He has been suspended for nine months after admitting to five breaches of professional conduct regulations

Valkerie Baynes06-Aug-2025An unnamed former county cricket coach has been suspended for nine months after admitting charges of sexual misconduct, including sending sexually explicit photos to two junior female colleagues.The independent Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP) issued the sanction after he admitted to five breaches of professional conduct regulations over incidents in 2023 and 2024, which included attempting to kiss one of the victims in a club changing room.The CDP cited “exceptional circumstances regarding the health of that coach and the serious risk of harm” for not naming him when publishing the report of its disciplinary tribunal on Wednesday.He was sacked as a result of his behaviour and hasn’t been employed in cricket since.The CDP issued the coach a nine-month suspension from cricket. Six months of the sanction were backdated to when he was charged and the remainder was suspended for a period of 12 months because he had accepted responsibility, shown remorse and undergone effective remedial education.He worked with a former professional sportswoman to understand the impact of unsolicited explicit messages, as well as completing courses on sexual harassment and professional boundaries, the CDP said.The tribunal heard evidence that the man “engaged in inappropriate and sexualised messaging” with one of the victims. He stopped when she asked him to but, some days later, sent “a further message of a sexualised and inappropriate nature”.The second victim, who was much younger than the man and had to interact with him as part of her work, also received sexually explicit pictures from him, to which she didn’t respond. Later, he asked her to check the changing rooms for rubbish and, whilst there, he “made an inappropriate attempt to kiss” the victim, who pulled away.In its decision, the CDP stated that although he was not in a formal position of trust with regard to either victim, he was considerably older than both of them and there was “a clear imbalance” between his position at the club and theirs.Chris Haward, managing director of the Cricket Regulator, described the misconduct as unacceptable and praised the “openness and courage of those who reported” it.”Removing sexual misconduct from the game is a priority for the Cricket Regulator,” Haward said. “We recognise that it takes a lot of courage for those impacted to come forward.”The CDP said that while the man made limited admissions to allegations initially put to him by the Cricket Regulator, it “was clear to the Disciplinary Tribunal that the Respondent was a different person to the one who was initially interviewed”.The panel heard that the man had undergone counselling over many months.”He hoped that now he was emerging as a better person,” the tribunal report said. “He had a greater understanding of workplace boundaries, the misuse of social media and what amounted to sexual harassment.”

توج الفريق الأول لكرة اليد بالنادي الأهلي للرجال، ببطولة كأس السوبر المصري بعد الفوز على سموحة، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم الجمعة.

وحقق الأهلي، الفوز على سموحة بنتيجة 26-22، في المباراة النهائية التي أقيمت على صالة خليفة بن زايد بمدينة العين بالإمارات.

طالع.. الأهلي يعلن قيد 3 لاعبين جدد في القائمة الإفريقية

وسيطر الأهلي، على مجريات المباراة في الشوط الأول حيث أنهاه بنتيجة 21-10 مظهرًا تناغما ودفاع محكم وهجوم سريع.

وفي الشوط الثاني، حافظ الأهلي على تقدمه واكتفى بتسجيل 5 أهداف فقط من أجل التتويج باللقب.

ويعدهذا التتويج هو الثالث على التوالي للأهلي في بطولة السوبر المصري مستمرًا في حصد البطولات.

وكان الأحمر قد توج ببطولة إفريقيا للأندية في مدينة الدار البيضاء المغربية.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Campeonato Brasileiro está se encerrando, e as últimas rodadas prometem emoção até o último minuto, tanto na parte de cima, quanto na parte debaixo da tabela. Nesse cenário, com vários times embolados em diversas posições, Flamengo e Atlético-MG se enfrentam nesta quarta (29), em confronto direto pelo topo da classificação.

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+ Flamengo x Atlético-MG: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e prováveis escalações do jogo pelo Brasileirão

No momento, o Flamengo ocupa a segunda posição na tabela e está empatado em pontuação com o líder Palmeiras (63), mas perde no quesito saldo de gols. O Atlético-MG, por sua vez, está na quarta colocação, com 60 pontos, mas vive boa fase e ainda briga pelo troféu.

