Newcastle United meet Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend. Always a fun one.

The November international break has curtailed and now it’s domestic action right through until March. By that stage, so much could have happened: the Magpies may have defended their Carabao Cup title and made headway in the Premier League to press for Champions League qualification, for example.

But the upswing in form needs to start now. United have been out of sorts this season, and languish in 14th place. Still strong at St. James’ Park, this stands as a fantastic chance to underpin Eddie Howe’s fifth chapter on Tyneside with a statement victory that tells of durability and a will to win which is as fervent as ever.

24/25

Premier League (A)

4-0 loss

24/25

Premier League (H)

1-1 draw

23/24

FA Cup

2-0 loss

23/24

Premier League (H)

3-2 loss

23/24

Carabao Cup (H)

1-0 win

23/24

Premier League (A)

1-0 loss

And Newcastle will need all their strength against a Man City side who have foiled them many times in recent years, losing just one match to the Northern outfit across 15 matches in all competitions. In fact, Newcastle have only recorded one top-flight victory over City since 2005/06.

SJP will be a cauldron of deafening noise, for sure, and it will need to be, especially with Howe contending with a glut of injuries.

Newcastle team news vs Man City

Rodri and Mateo Kovacic are both out for the visitors, and so Howe will know the importance of a fiery central display to overwhelm and negate much of the away side’s creative threat.

However, the Toon may be forced to put their plan into action without the power and physicality of Joelinton, who may be sidelined after being forced off during the defeat at Brentford before the break.

The Brazilian’s nasty leg injury isn’t thought to have eliminated him from contention here, but Howe will be wary of unleashing his midfield monster if it’s clear he lacks full fitness and ferocity.

Sandro Tonali is fit to play, while Nick Pope has been given the green light following concussion protocols. However, Anthony Gordon is “touch and go”, and wide duo Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento may not be risked from the opening after bouncing back from respective setbacks.

City are going to try and overwhelm the Magpies, but with Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes on form, there’s little question that the hosts have the tools to get the job done. Albeit, Yoane Wissa is still not quite ready to make his debut, months after completing a big-money transfer from Brentford, as he completes the final laps of his recovery process after a knee injury sustained on international duty with DR Congo.

And if Joelinton is kept out of action, or even benched, Howe has the perfect alternative to unleash in the middle of the park.

Howe could unleash Joelinton replacement

Newcastle need an emphatic performance against City, who have taken the spoils so often in this meeting. What Newcastle could do with is some uplifting flair to complement the grit of Howe’s wider system.

Well, while Jacob Ramsey will be gunning for a starting berth, it’s Lewis Miley who should be given the nod, with his deep-lying playmaking qualities allowing the senior midfielders beside him to play with freedom and dynamism.

Miley came under flak across the early weeks of the campaign, some segments of the fanbase questioning his levels, but he has grown in confidence over the past few months, particularly impressing in starts over Benfica and Fulham, both wins for United.

After that mature showing against Benfica, journalist Liam Kennedy hailed his “coming-of-age performance in the number six role”, proving that he’s now “ready for serious minutes”.

The 19-year-old is a silky ball-playing midfielder with convincing signs of defensive play. He is raw, yes, and lacks the polish of a midfielder grown into their skin. And yet he’s also got something special about him, a game-changing quality that has led one Magpies Podcaster to hail him as being Howe’s “own Phil Foden”, given his English talent and growing reputation as his side’s starboy.

Miley emerged before he had even reached adulthood, and he confirmed that he has potential in Howe’s Newcastle system.

If Howe does engineer his first-ever Premier League victory over Manchester City (for Newcastle and Bournemouth), this could be a sensational turning point for a club whose residual issues from the summer transfer window are continuing to plague the team’s fluency and confidence.

Many eyes will be on Nick Woltemade, on Tonali and Bruno in the centre. The big hitters. But this is a game for a breakthrough, and Miley could finally announce himself, properly, as a star in the making on Tyneside.

He’s hardly unknown. The academy graduate has already racked up 58 senior appearances for Newcastle, and he has scored three goals and provided five assists.

He might not have Foden’s gusto and world-renowned reputation, but Miley is an exciting and creative player, strong in the duel and bringing a unique flavour that perhaps no one else in the squad can quite match.

