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All the runners and riders in Group B of the county 50-over competition, which returns this week

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay04-Aug-2025The Metro Bank One-Day Cup returns this week, with Glamorgan defending the title they won at Trent Bridge in 2025. Here are the runners and riders in Group B:DurhamPreviewed by Graham HardcastleCaptain: Alex Lees
2024 Position: Fifth (Group A)
2024 Most Runs: Colin Ackermann (316)
2024 Most Wickets: Paul Coughlin (12)Why they can win the competition: Durham are coming off the back of an excellent Vitality Blast campaign, which saw them finish second in the North Group. They were 50-over finalists in 2021 and will be desperate to win their first white-ball title since 2014 when they won a previous incarnation of this competition. Their squad is well balanced and hasn’t been ravaged by the Hundred.Player to watch: Ollie Robinson, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, hasn’t played in this competition since 2022 due to Hundred commitments. That season, he won the title as a Kent player. He scored a career-best 206 not out during that particular campaign. This season, he’s available to his county and is likely to be a linchpin of their top order.Young gun: Wicketkeeper-batter Haydon Mustard, 19, is set for his first first-team exposure of 2025 in this competition. An ever-present last year in the lower middle order, the former England U19 posted a top-score of 35. He even hit a six in a match against Lancashire at Sedbergh which was caught in the crowd by his dad, Phil.Final thought: South African overseas quick Codi Yusuf is available for this competition. He represented the county in the Rothesay County Championship during the first half of the summer before heading off to Zimbabwe in late June and early July to make his Test debut for the Proteas, taking the new ball and claiming 10 wickets in a 2-0 series victory. He returned to the Riverside on a deal until the end of the season and will add significant firepower to Durham’s bowling attack. Kent- ECB Reporters Network supported by RothesayCaptain: Grant Stewart and Harry Finch
2024 Position: Seventh (Group A)
2024 Most Runs: Jack Leaning (262)
2024 Most Wickets: Matt Parkinson (12)Why they can win the competition: Only three first-teamers are playing in The Hundred and the white-ball squad looks significantly stronger than the red. Kent won this competition as recently as 2022 and six of the team that surprised a full-strength Lancashire in that final are still with the club, although whether the Warwickshire-bound Nathan Gilchrist will be selected is uncertain.Player to watch: Harry Finch keeps on reinventing himself. A player who openly admits he wasted the first part of his career with Sussex, he got a second chance at Kent, taught himself to keep wicket and this year has starred at both number three and as an opener in the Vitality Blast. Asked what he’d try his hand at next, he replied: “football”.Young gun: Orpington-born, batting all-rounder Ekansh Singh has broken into the Rothesay County Championship side this season and recently starred for the England Men U19s, making a century in the second Youth Test at Chelmsford. The 19-year-old also went to school in Tonbridge, a town that’s nurtured talent including Colin Blythe, Colin Cowdrey and Ed Smith.Final thought: Politics derailed Kent’s 2024 campaign – Ben Compton was sidelined, reportedly due to his contract situation, and Kent sorely missed his ability to pace an innings, as a bowler-heavy line-up threw away a chance of qualification. This time round the business has been done early, with Compton and Joey Evison, player-of-the-match in the 2022 final, both signing new deals while leg-spinning all-rounder Mohammed Rizvi has been signed after impressing with the 2nd XI.Josh Bohannon whips off his pads through square leg•MI News/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesLancashireCaptain: Marcus Harris
2024 Position: Ninth (Group A)
2024 Most Runs: Josh Bohannon (274)
2024 Most Wickets: Charlie Barnard (8)Why they can win the competition: As mixed as their performances have been in the Rothesay County Championship this summer, Lancashire were excellent in the Vitality Blast, finishing top of the North Group and qualifying for the quarter-finals. If they can transfer that momentum into 50-over cricket, they will have a chance. But their senior players have to be better in this competition than they were last year.Player to watch: Josh Bohannon is Lancashire’s linchpin batter in this format and has been their leading run-scorer in the past two campaigns, scoring a century in each of them. Former England Lions captain Bohannon is likely to bat at number three with the aim of batting through the innings and cashing in at the end.Young gun: Left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard led the way for the Red Rose in last season’s competition with eight wickets and impressed hugely on their pre-season tour of India. A wily spinner, an old head on young shoulders type, the 20-year-old took four wickets in three Vitality Blast matches in late May and early June and should be front and centre over the next month.Final thought: Lancashire, bottom of the pile last year, have not won a major List A title in more than a quarter of a century but came close in this competition in 2022 when they were beaten by Kent in a Trent Bridge final. Australian overseas batter Marcus Harris will captain the Red Rose, with Keaton Jennings and Sir James Anderson both having been selected in The Hundred. They have also signed emerging batting all-rounder Arav Shetty until the end of the season.MiddlesexCaptain: Ben Geddes
