“Whenever I go in with a target, I just do very badly. So let’s not keep any target this season,” Ishan Kishan says after rescuing Jharkhand against Tamil Nadu with an uncharacteristic century

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2025Ishan Kishan is focused on the present, and wants to enjoy every opportunity he gets, irrespective of the level he is playing in.He’s currently captaining Jharkhand in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, and began with a back-to-the-wall century, his ninth in first-class cricket, to rescue his side after the top order wobbled against Tamil Nadu on a greenish surface in Coimbatore.Kishan ended the opening day unbeaten on 125, having faced 183 deliveries. This helped Jharkhand end strongly on 307 for 6, with the pair of Kishan and Sahil Raj having added an unbroken 150-run stand for the seventh wicket.Related

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“At this stage, I need to be very smart,” he said after the day’s play to . “You need to understand the importance of the Ranji Trophy. You need to understand the importance of these matches when you play against big teams.”Kishan walked out to bat at No. 5, with Jharkhand in trouble at 79 for 3 just after lunch. He buckled down for a better part of the next two sessions, shelving the big hits for a large part. That he hit only two sixes in his innings is some indication of the restraint he showed.”You make so many mistakes initially in your career and then later you realise the real meaning of experience,” he said. “You have to be in the middle and only then you can change the game.”I was checking the wind when the left-arm spinner was bowling. I really wanted to go hard against him. But looking at the scoreboard, six wickets down did not feel right for me. I did it [bat with caution] once in the Irani Cup and here in the Ranji Trophy, where I’m the experienced and the only India player in the team, my job was to ensure we were batting at stumps.

“Whenever I go in with a target, I just do very badly. I just do something which is not important. So let’s not keep any target this season. Just keep on batting”Ishan Kishan

“I was actually wanting to go for sixes. But the situation demanded otherwise. This comes with experience. When you play enough matches, you understand sometimes that singles are more important than sixes and over a period of time, your mindset changes. A partnership was important to make their bowlers tired.”Kishan has had a decent build-up to the season. After a short county stint with Nottinghamshire, where he hit 77 and 87 in two innings, he was in line to be recalled to the India squad for the fifth Test against England at The Oval as a cover after Rishabh Pant’s injury.However, Kishan suffered bruises from an e-bike accident in the UK around the same time. Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan was eventually picked as cover, with Dhruv Jurel as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in Pant’s absence. Upon his full recovery, Kishan featured for Rest of India in the Irani Cup earlier this month, prior to the start of the Ranji season.”Whenever I go in with a target, I just do very badly,” Kishan said. “I just do something which is not important. So let’s not keep any target this season. Just keep on batting. If you are in the middle, you will get as many runs as you want. That’s the only goal for me.”

The international break is finally coming to an end this weekend, and West Ham United will be looking to continue their good form.

After a somewhat rocky start to life in the London Stadium dugout, Nuno Espírito Santo finally got a tune out of the Hammers before the break, beating Newcastle United and Burnley.

Those victories have done wonders for the atmosphere around the club, but even so, there is plenty of work to be done in the coming months.

Moreover, the board need to help the Portuguese coach overhaul the squad, and one way they can do that is by moving on one of Graham Potter’s worst signings, alongside Niclas Füllkrug.

The latest on Niclas Füllkrug

While some fans wanted Fullkrug to leave West Ham in the summer, the German decided to stay put and fight to turn things around.

However, like the rest of the team, he started this season in dire form and then, within two games of Nuno’s reign, tore a muscle, which has kept him out of the last four matches.

During that period, it became clear that the former Borussia Dortmund striker wanted to leave the club, and now, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that he will, and has already been in talks with sides from Germany and elsewhere.

On one hand, it could be seen as a shame that the Irons will be losing a German international after just a season and a half at the club.

However, on the other hand, this is a move the club need to facilitate for everyone’s sake, as describing the 32-year-old’s time in the capital as disappointing would be an understatement.

Appearances

20

7

Minutes

877′

385′

Goals

3

0

Assists

2

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.25

0.00

Minutes per Goal Involvement

175.4′

N/A

For example, since making his move to the club in the summer of 2024, he has scored just three goals and provided two assists in 27 appearances, totalling 1262 minutes.