Além das pontuações citadas acima, Flamengo e Atlético-MG também protagonizam as duas melhores campanhas do segundo turno do Campeonato Brasileiro, ambos com 16 jogos disputados. O Alvinegro lidera a lista com 33 pontos, e o Rubro-Negro aparece logo na sequência, com 31. O Palmeiras ocupa a terceira posição, com 29.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Flamengo

PRIMEIRO TURNO

No primeiro turno do Brasileirão, o duelo entre Flamengo e Atlético-MG teve mando do time alvinegro e foi disputado no Independência. Na ocasião, o Fla venceu o confronto por 2 a 1, com gols de Wesley e Arrascaeta. Apesar do resultado positivo, o pós-jogo foi extremamente conturbado para o Rubro-Negro, que viu o ex-preparador físico Pablo Fernández agredir Pedro com um soco no rosto.

A situação rendeu um boletim de ocorrência por parte do atacante, e culminou na demissão do ex-profissional. À época, Pablo pediu desculpas pelo ocorrido, mas a agressão física trouxe à tona os problemas de relacionamento no dia a dia do Ninho do Urubu e deu início a uma série de fatores conturbados na trajetória do Fla na temporada.

O REENCONTRO

Agora, em momentos completamente distintos, mas com pretensões similares, Flamengo e Atlético-MG se enfrentar no Maracanã, em jogo que pode mudar os rumos do Brasileirão. A partida vai marcar, também, o reencontro entre Tite e Felipão. Os treinadores eram amigos e tinham relação próxima, mas protagonizaram desafeto público e, hoje, não têm nenhuma convivência.

O JOGO

A bola vai rolar para Flamengo e Atlético-MG no Maracanã, nesta quarta-feira (29), às 19h30 (de Brasília). A partir será transmitida pelo Premiere, e o Lance! acompanha em tempo real.

VEJA CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO RETURNO DO BRASILEIRÃO

Atlético-MG – 33 PONTOS
Flamengo – 31 PONTOS
Palmeiras – 29 PONTOS
Bragantino – 27
Vasco – 26
Grêmio – 25
Santos – 25
Bahia – 23
Internacional – 22
Fluminense – 22
Athletico-PR – 21
Cuiabá – 20
Cruzeiro – 20
São Paulo – 20
Corinthians – 20
Fortaleza – 19
Coritiba – 15
Botafogo – 15
Goiás – 13
América-MG – 11

England's Young Lions needed just 14 minutes to open the scoring against Egypt at the Under-17 World Cup on Monday in Qatar. Manchester City star Reigan Heskey broke the deadlock with an excellent solo goal to give his team a great start to the match. His strike continued some fine form for the forward who played a key role last time out against Haiti as England won for the first time at the tournament.

Heskey shining for England

Heskey is the son of former England and Liverpool star Emile and added another international goal to his tally against Egypt. The Manchester City man was given too much time and space by Egypt in the early exchanges, allowing him to drive across goal and unleash a powerful low shot that curled past goalkeeper Omar Abdelaziz. It's Heskey's second goal in two games for the Young Lions, as he scored and bagged four assists last time out against Hatiti as England cruised to an emphatic victory.

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Like father, like son?

Reigan plays alongside his brother Jaden at Manchester City, with both players having been handed their debuts by Pep Guardiola earlier this year. Proud dad Emile has told the about the approach he takes with his kids as they aim to follow in his famous footsteps.

He said: "They are both very athletic. The young one is very quick. The older one is a bit of a beast like I was. They've both got similar attributes. I'm someone who stands really far back and I become a dad, really. If they want to ask me something, I tell them, or if they want to come out with me and do a little bit extra, then I'll take them, but I'm not the one who’s going to force them. They enjoy it, they love it. Yes, there are some times when I think 'I want to say something’, but the reality is it's not my career.

"Another reality is, what has the manager or coach told them to do? Because if I tell them to do something different then there's a conflict there. So I take a step back and I enjoy watching it, to be honest, as it's nice to see them progressing. I've watched them from the age of four and now they're 19 and 17, they're doing fantastic."

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GettyWhat next for England

England's match against Egypt is their final group fixture and Ryan's side will be hoping to progress to the next stage of the tournament. The Young Lions won the competition previously back in 2017, with a team including the likes of Phil Foden, Marc Guehi, Morgan Gibbs-White and Conor Gallagher, and would love to repeat that feat again in 2025.

