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Those of a Liverpool persuasion appear to have come down with a nasty case of Alexander Isak fever, and well, who can blame them?

The bombshell news emerged on Tuesday that, after months of whispers and speculation, the Premier League champions are finally ready to firm up their interest in the Newcastle United man, amid the prospect of a potential £120m bid for the Swede.

That mammoth offer – which would eclipse the Reds’ recent club-record capture of Florian Wirtz – could put the icing on the cake for the Anfield side’s summer business, with Isak fresh off the back of a season that saw him score 23 top-flight goals.

Unsurprisingly, the Magpies are hell-bent on keeping hold of their star man for a little while longer, albeit with Richard Hughes playing the trump card after rivalling Eddie Howe and co in the pursuit of Isak’s heir apparent, Hugo Ekitike. Checkmate?

Either way, it would appear that the Merseysiders are in a strong bargaining position, with optimism growing that the division’s “best striker” – as described by Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson – could be lining up alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah next season.

Isak, as stated, might well be the delicious icing, but Hughes could also sprinkle a little cherry on top by sealing yet another high-profile deal in the coming weeks…

Latest on Liverpool's transfer pursuit

Wirtz. Jeremie Frimpong. Milos Kerkez. Isak next?

It may now be a waiting game to see if the Newcastle marksman will agitate for a move, albeit with Liverpool no doubt keen to pounce on the 25-year-old’s contract uncertainty, with the Daily Mail’s Dominic King outlining that talks have ‘stalled’ over a new deal at St James’ Park.

According to King, Hughes and his recruitment team will officially move for the former Real Sociedad striker if they ‘receive encouragement’, with this game of cat and mouse likely to have a few twists and turns to come.

Transfer Focus

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

Elsewhere, meanwhile, Football Insider have reported that Liverpool are expected to soon seal a deal for Crystal Palace skipper, Marc Guehi, with that move looking ‘increasingly likely’ amid developments at Selhurst Park.

Indeed, the report outlines that with the Eagles seemingly closing in on the £45m signing of Sporting CP centre-back, Ousmane Diomande, it would pave the way for Guehi to depart.

The suggestion is that with the England international having just a year left to run on his Palace contract, the south Londoners are keen to cash in this summer, rather than lose him on a free in 12 months’ time.

Why Liverpool could be set to seal another Isak-esque signing

It’s fair to say that after sitting out the recent friendly win over Preston North End, excitement is brewing over finally seeing the aforementioned Wirtz in action in a Liverpool shirt, with the 22-year-old German signing off his time at Bayer Leverkusen with 122 goals and assists in 97 games in all competitions.

That capture is a statement deal, no doubt, but if Isak were to arrive, it would truly take the biscuit, with the 6 foot 4 sensation a Premier League-proven talent, having scored 44 league goals across the last two seasons combined.

The man who helped steer Newcastle to Carabao Cup glory over Arne Slot’s side earlier this year, the £63m goal machine could now be the figurehead of a new era at Anfield, with the rest of the division likely to already be quaking in their boots.

As for Guehi, while such a deal would almost go under the radar amid the current circumstances, there would be shades of Isak about that acquisition, with Liverpool in line to poach another key figure from a fellow Premier League outfit.

Currently captain at Selhurst Park, the 25-year-old has already made 132 appearances in England’s top tier to date, having notably skippered his side to shock FA Cup glory in 2024/25.

Marc Guehi – FA Cup final stats
Stat	Record
Minutes played	61
Touches	17
Pass accuracy	75%
Key passes	1
Possession lost	2
Ground duels won	1/2
Aerial duels won	1/4
Tackles	1
Clearances	4
Stats via Sofascore

Like Isak, the in-demand defender – who has also been linked with a move to Arsenal this summer – has more than proven himself against Premier League opposition, with both men also seemingly at the perfect point of their careers. Indeed, with both men still only 25, they have gained notable experience at the top level, but may not yet have entered their peak.

Described as a “monster” of a centre-back by reporter Bobby Manzi, Guehi – like Isak – is also “one of the best in the country” in his position, as per scout Mick Brown, with Liverpool able to acquire a player who would slot straight into their starting lineup.