Worse yet, he failed to score or assist a single goal in the seven appearances prior to his injury this season.

For whatever reason, the international marksman has looked like a totally different player in Claret and Blue from the one who racked up 25 goal involvements in his last season in Germany.

Therefore, getting rid of him in January would be best for all parties, which is unfortunately something that could be said about another international in West Ham’s squad.

The West Ham flop Nuno needs to axe

While it took a little while for them to settle in, it would be fair to say that most of West Ham’s summer signings have improved the squad.

Chalkboard

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

El Hadji Malick Diouf, for example, is a tremendous attacking full-back, Kyle Walker-Peters is great cover and even Callum Wilson has scored a couple of goals and is fine as a low-cost option.

However, one player who wasn’t low-cost and certainly has not improved the squad is Mads Hermansen.

Potter and Co paid Leicester City around £18m for the Danish international in the summer, and unfortunately, that fee is looking worse and worse with each passing game week.

For example, on his competitive debut for the club, he conceded three against Sunderland, then let in five at home to Chelsea the following week.

It was after the game against the West Londoners that Jamie Redknapp argued that he “needs to be changed”, and iconic commentator Ian Darke described the 25-year-old’s start to life in East London as “horrible.”

He then kept his first clean sheet against Nottingham Forest, but the next game saw him let in another three goals, this time at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

Since then, the 25-year-old hasn’t been anywhere near the starting lineup, and in his place, Alphonse Areola has reminded the club that while not the most spectacular of keepers, he can do a job.

Therefore, when the winter window opens, the board should be looking to recoup as much as they can on the former Foxes star, as he’s clearly not good enough to be the number one, and he cost too much and is too unreliable to be a number two.

Ultimately, it might be ruthless, but for the good of his own career and the squad, West Ham need to ensure Hermansen follows Fullkrug out the door in January.

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Leeds United have only scored 11 goals in their 11 Premier League matches so far this season since they won promotion from the Championship last term.

The newly-promoted side have struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis. That has not been because of a lack of creativity, though, as the Whites have created 14.7 xG in the division, per WhoScored.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

2.89

1

-1.89

Jayden Bogle

0.88

0

-0.88

Brenden Aaronson

1.79

1

-0.79

Joel Piroe

0.73

0

-0.73

Pascal Struijk

0.65

0

-0.65

Dan James

0.47

0

-0.47

Jack Harrison

0.41

0

-0.41

As you can see in the table above, too many players have been wasteful with the chances that have been created for them in the Premier League so far this season.

Summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in particular, has not been clinical enough as the starting number nine for the West Yorkshire outfit, underperforming his xG by roughly two goals.

With the team’s struggles in front of goal in mind, supporters may be thinking about what the club could do to solve the issue, whether that is through promoting academy talent, making signings in January, or recalling players from their loans.

One star who is currently shining out on loan away from Elland Road is centre-forward Joe Gelhardt, but he looks set to remain at Hull City until at least the end of the season.

Why Joe Gelhardt will not be returning to Leeds United in January

HullLive recently reported that the English striker is expected to remain with the Championship club until next summer, despite the Whites having the option to recall him in January.

The report claimed that Leeds do not have any plans to recall Gelhardt from his loan because they feel that he is in the best place to develop as a player at Hull, who are interested in a deal to sign him permanently next summer.

This shows that Daniel Farke and his coaching staff do not believe that the 23-year-old marksman is the answer to their current problems in the Premier League, or else they would be planning to bring him back to Thorp Arch to bolster the squad for the second half of the season.

The Leeds loanee has plundered seven goals and two assists in 13 Championship starts for the Tigers so far this season, per FotMob, which is why there may have been some supporters wondering if the club would look to recall him.

xG

4.59

Top 4%

xG on target

5.98

Top 3%

Goals

7

Top 2%

xA

2.48

Top 7%

Assists

2

Top 20%

Chances created

13

Top 24%

As you can see in the table above, Gelhardt has finished his chances at an incredibly efficient rate, outperforming his xG by just over two goals, but Leeds have reportedly decided that he is not the answer for them in the Premier League.

This means that Farke will have to look elsewhere to solve his team’s goalscoring woes, and he should forget about Gelhardt to unleash a young star from the academy.

Leeds' Gelhardt replacement

17-year-old centre-forward Harry Gray made his first-team debut for the Whites against Stoke City in the Championship last season, but he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League in the current campaign.

Derby County, Swansea City, Charlton Athletic, and Hull City are four Championship sides reportedly chasing a deal to sign the teenage marksman on loan for the second half of the season when the January transfer window opens for business.

Leeds, though, should reject their advances and, instead, look to unleash Gray in the first-team with the hope that he can provide the goalscoring touch that has eluded their current options up front.

The England youth international, who was hailed as a “powerful” player by Como scout Ben Mattinson, has been in fantastic form for the club’s academy in the 2025/26 campaign, with his most notable moment being his hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the National League Cup in September.

On top of that hat-trick, Gray has also scored five goals in six Premier League 2 games and two goals in two EFL Trophy matches, per Transfermarkt, which means that the teenage forward has racked up ten goals in all competitions this season.

The 17-year-old talent had the chance to play against a League Two first-team, Accrington Stanley, in the EFL Trophy before the international break, and showed that he can make an impact against senior opposition.

Sofascore rating

8.6

Shots

3

Shots on target

3

Goals

2

Pass accuracy

71%

Fouls won

3

Ground duels won

4/8

Aerial duels won

2/7

As you can see in the table above, Gray did struggle with the aerial duels in the game, understandably as a 17-year-old against first-team centre-backs, but he did hold his own in physical contests on the deck and scored two goals in the game.

This suggests that he is ready to compete against experienced defenders, even if battling for aerial balls is not his strength, which is why Farke should look to reward him with a chance to impress in the Premier League this season.

The impressive teenager has done all that he can do to impress the head coach with his performances this season. He has scored goals at an exceptional rate in every competition for the U21s, showing that he can be ruthless in front of goal and find the back of the net on a regular basis.

As aforementioned, Leeds have not taken enough of their chances in the Premier League so far this season, which is why they need a lethal marksman who can make the most of the opportunities that are being created.

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With this in mind, Farke must unleash Gray in the first-team to see if he can make the step up, whilst Gelhardt is left to see out the rest of the season with Hull.

Everton are in the race to sign James Ward-Prowse from West Ham in January, with the midfielder “almost certain” to leave the London Stadium in the new year.

Ward-Prowse has enjoyed an impressive career, spending many years at Southampton and being renowned for being one of the best set-piece specialists in Premier League history.

Ward-Prowse has struggled to be a regular for West Ham this season however, and with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2027, the Hammers are set to listen to offers for him in January.

“There’s no way he’s getting back into the plans at West Ham. Nuno just doesn’t want him in the team; he is not open to the idea of this turning around,” reported Dean Jones earlier this month, claiming a move is “almost certain”.

“I don’t see any possibility that West Ham try to stop him from leaving. I think they will treat him with respect and allow him the chance to move.”

Everton are the team most strongly linked with the 11-cap England international, and now a new update has emerged regarding a possible move for the 31-year-old.

Everton ready to offer Ward-Prowse exit route

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown talked up Everton’s interest in Ward-Prowse due to his connection with David Moyes, confirming the Blues are “willing” to offer him a fresh start.

At 31, Ward-Prowse is now in the autumn of his career, so Everton wouldn’t be signing him as a long-term prospect with lots of sell-on value.

That said, he could be a shrewd signing in terms of his experience and enduring quality, not necessarily being a key starter but adding depth to the Blues’ squad at a relatively low cost given his contract situation.

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The fact that Moyes knows him well can only be a positive – he wouldn’t want him if he didn’t value him as a player and a character – so the positives outweigh the negatives.

Only three players earn more than James Ward-Prowse at West Ham

Bangladesh women’s head coach Sarwar Imran suffered a minor stroke on Monday in Colombo, where the team is preparing for their World Cup opener against Pakistan.Team manager SM Golam Faiyaz confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo, stating that Imran is now in a stable condition.”(Sarwar) Imran sir was feeling dizzy a couple of days ago, and it continued on Monday. We took him to the hospital where the doctors detected he had a minor brain stroke,” said Faiyaz.The manager said that Imran was released from the hospital on Tuesday. He is now recuperating in the team hotel, although he wanted to join Tuesday’s training session.”We asked sir to rest today,” Faiyaz said. “He is hopeful of going to the ground with us tomorrow (Wednesday).”Imran, aged 66, was appointed the women’s head coach in February this year, after Hashan Tillakaratne, the former Sri Lanka captain, left the role earlier in the year.Imran was also the men’s coach when the Bangladesh team played their inaugural Test in 2000.Bangladesh open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan in Colombo on Thursday. It will be their second appearance at the tournament, having made their debut in 2022 and scraped through qualifying for this year’s event.