Foden, for sure, will be a threat, and perhaps someone Pep Guardiola will look to use as a focal point. After all, Erling Haaland might have scored on his first appearance against Howe’s Newcastle, but he has blanked across five outings since.

Miley has the opportunity to stand his countryman up and take control on a big evening for Newcastle. They cannot afford to slip to a defeat on home turf ahead of successive away trips to Marseille and then Everton.

This might just be his moment.

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Newcastle’s academy has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 21, 2025

The work done by Glasgow Rangers during the summer transfer window has come under plenty of scrutiny after a fairly dismal start to the season for the Scottish giants.

One win in the first seven games of the Scottish Premiership campaign led to head coach Russell Martin losing his job, having only been appointed in the summer as the long-term successor to Philippe Clement.

Danny Rohl arrived at Ibrox last month and has already delivered four wins from four matches in the Premiership, but he has also lost both of his Europa League games in the dugout.

The former Sheffield Wednesday tactician has won 100% of his league games in charge, most recently beating Livingston 2-1 at Ibrox thanks to goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mohamed Diomande.

Despite this upturn in results in the league, there will still be question marks over the summer recruitment due to poor form on the European stage from the Light Blues under both Martin and Rohl.

Who were the worst signings of the summer window by sporting director Kevin Thelwell before he was dismissed from his role on Monday? Here are our worst three…

3 Youssef Chermiti

It is almost impossible not to mention Youssef Chermiti as being among the worst signings made by Thelwell when you consider the context of the signing and the fee that was paid for him.

Firstly, Rangers had already signed proven Premiership goalscorer Bojan Miovski from Girona for a fee of up to £4.2m, which suggested that Martin already had his first-choice striker in the building.

Secondly, Chermiti cost a staggering £8m to sign him from Everton. That made him the most expensive Rangers signing in 25 years, since the £12m that was spent to land Tore Andre Flo in 2000.

Paying £8m to sign a 21-year-old striker who failed to score a single competitive goal in two years at Goodison Park is bad enough on paper, but even worse when you consider that Thelwell was the man behind the £15m deal to take him from Sporting to Everton in 2023.

The Toffees had to take a £7m hit on the striker without getting a single goal out of him because of Thelwell’s investment, and now Rangers look set to suffer a similar fate if his fortunes do not improve.

Chermiti has scored one goal and provided one assist in 13 outings in all competitions for the Light Blues this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has already offered more than he did for Everton, but it is still not enough to justify the huge outlay.

Starts

4

xG

1.29

Goals

0

Big chances missed

4

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Pass accuracy

59%

Duel success rate

35%

As you can see in the table above, he has particularly struggled in the Europa League this season, failing to offer quality in front of goal, in his general play, or physically, which is a big concern.

For the amount of money paid, the signing of Miovski made before his arrival, and how he failed when Thelwell signed him for Everton, he has to be among the ex-Gers man’s worst deals.

2 Joe Rothwell

Joe Rothwell also currently looks like one of the worst signings of the summer transfer window, in a move that was very different to the one that brought Chermiti to Ibrox.

Whilst the Portugal U21 international was signed for big money as a 21-year-old talent with room for improvement and potential to eventually hit, the English midfielder came in as an experienced 30-year-old operator who should have made an immediate impact.

Instead, the summer signing from Bournemouth has failed to hit the ground running at Ibrox and now looks to be out of favour under new head coach Rohl, after being brought in by Martin, whom he played for at Southampton in the 2023/24 campaign.

Livingston

0

Celtic

18

Hibernian

0

Kilmarnock

0

Brann

64

Dundee United

83

Falkirk

70

Sturm Graz

21

Livingston

17

Genk

10

As you can see in the table above, the Englishman has become a bit-part player for the Gers, failing to get on the pitch in the three league games that he has been available for under Rohl.

Given he was brought in as an experienced player for the here and now, it is hard to look past him as another one of Thelwell’s worst summer signings.

1 Thelo Aasgaard

Thelo Aasgaard looks to be another one of Thelwell’s worst pieces of business from the summer transfer window, as he has been as ineffective as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Rangers swooped to sign the Norway international from Luton Town for a fee of £3.5m to bolster their ranks in the attacking midfield positions, but he has been unable to provide a regular threat at the top end of the park.

Per Transfermarkt, Aasgaard has only produced one goal and one assist in 19 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, whilst Chermiti has one goal and one assist to his name in 13 outings for the club.

What makes that return even less impressive is that his assist was the pass to Djeidi Gassama in the clip above, where the winger does the majority of the heavy lifting for the goal.

The English-born number ten has not shown enough quality in his performances to suggest that he can be a difference-maker, aside from his stunning solo goal against Dundee United, which currently looks like it was a flash in the pan.

Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described Aasgaard as “rotten” at the start of this month, and it is hard to disagree with that when he has many red cards as goals this season.

Aasgaard’s red card against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup is far from the only poor moment he has had in a Gers shirt, though, as the £3.5m signing was also hauled off at half-time against Livingston last weekend.

Rohl was clearly unhappy with his contributions in the opening 45 minutes, and it is hard to be happy with his contributions over the entire season so far, which is why he has been just as bad as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Antman upgrade: Rohl must unleash Rangers flop who Thelwell tried to replace

Danny Rohl should finally unleash this Rangers flop who Kevin Thelwell attempted to replace.

ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

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O Palmeiras está atento ao mercado e pode contratar um substituto para Endrick ainda nesta temporada. Porém, isso só acontecerá se o atleta interessado custar menos de R$ 50 milhões.

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O balizador da diretoria alviverde é a contratação de Aníbal Moreno, que custou 8 milhões de dólares (R$ 41 milhões, na cotação atual), já prevendo bonificações por desempenho. O valor negociado foi considerado viável, por um atleta jovem, pronto e com potencial de revenda.

Outro motivo que faz com que o Palmeiras não tenha pressa em contratar uma peça para substituir Endrick são as opções do elenco. Estêvão e Luis Guilherme estão ganhando espaço, e Flaco López passou de “escanteado” a artilheiro do Paulistão. Até mesmo Rony é visto com uma peça útil, que pode retomar a boa fase.

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O departamento de futebol tem alguns nomes mapeados e deseja realizar algumas conversas durante o período em que a janela estiver aberta.

Enquanto isso, opções já são descartadas internamente, até mesmo por conta dos valores envolvidos. É o caso do atacante Luciano Rodríguez, do Liverpool (URU), que agradou à comissão técnica palmeirense no duelo entre as equipes em São Paulo, em abril, mas que custa 15 milhões de dólares (R$ 77,3 milhões, na cotação atual).

Mesmo fora de um radar inicial, o clube alviverde colheu informações após a comissão técnica se interessar pelo atleta. Porém, o preço estipulado pelos uruguaios e a condução até mesmo das conversas por parte do estafe não agradaram os dirigentes palestrinos.

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England coach hopes to unleash Ecclestone and Linsey to exploit India’s vulnerability against left-arm spin

S Sudarshanan18-Oct-20252:41

Edwards: ‘Ecclestone is bowling as well as I’ve seen’

“What collapse?” Charlotte Edwards joked.England have three wins from four outings and are yet to lose a game at the 2025 Women’s World Cup. And they will face an under-pressure India on Sunday, stinging from defeats to South Africa and Australia.It’s a good place to be, if you put aside England’s batting issues, which their head coach has been trying to. “Seriously, in a tournament like this, you have to forget about things quite quickly,” Edwards said in Indore on the eve of the match against India.England were 78 for 7 in their most recent game against Pakistan and were lucky to split points after rain put an end to proceedings in Colombo. “We’ve obviously reviewed that last game, but we are not dwelling on that,” Edwards said. “We’re focusing on India and we know from the summer how tough a challenge India are going to be in home conditions.Related

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“It’s exciting to be here tomorrow in front of a massive crowd, who I’m sure will be supporting India. There’s just this real sense of excitement around our group and not thinking too much about what’s happened.”One of England’s concerns with the bat is their vulnerability against swing bowling. Bangladesh’s Marufa Akter exploited that in Guwahati by dismissing Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont, and almost dismissed the eventual match-winner Heather Knight, too. Pakistan’s Fatima Sana and Diana Baig inflicted the early damage at the Premadasa stadium this week resulting in a bit of a trend.Fast bowlers have recorded a tournament-high strike rate of 22.7 against England at this World Cup.”I am not concerned,” Edwards said. “You have days where it doesn’t go particularly well. I’m disappointed, probably, that we didn’t adapt quick enough, but I’m certainly not concerned. You have got to move on quite quickly in tournament cricket. If you look at South Africa in the first game, they were bowled out for 70 [69] and have played brilliantly since.”Edwards: ‘Wanted Ecclestone to enjoy her cricket again’Sophie Ecclestone has been in top form•Getty ImagesEngland’s spinners have picked up 24 of the 30 wickets so far, and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone has led the pack with nine at an average of 6.66. That haul included figures of 4 for 17 against Sri Lanka in Colombo and Edwards said England were just happy she was back playing again.During the English summer, Ecclestone had taken time away from the game to prioritise her wellbeing. She had also considered quitting cricket following some off-field drama that cropped up during the last Women’s Ashes.”We’re all incredibly proud of Sophie, she obviously had a tough winter and worked through some issues,” Edwards said. “First and foremost, we wanted Sophie to enjoy her cricket again. It’s really evident to see that she’s enjoying cricket again. She’s probably bowling as well as I’ve ever seen her and that spell against Sri Lanka was unbelievable. I know she’s looking forward to playing tomorrow. She’s over her illness [that kept her out of the Pakistan game] and really excited to get out there playing again for England.”India have lost the most wickets to left-arm spin at this World Cup. On Sunday, they will be faced with two exponents of the art in Ecclestone and Linsey Smith. Ecclestone has dismissed Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur a combined seven times in ODIs.”Left-arm spin has been quite prolific in women’s cricket over the last few years, probably more in the T20 format,” Edwards said. “With this tournament being in India, our reasons for picking two left-arm spinners was because I knew they’d be really effective. We’ve got two of the best in the world and well, certainly, the best in the world in Sophie Ecclestone. It’s just one of those bowling styles that’s been hugely effective and I’m glad we’ve got the two.”Any sort of advantage you can get over an opposition, you’ll look into. We do know there is a vulnerability there and we’ve got two left-arm spinners, which is great that we’ve got that option to play them.”

تعادل فريق كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي، أمام الزمالك في الوقت القاتل من المباراة التي تقام بينهما اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات كأس الكونفدرالية، لتصبح النتيجة 1-1.

ويلعب الزمالك ضد كايزر تشيفز، في إطار الجولة الثانية من عمر مواجهات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، ذلك على ملعب الفريق الجتوب إفريقي.

طالع.. فيديو | الحكم يلغي هدف الزمالك الثاني أمام كايزر تشيفز

وجاء هدف التعادل للفريق الجنوب إفريقي من خطأ قاتل لحارس مرمي نادي الزمالك محمد صبحي في الدقيقة 90+6، من الوقت بدل الضائع للمباراة، لتسكن كرة عرضية مرسلة من الجانب الأيمن مرماه. هدف تعادل كايزر تشيفز أمام الزمالك في الكونفدرالية.. خطأ قاتل من محمد صبحي

وكان الزمالك تقدم بالهدف الأول عن طريق سيف الجزيري في الدقيقة الثالثة من بداية اللقاء.

Pep Guardiola blasted his Manchester City players following their Champions League defeat by Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. The Catalan has had three days to reflect on the 2-0 loss against the Bundesliga side at the Etihad Stadium, for which he made 10 changes to his starting line-up. And he has concluded that his players did not put in the required effort.

City still smarting from shock home defeat

Tuesday's defeat by Leverkusen was the first time City had lost a Champions League home game in the group stage or the League Phase of the competition since they were beaten 2-1 by Lyon in September 2018. The coach only kept Nico Gonzalez in the starting line-up from the previous match against Newcastle, benching top scorer Erling Haaland plus his most experienced players such as Phil Foden, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva. Immediately after the game he admitted that he had made too many changes. 

"I take responsibility but I saw them and I like everyone to be involved," he said at the time. "When you are a football player and don’t play for five, six, seven games it’s tough but maybe it was too much. Always I like to be too nice and involve everyone because I have the feeling after the international break there are games every three or four days and there is no human being who can sustain that. We were at home, in a good position in the Champions League and I thought 'let’s try and let’s have weapons on the bench'. It didn’t work and we have to accept it."

However, speaking on Friday ahead of City's next game against Leeds United, the coach decided to criticise his players for the way they approached the game.

AdvertisementAFPLeverkusen defeat 'a good lesson' for Guardiola

Guardiola told a press conference: "Mum and Dad made me a beautiful person. I'm so nice, no, and it's not about that. It's just that we didn't try. When you play on the pitch you have to try things and win and try. That's all. Yeah, maybe I'll have a theory to rotate. You have to rotate, without it it's impossible to sustain [fitness levels]. But I thought, have a lot of confidence, and still, right now, I place a huge value on what they are as a football players. And yeah, it was a good lesson for me. So even with quite a lot of experience as a manager, it's a good lesson for me for the future."

'Too safe'

Guardiola dismissed the suggestion that the defeat would make him question whether or not to heavily rotate his squad in the future. Instead, he questioned his team's mentality during the game, claiming they were too cautious. He explained: "I'm pretty sure that if they were surrounded by different players they will play good. I think they felt they played to not make any mistakes, not to play and think 'I'm going to do something', and that is so difficult. So in football, you have to play defensive or offensive, you have to try and [even] if you lose the actions, you did it. They played to be safe, to think 'I don't want to make a mistake and be noticed'. That's why it's so difficult."

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AFPCity must beat Leeds to keep Arsenal in check

City fell seven points behind Arsenal in the title race following the defeat at Newcastle and the Gunners' resounding victory over Tottenham and they will have to get back to winning ways at home to Leeds to prevent Mikel Arteta's side running away with the title. One year ago City went off the rails in the league and effectively bowed out of the title race and Guardiola stressed how important it was to take Leeds seriously even though they are 18th in the table.

"We just think about next week and about the next games," he said. "We are experienced enough to only talk about what is the next game. And after that, we'll see. I know the distance is already there, and Arsenal are so strong, we see it game by game in the Premier League. We are starting to see how they are getting better and better as a team. The Premier League is like this. You are able to make a good run of results, but at the end, you can make a bad, bad results and continue because the opponents are tough. Every opponent is really prepared. They have a long week to prepare. And so it's so, so demanding. So we have to be ready."

A number of Premier League sides face the daunting prospect of having to squeeze an enormous amount of games into the next four months, placing huge pressure on their squads and pushing players' bodies to the limit in the pursuit of silverware on multiple fronts. The staggering number of matches has now been revealed which will cause worry for Champions League clubs and fans alike.

• Match pile-up towards business end of season

  Fixture congestion is a significant challenge for top English clubs, and this season is no exception. The issue is amplified by their involvement in multiple competitions – the Premier League, Champions League/European competitions, FA Cup, and League Cup, potentially leading to player burnout and increased injury risks. The Premier League has even warned fans that games may be rescheduled at short notice for clubs progressing in European knockouts. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Champions League hopes prioritised by elite

  Chelsea, Newcastle United, Man City, and Arsenal are all aiming for a crucial top-eight finish in the new Champions League league phase format. Securing this position means automatic qualification for the last 16 and, more importantly, avoiding potentially gruelling fixture congestion that could see them play an unbelievable 32 games between this weekend and the March international break, according to . 

  Managing their schedules is a primary concern, as all four teams are also involved in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. If they advance in the domestic cup but miss out on the top eight in Europe, they could face a relentless schedule with just one available midweek break before the end of March due to the Champions League playoff round.

  Recent European results have seen some movement in their prospects; Chelsea boosted their chances of automatic qualification with a victory over Barcelona, while the fates of Newcastle and City remain in the balance after both teams suffered defeats. As the table stands, Chelsea and City each have 10 points from five games, with Newcastle a point further back. Arsenal are in a strong position, having taken a maximum 15 points from their five matches.

• Guardiola: 'We want it'

  Many managers have had their say on how they want the pile-up to be managed, but not all agree on what the next steps should be. City boss Guardiola said recently: "We are used to it – we've won quadruples and trebles playing that way. We want it. The trebles and quadruples came (from) playing on Saturday and Tuesday, then Tuesday and Friday and Friday and Sunday. It’s not a problem." 

  But Arsenal boss Arteta wants better protection for players and fans, saying: "Every decision that we make in terms of a fixture has to be guided on two main things: players' welfare and then supporters. That's it. And the rest has to come very, very far away from that. And we should never forget that principle. That's the only thing I would say."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Changes coming next season

  The Premier League have announced they will delay the start of the 2026-27 season until August 22 to prioritise player welfare amid a congested global football calendar. The decision provides 89 clear days from the end of the previous season and 33 days after the 2026 World Cup final for player recovery and preparation. 

  A league statement said: "With an increasingly congested global football calendar, player welfare remains a priority for the Premier League. As a result, the Premier League will start one week later next season. This will allow for 89 clear days from the end of the current season, and 33 days from the FIFA World Cup 26 Final. The season will conclude one week prior to the UEFA Champions League Final, which will be played on Saturday 5 June 2027.

  "The 2026/27 Season will consist of 33 weekends and five midweek match rounds. "The Premier League schedule will be designed to avoid domestic competition clashes with UEFA club competition dates, wherever possible. 

  "Over the Christmas and New Year period, no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours. This is in keeping with commitments made to clubs to address the congested Christmas and New Year schedule within the expanded international calendar."

Captain says he needs at least four weeks of bowling in the nets to prepare for a Test match and he has only just started running again following his back injury

Alex Malcolm12-Oct-20257:05

Advantage England if Cummins misses first Ashes Test?

Australia captain Pat Cummins says he is “less likely than likely” to play in the first Test against England as he begins running for the first time following his back injury with less than six weeks to go before the series starts in Perth.Cummins’ back has been almost a daily talking point in Australia since it was revealed he has a lumbar bone stress issue in early September. He has not bowled a ball since Australia’s last Test series in the Caribbean in July.Speaking at Kayo Sports’ Summer of Cricket Launch in Sydney on Monday, Cummins was sober about his chances of playing in the first Test in Perth against England on November 21.Related

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Bethell bids for NZ highlights reel to stake Ashes claim

“I’d say probably less likely than likely,” Cummins said. “But we’ve still got a bit of time.”I’m running today and running kind of every second day, and each runs a little bit longer, and then we get into bowling prep next week. So I’m probably a couple of weeks away before actually putting on the spikes and bowling out on the turf. But it’s been a good couple of weeks. Each session feels better and better.”Cummins was asked how long he would actually need to prepare his body to play in a Test match.”You’d want probably at least a month in the nets,” he said. “If you are to play in a Test match, you want to make sure you are right to bowl 20 overs in a day and you don’t have to think about it. Four weeks is pretty tight, but I think somewhere around that mark.”Cummins added his back was feeling better having taken a long time to settle after the lumbar bone stress was initially diagnosed.But he outlined that even going from low level running to bowling is going to be a slow process as he needs to do specific gym work to reactivate his bowling muscles and see how his back responds before heading to the nets.”It’s kind of a little bit stiff, just probably a little bit from the injury but then also because it hasn’t been used for a while,” Cummins said. “Each session you do a little bit of run and make sure you pull up alright. So I’m actually feeling really good at the moment. A few of the symptoms hung around for a little bit longer than I would have liked but they’re all gone now. I’m just trying to kind of increase the workload and make sure body’s responding.”Some of the gym work becomes a bit more bowling prep work. So you do a lot more kind of getting your muscles ready, side holds to try to simulate that. Maybe some med ball work, but trying to kind of transition before you actually go into the nets and start bowling.”Pat Cummins says ‘he’s less likely than likely’•Associated Press