Much like with Isak, there would be no period of transition or adaptation, this is a player who could well hit the ground running on Merseyside.

This is a man who ranks in the top 10% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for key passes per 90, as well as in the top 10% for through balls, as per FBref. In essence, he is a master at playing out from the back.

Having romped to the title at a canter last season, Liverpool are at a point now where they can poach the very best that the Premier League has to offer. In their respective positions, Isak and Guehi would be just that.

Romano: Liverpool plan to submit record-breaking bid to sign Alexander Isak

The Reds could spend big once again…

By
Tom Cunningham

Jul 15, 2025

It was only the eighth such instance in the Test history and the first since 1998

Ekanth13-Sep-2024

Rain kept the ground staff busy on the fifth day too•AFP/Getty Images

The first ever Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand ended on a sad but predictable note as the game was called off without a ball being bowled. It was only the eighth such instance in the Test history and the first since 1998.There was an air of inevitability around the call after there was no play in the first four days and heavy rains ended the last two as early as 9.15am. The rain returned on the fifth morning, prompting the umpires to pull the plug at 8.45am.The clouds hung low and the covers were drenched yet again at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground. A pool of water had formed near one of the boundaries and a few puddles were scattered across the uncovered grass in the outfield.Related

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The match was subject to weather concerns even before the opening day. When there was no play on the first two days despite the weather being sunny during playing hours, the outfield and the preparedness of the venue came under the scanner.Apart from the New Zealand players getting a couple of hours of net practice next to the pitch on the second afternoon, there was no cricketing action in any form across five days. The ACB blamed the unseasonal rain for it.Afghanistan’s next assignment is the three-match ODI series against South Africa in Sharjah. New Zealand will now travel to Sri Lanka for two Tests, which are part of the World Test Championship. After that, they will face India in India in a three-Test series. The Greater Noida Test, which was not part of the WTC, was supposed to help them acclimatise to the subcontinent conditions but it was not to be.

The Indian team is set to fly home via a charter flight on Tuesday evening after Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley said she expected the airport to become operational in the “next six to 12 hours”, ending the shutdown forced by a category 4 hurricane.The T20 World Cup-winning squad, its support staff, some BCCI officials and the players’ families have been stranded in Barbados for the past two days due to Hurricane Beryl, which hit the island on Sunday evening.”I don’t want to speak in advance of it, but I have literally been in touch with the airport personnel and they’re doing their last checks now and we want to resume normal operations as a matter of urgency,” Mottley told PTI.”There are a number of people who were due to leave last night late or today or tomorrow morning. And we want to make sure that we can facilitate those persons, so I would anticipate that within the next six to 12 hours the airport will be open.”Related

• Hurricane warning leaves India stranded in Barbados after World Cup triumph

• Rohit and five other Indians headline ESPNcricinfo's team of the T20 World Cup

• BCCI announces INR 125 crore award for T20 World Champions India

The Indian contingent is expected to leave Bridgetown at 6pm local time and land in Delhi on Wednesday at 7.45pm IST, according to a source. The players will be later felicitated by prime minister Narendra Modi but the schedule of that event has not yet been finalised.The window for the Indian team to leave Bridgetown is a narrow one as Mottley revealed “we have another hurricane coming on Wednesday”.Five of the players – Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed and Sanju Samson – were originally slated to travel to Zimbabwe for the upcoming five-match T20I series. But, Samson, Dube and Jaiswal will now travel to India with the rest of the T20 World Cup-winning side before leaving for Harare. The rest of the squad for the series left India earlier on Tuesday.Life-threatening winds and storms lashed Barbados and nearby islands on Monday. The country, with a population of close to 300,000, has been in lockdown since Sunday evening.”[We have] been working to ensure that everyone is safe in Barbados, Barbadians and all of the visitors, of course, who came for the cricket World Cup,” Mottley said. “We were very blessed that the storm did not come on land. The hurricane was 80 miles south of us, which limited the level of damage on shore. But as you can see, infrastructure and coastal assets have been badly damaged.”It could have been a lot worse, but now is the time to do the recovery and the clean-up.”

