Tottenham are finally looking to "fill the void" left by club legend Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich as they target a new striker. Kane left his boyhood club in the summer of 2023 in search of a new challenge as he joined the Bundesliga giants for a record fee. The England international has enjoyed a purple patch since moving to Germany and also won his maiden trophy of his career when Bayern lifted the Bundesliga title in 2025.

Tottenham yet to replace Kane

Tottenham have not yet filled the gaping hole left in their attack when Kane exited for Bayern in 2023. They did sign a few attacking players, with Dominic Solanke joining the club last year, while Randal Kolo Muani was signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the last transfer window. In between they also lost Heung-min as another Spurs legend exited Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after his contract expired in the summer. Thomas Frank also has Richarlison in his ranks but the Premier League side have not found an ideal replacement for the England captain, who used to score for fun during his time in north London.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSpurs eye move for nine-goal striker

In a search for a prolific scorer, Spurs are ready to explore the transfer market once the January window opens. According to , the English side are keen on signing FC Porto star Samu Aghehowa. The youngster is widely considered to be one of the brightest prospects in Europe. Aghehowa enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in Portugal last season as he scored 27 goals across all competitions and provided three assists. In the 2025-26 campaign, the 21-year-old has scored nine goals in 15 appearances in all competitions.

In Frank's system – a manager who has a reputation for nurturing quality forwards, as he did at  Brentford with Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins – Aghehowa is considered to be a perfect fit and someone who can end their attacking woes as Spurs finally look to replace Kane in their frontline. 

Chelsea in race to sign Aghehowa

Earlier this month, reported that Chelsea are also keen on signing the striker and will provide Tottenham with fierce competition to secure the youngster's transfer. The Blues were linked with a move for the Spanish hitman in the summer of 2024 and had even agreed to pay £35 million ($44m) to secure his transfer, but the move collapsed at the last moment after Aghehowa failed his medical test, after sustaining an ankle injury. The youngster returned to Atletico Madrid before being shipped off to Porto, where he has thrived.

The report further added that former Chelsea manager and current Porto president Andre Villas-Boas is ready to sanction a move for Aghehowa. His current deal at the Liga Portugal side runs until 2029 and has a €100 million (£88m/$116m) release clause. However, Villas-Boas could let him leave for €80m (£70m/$92m) as he considers it to be an "irresistible deal". The report also claims that Porto are ready to sell the striker in the upcoming January transfer window due to financial pressure, and the club believes that is is well covered in the centre-forward position and feels that the management will be able to find a suitable replacement for Aghehowa within the roster.

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Getty Images SportSpurs' nightmare in north London derby

Frank's side suffered a shocking 4-1 loss at the hands of eternal rivals Arsenal on Sunday as they slipped down the Premier League table. Eberechi Eze, who was also linked with a move to Spurs in the summer before Arsenal hijacked the move, scored a brilliant hat-trick.

The Spurs boss was understandably unhappy at the end of the game as he said: "That [lack of creativity] has been an ongoing theme that we are working hard to improve. It doesn't look good today or against Chelsea. We need to keep working on it. There were a lot of things in this game we need to do better. We are four months into it and they are further in their journey as a team and that was very obvious today. Of course, there will be noise. We played against our biggest rivals and we lost badly. But we keep noise out and we focus. I know this tam is very competitive. I know this team is competitive and we showed that against Man City and PSG. Of course, it looks bad today and it was not good enough."

Baseball is back, as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have officially opened up the 2025 season in Japan with the Tokyo Series on Tuesday. But one notable player, Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman, was absent from the lineup as the contest got underway.

Why is Freddie Freeman not playing in Tokyo Series vs. Cubs?

Freeman was scratched from the lineup due to left rib discomfort, the Dodgers announced. While it's not clear what caused the injury, Freeman was able to participate in batting practice before the game, so it's possible he tweaked something in his pregame preparations for the contest. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is likely to provide further updates on Freeman after the game.

In 147 games in '24, Freeman posted a .282/.378/.476 slash line with 22 home runs, 89 RBI and 81 runs scored. He was named World Series MVP in the Dodgers' championship triumph over the New York Yankees.

In addition to the absence of the '24 World Series MVP, the Dodgers are also without eight-time All Star Mookie Betts, who will miss each of the two games in the Tokyo Series as he deals with an illness.