One of the most sought-after players in free agency this year did not play in MLB last year.

Twenty-three-year-old Roki Sasaki plied his trade in 2024 for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball, winning 10 of 15 decisions with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. These numbers have stateside executives salivating—and allow Sasaki to express considerable discretion in how his free agency plays out.

On Monday evening, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Sasaki has a special request for the teams he's meeting with: he does not want them to bring any of their players to the meetings.

That tracks with Sasaki's unconventional approach to free agency, which agent Joel Wolfe said via Nightengale is driven by his desire to be great.

"‘He's a guy that wants to be great. He's not coming here just to be rich. He wants to be one of the greatest, ever," Wolfe said.

Per the rules governing player transfers between NPB and MLB, Sasaki is required to sign between Jan. 15 and 23 if he wants to play this season.

Manchester United were deservedly booed off the pitch as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to an Everton side who played the vast majority of the game with 10 men. Idrissa Gueye's bizarre sending off for snapping at his team-mate Michael Keane gave United the perfect advantage but they completely blew it, falling behind to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's stunning long-range hit then failing to react.

Everton had made such a strong start that United barely managed to get out of their own half for the first 10 minutes. But the visitors shot themselves in the foot in a truly remarkable turn of events which saw Gueye sent off in the 13th minute for striking Michael Keane in the face. Gueye vented his fury at Keane just after Casemiro had fired a shot on goal in United's first attack of the game, shoving the defender and twice raising his arms to his face before goalkeeper Jordan Pickford intervened. 

It was a very rare instance of a player being sent off for confronting a team-mate, reminiscent of Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer's infamous scrap in Newcastle's defeat against Aston Villa 20 years ago which saw both players dismissed. And yet, the Toffees responded to the setback in the best way possible, continuing to harry United and taking the lead with a brilliant strike from Kiernan Dewsbury Hall, who beat Fernandes and  Yoro before arrowing into the top corner from outside the area.

United dominated the play but were completely toothless and unimaginative. Patrick Dorgu and Amad each fired wide in the first half while Fernandes' threatening shot was tipped over by Pickford. Ruben Amorim changed things in the second half but United still lacked creativity and, worst of all, belief.

The weekend's results gave them the opportunity to climb into fifth in the Premier League table but instead they are left stranded in 10th and it feels like they are back to square one, all the progress of their positive results in October and early November going out the window.

GOAL rates Man United's players from Old Trafford…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Senne Lammens (5/10):

  Question will be asked of his failure to stop Dewsbury-Hall's shot but it had real power and direction on it. He didn't have to do much else given how Everton sat off once in front.

  Matthijs de Ligt (4/10):

  Struggled in the early stages amid Everton's bright start. Backed away from Dewsbury-Hall instead of trying to close him down. Was then too cautious, not capitalising on the man-advantage by stepping forward.

  Leny Yoro (4/10):

  Should have done more to stop Dewsbury-Hall, getting a foot to the ball but then letting his opponent win it back to score. Otherwise defended pretty well and played on the front foot in the second half. 

  Luke Shaw (4/10):

  Struggled to contain Iliman Ndiaye in the early stages. Tried to support the attack in the second half but his crossing wasn't good enough.

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  Midfield

  Noussair Mazraoui (4/10):

  Struggled to make much happen at right wing-back, making just one memorable move down the flank before being taken off at half-time.

  Casemiro (4/10):

  A flat performance, not disrupting Everton's play as he needed to and missing the target with a decent sight of goal. Removed shortly after being booked.

  Bruno Fernandes (3/10):

  A very poor performance by his usual high standards. Made little effort to stop Dewsbury-Hall in his tracks, another sign of the risks of playing him in the deeper role. His passing was also sloppy and he couldn't inspire United when he needed to, firing a good opportunity over the bar in the second half.

  Patrick Dorgu (4/10):

  Didn't get at Everton enough and on the one occasion he got in a good position – a brilliant one at that – he fluffed his lines and fired wide of the near post. Taken off for Dalot.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Bryan Mbeumo (6/10):

  He at least looked determined to make a difference and provided some spark but didn't pack his shooting boots, slicing a good opportunity well wide.