Arsenal are busy restructuring Mikel Arteta’s squad behind-the-scenes, with a few noteworthy exits anticipated before deadline day on September 1.

Players who could leave Arsenal this summer

Marquinhos, Kieran Tierney, Jorginho and Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand have already left the club, as confirmed by Arsenal.

Arsenal submit "concrete offer" to sign star who wants over £250k-per-week

The Gunners have lodged their opening bid.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 13, 2025

Tierney and Oulad M’Hand were named as the departing players via Arsenal’s retained list earlier this month, joining a host of senior and academy players out the door, with Neto and Raheem Sterling also returning to their parent clubs.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Marquinhos signed for Cruzeiro on a permanent deal following his initial loan spell in Brazil, while Jorginho’s contract was terminated before June 30, so he could join Flamengo early and in time for this summer’s Club World Cup.

Thomas Partey is still in talks to extend his Arsenal contract, which is why he wasn’t included in the Gunners’ retained list, but as yet, no agreement has been reached for the Ghanaian’s renewal.

“I think the first thing is where are you happy and where do you feel at home. At the end of the day you’ve been in football, you’ve been in different teams,” said Partey, speaking about his future in an interview with 3Sports this week.

“Then it’s about what is your next objective what do you want to achieve next. You still have to look at all this and at the end of the day we all have a family that needs money, this is our mind.

“We are not getting younger. There are a lot of things where you have to look now with a family, where you want them to be happy. When you are young you just play anywhere.

“I’m an Arsenal fan, I can’t decide anything and just have to leave it to my agent and the club. Me, I just want to enjoy football.”

Until the ink is dry on paper, Partey’s potential exit remains a possibility. According to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the African could be joined by both Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Arsenal hold AC Milan meeting over Kiwior and Zinchenko sale

La Gazzetta reporter Marco Guidi says that an emissary from AC Milan travelled to London and held a summit with Arsenal on Tuesday, with both Kiwior and Zinchenko discussed and targeted by the Rossoneri.

The duo, on a combined £208,000-per-week and further down Arteta’s pecking order, are prime candidates to leave north London this summer and Guidi writes that Arsenal could sell Zinchenko for less than £13 million.

Kiwior is also a popular name inside Milan, having impressed alongside William Saliba when Gabriel was out injured, not to mention performing well for Poland at international level.

The 25-year-old is a proven Serie A player from his time at Spezia as well, leaving little wonder Milan are considering Kiwior with Zinchenko as they look to strengthen after a disappointing 24/25 campaign.

Amid rumours that Manchester City have set their sights on signing Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly made contact to sign a potential replacement.

Nottingham Forest could lose Gibbs-White

Whilst there’s no denying that Nottingham Forest have enjoyed an excellent season, they could yet be forced to pay the ultimate price for success in the Premier League when clubs come calling for their top players. It’s the price that many others before them have paid and one that they may now have to pay at the cost of Gibbs-White.

The talented midfielder has reportedly found himself on Manchester City’s radar, with the Citizens leading the race to secure his signature in a stunning £100m move this summer. The interest in the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man should come as little shock, though, following such an impressive campaign at the City Ground.

Gibbs-White, like many of his teammates, has found himself at the centre of praise throughout the season, with Jamie Carragher even including him in his Monday Night Football Team of the Season.

When asked about his midfield selection, the Liverpool legend said: “I’m going to go with Morgan Gibbs-White. I think he’s been fantastic. I think Forest have been brilliant, but, for me, I think he’s a very underrated player.”

Nottingham Forest now evaluating summer move to sign "superb" Serie A star

He could become the heir to Chris Wood’s Forest throne.

ByTom Cunningham May 22, 2025

Just how Nottingham Forest replace such a player is the big question as the summer transfer window approaches. With European football to balance alongside domestic action, it’s a decision they must get right at the City Ground. On that front, a list of targets is already emerging too, which includes one impressive attacking midfielder.