2024 Position: Sixth (Group A)
2024 Most Runs: Joe Cracknell (306)
2024 Most Wickets: Luke Hollman (12)Why they can win the competition: One cause for optimism should certainly be the depth of Middlesex’s pace attack. Ireland left-armer Josh Little will bring plenty of international white-ball experience to the table, supported by a clutch of exciting young talents such as Noah Cornwell, Naavya Sharma, Sebastian Morgan and Jamie Feldman – all under 21 and hungry to impress.Player to watch: Ben Geddes. The 24-year-old has performed well in both four-day and T20 formats since his winter move across the Thames from Surrey, can bat anywhere from one to seven and has earned his captaincy opportunity. With many top-order regulars involved in The Hundred, the 50-over tournament should provide further opportunities for Geddes to shine.Young gun: Naavya Sharma. The pacy 19-year-old was leading wicket-taker for England Under-19s in their Test series against Sri Lanka last summer and Middlesex were unafraid to pitch him in at the deep end for their County Championship campaign this year. Sharma bowled consistently, repaying the club’s faith by claiming six wickets in their innings victory over previously undefeated Leicestershire.Final thought: Middlesex are notoriously slow out of the blocks in this tournament, having failed to win their opening fixture since 2019 – a year that also brought the county’s most recent appearance in the knockout stages.Despite losing spinner Zafar Gohar to injury, Middlesex’s bowling options look strong. The question may be whether they can put match-winning totals on the board – the likes of Sam Robson, Ben Geddes and Joe Cracknell may need to go big more often than not.Prithvi Shaw was Northamptonshire’s top run-scorer in 2024•MI News/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesNorthamptonshireCaptain: Lewis McManus
2024 Position: Eighth (Group A)
2024 Most Runs: Prithvi Shaw (343)
2024 Most Wickets: Justin Broad (13)Why they can win the competition: Despite losing more players to The Hundred than ever before, Northamptonshire boast a strong squad who mounted an impressive challenge in the Vitality Blast. They are boosted by Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who has been in devastating form in the Rothesay County Championship and Tim Robinson, fresh from New Zealand’s recent white-ball tour of Zimbabwe.Player to watch: Last season’s leading wicket-taker, allrounder Justin Broad is firing with bat and ball, with back-to-back scores of 150 plus in the Championship during July.Young gun: After impressing in the Second XI and Academy, 17-year-old spinner Nirvan Ramesh recently signed a two-month rookie contract and was named in the squad for the recent Championship game against Derbyshire to give him more experience. Highly rated by the coaching staff he looks set to feature during the Metro Bank One Day Cup.Final thought: Northamptonshire need to channel the white-ball form that saw them open their T20 campaign with six straight wins. Even without key bowlers in Ben Sanderson and George Scrimshaw, Northamptonshire can call on a battery of seamers led by Broad and the experienced Luke Procter. The Steelbacks will also hope Kiwi international Robinson can help plug the run-scoring gap left by the prolific Saif Zaib on Hundred duty.SomersetCaptain: To be named
2024 Position: Finalists
2024 Most Runs: Andy Umeed (492)
2024 Most Wickets: Jack Leach (15)Why they can win the competition: The loss of eight players to The Hundred is less than last season when Somerset still finished runners-up in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, winning six of their eight group games and a semi-final against Leicestershire before losing a rain-affected final against Glamorgan. That was the third trophy to narrowly elude the team last summer and the bitter memory will strengthen resolve to go one better.Player to watch: Andy Umeed has flourished in the 50-over competition over the past two seasons, hitting three centuries in 2023 and another against Kent last year on his way topping Somerset’s One-Day Cup batting averages. Overlooked in other competitions this season, the 29-year-old Scot will be keen to reproduce the exciting form that launched his career with the club.Young gun: At the tender age of 17, Thomas Rew already boasts the fastest century for England Under-19s, made against India this summer, and looks set to follow elder brother James into the Somerset team on a regular basis, having made his debut in this season’s Vitality Blast. Long rated the club’s brightest prospect, the One Day Cup looks sure to showcase his special talent.Final thought: Even without the players on duty in The Hundred, Somerset have enough experience blended with exciting young talent to deservedly rank among the favourites for the One-Day Cup. Support for 50-over cricket remains strong at the Cooper Associates County Ground and the team are guaranteed fervent backing while looking to capitalise to the bat-friendly pitches at their home venue.SussexCaptain: John Simpson
2024 Position: Ninth (Group B)
2024 Most Runs: Tom Haines (326)
2024 Most Wickets: Henry Crocombe (10)Why they can win the competition: Sussex regard the Metro Bank One-Day Cup primarily as a development competition and the focus will again be on giving youngsters opportunities. Many will be better for the experience they had in 2024, even though they only won one game, and if they can make a good start they could make the knockout stages, as they did in 2022 with a similarly inexperienced team.Player to watch: Henry Crocombe was one of the stars of Sussex’s Vitality Blast campaign with 15 wickets in his nine games and he was their leading wicket-taker in the One-Day Cup last season. With his strong action, the 23-year-old is capable of bowling with serious heat and will relish his likely role as leader of the seam attack.Young gun: George Thomas has had few opportunities since his winter move from Somerset, but the opening batter offered glimpses of his potential when he broke into the Vitality Blast team. He made his maiden hundred in this competition last year for his former county and a run of games will offer the 21-year-old an opportunity he should relish.Final thought: Batting coach Grant Flower will be in charge for this competition, and it will be interesting to see his approach. Sussex only won one game last year, but they lost twice by one wicket and were competitive in most. John Simpson, who missed three games last year, will be captain for the tournament which is a welcome development. So is the return to Arundel which stages its first one-day game since 2013 against Kent as part of a four-day festival of cricket.Ed Barnard was a prolific performer for Warwickshire last year•Getty ImagesWarwickshireCaptain: Ed Barnard
2024 Position: Semi-finals
2024 Most Runs: Ed Barnard (433)
2024 Most Wickets: Ed Barnard (19)Why they can win the competition: Semi-finalists last season, Warwickshire have some talented young players who drive the team in this competition. A year on from the under-performance in the last four against Glamorgan at Cardiff, those emerging players are more experienced and better-equipped to handle the bigger, make-or-break games.Player to watch: Kai Smith. The wicketkeeper batter is pushing hard to become a regular in all formats. Solid behind the stumps, he bats with a freedom and power which can transform games. His unbeaten 130 from 104 balls against Worcestershire at Edgbaston in this competition last season was a scintillating exhibition of how to turn pressure back on the opposition.Young gun: Hamza Shaikh. Although only just turned 19, top-order batter Shaikh has some first-team cricket under his belt now in both first-class and 50-over formats. His 84 and 112 as captain of England Men U19s against India at Beckenham last month suggests he is ready to take the next step and deliver match-shaping innings for his county.Final thought: Ian Westwood’s first season as head coach at Edgbaston has contained some promising signs – Warwickshire have delivered some eye-catching Rothesay County Championship wins and qualification for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals. To lift the Metro Bank One-Day Cup would assure supporters that their side is settling again after the long period of transition since winning the 2021 County Championship – and also underline Ed Barnard’s credentials to be the next club captain.YorkshireCaptain: Dom Bess
2024 Position: Sixth (Group B)
2024 Most Runs: Will Luxton (247)
2024 Most Wickets: George Hill (17)Why they can win the competition: Added to Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid and Joe Root, Yorkshire have – as things stand – only got two other players away at the Hundred. They are Jafer Chohan and Jordan Thompson. They are determined to put right a failed Vitality Blast campaign which saw them win only five games and finish second bottom in the North Group.Player to watch: All-rounder George Hill, aged 24, is having a great summer, especially with his seamers. He has topped the 40-wicket mark in the Rothesay County Championship and has gained England Lions recognition. In the last few years in 50-over cricket, Hill has posted a score of 130 in the middle order and has returned a haul of 6-30 with the ball.Young gun: David Lloyd lives close to top-order batter Will Bennison’s club, Sheriff Hutton Bridge, and has watched lots of the 18-year-old. Bumble even announced Bennison’s maiden rookie professional contract on Yorkshire’s social media accounts last month, saying: “He’s the real deal”. Bennison loves to score runs in big chases. Expect to see him later in the competition, as Yorkshire start off with experience.Final thought: With Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan – Yorkshire’s Championship and T20 captains – away at The Hundred, spin-bowling all-rounder Dom Bess will lead Yorkshire’s pursuit of a first limited overs trophy since 2002. They beat Somerset in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy final that year when current head coach Anthony McGrath was in the team. The White Rose will have Pakistani top-order batter Imam-Ul-Haq available to them for the duration of the competition, and look well placed to have a crack at the title.

Celtic’s interim head coach Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Wednesday night’s clash with Dundee at Parkhead will be his final match in the dugout for the Scottish giants.

The experienced manager stepped in after Brendan Rodgers resigned at the end of October and has won six of his seven matches in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, to date.

Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy will then take over as the permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers and will face a baptism of fire at the weekend against league leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

The French boss will be watching on from afar for the clash this evening and will have one last chance to assess the players who will soon be at his disposal before being tasked with organising them in training.

O’Neill will also be keen for his last game to be a memorable one, leaving Nancy with the team in the best possible position, by claiming all three points against Dundee.

The experienced boss may look to make some changes to his starting line-up from the side that beat Hibernian 2-1 at Easter Road on Sunday in order to secure the win this evening.

The Celtic players who could be dropped against Dundee

Football FanCast have already suggested that right-sided winger Luke McCowan should be dropped from the team after he failed to impress against Hibs at the weekend, with no shots on target or ‘big chances’ created, per Sofascore.

The former Dundee man has been tasked with filling in out wide in recent games, due to the lack of natural options in that position, but he was ineffective last time out, which could provide Benjamin Nygren with a chance to play in that role.

On the other side of the pitch, Marcelo Saracchi could make way for Kieran Tierney at left-back, as the two defenders have shared the workload so far this season in the Premiership.

25/26 Premiership

Saracchi

Tierney

Appearances

7

10

Starts

6

6

Minutes

405

609

Big chances created

2

2

Assists

1

2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the statistics above, they have both started six league games this term, and it could be Tierney’s time to start this evening after coming off the bench against Hibs.

Another player who could be dropped from the starting line-up, alongside Saracchi and McCowan, is left-sided attacker Hyun-jun Yang, who played a part in Arne Engels’ goal with a deflected cross for the Belgian on Sunday.

Aside from that deflected cross, the South Korean forward offered little to the side in or out of possession on the left flank. Per Sofascore, he played 86 minutes without registering a key pass, a ‘big chance’ created, or a shot on target, as his part in Engels’ goal did not count as an assist.

The 23-year-old star, who scored against Feyenoord last week in the Europa League, also lost 75% (3/4) of his duels throughout the game, per Sofascore, which shows that he was not strong enough in his physical battles.

With this in mind, and the fact that they have Hearts to play on Sunday, O’Neill should ruthlessly ditch Yang from the starting line-up to provide another player with an opportunity to impress.

Chalkboard

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

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Dropping the South Korea international could allow the experienced boss to finally unleash rarely-seen winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha on the left flank against Dundee tonight.

Why Celtic should unleash Michel-Ange Balikwisha

The Belgian forward played 59 minutes across three substitute appearances in O’Neill’s first three games in charge, but has been an unused substitute for the last four matches in all competitions.

We are not privy to what goes on behind the scenes, in training and in tactical meetings, and the experienced boss will have his reasons for not giving Balikwisha much game time in recent weeks.

However, in a three-game week, this clash with Dundee ahead of the meeting with Hearts on Sunday provides the manager with a chance to give the summer signing from Royal Antwerp a start for the first time.

In fact, Balikwisha has not started a game for Celtic since the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock away from home in September under Rodgers, per Sofascore, which means that the winger has not had many opportunities to showcase his quality.

Balikwisha in 25/26 Premiership

Opposition

Minutes

Hibernian

0

St Mirren

0

Kilmarnock

0

Falkirk

29

Hearts

30

Dundee

26

Motherwell

12

Hibernian

16

Kilmarnock

58

Rangers

65

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic winger started his first two games in the Premiership against Rangers and Kilmarnock, after signing from Royal Antwerp, but has not gotten a look-in since then.

There is more to come from Balikwisha in a Celtic shirt because his form for Royal Antwerp in Belgium suggests that he does have the potential to carry a threat at the top end of the pitch.

Per Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old wing wizard scored 30 goals and provided 17 assists in 145 matches for Antwerp, yet he has only managed two assists and no goals in 12 outings in all competitions for the Hoops.

The only way he will improve and adapt to Scottish football, though, is by playing matches and getting used to the intensity and physicality of the division, which he cannot do from the bench.

That is why O’Neill should give Balikwisha a rare opportunity to start against Dundee as a parting gift to Nancy, as it would provide the winger with another opportunity to develop as a Celtic player ahead of a fresh page under the next manager.

Therefore, the interim manager should ruthlessly drop and rest Yang from the starting line-up this evening, bringing the rarely-seen Belgian in to give him a chance to stake a claim for a place in the side moving forward.

Related Nancy could bin Celtic star who's been the biggest winner of O'Neill's reign

Incoming Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy could drop this star who has been the biggest winner of Martin O’Neill’s reign.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Dec 2, 2025

Hesson has been given the licence to change the image of the T20I side, but it was the same picture with different characters

Danyal Rasool22-Sep-20251:39

Chopra: Clear difference in Pakistan’s intent with the bat

There is something of a discrepancy between the things Pakistan say and the things Pakistan do. Since Mike Hesson took over as their white-ball coach in May, he has ostensibly been given the licence to remake their T20I squad in the image of his philosophy. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been cast out into the cold until they can, in Hesson’s words, “improve in some areas” – primarily to do with strike rate.He made clear that batting depth would be prioritised over fast-bowling expertise, and called Mohammad Nawaz “the best spin bowler in the world” earlier this month. Pakistan, meanwhile, made clear that batters who demonstrate intent from the outset will not live in fear of their place or be penalised for low scores as long as they stick to the game plan required of them.Those, anyway, are the things Pakistan say, and would presumably have said again if they didn’t keep cancelling press conferences in the Asia Cup. And then, against India in their first Super Four game of the tournament came the things they did.Related

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Pakistan could not have found themselves in a position more conducive to the cricket they insist they want to play. India put down three relatively straightforward chances in the first ten overs. Sahibzada Farhan, a beneficiary of that largesse in the first over, had just smashed Axar Patel for a six that took him to a fifty off 34 balls.Far from the post-powerplay quicksand that India had enveloped them in the group fixture last Sunday, Pakistan had only accelerated since the fielders spread out. Thirty-six runs came in overs seven to ten, with that six off Axar the fourth off an India spinner in the last three overs. In the first six overs, Jasprit Bumrah had been taken for 34 off three, his most expensive T20I powerplay figures. It took Pakistan to 91 at the halfway mark in their innings, comfortably their highest ever ten-over total against India.It established the perfect base to launch the sort of gung-ho attack that is the logical conclusion of this new-look Pakistan’s stated ambition. The drinks break brought a wicket when Saim Ayub top-edged Shivam Dube for Abishek Sharma to take an excellent catch, but it shouldn’t have mattered. Lost wickets are a consequence of high-risk batting, and this was just the second that fell. There were more power-hitters to follow.But, like a child breaking free from their minder, unable to believe how far away they’ve managed to cut loose and suddenly catching a fright, Pakistan spent the seven overs post drinks reverting to the mediocre, comfortable environment that has now become their home. Having seen such limited recent success against India, it was almost as if their position of advantage was in itself a trap India had sprung, a threat they couldn’t see but somehow must still guard against.Sahibzada Farhan gave Pakistan a brisk start but slowed down after ten overs•AFP/Getty ImagesHussain Talat, with a career T20I strike rate of 117 heading into the game, came into the side in place of Hasan Nawaz, who has a career strike rate of 158. Dube overstepped and gave Talat a free hit off the second ball of his innings, but those don’t mean much if you lack the ability to hit freely. Talat hacked at air, and the discrepancy between what Pakistan said and what they were doing began to reveal itself.The momentum Pakistan had built began to slip away, and along with it, the bravado which presented the only realistic route to victory against a better side. India’s bowlers found their lengths, and Pakistan allowed them to set up camp there. Talat scored 10 off 11 balls, while Farhan, who had also dried up at the other end, miscued an offcutter from Dube high into the Dubai sky.This time, it was captain Salman Agha who walked out to bat, another Pakistani inconsistency in human form making its way to the middle. For all the dim view Hesson appeared to take with a former Pakistan captain’s scoring rate, Agha’s strike rate of 111 is lower than all Pakistan batters with a minimum of 500 T20I runs, bar Salman Butt and Misbah-ul-Haq. Yet, he has been anointed the face of this progressive T20I side that Pakistan are adamant they have laid the foundations for.And so, Pakistan began to revert to type, and into their comfort zone. The seven overs immediately following drinks produced 38 runs, the lowest for any side all tournament. It included a 39-ball spell without any boundaries; in the final ten overs, Pakistan hit just two fours and four sixes. Nawaz saw off Varun Chakravarthy’s final over, the 16th of the innings, with four consecutive dot balls, at the end of which he was on 7 off 13. He wasn’t in the side for his “best spinner in the world” bowling abilities either, given he did not send down a ball during India’s routine chase. Meanwhile, Nawaz, along with Agha and Talat, Pakistan’s Nos. 4-6, scored a combined 48 runs in 43 deliveries.Faheem Ashraf came out in the penultimate over and muscled his first ball for a six•AFP/Getty ImagesAgha tried to defend that approach after the game, saying the pitch made it difficult for a new batter to settle. But then, again, those are the things Pakistan say. When the more naturally belligerent Faheem Ashraf emerged in the penultimate over, he had no such problems. The first ball was muscled over square leg for six, and the eight in total he faced produced 20 runs. That was three more than Agha, who came to the crease in the 15th over, faced 13 balls and could muster just one six; and just one fewer than Nawaz, who used up an additional 11 balls. Meanwhile, Mohammad Haris, used as a basher up top or a bludgeoner lower down, never got to bat, nor did Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has been Pakistan’s best slogger this tournament.Four years ago, at this very ground, Pakistan lost to Australia in a T20I World Cup semi-final after scoring 176. In the first 11 overs, Babar and Rizwan were exceptionally defensive, and produced just 75 runs, thus leaving their team-mates an almighty task to be competitive at the backend. It ignited a debate that has brought Pakistan cricket to a point where both men are out of the side because timidity up top is no longer acceptable.Against India on Sunday, with 91 runs off the first ten overs, Pakistan solved that problem. In the second half, though, they were able to scratch together just 80, which, ironically, feels very much like a ten-over score Babar and Rizwan might have put up. The upheaval will be of little use if all Pakistan ultimately do is transfer their diffidence to the other half of the innings.What will worry Pakistan supporters is not a defeat to India; those are commonplace and have, of late, become exercises in damage limitation. Nor does an India game offer any indicator of how far Pakistan are in their journey of improvement – such is the gulf between the two sides in quality. This, however, was a litmus test in how committed Pakistan are to the idea that high risk and high strike rates are the only way to be competitive at the top table of T20I cricket.For ten overs in Dubai, Pakistan threw themselves into the notion with the zeal of a convert. As the rest of the evening unfolded, it began increasingly to look like one of those things Pakistan just say.

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.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

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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.

Earthy’s Junior Record

Team

U18s

U21s

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′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

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.

Mubama’s record

Team

Games

Goals

Assists

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

All statistics via Transfermarkt

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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The teams will play each other twice in the first round, with the top two teams going through to the final

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2025

Afghanistan and Pakistan have qualified directly for the next T20 World Cup•Associated Press

Afghanistan, Pakistan and UAE will get more matches to prepare for the men’s T20 Asia Cup when they compete in a T20 tri-series hosted by the Emirates Cricket Board in Sharjah in August-September.The Asia Cup runs from September 9 to 28, also in the UAE.As such, based on the ICC’s future tours programme, Pakistan were expected to host Afghanistan for three T20Is in the window that has now been allotted to the tri-series.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Each team will play the other twice in the round-robin stage of the tournament, with the top two contesting the final. All the games will be played from 7pm local time. Pakistan are the highest-ranked side among the three on the ICC rankings at No. 8, with Afghanistan at No. 9, and UAE at No. 14.Pakistan are currently engaged in a bilateral white-ball series, where they have won the first game, against West Indies, and play their first match of the Asia Cup, against Oman on September 12. Afghanistan have not played a T20I since their bilateral series in Zimbabwe at the end of last year, and play their opening match of the Asia Cup, against Hong Kong on September 9.Both the teams qualified directly for the T20 World Cup in 2026, to be played in India and Sri Lanka – Afghanistan as one of the top-seven teams (excluding the hosts) in the previous T20 World Cup and Pakistan based on their ranking on the ICC table at the cut-off date of June 30, 2024. UAE, meanwhile, have not yet confirmed their spot at the World Cup. They have to go through the Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers, to be played in Oman from October 8 to 17, to get there if they can.

Behind the wicket is this unorthodox India batter’s happy place

Deivarayan Muthu22-Oct-20241:37

Manjrekar: Sarfaraz should walk into India’s XI for the Australia tour

When Will O’Rourke, at 6’4″, the tallest bowler in the current New Zealand attack banged one into the pitch in Bengaluru, it seemed destined to smack Sarfaraz Khan on his head until an impish intervention from the batter. Sarfaraz had originally misjudged the bounce as he tried to avoid the bouncer. To make matters worse, it kept veering into him as well. The fates had decided he was going to end up on his backside. He said, ‘fine but I’m getting something out of it’ and somehow ramped a ball that was pushing him down into the floor for a boundary.Ramps are ostentatious shots for most batters but for Sarfaraz it is staple. It’s his signature. Like how the cover drive is Virat Kohli’s. Like how the pull is Rohit Sharma’s. Like how the one-handed loft is Rishabh Pant’s.Having been bred on the bouncy, red-soil pitches in Mumbai, Sarfaraz has developed various versions of this shot, from the delicate dab ramp over the cordon to the full-blooded scythe over deep third. And he can play these shots to balls ranging from just back-of-a-length to a bouncer by twisting his body like a contortionist to get underneath the ball.He even played the ramp off a full and wide one from Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in IPL 2016 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Having spotted Sarfaraz manufacture swinging room, Bhuvneshwar had shifted his lines wide of off stump, but the batter still caught up with the ball, got underneath it, and ramped it over the deep-third boundary. Sarfaraz was only 18 then. This ability to manipulate the “V” behind the wicket has been with him from day one of a professional cricket career that is now in its 10th year.Sarfaraz showed his full range behind square in the first Test against New Zealand at the same venue where he had bested Bhuvneshwar as a teenager. Look at his wagon wheel from the recent Bengaluru Test. He scored 96 of his 150 runs behind the wicket.Fourteen of Sarfaraz’s 21 boundaries in the first Test came behind the wicket•ESPNcricinfo LtdSarfaraz was dismissed for a duck in the first innings. When there was excessive seam movement for New Zealand’s seamers under overcast skies, he went hard at the ball and ended up playing well in front of the body, shanking a catch to mid-off. In the second innings, when the pitch had lost its early juice, and there wasn’t as much lateral movement, Sarfaraz allowed the ball to come onto him and kept directing it behind the wicket. Believe it or not, he had not scored a single run in the “V” in front of wicket until after his hundred.”I like playing the balls that rise high. I have a bouncy wicket back at home [Mumbai], and I play regularly there, and the bounce easily allows me to cut,” Sarfaraz said. “They [New Zealand] were trying to bowl short at me, and I simply played accordingly. It was fun.”Related

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It’s not always fun though. The same shot that left jaws on the floor in Bengaluru – the duck ramp – led to his downfall in Lucknow. It was IPL 2023. Mark Wood was the bowler and he was giving Sarfaraz a serious working over to the extent that he was caught off a bouncer that he had initially tried to avoid. That couldn’t have felt good. It certainly didn’t look good. That dismissal epitomised the risk that comes with unorthodox strokeplay; not so much that it could result in your downfall but more that it makes you look silly. Sarfaraz is happy to live with this risk. He trains to try and minimise this risk. When he met Wood again in the Dharamsala Test earlier this year, he ramped the fast bowler, nonchalantly, to the deep-third boundary.The pitch in Pune might not offer as much bounce for Sarfaraz to play his ramps, with a bald, back-soil surface set to negate the seamers and bring the spinners into play. Sarfaraz, though, can also disrupt spin, thanks to a number of sweeps, including the reverse. He crouches low for these sweeps and often crunches them flat and hard – both in front of and behind the wicket.Sarfaraz Khan countered the short balls with the ramp•BCCIWhen Ajaz Patel dangled a full ball up outside off in India’s second innings in Bengaluru, Sarfaraz stretched out, met the pitch of the ball, and swept so hard that it sounded like a thunderclap. Earlier, in the Irani Cup, when Saransh Jain, the emerging offspinner from Madhya Pradesh, blocked the sweep with a packed leg-side field, Sarfaraz unfurled the reverse-sweep and countered him.With Shubman Gill likely to be fit for the second Test, India will have to make a choice between Sarfaraz and KL Rahul. It will incredibly hard for the team management to ignore Sarfaraz, especially after he had scored his maiden Test hundred, which had them dreaming about a remarkable comeback win at one point, though Rahul has a case for himself: he was a bit unlucky in Bengaluru and has a strong body of work overseas.”Sarfaraz was obviously brilliant in the last Test,” Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, said on Tuesday. “I went to KL after the last Test and said: ‘how many balls did you play and miss at?’ He didn’t play and miss one ball and that’s what tends to happen when you’re not getting runs. He got the two balls in the game – one caught down the leg side and one that he managed to nick.”So there’s certainly no concerns about KL. He’s batting nicely, he’s in a good mental space, but yeah, we’re certainly going to have to fit seven pieces into six spots for this Test and look at the pitch now and decide what’s going to be best for the team.”For so long, Sarfaraz has been on the outside looking in on this Indian team. But bit by bit, day by day, shot by shot, his chances of making it to the first-choice XI are ramping up.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca claimed that he was "very worried" before facing relegation-threatened Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday. The Blues registered a thumping 3-0 win over the manager-less side to climb up to second in the Premier League table. The result, meanwhile, leaves Wolves rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from the opening 11 games.

• Back-to-back league wins for Chelsea

  After beating Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the Blues registered a second consecutive victory as they thrashed relegation-threatened Wolves at Stamford Bridge. Maresca's side were the dominant right from the off and came close to breaking the deadlock on quite a few occasions in the first half. Captain Enzo Fernandez was the star as he ran the show from the middle of the park.

  Chelsea finally broke the deadlock shortly after the break courtesy of Malo Gusto's strike, before Joao Pedro doubled the lead. Pedro Neto then scored a third goal to seal an important victory. The three points helped them to climb up to the second in the standings and they are now six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

  Manchester United flop Alejandro Garnacho, who is now regularly featuring in Maresca's starting lineup, starred with a couple of assists as the Argentine is slowly regaining his long-lost form after gaining full faith of the head coach. 

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Maresca reveals pre-match concern

  Speaking to reporters after the game, Blues boss Maresca made a surprise claim that he was afraid to face rock bottom Wolves. The Italian coach said: "I was very worried before this game. These are the worst games, they're tricky. Everyone is thinking it's going to be easy. I can understand first half people were not happy because we didn't score. Then, when Estevao came on the energy raised because people love that kind of player."

  Maresca heaped further praise on youngster Estevao, who came on as a substitute in the second half. The coach added: "You can see his talent. We are trying to help him to adapt and give him the right minutes. "He arrived from Brazil, he needs time to adapt, but he's going to start games for us in the future. He arrived from a club where he was not training 100 percent so his physical condition was not good. Slowly, now he is better. He knows that to play with us he needs to be good on the ball and off the ball otherwise, he's not going to play. We are very happy with him."

• Caretaker manager Collins praises Wolves'

  After yet another loss in the league, Wolves caretaker manager James Collins said: "The boys are together and are working hard. There's not little cliques, they're very, very together. There's work to do, we've got to improve. There's a lot of games left. Our season is not going to be defined by Chelsea away."