Gloucestershire seamer Josh Shaw joins exodus after agreeing Somerset switch

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2025

Yuzvendra Chahal will feature in the County Championship and One-Day Cup•Getty Images

Northamptonshire have re-signed Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Australian seamer Harry Conway as overseas players for next season.Conway, who took 20 wickets in four Championship appearances earlier this year, will return for the start of the 2026 campaign. The 33-year-old is expected to be available for the first block of seven games in April and May.Chahal, meanwhile, has agreed to return for a third consecutive summer at Northants, joining for the second half of the season to play in the County Championship and Metro Bank One-Day Cup. Overall, he has taken 44 first-class wickets and seven in List A for the club.”Yuzi is a magnificent asset to this squad,” Northamptonshire’s head coach, Darren Lehmann, said. “His record across his career speaks for itself and he brings so much class and experience to the group. I loved working with him this year and am excited to go again in 2026.””For young spinners in the group like Nirvan Ramesh and Stuart van der Merwe, having Yuzi around to guide them will be a huge plus for their game.”On Conway, Lehmann added: “Harry is an excellent addition for 2026. His form last year was fantastic, and I am excited to work with him for a longer period. His ability to take wickets on all surfaces and presence around the team makes him an invaluable player.”Northants have also signed batter Louis Kimber on a two-year deal from Leicestershire. Largely known as a white-ball hitter and occasional offspinner, Kimber made headlines in 2023 after scoring 243 off 127 balls in the County Championship at Hove.”Louis brings with him a huge amount of knowledge and experience around county cricket as well as boosting our batting firepower,” Lehmann said. “He will no doubt attract people to Wantage Road with his explosive batting and I can’t wait to start working with him.”Josh Shaw joins SomersetJosh Shaw spent six years at Gloucestershire•Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Gloucestershire have seen another member of their seam-bowling group depart, after Josh Shaw signed for Somerset earlier this week.Shaw, 29, had been under contract at Bristol since 2019, having previously played on loan from Yorkshire. He follows Ajeet Singh Dale (Lancashire), Zaman Akhter (Essex), Archie Bailey (Durham), Tom Price and Dom Goodman (both Sussex) in leaving over the close season.”We have seen first-hand how impactful Josh can be,” Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said. “He has the ability to swing and seam the ball, and he is an excellent addition to our bowling unit.”We are fully aware of Josh’s strong character traits and his willingness to be the best version of himself, which will add real value to the dressing room as well as on the pitch. These attributes will be vital for us as we continue to compete across all competitions.”

Vitor Matos now reportedly wants to take the Swansea City job in a major boost for the Championship club, who are preparing to trigger his big-money release clause.

It’s been a chaotic search for a new manager in Wales. The Swans decided to sack Alan Sheehan at the same time that Southampton, Norwich City and Middlesbrough all moving on from their own coaches – sending the Championship into a managerial merry-go-round.

Ultimately, it was Swansea who were made to pay for their timing, with top target Kim Hellberg now heading to Boro to replace Rob Edwards and send his first admirers back to square one.

With the Championship set to make a return from the international break this weekend, Swansea remain without a manager and will be led by Darren O’Shea on an interim basis.

Up against Bristol City on Saturday afternoon, Swansea will be looking to avoid a fifth-straight game without a victory and avoid dropping down to as low as 20th in the Championship.

Just when they’ll have their next permanent manager in charge is the big question. The Jacks head straight from their game against Bristol into a Tuesday night clash against Derby County and with the fixtures coming thick and fast, they need a permanent appointment sooner rather than later.

According to some recent reports, however, they could be in for some good news in their chase to sign Matos, who has made his decision.

Swansea preparing to trigger Matos release clause

According to reports in Portugal, as relayed by Wales Online, Swansea are now ready to trigger Matos’ release clause following rumours that the Maritime manager has decided to take the job if the opportunity comes his way.

Meanwhile, although other reports have claimed that Maritime are not willing to enter negotiations under any circumstances, those in Portugal have revealed that Matos has a release clause worth €1m (£900k) in his current contract – allowing Swansea to bypass club-to-club talks.

It’s good news for Swansea that the 37-year-old is keen to take the job, but there’s no denying that hiring him would be a gamble. The former Liverpool coach is incredibly inexperienced and the Swansea job would be his first as a manager in England.

Jurgen Klopp would be the first to hand the 4-3-3 coach rave reviews, but even the German is yet to see Matos in a potential relegation scrap. Those in Wales currently sit just seven points clear of the Championship’s dropzone and simply cannot afford to get their next appointment wrong in the coming weeks.

Instant blow for Matos as "one of Swansea's key players" could now leave

نجح الاتحاد المصري لكرة السلة برئاسة عمرو مصيلحي، في الحصول على حق استضافة مصر المرحلة الثانية من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم التي تقام في قطر 2027.

وتلقى الاتحاد المصري لكرة السلة، موافقة الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة السلة في خطاب رسمي أمس الخميس.

طالع.. رسميا | مدرب منتخب مصر يتعاقد مع أهلي طرابلس الليبي

وبذلك تحتضن مصر منافسات المرحلة الثانية من التصفيات خلال الفترة من 26 فبراير وحتى 1 مارس 2026.

ويقع منتخب مصر ضمن المجموعة الرابعة للتصفيات المؤهلة إلي كأس العالم مع منتخبات أنجولا ومالي وأوغندا.

وكان حقق منتخب مصر لكرة السلة المركز الخامس في بطولة إفريقيا الأخيرة، ويسعى الفراعنة للاستفادة من تنظيم النافذة الثانية من التصفيات في مصر، وحسم نتائجها لصالح المتنحي الوطني لكرة السلة، ووضع قدم في نهائيات مونديال قطر 2027.

The Toronto Blue Jays are gearing up for the postseason, but they'll play the final stretch of the regular season without one of their most important players.

Bo Bichette has been sidelined since early September with a sprained left PCL, and manager John Schneider provided an update on the shortstop's progress on Tuesday.

Schneider told reporters that the team received a positive update on Bichette's PCL injury, and that the 27-year-old would only require rest and rehab in order to get back out on the field. Schneider said Bichette would not return during the regular season, but could resume baseball activity as early this week. That could indicate a return during or just before the postseason is a possibility.

The Blue Jays hold a five-game lead in the AL East and are in the midst of a five-game winning streak. They've not yet clinched a playoff berth, but with the best record in the American League, are on pace to not only secure a spot in the postseason, but to do so as the No. 1 seed.

Bichette has bounced back in 2025 after a down year in '24. He's slashing .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and a 3.4 WAR across 139 games.

The Blue Jays conclude their regular season schedule at home against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 28.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras treinou na manhã deste último domingo (28) na Academia de Futebol e fechou a sua preparação para o Choque-Rei desta segunda-feira, no Morumbis, pelo Brasileirão 2024.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Zé Rafael treinou normalmente com o elenco do Verdão e pode reforçar o time de Abel Ferreira após cinco jogos sendo desfalque por conta de uma lombalgia.

Caso Zé Rafael já retorne ao time titular, Richard Rios deve voltar para o banco, uma vez que Aníbal Moreno é titular indiscutível do Palmeiras.

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As duas únicas dúvidas na escalação para o clássico são sobre Abel manter os três zagueiros ou não, e aí neste caso Murilo e Lázaro brigariam por uma vaga, e também Raphael Veiga ou Luís Guilherme como meia.

O provável Palmeiras para o Choque-Rei é: Weverton, Mayke, Gómez, Luan e Piquerez; Aníbal Moreno, Richard Rios (Zé Rafael) e Raphael Veiga (Luís Guilherme); Lázaro (Murilo), Endrick e Flaco López.

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

O Palmeiras defende um tabu de quase sete anos sem saber o que é perder no Morumbis em jogos válidos pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.

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