The Dodgers currently lead 3-1 at the Tokyo Dome.

Bryce Harper is on a heater. The Philadelphia Phillies' star slugger hit his third home run in four games Friday when he clobbered a ball to the second deck at Citizens Bank Park against Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara.

On an 0-2 count in the bottom of the first inning, Harper turned on a cutter he received up-and-in for a no-doubt homer. The ball sailed 418 feet for a two-run shot, also scoring Phillies shortstop Trea Turner.

Harper was able to watch the ball leave the park as he knew it was gone immediately after making contact. The 89-mph cutter had an 106-mph exit velocity off the two-time National League MVP's bat.

And he did it while rocking an awesome gingerbread shinguard:

The hot stretch started on Tuesday as Harper hit a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants in a 6-4 win for the Phillies. He followed it up with another two-run shot the next day. Harper has four homers thus far through his 2025 campaign, with three coming in the last four days.

Earlier this week, Turner helped Harper reveal the gender of his fourth baby with wife Kayla. Turner handed Harper a custom bat that lined up with the new baby's gender. Harper then took a bright blue twig to the plate, letting everyone know him and Kayla are expecting a boy.

The eight-time All-Star is slashing .261/.400/.464 through 19 games to start the year as the Phillies sit in second place in the NL East with an 11-8 record.

Daniel Farke’s future at Elland Road has come into question after Leeds United slipped into the relegation zone following a run of four straight defeats in the Premier League.

The Guardian now reports that the German head coach is expected, by senior figures inside the club, to lose his job if they lose to Chelsea and Liverpool in their matches this week.

It has been reported elsewhere that former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil is in the frame to replace Farke, having been out of a job since he was sacked by the Old Gold last season.

Why Leeds should avoid Gary O'Neil

At face value, the English tactician would seem to be a shrewd appointment for the West Yorkshire outfit, given that he kept Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League in his first seasons with both clubs.

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However, the underlying numbers behind those two campaigns and his second season with Wolves suggest that that may have had more to do with the quality of the players at his disposal, rather than outstanding coaching.

As you can see in the table above, both of his teams picked up more points than their performances deserved, as both Wolves and Bournemouth delivered relegation-battling numbers.

Those dismal performance numbers finally caught up with O’Neil in his second season with the Old Gold, as he lost 11 of the first 16 matches before being sacked, per Transfermarkt.

This is why Leeds should avoid a move for the ex-Wolves boss, because his Premier League career so far does not suggest that he would be the man to improve their performances, and that is why they should pursue Carlos Corberan instead.

Why Leeds should hire Carlos Corberan

If the Spanish head coach, who is a reported target for the club, is available and willing to come to Elland Road, the Whites should sack Farke and ignore O’Neil to bring him back to Thorp Arch.

Corberan, who was described as a “student of Marcelo Bielsa” by scout Ben Mattinson, worked for Leeds at U21 level and as a first-team coach for Bielsa before he made his first step into senior management with Huddersfield Town.

After play-off finishes in the Championship with Huddersfield and West Brom, the Spanish tactician was appointed by Valencia last season, and only lost five of his 21 LaLiga games in charge of the club, per Transfermarkt, to earn a 12th-placed finish.

Whilst O’Neil’s Premier League teams largely benefitted from an overperformance against their performance data, Corberan has been unfortunate with Valencia in LaLiga this term.

Per FotMob, the Spanish side are 15th in the league on 14 points from 14 games. However, they rank 12th in the division for xPTs (17) and have underperformed their xG, of 14.8, and conceded more than their xGA of 20.8.

This shows that Corberan’s coaching has been better than Valencia’s results suggest, as his players have not made the most of the situations that the system and tactics have created for them, whilst the opposite was true of O’Neil’s time with Wolves and Bournemouth.

The 42-year-old tactician has shown that he can manage in one of the top leagues in Europe, having previously shown his class in the Championship, and that should also appeal to Leeds if they are looking for a replacement for Farke in the coming days.

Farke, as shown in the earlier table, has a dismal Premier League record in his career, which is why appointing a manager like Corberan, who has been a safe pair of hands for Valencia and has a pre-existing relationship with the club, could be a great move.