  Joshua Zirkzee (4/10):

  Had the chance to make his mark while Sesko is out but was largely toothless. Took until the 80th minute to have his first shot although he did at least have a flurry of late attempts, twice being denied by Pickford.

  Amad Diallo (6/10):

  Had a couple of good dribbling moments but was isolated in the first half in the attacking midfield role. Combined better with Mbeumo when restored to wing-back.

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  Subs & Manager

  Mason Mount (6/10):

  Gave the team some urgency and bite going forward and was unlucky not to equalise.

  Kobbie Mainoo (5/10):

  Another opportunity wasted to endear himself to Amorim as he made very little happen.

  Diogo Dalot (5/10):

  Gave the team a bit more balance but rarely looked like making a difference.

  Ruben Amorim (4/10):

  Playing Mazraoui and Dorgu as wing-backs did not work but the fact that his team lost at home to 10 men speaks of a much bigger malaise. 

Big picture: Big names missing in final

With a host of big names either playing the Asia Cup or getting ready for India A’s red-ball series against Australia A, the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru is expected to be a low-key affair. Both South Zone and Central Zone have brought in reinforcements after their respective semi-finals.Central Zone have made four changes, with Vidarbha seamer Nachiket Bhute, Madhya Pradesh’s Kumar Kartikeya and Kuldeep Sen, and Rajasthan’s left-arm spinner Kukna Ajay Singh getting into the mix. They come in for Yash Thakur, Harsh Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed and Manav Suthar, who have departed for the four-day series against Australia A in Lucknow.South Zone, meanwhile, have brought in Karnataka’s R Smaran and Tamil Nadu’s C Andre Siddarth in place of Devdutt Padikkal and N Jagadeesan.Related

• 'Cricket's just a game' – How Tanmay Agarwal's new mindset is fuelling his run spree

• C Andre Siddarth sets sights on Ranji Trophy glory

• Shubham Sharma – a low-profile red-ball warrior in the T20 era

• Danish Malewar's bright start and big ambitions

Central Zone’s batting looks formidable. Three of the four highest run-scorers in the tournament belong to them: Danish Malewar (294), Rajat Patidar (268) and Shubham Sharma (252). The bowling, however, is severely depleted, with four of their frontliners out of the final.The onus will be on offspinner Saransh Jain, who got a match haul of 8 for 205, and, with that, the Player-of-the-Match award in the semi-final against West Zone, to continue his form. Central Zone will also hope for Deepak Chahar to get back among the wickets. The seamer has had a lukewarm Duleep Trophy so far – two wickets in three innings at 58 – and hasn’t found much movement with the new ball.South Zone have an inexperienced batting unit, and will bank on Tanmay Agarwal, Ricky Bhui and captain Mohammed Azharuddeen to get some runs. The bowlers, led by quick Gurjapneet Singh, were impressive in the semi-final against North Zone, and will hope to continue their wicket-taking form.Central Zone have only played at Ground B, which has a black-soil pitch, while South Zone have previous experience of playing at Ground A, which will host the final, and has a red-soil pitch. Both teams dominated their respective semi-finals, qualifying by virtue of a first-innings lead.The Duleep Trophy final will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app.Rajat Patidar has a strike rate of 106.34 in the Duleep Trophy this season•PTI

In the spotlight: Rajat Patidar and Mohammed Azharuddeen

With scores of 125, 66 and 77, Rajat Patidar has been in impressive form in the Duleep Trophy. He is third on the run charts, while his strike rate of 106.34 is the highest for any batter to have played more than six balls in the tournament. Patidar’s captaincy has also stood out in both games, but with many of his frontline bowlers missing, it will be tested in the final.South Zone captain Mohammed Azharuddeen missed out on an excellent batting pitch in the semi-final. He will want to make amends. Azharuddeen, who will also keep wicket with Jagadeesan away, had a terrific Ranji Trophy 2024-25, scoring 635 runs at 70.55 in Kerala’s run to the final. He also entered the Duleep Trophy on the back of a decent Kerala Cricket League, where he recorded 253 runs in eight innings.

