough games and hopefully he will help because he is an amazing player. He is one of our best players. I don’t know if Tuchel has called him or not. But I’m sure that even in November he will be back in the England squad. You want a player like Jude in the squad.”

Courtois went on to say of Real and England handling Bellingham with care: “He has had a long injury of four months so you cannot force them to go too fast. If you do then you can get muscle injuries and have a few weeks out and then if it happens again you can have another few weeks out. You need to have optimum fitness and then it will be OK.”

Why questions of Bellingham's character are 'nonsense'

Ex-England international Danny Murphy told GOAL recently when asked about Bellingham’s supposed flaws, which could be considered positives in the eyes of many: “I played with [Wayne] Rooney in his early England days, I played with ]Steven] Gerrard at Liverpool – they both had that fire, that extra edge to them that put them above everybody else, that belief in themselves. You can interpret it any way you want. I think the only relevant factor when you talk about people like that, young lads that have come on the scene and done what he’s done, it’s what do they produce on the pitch? How does it affect the game and how does it affect him?

“Some people are suggesting that the team would be more cohesive without him in it. It’s just nonsense. We have got lots of good players, of course. I love Morgan Rogers, he has done well the lad from Villa, he has come in and he can play. Cole Palmer, I’m one of his biggest fans but Bellingham, you don’t walk into Real Madrid in your first season and do what he did without having that belief in yourself. I hope, really hope, that he continues with that same attitude and approach because it makes him one of the best players in the world.”

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Getty ImagesEngland challenge for Bellingham, Palmer and Foden

England booked their place at the 2026 World Cup with a crushing 5-0 victory away in Latvia. Tuchel has vowed to remain loyal to those that have impressed across recent camps, with the likes of Bellingham, Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer and Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden needing to prove their worth at club level if they are to be drafted back into the fold.

Rana back in the T20I side; maiden T20I call-ups for Kranti Goud, Sayali Satghare, N Shree Charani and Shuchi Upadhyay

S Sudarshanan15-May-2025Shafali Verma has been named in India’s T20I squad for the first time since the Women’s T20 World Cup last year, while Sneh Rana, too, makes it for the first time since the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup. They are part of the 15-member T20I squad for the white-ball tour of England that starts on June 28.Seam-bowling allrounders Kranti Goud and Sayali Satghare, and left-arm spinners N Shree Charani and Shuchi Upadhyay received their maiden T20I call-ups. Shree Charani and Upadhyay were part of the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka that India won earlier this week. Goud was called-up to that squad after Kashvee Gautam was ruled out midway because of a leg injury.Related

India's road to Women's T20 World Cup 2026: what's right and what needs a look

India are shedding their over-dependency on Mandhana and Harmanpreet

Shafali was out of the national side after ODI series at home against New Zealand last year. She went back to domestic cricket and scored heavily – leading run-getter in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy (527 runs, 152.31 strike rate, 75.29 average) and the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy (414 runs, 145.26 strike rate, 82.80 average) – while captaining Haryana. She also scored 304 runs (fourth-most in the season) from nine innings at a strike rate of 152.76 for Delhi Capitals in WPL 2025.Following her ODI debut, Kranti Goud received her maiden T20I call-up for the England tour•SLCRana, on the other hand, has forced her way into the T20I setup following her performance in WPL 2025, where she was drafted in by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the injured Shreyanka Patil. Rana picked up six wickets in five matches and almost helped RCB qualify for the playoffs when she hit Deepti Sharma for 26 runs in an over against UP Warriorz. She is not part of BCCI’s centrally-contracted players but was the Player of the Series in the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka. Patil, who picked up an injury at the T20 World Cup last year, is yet to be given clearance by BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (formerly the National Cricket Academy).Harleen Deol, who is a regular No. 3 in the ODI side, is back in the T20I side for the first time since July 2024. She was Gujarat Giants’ third-highest run-getter in WPL 2025, scoring 232 runs at a strike rate of 120.83. Raghvi Bist, Uma Chetry and Minnu Mani, who all played in India’s last T20I assignment against West Indies at home, do not feature in the England-bound squad.Despite the strong showing, Shafali continues to miss out from India’s ODI squad, that is largely unchanged following their strong tri-series showing. Satghare is the only addition to the team that won the competition. She made her ODI debut against Ireland at home earlier this year and took three wickets in three matches.Pratika Rawal, who averages 63.80 in 11 ODIs, is the designated opening partner for Smriti Mandhana with Deol backed to bat one-drop. Yastika Bhatia will be the back-up wicketkeeper for Richa Ghosh while Maharashtra’s Tejal Hasabnis is the spare batter in the ODI setup.ESPNcricinfo LtdShree Charani and Upadhyay, who finished third on the wickets tally and was the Player of the Tournament as Madhya Pradesh won the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy last year for the first time, are part of the spin department headed by Deepti and Rana.There was no word on fast bowlers Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar and Titas Sadhu, who were left out of the tri-series squad because of injury.India Women will play five T20Is followed by three ODIs on the tour that overlaps with the men’s five-match Test series. As per the women’s future tours programme, this is India’s last ODI series ahead of the Women’s World Cup they would be hosting later this year.India squad for the women’s T20I series against EnglandHarmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, N Shree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Goud, Sayali SatghareIndia squad for the women’s ODI series against EnglandHarmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Shree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare