Big picture: Can Bangladesh challenge India?

Even though they haven’t been close games, the tension during the two India-Pakistan matches has made players do and say things they otherwise wouldn’t. One of them is based on facts but lacks professional humility. After beating Pakistan once again, India captain Suryakumar Yadav invoked a dominant head-to-head in recent years in order to call for an end to the term “rivalry” for these contests.There is good reason to believe Suryakumar, or any India captain, would not have said what can be interpreted as arrogant had it not been Pakistan and the current relations between the two countries. For where is a rivalry for India in recent times? Since the start of 2024, India have won 32 and lost three matches of T20I cricket.The sheer talent, now coupled with the appropriate intent, has turned India into perhaps the most formidable T20I side ever assembled. Add to it the slowness of the Dubai pitches, and India are able to experiment with just one frontline quick and getting him to bowl three overs in the powerplay.Related

• Jasprit Bumrah doing 'exceptionally tough job' at Asia Cup

• Bangladesh ready to 'ride the hype' in high-stakes India clash

• Fizz at the finish: Mustafizur Rahman is on a roll, but can he keep India quiet?

• Bangladesh solve the middle-overs riddle

• Suryakumar: India vs Pakistan isn't a rivalry anymore

Those who market the sport will not be too thrilled at such numbers because the biggest draw in sport is the possibility. If there is any consolation, though, one of the three defeats India have suffered in these two years has come against Zimbabwe.Bangladesh will go in believing they can cause an upset. They have just done that to the leaders of their group in the first round, Sri Lanka. They did so using the slowness of the conditions with Mahedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman combining for figures of 8-0-45-5. The reward is massive. If they can somehow beat India, Bangladesh will be a good shout to enter the final. Can they do the unthinkable, beat India for the first time since 2019, repair their 16-1 head to head, and somehow initiate a rivalry?

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Bangladesh WWLWW

In the spotlight: Sanju Samson and Mustafizur Rahman

Another experiment that India are able to work on is Sanju Samson in the middle order. Clearly, the team management seems to have decided that Samson is too good a player to be sitting out, so they are trying to create a place for him in the side now that the top order is packed with Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar and Tilak Varma. The one innings he has played there is no sample size to draw any conclusions, but there were signs he wasn’t quite at home when starting against an older ball. So eyes will be on him whenever he gets a chance to bat.4:20

Chopra: India need to give Samson a long rope

One of the challenges for Samson and the rest of the middle order will be the canny bowling of Mustafizur Rahman, who becomes double dangerous on slower pitches. He showed that against Sri Lanka with figures of 4-0-20-3. An encore could give Bangladesh a strong chance against India.

Team news: No changes expected for India

In the first round, India experimented with their combination only once their progress to the Super Four was confirmed. So don’t expect any changes to their first-choice XI, which they returned to against Pakistan.India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun ChakravarthyCaptain Litton Das complained of a back strain during training two days before the match, but he should be okay to play. The one change Bangladesh are pondering is Tanzim Hasan for Shoriful Islam, who travelled for 49 runs against Sri Lanka.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Saif Hassan, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt. & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Nasum Ahmed, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Tanzim Hasan, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

As expected, the pitches have been slow, making it difficult to score quickly in the middle overs. Expect more of the same in the extreme heat of Dubai.

Stats and trivia

• With the wicket of Fakhar Zaman, Hardik Pandya went past Yuzvendra Chahal to become India’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket, now only three behind Arshdeep Singh’s 100.
• Mustafizur is tied with Shakib Al Hasan as the most prolific wicket-taker for Bangladesh. When he does go past Shakib, he will become only the fourth bowler in T20Is to reach 150 wickets.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is reportedly facing a significant blow to his January transfer plans after news about a top winger target.

While the January transfer window is set to become a major topic of discussion soon, all attention is currently centered around this weekend’s North London derby clash against Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The statistics paint a pretty bleak picture for Frank’s side, with as many as 11 players either set to miss the clash through injury or are doubts at the very least.

Tottenham absentee list	Problem	Estimated return date (subject to change)
Dejan Kulusevski	Knee	29/11/2025
James Maddison	ACL	01/06/2026
Radu Dragusin	Knee	22/11/2025
Ben Davies	Thigh	23/11/2025
Kota Takai	Ankle/Foot	23/11/2025
Mohammed Kudus	Knock	23/11/2025
Randal Kolo Muani	Jaw	23/11/2025
Yves Bissouma	Ankle/Foot	23/11/2025
Lucas Bergvall	Concussion	23/11/2025
Dominic Solanke	Ankle	23/11/2025
Archie Gray	Calf/Shin/Heel	23/11/2025
via Premier Injuries

Arsenal prolonged their unbeaten run against Tottenham to six matches in January this year, having also done the double over Spurs in 2023. The Lilywhites have also failed to chalk up a single victory against their fiercest rivals in three years, with their last win coming at the end of the 2021/2022 season under Antonio Conte.

Harry Kane’s brace and a goal from Son Heung-min handed Spurs a statement 3-0 victory on their run to qualify for the Champions League that year, but that remains their only triumph over Arsenal in their last nine meetings.

While the Emirates Stadium is a notoriously challenging hunting ground for Tottenham, having failed to win there in the top flight since 2011, Frank could actually be relieved this clash will be played out on enemy turf.

Frank’s side have lost three Premier League matches on home soil already this season, and their record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the last 12 months has been abysmal with just four victories to show from 20 home league games.

They haven’t won at home at all in the league since their 3-1 win over newly-promoted Burnley on the opening weekend, leaving them second bottom of the home form table but sitting pretty atop of the away form standings (Footy Stats).

Tottenham will be handed some encouragement by Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal just prior to the international break, but it is safe to say they’re up against it on Sunday, with there still being plenty of work to do on Frank’s squad as the Lewis family look to usher in a post-Daniel Levy era.

According to reports, Spurs are in the market for another winger this winter after missing out on Savinho in the summer, with Ademola Lookman believed to be on their radar as one potential signing.

Frank facing 'big blow' at Tottenham after news on Ademola Lookman

The Atalanta winger appeared to be exit bound last summer and even submitted a transfer request, but an exit failed to materialise. Tottenham were repeatedly linked with the Nigerian at the end of the last window, and those links have remained ahead of January.

Lookman bagged 20 goals in all competitions last season and took home 2024’s African Player of the Year award following his stunning performance in the Europa League final that year, which both won Atalanta the tournament and ended Bayer Leverkusen’s historic unbeaten run.

The 28-year-old, who is also out of contract in under two years, would undoubtedly be a superb signing for Spurs and one who can play in many different attacking positions, including as a striker.

However, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke for Football Insider, Frank faces a ‘big blow’ in his pursuit of Lookman, as it is now believed that new Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino could now convince the player to remain in Italy.

Also, if Spurs were to lodge a bid for Lookman in January, Atalanta would demand a minimum of £50 million to consider selling, despite the player’s contract length.

All of this makes the prospect of a winter transfer to N17 looking more and more difficult for the ‘world-class’ forward, but there are alternatives.

Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo is apparently tempted by the prospect of a move to Tottenham amid Real Sociedad’s dismal start to 25/26, and he has a release clause in his contract, which means Spurs could bypass club talks and go directly to the player.

West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has lavished praise on a Hammers academy graduate who possesses “so much talent”, and one who ex-midfielder Michael Carrick also holds in very high esteem.

Saturday’s clash between West Ham and Burnley at the London Stadium could be seen as a relegation six-pointer already, with just three points separating the two struggling sides as both are likely to be battling the drop come May.

The hosts sit 18th with just two wins from ten matches, while Burnley sit a place above with just one more victory to show for their efforts since promotion from the Championship.

West Ham finally ended their miserable run last weekend with a morale-boosting victory at the expense of Newcastle.

The Hammers came from behind to defeat Eddie Howe’s side 3-1 at home, with Lucas Paqueta, an own goal from Sven Botman and Tomas Soucek securing a much-needed three points and Nuno’s first win since taking charge.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

Remarkably, over half of West Ham’s shots on target since Nuno’s arrival came in that Newcastle win, nine out of 16, while Burnley have attempted the fewest shots out of any Premier League team this season, according to The Analyst.

Nuno’s side will be desperate to claim back-to-back home victories for the first time since February and climb out of the relegation zone, and history actually favours West Ham.

West Ham are unbeaten in their last six top flight meetings with Burnley, three wins and three draws, but more impressively, the east Londoners haven’t lost any of their last eleven top-flight matches against Burnley when scoring at least one goal (11v11).

Away from the stats, Nuno finally found a winning formula against Newcastle that gifts West Ham plenty of encouragement heading into this weekend.

A key part of their impressive performance last time out was the introduction of highly-rated young midfielder Freddie Potts, who was finally handed his first Premier League start after many calls to do so.

The 22-year-old, who spent the last two seasons playing regularly on loan at Wycombe and Portsmouth, put in an excellent display next to Paqueta at the heart of West Ham’s engine room, and he’s surely in line to start again when West Ham meet Burnley.

Nuno praises West Ham youngster Freddie Potts ahead of Burnley

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno was effusive in his praise for Potts after his Newcastle display, but insists the West Ham gem still has some way to go.

Nuno isn’t the only man to stand up and take notice of Potts’ performance either, with Carrick explaining how “massively impressed” he was by the Englishman on Match of the Day.

Potts looks like the latest in a fairly steady line of exciting West Ham talents to come through in recent years, and going by his last outing, 25/26 could be his breakout campaign.

It has been revealed that Manchester United opted to target Benjamin Sesko over Viktor Gyokeres in the summer, as the Red Devils believed that the young Slovenian was better suited to their project and style of play based on data. Sesko has had a slow start to life in the Premier League, but the club retain faith that the 22-year-old has a bright future at Old Trafford and is a big part of the club's future under Ruben Amorim.

United choose to pursue Sesko over Gyokeres, reports reveal

According to reports by The Mirror, United considered the signings of both Sesko and Gyokeres, but decided to prioritise the former as the ideal centrepiece to their new-look attack under Amorim. 

The former RB Leipzig striker has only scored twice for the Red Devils thus far and has found himself in and out of the side following his £74million ($96.8m) move, but the club remain patient with the highly rated young forward. 

Reports continue that Sesko’s running stats were crucial in his signing, as per The Times. Mike Sansoni joined the club as director of data in the summer following 11 years with the Mercedes Formula 1 team, and has led the new focus on data across the Red Devils’ recruitment process.

Sansoni works closely with Director of Football Jason Wilcox and is leading an initiative for the club to become a “fully data-driven club which will lead to success on and off the pitch”, using his extensive range of data on tens of thousands of players. This data led to the marquee signing of Sesko, who will hope to prove the club right in Red over the coming months. 

AdvertisementGettySlow start for Sesko at Old Trafford after big-money move

Sesko’s two Premier League goals so far this season have come in defeat at Brentford and the victory at home to Sunderland at Old Trafford, which marked the beginning of United’s three-game winning streak which included a historic 2-1 win at Anfield.

The 22-year-old struck 39 goals in two impressive seasons with Leipzig, scoring 13 times in the Bundesliga last term and four in the Champions League. He is still developing into his role at United and will hope that his strong data-led profile leads to strong results on the pitch with his new employers – though he is currently out injured.  

Gyokeres, meanwhile, has scored four times in the Premier League for leaders Arsenal and six times overall, following his £63.4m ($83m) move from Sporting Lisbon, where he was prolific under Amorim and drew inevitable links as a result. 

'I'm relaxed' – Amorim backs new signing

Amorim said on Sesko's adaptation period: "I'm relaxed, he's not relaxed. I understand how things are in football and he's going to struggle. That is normal. He has no experience here.

"Ben is a young kid, a control freak. He wants to control everything – and he's not going to control everything. He has more potential than I was thinking [but] we need to understand how he likes to play and also to put in our ideas.

"I'm quite relaxed with that. He is going to be our striker for the long term but he's going to have these struggles and these bumps during the ride. That is a normal thing in football."  

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GettySesko set for period on the sidelines

Sesko could be out for three weeks following a knee injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur prior to the international break. He will hope to regain his goalscoring boots on his return, which could come after Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo have departed for the Africa Cup of Nations.

United face Everton on Monday at Old Trafford, knowing that victory could see them regain their place in the top six of the Premier League. There will be a tribute to the late Mani of the Stone Roses prior to kick-off, after the massive Red Devils fan passed away aged 63 on Thursday.

The tribute will create a powerful atmosphere prior to kick-off in a match which could continue United’s strong recent run of form, amidst a five-match unbeaten streak which has seen Amorim win the Premier League’s Manager of the Month for October.   

تحدث الألماني فلوريان فيرتز، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول عن التعادل مع سندرلاند ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وواجه ليفربول نظيره سندرلاند مساء اليوم، الأربعاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وحسم التعادل الإيجابي 1/1 مباراة ليفربول أمام سندرلاند في مواجهة قوية للغاية واستمرت إثارتها حتى اللحظات الأخيرة.

بتلك النتيجة، احتل ليفربول المركز الثامن برصيد 22 نقطة في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.

اقرأ أيضًا | تقييم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وسندرلاند بالدوري الإنجليزي

واستطاع فيرتز أن يساهم في هدف التعادل في الدقيقة 81 بعد مهارة كبيرة من نجم خط الوسط الألماني واخترق منطقة الجزاء وسدد الكرة على يمين حارس سندرلاند، لكنها ارتطمت في قدم مدافع الخصم نوردي موكيلي.

وقال فلوريان فيرتز لاعب وسط ليفربول لشبكة سكاي سبورتس: “أردنا الفوز لكن النتيجة انتهت بالتعادل بطريقة سيئة للغاية”.

وعن موسمه حتى الآن: “لقد استقبلني الفريق بحفاوة وترحيب كبير، إنه فريق جيد جدًا وأنا سعيد جدًا بوجودي هنا في ليفربول”.

وأتم: “نحن في طريقنا للعودة بقوة ونبذل قصارى جهدنا للعودة والفوز بالمباريات، كنا نرغب في الفوز اليوم ونريد أن نكون في صدارة جدول الترتيب، علينا فقط مواصلة العمل الجاد ونأمل أن تتغير الأمور للأحسن”.

Every member of the Dodgers bullpen was put on notice Monday night when K-Pop star V from the blockbuster boy band BTS threw a surprisingly epic first pitch at Los Angeles's game vs. the Reds.

The left-handed pitch—which was deemed a strike—sent stan Twitter (as it is still colloquially known) into a frenzy, as surprised Dodgers fans, meanwhile, called on the front office to sign him.

MLB's initial post has an eye-watering 72,000 retweets. That's the power of the BTS Army, baby.

Take a look at that reaction below:

MatériaMais Notícias

Ronaldo Fenômeno vive sua maior crise como gestor da SAF do Cruzeiro, e o ex-jogador possui conversas avançadas para negociar as ações com Pedro Lourenço, dono da rede varejista Supermercados BH. A informação é do jornalista Samuel Venâncio.

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➡️A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta!

As porcentagens e valores do negócio serão anunciados na próxima semana, mas a mudança no comando da SAF do Cruzeiro será de forma gradual. 90% das ações estão sob controle da Tara Sports, empresa de Ronaldo Fenômeno.

➡️ Siga o Lance! São Paulo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Tricolor

Quando se tornou sócio-majoritário, Ronaldo assinou documento no qual consta que ele não poderia vender o controle da SAF a um terceiro durante o período de 60 meses, ou até alcançar os R$ 350 milhões de investimento adicionais.

continua após a publicidade

O momento recente do Cruzeiro, eliminado pelo Sousa-PB na Copa do Brasil e o vice-campeonato para o Atlético-MG, na final do Campeonato Mineiro, deixaram a relação entre a torcida e Ronaldo Fenômeno mais tensa, com protestos cobrando o ex-jogador.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários dos jogos do Brasileirão

A ida de Pedro Martins, diretor de futebol da Cruzeiro, para o Vasco, foi o estopim para a crise vivida por Ronaldo na Toca da Raposa.

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Daniel Farke was already on borrowed time in the Leeds United dug-out heading into his lowly side’s clash with Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Indeed, the depressing backdrop heading into this big tie at Elland Road was four defeats from their last five games in the intense Premier League, and now, it’s five defeats from their last six, culminating in the West Yorkshire outfit sinking into that final relegation spot.

At one stage, Leeds looked in control after a scrappy Lukas Nmecha goal found the back of the net after just eight minutes had been played.

But, in the end, Villa’s quality shone through courtesy of a Morgan Rogers brace in the second half, and while Rogers came good in that pivotal second 45 minutes, Brenden Aaronson produced another no-show to trouble his manager’s precarious position even more.

Why Aaronson must now be dropped by Farke

Not even home comforts could save Leeds from a late Villa comeback.

Of course, last time at home, before this disastrous slip-up, Leeds picked up a much-needed 2-1 win over relegation rivals West Ham United, as Aaronson stole the show with a goal and an overall energetic outing.

Unfortunately for Aaronson, his showing against the Villans was a far cry from his standout performance against Nuno Espirito Santo’s visitors.

Against the Hammers, the American attacking midfielder successfully completed all three of his dribbles as a nuisance that the East Londoners had to keep tabs on throughout. On the contrary, on Sunday afternoon, Aaronson routinely lost the ball when attempting to burst forward with pace, with just one of his five dribbles coming off.

Chalkboard

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

On top of that, the hard-working figure who won eight duels during that 2-1 win was replaced by a weak number 11 who won just five of his 13 duels. Most importantly, too, the right winger only managed one effort on target at Emiliano Martinez’s goal, as Villa always felt like they had the below-par ex-Union Berlin playmaker under control.

If the German continues to select Aaronson, he will be very much on the chopping block for the sack, with both Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto perhaps better suited to this right-wing role, over the hot-and-cold 25-year-old.

After all, the Welshman at least excited the Elland Road masses late on when his goalbound effort was disallowed for a handball by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

That being said, Aaronson isn’t the only underperformer who looks out of his depth in the Premier League.

Not just Aaronson: Big-money signing must be ditched

How much longer will the Leeds hierarchy persist with the former Norwich City boss in the dug-out?

After today’s defeat, they will want to see some immediate positive results, but with Manchester City and Chelsea up next in a very tricky double-header, the near future looks grim.

Still, he could pull off a shock result against either team, as is the unpredictability of the division, particularly if he ditches Lucas Perri in between the sticks, who fell victim to another shaky day at the office on Sunday.

The decisive match-winning free-kick was a wonderfully hit effort from the man of the moment in Rogers, but Leeds fans would have watched on in disbelief as Perri stayed rooted to his spot, with The Athletic’s Beren Cross critical of the ex-Lyon goalkeeper, who “barely moved”.

Away from helping Rogers to collect his brace, Perri also failed to look convincing with just two saves registered, alongside only ten of his passes hitting their intended target, leaving him with a dire 53% pass accuracy come the final whistle.

Games played

7

Goals conceded

14

Goals conceded*

2.0

Saves made

14

Saves made*

2.0 (50%)

Goals prevented

– 1.53

Pass accuracy*

19.0 (58%)

Clean sheets

2

For a newly promoted side who were on the hunt for a clear upgrade on Illan Meslier in the summer, they might well feel ripped off now that they forked out £13.9m on his services, with the flappy Brazilian conceding an average of two goals a game now, having kept just two clean sheets to date.

Amazingly, Karl Darlow – who cost £400k – might be the better option now, having averaged more saves per game than Perri this season from his limited minutes at 2.6 per clash, with Leeds surely fearing a drubbing at the hands of City up next if their new number one is retained.