Team news: Central’s new bowlers

South Zone could send Shaik Rasheed to open alongside Tanmay, while Smaran could come into the middle order. Salman Nizar was struck on the knee during the semi-final, and had to be carried to the dugout. If he fails to recover in time, they could bring Siddarth into the XI.South Zone (probable): 1 Shaik Rasheed, 2 Tanmay Agarwal, 3 Mohit Kale, 4 R Smaran, 5 Ricky Bhui (vice-capt), 6 C Andre Siddarth/Salman Nizar, 7 Mohammed Azharuddeen (capt, wk), 8 Tanay Thyagarajan, 9 Gurjapneet Singh, 10 Vasuki Koushik, 11 MD NidheeshDeepak Chahar has two wickets at an average of 58 in this season’s Duleep Trophy•PTI

Central Zone are unlikely to tinker with their batting order, but will have to field almost a fresh bowling unit. While Chahar is likely to hold on to his place, Kartikeya, Kuldeep and Aditya Thakare could all come into the side.Central Zone (probable): 1 Aayush Pandey, 2 Danish Malewar, 3 Shubham Sharma, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Yash Rathod, 6 Upendra Yadav (wk), 7 Aditya Thakare, 8 Saransh Jain, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Kumar Kartikeya, 11 Kuldeep Sen

Pitch and conditions: Runs galore

The surface at Ground A has been excellent for batting. Neither of the two Duleep Trophy games played there had a fourth innings, with only 45 wickets falling across the quarter-final and the semi-final. According to the weather forecast, there could be a mix of cloudy skies and rain showers throughout the five days of the final.

Quotes

“There was something for the fast bowlers, especially when they were hitting the seam – it was moving in and out. But we need to be really patient for that one ball. We know that it is a flat wicket, but we also know that there will be something in between.

Manchester United might now be winless across their last two Premier League matches, but there aren’t any alarm bells ringing.

Indeed, the Red Devils have shown plenty of fight and determination – qualities that were sorely lacking during the early days of Ruben Amorim – to pick up two consecutive 2-2 draws on the road.

United even had to temporarily play with ten men away at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday lunchtime, when Benjamin Sesko limped off with a late injury, but that didn’t stop the imperious Matthijs De Ligt in his mission to rise above a sea of white shirts to head home a last-gasp equaliser.

In previous years, United would have just folded but there is a hard-to-beat quality deep within Amorim’s side now, with Bryan Mbeumo once again receiving plenty of plaudits at the full-time whistle after he bagged his fifth Premier League goal of the season against Thomas Frank’s hosts.

Ranking Man Utd's summer business

Ex-United midfielder Owen Hargreaves would compare the ex-Brentford forward to Mohamed Salah after the entertaining draw, stating that he always has a “clear picture” of what he wants to do in front of goal.

Having gone his first seven Premier League games in United red with just one goal next to his name, the £71m recruit has now come into his own to be seen as one of the standout bits of business INEOS signed off on in the summer, as his calmly tucked away header got the ball rolling for Amorim and Co in North London on Saturday.

It was another top-drawer display from the Cameroon international, who playing on the left-hand side on this occasion, also missed a big chance from his two shots and won two fouls.

It’s safe to say the winger has started off brightly in United colours, with three goals put away with the same ice-cold nature last month, seeing Mbeumo collect the October player of the month accolade in the Premier League.

Matheus Cunha has also gone down as a sterling summer purchase from Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a first United goal finally coming his way against Brighton and Hove Albion at the close of October, even if he did fire blanks against Spurs.

Moreover, Senne Lammens continues to stand out as a rock-solid buy in goal, even if he did fall victim to a late deflected effort from Richarlison, with two saves under pressure from the Belgian ensuring the visitors came away from the contest with a share of the points.

INEOS has managed to rewrite the narrative after falling victim to a few transfer blunders last summer, notably Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee but the window of 2024 wasn’t all a complete failure.

Man United's future "captain" is outshining Mbeumo

When the ship was very visibly sinking at Old Trafford, there was a real lack of leaders attempting to turn the waning club’s fortunes around.

Thankfully, many of the senior figures Amorim has at his disposal – who once shied away from the spotlight – have come into their own over recent matches, with Casemiro now going on to be labelled as the “glue” that holds United together by content creator Liam Canning.

Moreover, Bruno Fernandes showed his immense quality during the 2-2 draw, too, as his inch-perfect corner late on turned the aforementioned De Ligt into a last-minute hero.

De Ligt has further emerged as a dependable performer Amorim knows he can rely on, with ex-United great Rio Ferdinand even stating, back in September, that the Dutchman should be “the first name on the teamsheet.”

He has become undroppable, with a battling performance away at a physical Nottingham Forest outfit seeing him win all ten of his aerial duels, as his aerial prowess was even clearer for all to take in against Spurs, when he headed home the crucial equaliser.

It’s been quite the turnaround in fortunes for the ex-Ajax colossus, with the 26-year-old even once being branded as “awful” by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher after a ropey debut season, which saw the former Eredivisie titan collect just three clean sheets from 29 league outings.

Now, however, the previously mentioned Manning is hailing De Ligt as a “serious contender for the next captain” of the Red Devils, as another “clutch” display was put in by the 6-foot-2 battler against Frank’s men.

Of course, signings such as Mbeumo’s will likely steal more of the headlines, with the flashy £71m attacker now living up to his steep price tag.

But, for £42.9m, United seriously hit the jackpot, sealing De Ligt’s signature when they did, as the much-improved number four – who has featured in every possible second of United’s resurgent league campaign to date – now aims to become a permanent fixture in the Red Devils’ defence for many years to come.

It's not Mbeumo: "Unbelievable" Man Utd star looks like Amorim's new Bruno

Bryan Mbeumo stole the show again for Manchester United – but he wasn’t alone…

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 9, 2025

Varun and Kuldeep shared six wickets in the final against Pakistan, before Sanju Samson steadied India’s chase

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-20253:23

‘Clueless batting from Pakistan’

Varun: “Yeah, I feel great. Definitely, at that time, I was going for the wickets, and Fakhar [Zaman] and Sahibzada Farhan were going well. Yes, I had done some plans, and it worked out and the way Kuldeep came and finished – yeah, it gave me memories of KKR, when we were playing together. He’s always a star. He’s the best one of the best spinners.”If you see the trend in the last few matches, [in] the first ten overs, everyone is going berserk if they don’t lose wickets. After that, we knew that if we bowl on the right space, and [on the] right line and length, we can curtail them. And obviously, I would like to mention Hari [team analyst]. He’s a guy who’s done a lot of work behind the scenes, and due credit to him also.”Kuldeep: “Of course, it’s very important to bowl [well] in the middle overs. And, of course, me, Varun and Axar playing together is obviously a luxury to have. Everyone has a different role, so obviously they started really well, after 10-11 overs, they were like 100 for 1. We knew that if we get a couple of early wickets; probably not early, but after ten overs, we got a couple of wickets from him [Varun]. Obviously, it’s not going be easy for [a] new batter to come and score runs easily. Obviously, when I was bowling in the fourth over, I was looking to get them out.”Before the game, he [Hari] just sent the screenshot of the lengths of the lengths where we’re going to bowl to the batters. Especially, big thanks to Hari, and obviously [a] masterclass from Tilak – he was unbelievable today.”Sanju Samson: “Yeah, I really enjoyed the pressure actually. I have not played many India-Pakistan games, but today, I think the pressure was all over there. Three wickets down in the powerplay, so I just had to use my experience, calm the nerves down, and just watch the ball and react. That’s what I did, and it came off nicely. I think I had a really good partnership with Tilak, and really enjoyed playing the game today.”As you all know that the game dictates what type of cricket you need to play, and according to the conditions, you have to respect the conditions, you have to respect the situation. I think that’s what we have learned. Years and years of IPL, years and years of cricket, and that’s what cricket has taught us. So I just had to go out there and then look to time the ball, and that’s what really helped me.”Closer ones [games] are really good. That’s when your characters are being tested and that’s when you also get to test your own mental abilities. So I think that’s a really good awareness which we had just before the World Cup. I think this game was really crucial. Some of these knockout games do actually prepare us for the big games coming a few months ago [later]. And you’ve made some potent contributions.”Shubman Gill: “[Feels] pretty amazing. The whole tournament unbeaten, so it feels pretty amazing to be here in this position. Pretty amazing [to play with Abhishek Sharma]. We have played almost all our cricket together, and I think we know each other pretty much inside out, and it’s amazing to be able to bat with him. The way he bats, [he] takes off the pressure off the non-striker, whosoever is there, and he’s been phenomenal this tournament.”The conversation was to take it as deep as possible. The target wasn’t much, but it was important to soak in the pressure in the start. Losing three wickets early, [it’s] never easy, but I think the way first the partnership for us with Sanju and Tilak, how they batted, and then how Dube came in and hit those big sixes for us was very important.”[In the] final, playing against them, 30 runs in three overs, there wasn’t much panic, but the game can go both ways. You have seen, especially on a slow kind of a wicket, the boundaries are big here, so you really need to connect to be able to get those sixes and, like I said, the way both of them batted, first soaking in the pressure and then got the balls in the zone and they made sure that they hit it out of the park.”

