First win at Sophia Gardens since 1981 can’t make up for disappointment of missing out on promotion

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Sep-2025

Lancashire 374 (Wells 78, Jones 62, Balderson 51, van der Gugten 5-85) and 134 for 3 (Jennings 47) beat Glamorgan 265 (van der Gugten 53, Bailey 5-51) and 241 (Cooke 52, Balderson 4-75) by seven wicketsLancashire wrapped up their 2025 Rothesay County Championship campaign with a three-day win over Glamorgan thanks to a one-day style evening session.Stand-in captain Josh Bohannon oversaw his side’s first County Championship win at Sophia Gardens since 1981 against Glamorgan, whose promotion was confirmed last week. It was also Glamorgan’s first red-ball defeat since April, in departing captain Sam Northeast’s last appearance.After controlling the game from day one, Lancashire took eight wickets, including 4 for 75 for George Balderson before Keaton Jennings’ top-order blaze of 47 from 33 balls set the visitors on their way to chasing 133 inside 26 overs remaining in the day.The north-west county provisionally rise to third in an unsuccessful attempt to gain promotion from their first season back in Division Two while Glamorgan will play in Division One for the first time since 2005 next year.Resuming with the intention and requirement to bat all day, Northeast and Zain-ul-Hassan kept Lancashire’s bowlers at bay for a 58-run partnership before the former’s dubious lbw for 21 in his last Glamorgan innings, and Zain’s reckless reverse sweep on 45 chalked the hard work off.Balderson’s impressive stint of 25 overs all told gave a feel of him nagging at Glamorgan batters for the whole innings. On a varying pitch, his skiddy medium-pace with Matty Hurst stood up to the stumps for the majority saw Billy Root and later Mason Crane pinned, the latter putting up a good fight with half-centurion Chris Cooke before being undone by the new ball straight after tea.Despite single-figure scores prominent, every other wicket seemingly kept day four in contention for Glamorgan – Colin Ingram and Cooke held things together before the wicketkeeper’s hard-fought 50 came up with a counter-attacking six while in the company of No. 11 Ned Leonard.Lancashire made no changes to batting order, seemingly happy to see through day three on a pitch that provided plenty of turn for Tom Hartley – promising signs for Crane – as well as bounce variety for seamers. The assumption was wrong. Luke Wells together with Jennings in white-ball mode belted the new-ball around to take all the pressure off.Twenty from James Harris’ fourth over left wickets of no concern before Bohannon, George Bell and Hurst continued the momentum despite two consolation wickets for Crane.With five to win, Northeast stepped up to bowl as the final act of his four-year captaincy stint.

Sussex edge closer to Division One safety while visitors must avoid defeat in final round

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Sep-2025Yorkshire 194 (Lyth 47, Hudson-Prentice 3-33, Unadkat 3-36) and 109 for 3 (Bairstow 64*) drew with Sussex 250 (Simpson 66, Hill 4-43, Milnes 3-80)Skipper Jonny Bairstow and James Wharton led Yorkshire to safety as their rain-ruined Championship match with Sussex ended in a draw.Sussex sensed an unlikely triumph when left-arm spinner James Coles picked up three wickets in nine balls after taking the new ball as Yorkshire lurched to 6 for 3. But in their contrasting styles Bairstow and Wharton averted the crisis, adding 103 in 34 overs. When bad light stopped play at 4pm Bairstow was unbeaten on 64 and Wharton 23 and with no improvement in conditions the players shook hands 20 minutes later.Sussex take 12 points and Yorkshire 11. Sussex will go into their final game against Worcestershire needing five points to guarantee their first division status but Yorkshire, who are at home to Durham – one of the teams below them – will have to avoid defeat to make sure they stay up.With 199 overs across the four days lost to rain and bad light – the equivalent to more than two days’ play – there was virtually no prospect of a positive result, even more so when morning drizzle delayed the restart until 1pm.But Sussex picked up a batting point when Ollie Robinson hit two boundaries off offspinner Dom Bess before the hosts, 232 for 8 overnight, were dismissed for 250. The impressive George Hill finished with 4 for 43 from 19.2 overs after taking the final two wickets. Sean Hunt edged a beauty which pitched and left him to wicketkeeper Bairstow, and last man Jaydev Unadkat was taken high to his right at second slip by Bess.Skipper John Simpson threw the new ball to Coles with immediate results. Adam Lyth chipped his third ball to midwicket and Mayank Agarwal was drawn forward by the sixth which turned enough to take the edge. In his next over, Coles had Fin Bean well held by the diving Oli Carter at short leg, as the ball ballooned up off a combination of pad and bat handle.It was hard work at first for Wharton and Bairstow. Wharton, in particular, found left-armer Unadkat a handful bowling wide from the crease and moving the ball both ways. But he survived and there was respite when Simpson was forced to employ his other slow bowler Jack Carson with Coles as the light deteriorated. Bairstow played with increasing confidence and scoring on both sides of the wicket as he passed 50 for the seventh time this season, an innings which contained 11 fours.Bairstow needed treatment to his left leg before the players came off for the last time but he had done an important job for his side.

While some fortresses have held up, many have crumbled. Here’s a look at how the ten teams have fared at home venues this season

Omkar Mankame21-Apr-2025 • Updated on 23-Apr-20259:28

Chopra: Teams should dictate the nature of pitches at home

Chennai Super Kings
Won: 1, Lost: 3
(Beat MI; Lost to DC, RCB, KKR)A team renowned for making the most of home conditions, CSK got off to an ideal start at Chepauk, brushing aside MI with Noor Ahmad weaving his magic. However, things went south with the franchise slipping to three successive home defeats. The loss to RCB stung the most. Head coach Stephen Fleming didn’t hold back in criticising the pitch, which seemed to aid seamers more than spinners. Against KKR, they registered their lowest-ever IPL score at home. Away from Chepauk, they have won one and lost three.Delhi Capitals
Won: 3, Lost: 1
(Beat SRH, LSG, RR; Lost to MI)DC played their first two home games in Visakhapatnam, where Ashutosh Sharma’s late-innings heroics helped pull off a stunning heist against LSG, before Mitchell Starc powered them to a commanding win over SRH. After arriving in Delhi, DC had their first defeat of the season, falling to MI in a match which ended with a hat-trick of run-outs. The thrills at home continued, as DC edged past RR in the season’s first Super Over, with Tristan Stubbs smacking the match-winning six. In away conditions, they had picked up two wins before losing to GT in Ahmedabad.2:12

Fleming: We haven’t been able to read the Chepauk pitches

Gujarat Titans
Won: 3, Lost: 1
(Beat MI, RR, DC; Lost to PBKS)GT’s home ground in Ahmedabad offers two types of pitches – red soil and black soil – and they have used this smartly to outplay their opponents. Against MI, who are accustomed to red-soil pitches in Mumbai, GT opted for a black-soil surface. They switched back to a red-soil track against RR, where their seamers came into their own. Their only home defeat came in their opening match, when PBKS scored 243 for 5 and GT fell short by 11 runs. Outside Ahmedabad, they have logged two wins and a defeat.Kolkata Knight Riders
Won: 1, Lost: 3
(Beat SRH, Lost to RCB, LSG, GT)The surface at Eden Gardens was in the spotlight in the opening week. The pitch for the season opener against RCB backfired, prompting captain Ajinkya Rahane to call for a slower surface that would suit their spinners better. They steamrolled a struggling SRH in their next home fixture, but the track laid out for the game against LSG once again drew post-match remarks from Rahane, who hinted it wasn’t what the team had asked for. In a high-scoring shootout – 238 playing 234 – KKR’s spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine went wicketless. Against GT, they could muster only 159 for 8 in a chase of 199. Their away record has been mixed, with two wins from four matches.Lucknow Super Giants
Won: 2, Lost: 3
(Beat MI, GT, Lost to PBKS, CSK)LSG were left frustrated with the surface served up in their defeat at home to PBKS. Mentor Zaheer Khan even quipped that it felt like the opposition had brought their own curator to prepare the pitch. But LSG eventually got their wish for slower tracks, and a combination of sharp bowling and top-order brilliance helped them notch up two successive home wins. However, CSK turned the tables on them, with their spinners restricting LSG to an under-par total. And then DC kept them to 159, which was again not a winning total, on a red-soil surface and LSG lost their second home game in a row.Zaheer Khan inspects the Lucknow pitch•PTI Mumbai Indians
Won: 3, Lost: 1
(Beat KKR, SRH, CSK; Lost to RCB)At Wankhede Stadium, Hardik Pandya won all four tosses and chose to chase, banking on the venue’s historical bias towards teams batting second. Against KKR, SRH and CSK, MI eased home by first restricting their opponents to under-par totals and then hunting them down with comfort. For the game against RCB, they rolled out a rock-hard surface, and in a high-scoring shootout that produced 430 runs across 40 overs, MI came off second best. Away from Mumbai, MI have struggled, managing just one win in four games.Punjab Kings
Won: 2, Lost: 2
(Beat CSK, KKR; Lost to RR, RCB)After two away wins on the bounce, PBKS were blown away by RR in their first home game. Then, in a bizarre contest against CSK, where five of PBKS’ top six failed to reach double-figures, Priyansh Arya’s maiden century set up their victory. PBKS made history in their next home fixture, defending just 111 against KKR – the lowest successful defence in IPL history. In their last game in New Chandigarh, RCB’s spinners stifled the hosts. PBKS will now shift base to Dharamsala for the remainder of their home games. On the road, they have fared well, winning three of their four matches so far.Related

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Rajasthan Royals
Won: 1, Lost: 3
(Beat CSK; Lost to KKR, RCB, LSG)RR have struggled to build momentum this season, scoring just two wins in eight matches – one at home and one away. Their lone home win came in Guwahati against CSK, driven by Nitish Rana’s blistering knock, after they had opened their campaign with a heavy defeat against KKR. In Jaipur, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli chased down 174 with ease, while Avesh Khan’s brilliant end-overs spell consigned RR to a defeat in a game they seemed poised to win. Their away record has been equally patchy, with three losses, including a Super Over loss to DC.Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Won: 0, Lost: 3
(Lost to PBKS, DC, GT)RCB remain the only team yet to register a home win this season. They have lost all three tosses at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and were asked to bat first each time – a tricky proposition at a venue with short boundaries. In their opener, they were undone by former team man Mohammed Siraj, while Karnataka’s own KL Rahul lit up his “home” ground to hand them a second defeat. Their third loss came in a rain-shortened, low-scoring affair against PBKS. While their home form has been a concern, RCB have been flawless on the road, winning all their away games so far.Sunrisers Hyderabad
Won: 2, Lost: 2
(Beat RR, PBKS; Lost to LSG, GT)SRH were sparkling in their season opener at home, racking up 286 for 6 amid talk of the IPL’s first-ever 300 being within reach. But the 2024 runners-up were soon caught out by their own conditions, suffering heavy defeats to LSG and GT on slower Hyderabad tracks. They bounced back in style against PBKS, with Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 141 off 55 balls powering a successful chase of 246.*0700 GMT, April 22, 2025 Updated after the KKR-GT game

You could feel the elation rippling from the pitch. It was palpable. It was a reminder of what this squad are capable of doing to the best teams in the world. Liverpool had beaten Real Madrid in the Champions League for the second year running.

Following the professional win over Aston Villa to stop the rot of a four-match skid in the Premier League, head coach Arne Slot must have felt his side had turned a corner, but last weekend’s sobering loss at Manchester City showed the Reds have merely gone in circles.

Liverpool were outfought across every inch of the Etihad Stadium, and Slot will be chagrined after being outplayed by Pep Guardiola on the tactical chessboard. Granted, he’s not the first coach to lose such a battle against the Spaniard.

But the Reds are struggling to do the basics, and are such a far cry from the level of last season, when they dispatched so many opponents and won the league title with relative ease.

Tactical imbalances have been clear all season, and it’s obvious that Liverpool are missing Luis Diaz, who is doing so well with Bayern Munich this season.

If the problems continue for Slot, FSG may be forced to sign a new version of the Colombian.

Liverpool looking to replace Diaz

Florian Wirtz’s struggles since leaving Bayer Leverkusen and joining Liverpool for £116m this summer have been well documented.

The German playmaker, 22, is one of the most talented footballers out there, but he’s yet to find the physicality and fluency to succeed in the Premier League, and he might want to take a leaf from Diaz’s book in that regard.

Aside from Diaz’s potency in the final third, he is relentless in his work rate and rapid besides, adding width and dynamism down the flank. Liverpool need some of that, and appear to have found a candidate.

Indeed, according to Spanish sources, sporting director Richard Hughes has registered Liverpool’s interest in Real Madrid star Rodrygo, who has fallen well down the pecking order under Xabi Alonso.

Arsenal and Chelsea are also keen on the Brazil international, while Manchester City’s intrigue was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano this summer.

Florentino Perez wants €90m (£79m) for the versatile forward, but given his reduced role at Real Madrid over the past year or so, FSG would likely push to whittle down that hefty price tag.

What Rodrygo would offer Liverpool

Rodrygo finished the 2024/25 campaign at a low ebb. A few terms ago, the 24-year-old was regarded as one of the best wingers in the world, but a limited role at Real has precluded that tag from staying put.

This season, Alonso has handed Rodrygo only three starts across La Liga and the Champions League. He hasn’t yet scored, racking up two assists on the continent. This all points toward a divorce from the Santiago Bernabeu, for this is one of the most exciting and talented wide forwards in Europe, and he should have a role at a side that reflects that.

Liverpool could offer him this. Slot wanted to provide Rio Ngumoha with a pathway to the first team during the summer, and that is ostensibly why Diaz was not directly replaced.

This has proved a mistake, with the 17-year-old as yet untrusted to start games and feature prominently.

Rodrygo has the maturity and the world experience to not just challenge Wirtz and Cody Gakpo for a starting berth but stake his claim for a starring role deep into the Anfield pitch.

Sometimes, statistics must be viewed through a wider context. Take Rodrygo’s woes in the Spanish top flight last year, only scoring six goals and supplying six assists across 30 matches.

Poor, right? Well, Rodrygo was only afforded 12 starts by Carlo Ancelotti, and Sofascore data suggests he missed just one big chance, underscoring his clinical nature.

Furthermore, the South American maverick posted six goals and assists apiece from left wing last year, despite only being handed a berth on that side 12 times across all competitions. At Liverpool, it is the left which beckons, and there he could refashion that world-renowned status that has been seen on the biggest stages before.

And even after this testing period, Rodrygo’s underlying quality does not lie, evidenced through many tactical similarities with Diaz across the past 12 months.

Goals

0.31

0.47

Assists

0.23

0.20

Shots taken

2.78

2.92

Shot-creating actions

4.71

4.21

Pass completion %

85.4

83.0

Touches (att pen)

6.49

6.27

Progressive passes

4.40

4.21

Progressive carries

5.91

3.73

Successful take-ons

2.47

1.98

Ball recoveries

3.75

4.40

Tackles + interceptions

2.09

1.36

It’s curious to note that the tactical differences between the two are not that great. And this in spite of Rodrygo having fallen to the Los Blancos fringes well before the managerial shift this summer.

With Alonso at the helm, it’s patent that Rodrygo will not enjoy the regular minutes that his talent deserves. After all, Luka Modric once described him as being among the club’s “world-class superstars”.

Diaz has found remarkable prolificness since switching Liverpool for Bavaria in August, and while such levels were rarely sustained at Liverpool, with the Premier League notoriously difficult, there’s no denying Liverpool miss Diaz and his athletic profile.

Rodrygo could be the perfect tonic to turn the ship around. After all, Alonso doesn’t seem to want him, and Liverpool require just the profile.

Whether the Reds manage to pull off an audacious winter swoop is anyone’s guess, but Premier League rivals are also on the hunt, and Hughes needs to pull something off if this season is to be viewed as a success.

Liverpool star is quickly becoming their biggest "disaster" since Keita

Arne Slot has a Naby Keita-style situation on his hands with this expensive Liverpool flop.

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Christian Pulisic has voiced strong support for USMNT teammate Gio Reyna, acknowledging the challenges the young midfielder has faced while expressing confidence in his future. Speaking ahead of the November international window, the AC Milan star offered insight into their relationship and Reyna’s potential impact on the national team.

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  'He’s a really, really good player'

  During his comments, Pulisic acknowledged that while he and Reyna don't maintain frequent communication, they have developed a positive professional relationship through their time with the national team. The Milan forward expressed empathy for Reyna's situation, noting that the 23-year-old has endured significant challenges, particularly with injuries that have disrupted his development at both club and international levels.

  “Yeah, I mean, we don’t talk a bunch,” Pulisic told CBS Sports Golazo. “But we’ve had a good relationship, and I think he has had a really tough time, and kind of unfairly in a lot of ways. I feel for him, it’s not difficult what we go through. Some of the injuries he’s dealt with are really hard. And with the national now, also seeing him on the roster, I think it’s really exciting for him.

  “I will say, when I have him on the field with me on the national team, I always feel a lot more relaxed. I feel like he’s a really, really good player, and I think that’s not a crazy take. I think a lot of people see that.”

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• 'Stay patient'

  Pulisic argued that Reyna has faced a run of bad luck and unusually high expectations since his early breakthrough, saying the player’s recent troubles have not been solely of his making. He urged patience while Reyna finds form and rhythm again.

  “I just tell him to stay patient,” Pulisic said. “I mean, he’s a guy that’s gone through a bit of a tough time, he’ll admit that, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t have really good things ahead. And people put pressure, and I get that too, because he had such a crazy start to his career where he was doing unbelievable things at 17 years old, and then you expect the same thing.

  “Then all of a sudden, you go to the national team and people are like, ‘You need to be that guy. You need to perform for us right away.' And it’s like it’s not that easy, there are a lot of factors and things that he has to work out. And I do think it's been unfair, but I think he’s going to come around, and people are going to see that soon.”

• A slow start to the season

  After joining Borussia Mönchengladbach this summer, Reyna has struggled to secure consistent playing time, making just six Bundesliga appearances while continuing to battle fitness issues. 

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  November friendlies await.

  Reyna has been picked as a part of the November international break for the USMNT and could earn his first cap since March 2025 when the team gets back to action this Saturday against Paraguay. 

Manchester United have now reportedly made contact to sign 18-year-old Salvador Blopa from Sporting CP in an attempt to jump ahead of Real Madrid in the race for his signature.

Those at Old Trafford have kept an eye on the transfer market ever since the summer window slammed shut and with things looking up on the pitch, they could be well-placed to welcome a number of upgrades in 2026.

Ruben Amorim’s side entered the November international break without a defeat in five games, having drawn twice and won three to move up to seventh in the Premier League.

Whilst their wait for five wins in a row is ongoing, there’s no doubt that the Red Devils have taken a significant step. Whether that continues after the international break is the big question.

Man United will play host to Everton in what should be seen as a winnable game at Old Trafford against former manager David Moyes. They then face struggling sides West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in two of their next five games in a run that should see them push on even further.

Amorim’s not getting ahead of himself, however. After rescuing a late draw against Tottenham last time out, he told reporters that his side still have plenty of problems to solve.

It’s a sign of the high standards that the Man United boss holds and INEOS could yet help him to meet those standards by turning to the transfer market once again in 2026.

Man Utd have 'held conversations' to sign Blopa

As relayed by TeamTalk, Man United have now ‘held conversations’ to sign Blopa from Sporting CP and jump ahead of Real Madrid in the transfer race in the process. The 18-year-old can play right midfield, right-back and left midfield as one of the most versatile players that Sporting have to offer.

Out of all those positions, he’d likely solve Amorim’s right wing-back problem. As things stand, it’s Amad Diallo or Noussair Mazraoui in the role, but Blopa’s emergence could quickly cause United a much-welcomed selection headache down that side.

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The Man Utd boss has given the green light.

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The interest from Real Madrid and those at Old Trafford in Blopa should also come as little surprise. The teenager scored twice on his Sporting debut and earned praise from current manager Rui Borges, who told reporters: “Tactically he gave us what we wanted.

“In the B team he sometimes plays on the right and other times on the left, sometimes higher and sometimes lower. He’s a kid with very unique characteristics, athletic, and physically he’s going to grow immensely more.”

The Red Devils have built a reputation of turning Sporting’s stars into world stars and the versatile defender could be next.

Now worth more than Anderson: Man Utd star is the "nearest thing" to Zidane

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has questioned whether Xavi Simons has the capabilities to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League after a slow start at Tottenham. Spurs edged out Chelsea to sign the playmaker for £52 million this summer but so far, the former RB Leipzig star has struggled to make an impact. While Henry has his doubts about the Dutchman, he did admit to having an anti-Bundesliga bias.

Simons not living up to the hype

Simons came to Tottenham with a big reputation and a sizeable fee of £52m ($70m) in late August after impressing at Leipzig, with the 22-year-old scoring 22 goals and notching 24 assists in 78 appearances.

Upon his arrival, head coach Thomas Frank said: "He’s a player who has proved his ability over the years to provide goals and assists from both the 10 position and the left wing, Xavi can play in both positions. He’s a very good finisher inside and outside the box. His dribbling ability, and his acceleration in bursts, give him that opportunity to go past players in one-on-ones, also to drive past players in more open spaces. His eye for his team-mates is key, in terms of unlocking defences, and I’m convinced he will come in and help the team and be part of a team that is working very hard together. Xavi is young, 22, he has plenty of room to develop and get better, but even though he’s young, he’s played a lot of matches over the last four, five years, which means I’m fully convinced with his qualities he can step straight in and help us. Of course, like any player coming into the Premier League, and a new team, there will always be a bit of adaptation time. He has great experience from the Holland national team, playing in the Champions League last two seasons… great experience he can bring to the team."

However, he is yet to score in 14 appearances, despite contributing two assists. That, and more, has led Henry to raise concerns about the former Paris Saint-Germain man.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'You're in trouble'

The former Arsenal forward did stress that it is not easy to hit the ground running when swapping the Bundesliga for the Premier League, while using former Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz as an example following his big-money move to Liverpool. However, he also suggested the German league is not a reliable indicator of success for the English top-flight when asked about Simons.

He said on : "It's not easy to arrive in a team and perform straight away. We can see Florian Wirtz at Liverpool, but I always have a question mark on people that perform in Germany. That's only me. I'm not saying that they won't perform in another league. I'm just saying, because of the way the league is, they're really stretched. So if you can run well, you're going to have a lot of opportunity, goals, assists. People can run with you in this league. So it's very difficult. Do you think the managers right now are letting their players dribble or do they want to control everything to make sure they're not going to get countered? Playing a low block all the time is not always easy to create. Look at Arsenal. We don't create a lot of opportunities. We score a lot on set pieces. I'm not going to go back to the old story and everything, but you need to find a way to score goals. So you're going to create way less than what we used to be able to do in our time because teams are playing low. They don't try to bite or come out. So the spaces are tight. And if you don't allow people to dribble and make mistakes, like I always say, the reward is in the risk. Where are you going? You're not going to have the stats of creating. And if you don't take your chances when you have one, well, you're in trouble."

Frank not worried about Simons

While Simons has chalked up a good number of minutes, he has not completed a full 90 in the Premier League this season. Boos echoed around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the attacking midfielder was taken off against Manchester United earlier this month but the Dane is not worried about his confidence levels dropping off.

He said: "No, I think it’s part of it. There’s a reason why we didn’t start him, of course. I think he’s played two starts, short turnaround. Also, that energy and freshness I talked about played 90 minutes on Wednesday night.

"I think when players make mistakes on the pitch, if they lose a ball or they miss a pass, of course, I can get irritated. In general, I’m not talking about a specific situation. That’s part of football. How many times have you seen a player miss a pass or do something? That happens. And that can be flow, that can be confidence, that can be everything, whatever it is. Mistakes are part of football."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Simons?

Simons will hope to kickstart his Tottenham career when his team travel to local neighbours and bitter rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon for the first north London derby of the season. Even if he doesn't, there are plenty of games for him to find his feet.

Ashwin finishes his Test career with the joint-most number of Player-of-the-Series awards in Tests

Omkar Mankame18-Dec-2024#1
West Indies in India, 2011-12
After taking 13 wickets in India’s victories in the first two Tests, R Ashwin showcased his all-round brilliance at the Wankhede Stadium with a century and a nine-wicket match haul. With India needing two runs to win and two wickets in hand, Ashwin managed a single before being run out on the final delivery of the series, leading to the rare instance of a match being drawn with the scores level.Related