Nottingham Forest make contact to sign Baturina

According to TeamTalk, Nottingham Forest have now made contact to sign Martin Baturina, requesting information on what it would take to secure the Dinamo Zagreb star. In a deal that would reportedly cost them around €25m (£21m), those at the City Ground could land an instant replacement for Gibbs-White by signing Baturina this summer.

A player who has been compared to legendary midfielder Luka Modric, Baturina could be set to follow his countryman to the Premier League in the hope of one day also becoming a Real Madrid icon. Whether that move comes courtesy of Nottingham Forest will certainly be interesting to see. There’s no doubt that he has the quality to step into Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Since analyst Ben Mattinson described him as “gifted” last summer, Baturina has only kicked on and scored six goals whilst creating another 12 in all competitions for Zagreb this season.

Manchester City will stop at nothing this summer to build a side which is capable of winning both the Champions League and Premier League once again.

Pep Guardiola will be losing Kevin De Bruyne when the season finishes, but he is already eyeing up a move for Florian Wirtz or Morgan Gibbs-White to replace him.

Elsewhere, several ageing City stars could find their positions in the squad under threat when the transfer window opens as a summer overhaul is needed.

Could the manager turn to Spain in order to further bolster his team?

Man City now want to sign Real Madrid superstar

According to reports in Spain, Real Madrid could be willing to sell Rodrygo, but only if the price is right. If a club bids €100m (£85m), then it appears Los Blancos will cash in on the Brazilian, and he isn’t short of admirers.

Indeed, City, Liverpool and PSG are all keen on snapping up the forward this summer in a bid to improve their own squads.

Despite having a contract until 2028, the expected arrival of Xabi Alonso as manager could see Rodrygo moving away from the Spanish capital.

Bringing in a new forward or two could certainly help Guardiola revitalise this area of his team. Omar Marmoush may have only joined in January, but Rodrygo could be an instant upgrade for him.

Why Man City must sign Rodrygo this summer

Since making the move to Spain from Brazil in 2019, the 24-year-old has been a consistent figure for Madrid over the previous six years.

During that time, he has registered 118 goal contributions – 68 goals and 50 assists – across 267 games. His performances have helped the club win two La Liga crowns as well as winning the Champions League in 2022 and 2024.

Goals

5

6

Shots per game

2.1

1.8

Assists

2

5

Big chances created

2

5

Successful dribbles per game

1.5

1.6

Fluid across the front three, Rodrygo is perhaps best on the right flank, but he could also offer plenty on the left or through the middle.

Lauded as “world-class” by Luka Modric, the former Gremio man could be an instant upgrade on Marmoush for Guardiola heading into next season. As indicated above, he has repeatedly delivered the goods at the elite level for a number of years now, while it was just under two years ago that Marmoush was allowed to walk out of Wolfsburg for nothing.

Indeed, in domestic and European competitions this season, Rodrygo has registered more touches in the attacking third (1161 vs 870) than Marmoush, while also registering a higher percentage of successful take-ons (47.2% vs 39.5%) and more carries into the final third (124 vs 82).

The Egyptian might have scored more goals this season, with Rodrygo not hitting the heights of the previous few campaigns. But perhaps a fresh start is required, especially as Madrid have largely underperformed as a whole throughout 2024/25.

By signing the Brazilian star, Guardiola would be bringing in a player who has seen and done it all on the club scene. He would help revive Erling Haaland, especially if operating in a wide position, which could be another bonus for the manager.

Transfer Focus

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

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Pep Guardiola could soon transform the midfield positions at Manchester City with his next Yaya Toure.

ByKelan Sarson May 9, 2025

Trusting the process is all well and good but the ability to deliver when good batters are attacking is what separates fast-bowling greats from the herd

Ian Chappell31-Dec-2023As Australia captain Pat Cummins cleverly dissected the Pakistan batting line-up to bring his team a tough victory in the second Test, I thought: what does it take to amass Test victims – lots of them?I liken Cummins to the great former Australia fast bowler Dennis Lillee in both inspirational qualities and heart size. Lillee wanted to get batters out, to have their number. He says, “Fast bowling is a mental job as well as a physical one.”At the top of his mark, Lillee envisioned the ball flying through to keeper Rod Marsh, who’d take the delivery at head height standing back. That’s what Lillee means when he talks about the mental side of fast bowling.The spectacular delivery that Cummins produced to bowl Pakistan’s Babar Azam – dismissing the opposition’s best batter once again – reminded me of Lillee’s greatness.Related

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At the Oval in 1972 a firmly entrenched England wicketkeeper Alan Knott was displaying exceptional grit and determination. When England’s ninth second-innings wicket fell for 356, we gathered to congratulate bowler Ashley Mallett. Lillee was having none of it and bellowed, “We can’t let these ba*****s score any more runs.”At that stage England led by 241. Lillee then bowled the obstinate Knott for a well-compiled 63, leaving Australia to chase 242 for a famous victory. He didn’t bowl Knott with pure pace – the delivery was nowhere near his fastest. Nor did he beat the bat with movement – the pitch by then was devoid of any green tinge. Lillee bowled Knott with sheer will power. He wanted the batter out.Like Lillee, Cummins wanted Babar out.It’s terrific to bowl a top-class batter, but you also have to rely on the fielders taking catches. A good slip fielder’s job is to catch the standard ones and occasionally add a blinder to his resumé . An excellent slip fielder should pouch around 90% of the catches that come his way.Pakistan were never noted for their slip catching. I recall saying on commentary, “Inzamam-ul-Haq isn’t at first slip because he’s their best catcher.” That applies to current Pakistan first-slip fielder Abdullah Shafique too, who has grassed eminently catchable chances in both Tests.

With the great improvement in modern bats it’s not so much how you bowl – Test bowlers are skilful – but how you perform when a good batter is attacking. That’s when the best bowlers come to the fore.

Then there is slip placement. If you are fortunate to have an excellent keeper, like Marsh, who had the widest range, both left and right, of any gloveman I saw standing back, then the slips can cover a lot of territory. That isn’t the case in Australia with Pakistan or many other international teams.At one point in their career the excellent Pakistan pace duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis had claimed 60% of their Test and ODI wickets bowled or lbw. That’s an outrageously high figure and suggests the two fast bowlers knew not to trust their own fielders.With the great improvement in modern bats, it’s not so much how you bowl – Test bowlers are skilful – but how you perform when a good batter is attacking. That’s when the best bowlers come to the fore.It’s also when you need every bit of the mental fortitude that Lillee speaks about and Cummins exudes.Occasionally I hear: “Adhere to the process and don’t worry too much about the actual consequences.”Well, in Pakistan’s case they beat the edge of the bat regularly at the MCG but also seemingly with resignation. And catches kept going down – chances that should have been taken and could have been crucial to the end result, because Pakistan had Australia four down and were back in contention.Wickets are important. Just ask Cummins.One of Lillee’s great traits was that a batter had to overcome his enormous skill first, which was no easy feat. However, if he achieved that difficult task, he still had to outlast his iron will, which took a monumental effort.On those hot, demanding days, give me a Lillee- or a Cummins-style character who cares only about not giving in and taking wickets rather than how the process feels.That’s why great fast bowlers like Lillee and Cummins are a captain’s dream and a batter’s nightmare.

The young wicketkeeper-batter from Baroda talks about improving her skills by training with Kiran More and the Pandya brothers

Annesha Ghosh04-Mar-2022Facing Hardik Pandya bowling off a full run-up and creaming him through the covers wasn’t quite how Yastika Bhatia envisaged spending the months of June and July last summer.The India women’s cricket team were touring England for a multi-format series at the time. And Bhatia, uncapped then and inexplicably left out of the squad though she had not played a single match in the home series against South Africa only two months previously, was toiling away in the Reliance International Cricket Stadium nets in her home town, Baroda.Across 45 days, under the watch of former India wicketkeeper-batter Kiran More, Bhatia went about strengthening her case for an overdue India debut. “I was definitely heartbroken because I was expecting that maybe I’ll get another series where I can prove myself,” she says.Related

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It was during those long hours spent in the nets that she got a chance to keep to and bat against experienced Ranji Trophy players from the Baroda senior state team. Among them were the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, India and IPL allrounders.”Just a cover drive to Hardik gave me a lot of confidence that I can also play well. I would get out to him, but to play good shots against him was a confidence-booster,” she remembers. “Krunal also helped me, with inputs on how to bat in the death overs.”Hardik encouraged Bhatia to put any remnants of her disappointment at not being picked for the England tour behind her. “He is very down to earth and we developed a good rapport. He said, ‘Look, I haven’t seen a girl play as well as you do. It won’t be long before you make a comeback.'”A little over seven months on from that conversation, Bhatia has made giant strides towards establishing herself as a formidable long-term batting prospect for India. She made an emphatic debut across formats on the tour of Australia last September-October, and then was the highest scorer for India A when they won the 2021-22 Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy. That effectively helped her leapfrog other, more experienced, names to seal a place in the squads for the recently concluded series against New Zealand and the ODI World Cup.”[Being left out for the England tour] was a blessing in disguise because I got to spend that much time improving my game preparing for the Australia tour with Kiran sir,” she says. “I was very lucky that he was in town at that time. Those 45 days I got 20-odd sessions with him. That transformed my cricketing perspective. Getting personalised coaching on batting and wicketkeeping from him changed my outlook towards my game. I became more confident, positive and attacking, and my power-hitting went up.”Bhatia made 64 in the third ODI against Australia last year, helping India chase 267 to win•Albert Perez/Getty ImagesBhatia sought the tutelage of More, a former India international with over 150 caps and a former chief selector of men’s national team, on the advice of then India Women head coach and former India batter WV Raman. More, who also lives in Baroda, was familiar with the exploits of the left-hand batter-wicketkeeper who had been something of the talk of the town since her teens.”I had seen a few videos of hers and knew she was doing well on the domestic circuit,” More says. Raman had spoken to More about Bhatia as well, saying she would benefit from his coaching. “She then contacted me, visited my academy, and we started working on the finer areas of her game in the open nets: how to pinch singles and two runs and also be aggressive in approach,” More says.Bhatia’s ability to alternate between dropping anchor and going on the offensive was most memorably on view during her maiden international half-century, in the third ODI on the tour of Australia. She hammered a 69-ball 64, steering India’s highest successful ODI chase, putting on a vital century stand with Shafali Verma. Bhatia was only 20 then, playing just her third game in India colours and replacing captain Mithali Raj at No. 3. The result ended Australia’s world-record streak of consecutive ODI wins at 26.”She is a terrific cricketer and very strong also – mentally and physically,” says More. “She is a quick learner, works very hard on everything. If she wants to do something, she’ll practise it ten times. And she asks a lot of questions – ‘Why this and why not that.’ I like her attitude.”When she comes for practice, she’s totally focused, gives her 110% and she wants to practise every day, so I have to tell her, ‘You need to rest as well and cannot keep practising every day.’ When someone is that focused on improving, they are bound to do well sooner or later.””I wasn’t intimidated by the occasion. It felt normal,” Bhatia says about the tour of Australia. “I had spoken to my India seniors about what it’s like to debut against world-class opponents. Head coach Ramesh [Powar] sir and batting coach [Shiv Sunder] Das sir gave me good inputs during the Bengaluru camp and they had explained match scenarios and my batting role. That helped me mentally gear up and gave me confidence.”During that time in Bengaluru, she provided a taste of things to come when, in a 50-over intra-squad day-night game, she bludgeoned five sixes, making the coaching staff and some of the national selectors in attendance sit up and take notice. It’s a feat, she says, she relived in her head going into the Australia assignment.Bhatia says her confident on-field demeanour and style of play is an outcome of playing in multiple sports from a young age. She is a black belt in karate, a swimmer, and has played badminton at the district level. “So every time I’d step on a cricket field, things feel achievable. It’s like a positive challenge that you feel good about.”Bhatia says her time spent training under Kiran More in Baroda completely changed her perspective on her game•Yastika BhatiaIt was when one of her first badminton coaches moved to a part of Baroda further away from where she lives that cricket first appeared on the horizon. It was around this time, when her father, Harish, was looking for alternatives, that Baroda Ranji player Pinal Shah, who lives in the Bhatias’ neighbourhood, told him one day that girls too played cricket in the city.It wouldn’t be long before Harish enrolled eight-year-old Bhatia and her sister, Josita, older by three years, at the Youth Service Centre (YSC), one of the oldest clubs in the city. Under YSC coach Raju Parab, Bhatia cut her teeth in cricket. Though she is naturally right-handed, she was taught to bat left-handed because of the relative edge left-hand batters (and bowlers) have in the sport.For a secondary skill, she was encouraged to bowl medium pace. Then some of the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) selectors came calling at the club, looking for wicketkeepers, and asked her to take a shy at keeping. “Next day Papa bought me wicketkeeping gloves and pads,” she says. “My sister remained a medium-pacer because the coaches felt it would be easier to train the younger one to make the switch.”At 11, Bhatia would make her Under-19 debut for Baroda, as a pure batter. She began training under Santosh Chaugule, who became her long-time personal coach and whom she credits with strengthening her basics. In 2013 she would cross paths with former India Women captain and coach Purnima Rau, who was the BCA senior women’s coach at the time. “She told me that I had the potential to play for India in the future,” says Bhatia. “In a way, she was the one to sow the seeds of my India dream in my head.”The same year she broke into the Baroda senior T20 side. Over the next three seasons she made it into the senior one-day side and the U-23 and senior zonal teams. Among the highlights of her domestic career, she counts her two fifties in the inter-zonal senior three-day tournament in 2017. That year was to prove a pivotal one for Bhatia.”I did well in my 12th board exams, in 2017, scoring 89% in science stream,” she says, “but I felt I had more inclination towards cricket, so I told my parents I wanted to become a cricketer, not a doctor.”A passion for sport runs in the Bhatia family. Her father, an executive engineer in a public-sector company, and sister, who was selected for the Baroda U-19 cricket squad in 2011 but eventually opted for a career in medicine, are both, like Bhatia, black belts in karate. Her mother, Garima, is a retired senior bank manager.”My parents agreed, seeing my potential, because West Zone had won the national championship that year and I was their captain. So they fully supported me. ‘No problem, you should pursue whatever brings you happiness,’ they said.”Bhatia on keeping and playing against Hardik Pandya in the Baroda nets: “Just a cover drive to Hardik bhaiyya gave me a lot of confidence that I can also play well”•Yastika BhatiaShe was studying science, which often did not leave much time for cricket training, so she switched to humanities. “That’s how my transformation towards where I am at today started in a significant way. I took up online BA [Bachelor of Arts] general, so I got a lot of time to concentrate on my cricket. I started practising twice a day and began doing running activities and gymming in the mornings. The entire day would be focused around cricket.”Bhatia remembers various relatives, near and distant alike, telling her family they had made a mistake in letting her make cricket her primary focus. “What are you doing? You know she’s so good in studies and there is no future in women’s cricket,” she remembers people saying.”The 2017 Women’s World Cup happened in June-July, around the same time I started investing more time and energy solely on cricket. India had a memorable campaign and suddenly you could see people looking at [women’s cricket in India] differently,” she says.The heartbreak of India’s defeat in the final of that tournament still lingers, she says. ” [My heart was heavy]. Things would have changed for the better so much more if India won that World Cup. Like, there may have been a Women’s IPL by now, more games, better pay for domestic players…”I remember being very emotional after the loss. It changed me,” she says. “I wanted that next time whenever the team goes on the field, I also should be a part of the team to try and help them win the World Cup.”When the realisation dawns on her that that dream is very close to becoming a reality now, five years on, disbelief seems to take over. It’s hard to tell if the screen has frozen at her end or not until Bhatia breaks the quiet with a confession. “It does feel a little like a dream, this shift that’s happened in just one year [since that South Africa series].”More believes Bhatia’s resilience is one of the traits that could take her places. “I think she has great potential to do well for India for at least ten to 12 years, given she is only 21,” he says. “And she has what it takes to do well both as a batter and wicketkeeper. She was keeping to Hardik and Krunal in Baroda and batting against them and got hit as well at times in the chest and leg facing the fast bowlers. But she never gave up. She’s a very gutsy girl.”Bhatia is hopeful she can bank on her positive outlook to tide over challenges on the field and off it. She says the ups and downs of top-flight sport that she has experienced in the recent past will only serve to strengthen her when the stakes are high and the chips down.”I want to improve with each tournament that comes my way,” she says. “The World Cup is the most important one. Whenever I look back on my journey, it feels real because I know I have put in a lot of hard work in coming this far and worked harder instead of feeling bogged down by disappointments. My journey has just started and I want to do more in the future. I am looking forward to what’s in store for me.”