Leeds star who was a "massive signing" is becoming the new Kristensen

This Leeds United star who has been a huge signing for the club is their biggest Premier League liability since Rasmus Kristensen.

1

By
Dan Emery

Dec 2, 2025

The likes of Corberan and O’Neil will now surely be watching on from afar with keen interest as Leeds take on Chelsea and Liverpool this week in the Premier League.

After returning to club action following the final international break of 2025, Liverpool needed to find a remedy for their issues.

A defeat to Manchester City two weeks ago is hardly something to be ashamed about, but after consecutive wins across league and European action, it was a return to the doldrums of the previous month.

In truth, Arne Slot’s men have been way off it in 2025/26. The Anfield outfit are severely lagging behind in the race for the Premier League title and they can probably already forget about any hopes of retaining England’s biggest prize, but for a major miracle.

The nadir of the campaign so far came on Saturday. Nottingham Forest, sat inside the relegation places, visited Mersyeside and swatted aside Slot’s troops with ease, winning 3-0.

It was a ghastly defeat and one that was epitomised by the performance of club-record signing Alexander Isak.

The issues behind Alexander Isak

2025 has been a peculiar old year for Mr Isak. He began the year in career-best form and took Newcastle United to a Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley against his new employers.

Yet, he ruined his legacy. He chewed it up and spat it back in the faces of Newcastle supporters.

He didn’t go on the club’s pre-season tour in Asia and from that moment he was never seen in first-team training again.

Isak trained on his own at Newcastle’s complex and then after missing the opening weeks of the season, finally got his British record move to Liverpool. FSG shelled out a jaw-dropping £125m to sign him but he has not been worth that fee in the slightest.

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The Swede has struggled with fitness and injury since moving, hardly surprising given he didn’t have a proper pre-season. That, however, is the player’s fault and he’s now paying the price.

The striker has now played nine games for his new side but has only scored once, a solitary goal in the EFL Cup.

He’s gone five Premier League matches without scoring and all four of his Liverpool starts in top-flight action have ended in defeat.

His performance against Forest on Saturday was the epitome of what he’s gone through on Merseyside to date.

As Slot’s side lost 3-0, Isak was nowhere to be seen. BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty described his afternoon as a “symbol of one of the most limp Anfield displays in recent years.”

As a consequence, the attacker only lasted 68 minutes on the pitch, amassing just 14 touches of the football and winning zero of his duels.

Minutes played

68

Touches

14

Accurate passes

5/7 (71%)

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

0

Shots

1

Shots on target

0

Ground duels won

0

Aerial duels won

0

Before this game had even taken place Liverpool correspondent David Lynch had suggested the Swede was “offering Liverpool less than Darwin Nunez did”. Still, while Nunez never really got up to speed, there is a belief that Isak will eventually come good.

The same cannot be said for someone who plays further back than Isak.

Liverpool star is becoming this season's Darwin Nunez

What a puzzling character Mr Nunez was. The Uruguayan arrived in a £85m move from Benfica back in June 2022 but failed to ever really set the world alight.

He missed a catalogue of big chances. In January 2024, he set a Premier League record when he hit the woodwork four times in one game against Chelsea. No one has ever hit the bar or post on as many occasions in one match as that.

Furthermore, back in 2023/24, only Erling Haaland (34) missed more big chances than Nunez (27) in the top-flight. The trouble is, while the Norwegian powerhouse scored 27 that term, Liverpool’s leading number nine only found the net on 11 occasions in league action.

Then, last season, the South American netted just seven goals in 47 fixtures, prompting his exit from English football. He has since moved to Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal, where he has netted five times in nine appearances.

Isak will likely have a better Anfield career than that, but he is arguably not the main scapegoat right now. That honour is in the hands of Ibrahima Konate.

The Frenchman, as Nunez did, has become the but of the jokes at Anfield this term and is the most under-fire player in Slot’s squad.

Yes, Florian Wirtz and Isak continue to disappoint, a huge problem given their price tags, but Konate has had one too many chances now and his Liverpool career is heading in a similar way to a certain Trent Alexander-Arnold.

His contract is due to expire at the end of the season and with Real Madrid allegedly chasing his services, it looks like the best option for all parties that he leaves on a free transfer.