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said last week that a decision on Cummins’ availability for the first Test would likely be made on Friday following a week of increased running and gym work. But the coach was confident his skipper would play a part in the Ashes even if he wasn’t ready for the first Test. Cummins was cautious about specifying how many Tests he could play in the series.”I think it’s a bit early to know,” Cummins said. “With these things it’s pretty hard to go from not bowling or anything at all to suddenly playing five Tests. First steps are trying to kind of give us a shot at being right, and then we’ll work it out a bit closer to time.”Cummins admitted he had some level of frustration surrounding the timing of the injury and the prospect of missing part of the Ashes series.”Some days I’m kind of annoyed because it’s the Ashes, and it’s a big summer and then other days I’m kind of realistic,” Cummins said. “I’ve had the last seven or eight years of almost uninterrupted home summers, so I felt like I’ve had a really good run as a fast bowler.”Someone like Josh [Hazlewood], he’s been a little bit more unlucky, so maybe it’s my turn. But it’s such a big summer ahead. Obviously, you want to be in a mix, even with the India One-Day series and T20 series, I wish I was part of that. But it’s not to be. It’s part of cricket. You’re going to get injuries.”Cummins was confident that the injury would not affect him long term given Australia has huge period of cricket looming in 2026 and 2027 beyond this summer’s Ashes and T20 World Cup.”It’s a back injury that I haven’t had for about seven or eight years, and I’ve played a lot of cricket between that,” he said. “So if anything looking back when I was, say, 20 years old and I had this injury, I was a bit worried about what my body could actually handle. But I know in myself that if I get it right, do it properly, when I come back I shouldn’t have to worry about it all. And hopefully I can play as much, even more cricket than I had previously in the last few years.”

Mohammad Rizwan’s status as Pakistan ODI captain has been plunged into doubt by the PCB after a statement released by the board said it was “yet to finalise a captain” for the upcoming series against South Africa. The PCB said the white-ball head coach Mike Hesson had called for a meeting of the selection committee to make a final decision on the ODI captaincy.The statement made no mention of Rizwan, who was appointed by the PCB last year and led the side to ODI series victories in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Results in 2025 have been less attractive with a loss in a home tri-series final to New Zealand, an early exit from the Champions Trophy, and an away series defeat in the West Indies.While there had been speculation about the fate of Rizwan, no specific cricketing reason was provided for throwing his role into uncertainty. There has been no obvious drop in batting or keeping form; Rizwan is the second highest scorer for Pakistan in ODIs this year with 361 runs at over 36. In Test cricket, the other format he is currently selected for, he scored 75 as part of a 163-run stand with Salman Ali Agha that helped Pakistan take a 1-0 lead against South Africa in the ongoing Test series.Shaheen Shah Afridi previously had to vacate T20I captaincy for Babar Azam•AFP/Getty Images

While Rizwan has not officially been removed yet, the statement makes it all but inevitable. It was a fate suffered by Shaheen Shah Afridi in T20Is shortly after Mohsin Naqvi took over as PCB chairperson. At the time, the newly appointed Afridi had captained just one series, but when asked about him at a press conference, Naqvi pointedly declined to confirm he would continue the role.”Even I don’t know who the captain will be,” Naqvi said at the time. “Whether Shaheen continues or a new captain comes in will be determined after the fitness camp. There are a number of technical factors we will consider, the details of which I do not want to go into. We want a long-term solution, whether it’s Shaheen or a new man. And then we intend to stick by that man, instead of just changing a captain just because you lose a match.”A week later, Shaheen was sacked as captain and replaced by Babar Azam, with further controversy when the PCB published a statement on Shaheen’s behalf which he declined ever having written or approved. While an uneasy truce was reached between player and board at the time, ESPNcricinfo understands that relationship has improved.Hesson is not technically in charge of determining or appointing the ODI captain, and does not sit on the selection committee. However, that Naqvi appears to have agreed to put the matter to the selection and advisory committees either reflects the influence Hesson currently enjoys at the PCB, or the fact the board was not averse to a change in the first place anyway. The committee will convene on Monday, according to the PCB, with a decision expected then.

Former MLB outfielder and designated hitter Chet Lemon, a three-time All-Star for two teams from 1975 to '90, died Thursday in Apopka, Fla. He was 70.

No cause of death was immediately given. Lemon suffered from a rare blood disorder called polycythemia vera, and had at least 13 strokes following his retirement.

A native of Jackson, Miss., Lemon was a steadying presence in the outfielder of the Chicago White Sox for seven years and the Detroit Tigers for nine. He made the American League All-Star team three times—1978, 1979 and 1984—and led the AL in doubles in '79.

In '84, he slashed .287/.357/.495 for a Tigers team that won the World Series.

Several of his teammates on that '84 Detroit team—among the most beloved in civic history—paid tribute upon Lemon's death.

"I’m so thankful for the time we spent together last summer," Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell said in a statement, referencing the '84 Tigers' 40-year reunion. "Today is a sad day or us. He will be dearly missed."