West Ham United have a proud history of developing and promoting some brilliant youngsters from their academy system.

The most recent one to really make his mark on the team and then be sold on for a massive fee was Declan Rice.

Freddie Potts looks like he could be the Hammers’ next homegrown superstar after his sensational Premier League displays before the international break.

However, while the club try their best to keep hold of their most promising talents, they aren’t always able to, and one youngster they may rue losing more than any other looks like he could be a bigger prospect than Potts and a future England star.

West Ham's next academy star

While Potts is the current academy product getting the attention and adulation from fans and pundits alike – justifiably so – he could soon be joined in the first team by another of Rush Green’s best: George Earthy.

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Now, the 21-year-old has made four appearances for the first team and even scored a brilliant goal against Luton Town in the Premier League a couple of years ago, but due to loan moves and injury, those four appearances have amounted to only 36 minutes.

In other words, most fans aren’t really thinking about the youngster, and those that occasionally do aren’t sure what sort of player they’ll be getting when he returns from his hamstring injury.

Well, firstly, even though his primary position is attacking midfield, the Havering-born gem has and can play in several positions across the pitch.

Second, he’s as comfortable scoring goals as he is providing assists, and has a seriously impressive record from his time in the academy.

For example, in 60 appearances for the u18s, totalling 4804 minutes, he scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 111.72 minutes.

Appearances

60

55

Minutes

4804′

3618′

Goals

25

18

Assists

18

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.71

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

111.72′

113.06′

Then, during his time with the u21s, he scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3618 minutes, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 113.06 minutes.

Finally, while he’s not played much for the Hammers, he has gained a decent amount of first-team experience from his time on loan with Bristol City last season, where he was named Young Player of the Season.

In all, so long as he can remain fit, West Ham have another superb homegrown talent on their hands in Earthy, which should help make up for them losing another, arguably more promising talent last year.

The Academy gem West Ham will rue losing

One of the most exciting talents to come through West Ham’s academy in the last five years or so was undoubtedly Divin Mubama.

During his time in West London, the Englishman was utterly unstoppable for the junior sides, racking up a staggering tally of 40 goals and five assists for the u18s and then 18 goals and two assists for the u21s.

This brilliant output saw him get a chance with the first team, and over the 22/23 and 23/24 seasons, he made 18 senior appearances, totalling 431 minutes.

West Ham

18

1

1

WH U21s

34

18

2

WH U18s

57

40

5

Man City

2

1

0

Man City U21s

9

8

4

Stoke City

15

5

1

However, in August 2024, then Premier League champions Manchester City came knocking, and despite their best efforts to keep him, Julen Lopetegui and Co had to make do with a measly £1.2m as he joined the Citizens.

To nobody’s surprise, the goalscoring machine continued his fine form in the North West, and ended the 24/25 campaign with 16 goals and four assists in 14 appearances for City’s u21s.

Moreover, Pep Guardiola gave him two run-outsrun-outs in the first team, and on his debut in an FA Cup game against Salford, he scored his first senior goal for the club.

Coming into this season, it was crystal clear that the 21-year-old is too good to play in the youth sides, and so he was sent out on loan to Stoke City in the Championship, where he has done a reasonable enough job.

For example, even though it’s his first season of regular first-team football, the “powerful” strike, as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored five goals and provided one assist in 15 appearances.

In addition to making his way in the club game, the Newham-born monster has also been in incredible form for England’s u21s.

In five caps, the game-changing marksman has already scored five goals and provided one assist.

Ultimately, it’s not West Ham’s fault, but if Mubama continues to develop in the way he has over the last year or so, they could really come to rue losing him.

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