Liverpool would love a fee, of course they would, but they just need to get him off their books now. He’s simply too error-prone. It’s not just one error either, something football analyst Raj Chohan outlined on social media during Saturday’s game.

Having made a dreadful mistake, beaten all ends up by Forest striker Igor Jesus, the Frenchman was extremely thankful that the goal that followed that sequence of events was ruled out for handball.

Writing afterwards, Chohan simply said, “every time he makes one error, he makes multiple.”

Tactical writer Dharnish Iqbal, further noted that Konate’s form at the moment is “shocking”, outlining him as one of the biggest problems at Slot’s disposal right now.

According to the official data, supplied by Sofascore, he has made three mistakes leading to a shot in league action alone this term. In the Champions League, he has made a further one. This is particularly bad as in the whole of the 2024/25 Premier League season, he made two. He’s already up to that number now from 12 starts.

He might not be like Nunez in the sense that he’s a striker, but he’s the new club scapegoat, and like Nunez, he needs to leave as soon as possible.

Worse than Konate: Slot must drop 2/10 Liverpool flop who lost 100% duels

Ibrahima Konate was not the only culprit during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

2 ByMatt Dawson Nov 23, 2025

Ruben Amorim’s polarising tactical set-up is reliant on fluent and efficient wing-backs. Establishing a winning formula down the flanks has proved difficult for the Manchester United manager in his year at the Old Trafford helm, though.

Though the right-sided pairing of Bryan Mbeumo is an imperfect combination, there is much to like about this front-footed and dynamic dimension.

The same can’t be said for Patrick Dorgu down the left, who Amorim admitted last week creates an air of “anxiety” when on the ball at the moment.

Harsh words, but not without the ring of truth. The Red Devils are short on effective options on the left, with Diogo Dalot the stand-in. However, he too leaves much to be desired, as was clear as United secured a from-behind Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Dalot flatters to deceive at Selhurst Park

Dalot has struggled under Amorim’s wing, having found tough work in adapting to the new system. Content creator Liam Canning actually said a month ago that the Portuguese defender is “becoming a worry long term”, given that he “doesn’t look like he suits the wing back role”.

Such words rung true against Palace at the weekend, albeit with the intensity and aggression improving after the break.

While content creator Adam Joseph feels the left side is “completely toothless”, there are signs of life.

Dalot did win eight duels on the afternoon, as per Sofascore, succeeding with his one tackle and making six ball recoveries besides. But he also failed with two attempted crosses and didn’t create a single chance, illustrating the on-the-ball imbalances that Amorim has yet to iron out.

However, given Dorgu has been so unconvincing and the alternative options are few and far between, it’s unlikely we will see any drastic upheaval in the immediate future.

But Amorim may look to chop and change another part of his backline.

Amorim must drop 3/10 Man Utd star

There has been a promising increase in levels at Manchester United this season, but Amorim still has much ground to cover before his tenure can be confirmed as a success.

Going forward, he may need to make a few tough calls, and one of those calls centres on dropping Leny Yoro, who has struggled of late and must be pulled to the bench.

Yoro, 20, is considered one of the most talented centre-backs in the world, and United scored a coup when beating Liverpool and Real Madrid to his signature.

However, he’s been out of form this season, and journalist Nathan Salt believes he “needs a break from the XI to restore some confidence”.

Yoro was at fault for the penalty which Jean-Philippe Mateta dispatched – controversially – to put the hosts 1-0 up before half-time. The Manchester Evening News gave him a 3/10 match rating after an error-strewn performance that saw him hooked before the hour mark.

Minutes played

54′

Goals conceded

1

Touches

33

Accurate passes

22/23 (96%)

Unsuccessful touches

3

Recoveries

3

Tackles won

0/2

Clearances

3

Duels won

3/6

The timing is at least fortuitous. Lisandro Martinez has completed his long-anticipated return from injury, and the Butcher at his best will be sure to nail down a starting berth in Amorim’s team.

Yoro is strong on the ball and a progressive passer, ranking among the top 14% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, but he’s also shorn of confidence.

United fans must retain their excitement over the dynamic, promising defender, who has what it takes to become one of the very best in the business. But, for now, he needs to put the brakes on his campaign.

After the match, content creator Adam Joseph acknowledged that the Frenchman is “going through a tough period in his development”, but that he was “brilliant last season” and will bounce back soon.

This is true, but, for now, Amorim would be wise to take the young centre-half out of the firing line, especially now that Martinez is match fit once again.

Not just Zirkzee: Man Utd star who was a "waste of time" is now undroppable

This Man Utd player starred in their 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace

1 ByJoe Nuttall Nov 30, 2025

After Erik ten Hag’s dismissal from Manchester United in October last year, it was always going to be crucial that the hierarchy made the right call with their next appointment.

The Red Devils board turned to Ruben Amorim to fill the void, but around 13 months on from his arrival, he’s still struggling to provide the goods on a consistent basis.

He’s currently achieving a 41% win record in his 56 matches in charge at Old Trafford to date, with the 40-year-old only registering a total of 23 victories across all competitions.

His 3-4-2-1 system is yet to be seen in full flow, as numerous players are still getting used to the demands of the manager’s intricate system in the Premier League.

One player in particular has had to adapt his playstyle over the last couple of months as a result of the switch, but he’s struggled in 2025/25 – as seen by his stats in recent weeks.

The stats behind Dalot’s struggles in 2025/26

Diogo Dalot was signed by United back in 2018 from boyhood club Porto, with the Portuguese star seen as the long-term solution at right-back at Old Trafford.

The 26-year-old has already racked up over 200 senior appearances for the Red Devils since his transfer, but concerns have been raised about his performance levels in 2025/26.

He’s been asked to operate in a more advanced right-wing-back role as a result of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system – a position in which he’s massively struggled to date.

In his 11 appearances in the Premier League, he’s massively struggled in possession, as seen by his lowly tally of just 2.8 progressive passes completed per 90.

Such a tally ranks him within the bottom 20% of all full-backs in the division this season, further showcasing his lack of impact when in possession this campaign.

Going forward, he’s also massively struggled to impress, as seen by his tally of just 1.7 passes into the final per 90 – which also places him in the bottom 14% of other defenders in the league.

When he gets himself into shooting positions, Dalot has also massively struggled in the Premier League, as seen by his tally of zero shots on target, the joint-worst of any player in the division.

It’s evident that he’s massively struggled to impress since the arrival of his compatriot, with the manager desperately needing to address the situation in such an area.

The star who can end Dalot’s Man Utd career

In an attempt to fix the issues in the wing-back department, Amorim has put faith in Amad Diallo to try and nail the place down as his own in recent months.

The Ivorian, who’s primarily a winger, has managed to impress in the role, with the 23-year-old netting 11 goals and eight assists across all competitions in 2024/25.

In the current season, the youngster has continued to impress, already netting a goal and two assists – with his only goal a tremendous strike in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.

However, the manager could be presented with an issue in the months ahead, with the player set to join up with the Ivory Coast national team for the African Cup of Nations.

Despite the issues, the manager could call upon academy star Bendito Mantato to try and fill the void and solve the long-standing problem in wide areas.

The Englishman joined the academy at the age of nine, subsequently spending his entire youth years with the Red Devils and is now a star performer in the youth ranks.

He’s made three appearances for the U18 squad during the early stages of this season, but has managed to impress – as seen by his tally of three goals and three assists.

Mantato, who started out as a winger, has even played as a full-back for the academy sides, subsequently allowing him to make 11 appearances for the under-21 side this campaign.

As a result of his recent performances, analyst Ben Mattinson has already labelled “explosive” – even touching on his ability to get up and down the pitch with his tireless nature.

Bendito Mantato – stats in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

14

Goals & assists

9

Pass accuracy

89%

Successful dribbles

1.1

Tackles made

3.4

Duels won

6.7

Duels won

49%

Fouls won

1.3

Stats via FotMob

The youngster starred in the U18s 7-0 demolition of Liverpool at the weekend, with the wideman finding the net early on to get the ball rolling against their bitter rivals.

At just 17, expectations will no doubt have to be managed by the club and Amorim, but it’s evident that he’s a player with bags of talent and potential for the future.

However, if he does manage to continue his current trajectory, there’s no reason why he can’t replace Dalot in the first-team setup and save the hierarchy millions.

The Portuguese international is certainly on borrowed time at Old Trafford, with the full-back needing a miracle to prevent the hierarchy from looking at options to replace him.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb Dec 2, 2025

شارك المصري محمد صلاح في مباراة فريقه ليفربول الإنجليزي أمام آيندهوفن الهولندي، بمنافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2025-2026.

واستقبل ليفربول خصمه آيندهوفن على ملعب “آنفيلد” في إطار مباريات الجولة الخامسة لمرحلة الدوري لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتعرض ليفربول لهزيمة ثقيلة من آيندهوفن بنتيجة 4-1، ليتجمد رصيده في دوري الأبطال عند 9 نقاط.

ولعب محمد صلاح أساسيًا وقد خاض المباراة كاملة، وحصل المصري على تقييم 7.5 من 10 بحسب شبكة “سوفا سكور”.

صنع صلاح فرصتين في المباراة، ومرر 5 تمريرات دقيقة من أصل 7، وبلغت دقة تمريراته 88% بواقع 35 من أصل 40 تمريرة.

اقرأ أيضًا | مباريات ليفربول المتبقية في دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد الخسارة أمام آيندهوفن

ومرر صلاح 31 تمريرة دقيقة من أصل 37 في نصف ملعب الخصم، ولعب كرة طولية دقيقة من أصل 2، وسدد تسديدة واحدة.

ولمس محمد صلاح الكرة 61 مرة، وله محاولة مراوغة ناجحة من أصل 5، وفقد الاستحواذ 15 مرة، وفي التحامات الكرات الأرضية فاز بـ 2 من أصل 10، والالتحامات الهوائية فاز بـ2 من أصل 3.

Seamer Sami got his maiden five-wicket haul after Zadran’s patient 95 and Nabi’s blazing 62* took Afghanistan to 293

Mohammad Isam14-Oct-2025

Afghanistan completed their decimation of Bangladesh, wrapping up a 3-0 ODI series win with a 200-run win in the third game in Abu Dhabi. After managing to put up 293 for 9, they shot out Bangladesh for just 93. Afghanistan’s ODI series win comes by the same margin as Bangladesh’s in the T20Is.After Ibrahim Zadran and Mohammad Nabi bookended Afghanistan’s batting effort with excellent half-centuries, seamer Bilal Sami took his maiden five-wicket haul. But much of the rout came about once again due to Rashid Khan, who took three wickets in his first three overs.Bangladesh’s batters capitulated ad nauseum. They hardly any impact on the contest throughout the series, thus continuing the trend in the third game. The procession started with Mohammad Naim struggled for 23 balls before Azmatullah Omarzai had him caught at slip for 7.Leading up to his dismissal, it was only one-way traffic of runs from the other end. Bangladesh looked like they could get out of some early trouble leaning on Saif Hassan. He didn’t disappoint, scoring heavily in the powerplay with a couple of sixes and a four.However, Najmul Hossain Shanto continued his poor form in ODIs when Sami had him bowled off an inside edge. Saif tried to get Bangladesh out of trouble, but hardly had the strike.Then, as it has often happened, it was the Rashid show. Towhid Hridoy fell on his first ball, unable to read the rapid googly. In the next over, it was Saif who missed the googly by a whisker, the ball sneaking through his bat and pad. He finished as the top-scorer with 43 off 54 balls with two fours and three sixes.Ibrahim Zadran fell for 95•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Sami then took his first wicket by getting Mehidy Hasan Miraz caught behind for 6, before Shamim Hossain got run-out next ball. Nurul Hasan had played the Sami delivery towards point, where Nangeyalia Kharote caught Shamim fidgeting out of his crease.Rashid took his third wicket in as many overs when he had Nurul lbw in the 21st over. Bangladesh’s procession continued when Sami added his third by having Tanvir Islam caught-and-bowled in his next over. Rishad became Sami’s fourth victim when he top-edged him to mid-on. Sami took his fifth when Hasan Mahmud holed out in the 28th over.Afghanistan had earlier set themselves up nicely for a big total. Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz sped away to add 99 runs for the first wicket. Gurbaz was, as usual, the enforcer, striking five fours and a scrumptious six in his knock of 42. Zadran wasn’t going to hang back, though, after his sedate 95 in the previous game. He reached his fifty shortly after Gurbaz got out, before adding another 74 runs for the second wicket with Sediqullah Atal.The pair gave Afghanistan the perfect launching pad at 173 for 1 in the 32nd over, but Saif upended their plans at that stage. The part-time offspinner took three wickets in four overs, as Afghanistan lost four wickets for 15 runs in the space of 25 balls.Omarzai struck three fours to keep them afloat, but Afghanistan kept slipping, until they reached 249 for 9 in 48 overs. Nabi was batting at 24 off 25 balls at that stage, but no sooner had Nahid Rana left the ground suddenly after bowling two legal balls in the 49th over that Nabi sprung into action.He struck Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who stepped up to complete Rana’s over, for three sixes in four balls, before pasting Mahmud for a six and three fours in a 19-run last over. Afghanistan picked up 44 runs in the last two overs to upend Bangladesh’s recovery with the ball.

His two wickets on the opening day slowed down Pakistan’s progress and helped South Africa go to stumps after an “even day”

Danyal Rasool20-Oct-2025It may not have seemed that way when Pakistan were 146 for one, but by stumps, South Africa had clawed back enough into the Test for Keshav Maharaj to call it an even day. The left-arm spinner – who did not play the first Test owing to a groin injury – began South Africa’s comeback when he dismissed crowd favourite Babar Azam early on in his innings. In the final session, Maharaj struck once more when he drew Shan Masood into a sweep, which he could only drag to Marco Jansen at square leg. By the end, there was time for Kagiso Rabada to snag a fifth wicket, forcing Pakistan to see off the final half hour cautiously. They finished on 259 for five.”I think it was an even day,” he said. “We managed to control their run rate. When the ball gets softer – which happens quite quickly because the wicket’s quite hard, we managed to just go to old-fashioned Test cricket… I felt if we got one more wicket at night, we’d probably have had a little bit of an upper hand.”Related

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The first two sessions were shaping up to tell a different story, using the same, frustrating script for the visitors. Having lost the toss and being inserted to field once more, they were sloppy, putting down five catches – just as they had on the first day in Lahore. Abdullah Shafique was the primary beneficiary, with South Africa spurning three opportunities to dismiss him. Earlier, Marco Jansen had nipped one in that Shafique left. The ball had kissed the off stump, only for the bails to be left undisturbed.”As a collective we know how important catches are, not just in the subcontinent. No one means to drop catches; it was nice to see the guys bounce back and take the catches that they did. Bit frustrating but no one means to drop chances.”Simon Harmer bowled 23 overs of spin to complement Maharaj•AFP/Getty ImagesThe fielding tide for South Africa began to turn when Tony de Zorzi took an excellent catch, which sent Babar on his way. South Africa have placed a lot of faith in their leading offspinner; he bowled 31 overs – the most for any bowler on a day this series. Harmer bowled 23 further overs of spin, but Senuran Muthuswamy, the leading wicket-taker in Lahore, sent down just four.Maharaj, who said he regretted being unable to play in Lahore, called the decision to use Muthuswamy more sparingly “tactical”. “We saw that the wicket didn’t play like Lahore and we felt like we just wanted to try and restrict the Pakistani batters. I don’t think there was an issue. Sen came back nicely with the second spell that he bowled.”In the end, Pakistan scored 54 fewer runs than they did on day one in Lahore, with South Africa drying up the runs, giving the final session a slightly different tinge to the first day they had during the first Test. They will be further encouraged by the knowledge that Pakistan have a collapse in them, something Masood highlighted following the first Test. In the first Test, Pakistan lost their last five for 16 in the first innings, and their last six for 17 in the two innings. One more wicket, and South Africa will know there are opportunities to run through the lower order.”Tomorrow’s an important day,” Maharaj said. The first sessions in the series so far have been quite action-packed. “Hopefully, we can make inroads tomorrow morning. The main thing is to try bowling as many dot balls as we can. We saw for a period of time when we did do it, that it brought us a little bit of reward, and we created opportunities. I think it’s important we start really well tomorrow. Hopefully we can get Saud and Agha early in the morning and open up an end with the lower-order batters. But it’s about just trying to bowl our best balls for long periods of time.”