The Tigers can feel good as they near the final month of the 2025 MLB season. After sweeping the Astros this week and winning eight of their last 10 games, they seem to have come out of the slump they hit midway through the year.

Detroit was one of the hottest teams at the start of the season, but cooled off toward the All-Star break when they lost four games going into the break followed by eight of their first nine games after the Midsummer Classic.

That slump naturally brought out concerns from Tigers fans who initially thought their team was on track to contend for their first World Series title in over 40 years. Those worries don't bother manager A.J. Hinch though.

"I think we should just thank them for being passionate enough to care," Hinch said, via 97.1 The Ticket.

The Tigers not only have seemingly emerged from their slump, but regained their lead in the American League Central. Detroit holds a 9.5-game lead over the Royals and a 10.5-game lead over the Guardians, as well as the best record in the league. Hinch knows they can't slow down, but is glad to have the passion from Detroit as they head down the final stretch of the season.

"We’re still going to run the race, we still have a lot of games left, we’re still going to play our game, but I love the emotions that come with sports and respect them for loving us," said Hinch. "I don’t fault people for caring or being super passionate. That’s the kind of city that we want (to play in). But don’t forget to love on us a little bit when things are bad."

The Tigers have given reason for their fans to feel excited again, but they'll need to build off their momentum to keep them feeling confident as the postseason approaches.

Van Niekerk’s 19-ball 41 took South Africa to their second consecutive 200-plus total, which laid the foundation for a 65-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2025

Dane van Niekerk scored a 19-ball 41•Cricket South Africa

Dane Van Niekerk’s late blitz on the back of a sedate half-century from Faye Tunnicliffe helped South Africa beat Ireland by 65 runs in the second T20I in Paarl and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Opting to bat, South Africa racked up 201 for 5 in their 20 overs. In reply, allrounder Orla Prendergast scored an unbeaten 43-ball 51 while Leah Paul hit 40 off 29 balls, but Ireland could only manage 136 for 3, falling well short.In her comeback series, van Niekerk thrashed a 19-ball 41 in the back half of the first innings, taking South Africa past their second consecutive 200-plus total of the series. She struck three fours and three sixes in her knock. By the time van Niekerk fell to Arlene Kelly, South Africa’s run rate had jumped past ten an over. Chloe Tryon’s unbeaten seven-ball 16 in the final overs took them to 201, as she also broke Lizelle Lee’s record for most sixes by a South Africa batter in women’s T20Is (49).Van Niekerk’s cameo complemented a slower – but equally crucial – knock by Tunnicliffe at the top of the order. She reached her maiden T20I half-century off 40 balls: the majority of her innings was played alongside fellow opener, Sune Luus, as the two put up a 78-run opening partnership to lay the foundation.Aimee Maguire dismissed both of them, as well as captain Laura Wolvaardt, returning 3 for 43 in her four overs.Ireland’s batters were slow in their response, scoring 33 runs in the powerplay despite losing no wickets. Tryon sent back both openers – Amy Hunter and Gaby Lewis – as Ireland were reduced to 35 for 2 in the seventh over.Their run-rate never picked up, but Prendergast and Paul stayed solid in the middle to share a 76-run partnership for the third wicket. Paul finally fell for 40, but Prendergast stayed around till the end to bring up her half-century in the final over, off 39 balls. By then, the result of the match was a foregone conclusion.