Journalist Adonis Storr at the full-time whistle stated that Farke must be “in serious trouble” now, as boos headed his direction with some ferocity at the end, with both Perri and Aaronson needing to be dropped for the next crucial game to try and somehow steer the sinking ship back on course.

If they remain in the XI, Farke will likely be out of a job very swiftly.

Leeds 1-2 Aston Villa: "Sneaky" Elland Road moment that VAR may have missed

There was a controversial moment in Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory at Elland Road.

ByDominic Lund Nov 23, 2025

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

• Brook brilliance can't mask issues for brittle England batting

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• Switch Hit: Rainy, phoney, baloney

• 135/223 – Harry Brook rewrites record books with one-man show

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

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

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

The Premier League is finally back tomorrow, and Arsenal continue their campaign with the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon.

However, it could be a more challenging game than last year, as even with Martin Odegaard back in training, Mikel Arteta’s side could be without several key players.

The manager wouldn’t say whether the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz or Gabriel Martinelli were back in contention, for example, but one player who is sure to be out is Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Brazilian centre-back is set to be out for at least a few weeks, and while that’s a massive blow, the solution could be to move another defender into a different position.

Arsenal's record against Spurs

Arsenal’s game against Spurs on Sunday afternoon will be the 212th competitive meeting between the rivals.

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Their first encounter came all the way back in November 1896, when the Gunners were still south of the River, and ended in a 2-1 Arsenal victory.

Since then, while the Lilywhites have had periods of dominance, it’s the red side of North London that have had the better of the rivalry, winning 89 games, drawing 55 and losing 67.

Unsurprisingly, Arteta’s side have been even more dominant than that in recent years, losing just two of the last ten meetings, drawing one and winning the other seven.

Moreover, the title chasers are undefeated in their last six games against their old enemy and, despite being in a spot of bother form-wise at the time, won the most recent meeting 2-1.

Arsenal’s recent record v Spurs

Season

Home/Away

Result

22/23

Away

2-0 (W)

23/24

Home

2-2 (D)

23/24

Away

3-2 (W)

24/25

Away

1-0 (W)

24/25

Home

2-1 (W)

What makes that win all the more impressive is that Son Heung-min actually opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute.

However, Arsenal were back in front just 19 minutes later, thanks to a Dominic Solanke own goal and a brilliant effort from Leandro Trossard.

With all that said, even though Arteta has consistently gotten the better of Spurs, the game on Sunday will be a tough one, but he might already have a solution to Gabriel’s injury.

Arteta's solution to Gabriel's injury

The good news for Arsenal is that there are a few ways Arteta can go about replacing Gabriel.

For example, he could bring Cristhian Mosquera back into the side, play Ben White there or even hand a start to Piero Hincapie.

However, the former is right-footed, White hasn’t played at centre-back in a long time, and the Ecuadorian is still unproven in this team, so throwing him into a derby might be unwise.

Therefore, while it might not be the most popular decision, Arteta should move Riccardo Calafiori from left-back into the Brazilian’s position.

Now, there are a few reasons for this, and the first is that, like the injured star, the Italian international is left-footed, and while that might not seem all that important at first, it really is.

It gives the defence some real balance and makes it easier for him to play out from the back when going up the left-hand side of the pitch.

The second reason the dynamic defender should be moved into the back two is that he’s already got plenty of experience playing there.

For example, during his time with Bologna, he made 29 appearances at centre-back and only six as a full-back. Moreover, during pre-season, he once again played there when Gabriel was out with the injury he picked up against Fulham last season.

Finally, the 23-year-old “wild horse,” as dubbed by the Telegraph’s Sam Dean, has already played plenty of football this season, so he should be far more familiar with the tactics than one of the other options. And while he did return early from international duty, there is a good chance he is ready to play.

Ultimately, while Arteta has several options to replace Gabriel on Sunday, he should go with the £120k-per-week Calafiori.

Related Arsenal handed another injury doubt for Tottenham clash after twist and Gabriel blow

It could see the recall of an exciting talent.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Nov 21, 2025