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• AFP
  

  Fernandez ruled out of action for Argentina

  After starring in Chelsea's win and bagging the player-of-the-match award, Fernandez revealed that he has been struggling with an injury and won't be available for Argentina in their friendly matches during the international break. The Blues skipper said: "I will not be available with Argentina. I was just talking to the medical team because I had a problem with my knee in the last four months. I came with a bone edema that got worse in the last weeks and months because we played a lot of games. I think the most important thing is coming to the end of the season and I think it's good to make this decision together. Always respecting the doctors and everything."

  Maresca will now hope that his captain recovers from his injury soon during the break and takes the field against Burnley on November 22.

Arsenal are a club with a proud history of developing and promoting young talent into the first team.

Mikel Arteta has carried that tradition on during his time, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and now Max Dowman all getting chances under him.

However, when it comes to the most successful Hale End product under the Spaniard’s stewardship, it’s hard to ignore Bukayo Saka, who has become a world-class superstar in recent years.

So, fans should be very excited about another young prospect making his way through the academy, who has been likened to a young version of the England international.

Saka's academy journey

Saka joined Hale End as a seven-year-old, with him later revealing that it was his father who pushed for him to join the club over others.

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The Ealing-born gem made his debut for the club’s U18 against Fulham in August 2017, a game the Gunners would lose 4-1.

The youngster would end that season with a respectable haul of eight goals and four assists in 22 games.

The following year, he made just six appearances for the U18S and 24 for the U23S, scoring six goals and providing nine assists for the latter.

However, that was also the season in which he made his first-team debut, away to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League group stage, under Unai Emery.

At this point, the exciting prospect was still very much seen as a left-sided attacker and had made just a single appearance on the right across both campaigns.

The 19/20 season brought the end of Saka’s time in the academy setup, as he made just one appearance for the U23s in a Premier League 2 game against Everton, which they drew.

Appearances

28

25

Goals

16

6

Assists

6

9

In all, the now 24-year-old made 28 appearances for Arsenal’s U18s, in which he produced 22 goal involvements and 25 appearances for the U23s, in which he produced 15.

Everyone now knows how the rest of the story goes, and so fans should be excited that there is another Hale End talent currently being compared to Saka.

Arsenal's next Saka

With the likes of Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and now Dowman, it feels like Hale End can’t stop producing incredible talents, and the next one off the line might just be Brando Bailey-Joseph.

The 17-year-old has been so impressive in recent months that, despite only signing scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, he has already put pen to paper on a professional deal.

Moreover, according to one analyst, he is currently looking “very reminiscent of a young Saka.”

The argument he puts forward is that, like the Gunners’ talisman, there has been a lot more talk around other youngsters in the academy over him, and he is just quietly plugging away in the background.

Appearances

16

Minutes

1098′

Goals

4

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.5

Minutes per Goal Involvement

137.25′

For example, in 16 appearances this term, totalling 1098 minutes, he has scored four goals and provided four assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 137.25 minutes, which would be pretty good for a striker, let alone a winger who has been moved between both sides over and over again.

In addition to the output, the analyst also points out that, like Arteta’s mercurial number seven, he has shown an “incredible technical” ability in the academy.

This is an opinion shared by Hale End expert Will Balsam, who claims that the youngster’s “fire feet, chopping into the grass constantly, make it impossible for defenders to know what’s coming.”

Ultimately, while it’s so early in his journey, Bailey-Joseph looks like he could be the next Hale End star to make it in the first team and follow in Saka’s footsteps on the wing.

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Left-arm quick’s T20 World Cup hopes all but dashed after being ruled out of the entire BBL with an ongoing back injury

Alex Malcolm03-Dec-2025Spencer Johnson’s hopes of playing for Australia in the T20 World Cup early next year have been dealt a hammer blow after he was ruled out of the upcoming BBL season because of a back injury.Johnson has not played since the IPL, where he suffered back pain that he initially thought was a recurrence of a disc issue he had dealt with previously. The 29-year-old left-arm quick then suffered more pain while training ahead of the July T20I tour of the West Indies and scans showed a stress fracture.He underwent months of rehab which included pilates and swimming while waiting for the bone to heal. He had another scan in October and was hopeful he would be cleared to play in the BBL in the new year.Related

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But Brisbane Heat confirmed on Wednesday that their title-winning quick would be unavailable for the entire season.”Spencer continues to recover from a back injury and pleasingly, this is improving. However, the latest time-frame for his return to play does not enable him to participate in the BBL this season,” Heat CEO Terry Svenson said. “We’re all disappointed for Spencer but will provide him with ongoing support as he continues to recover.”Australia’s first game of the T20 World Cup is on February 11, which means it is almost certain he will not be fit in time to push his case for selection in the final 15-man squad. Johnson was seen as a potential long-term replacement for Mitchell Starc, who has retired from T20I cricket. But while Johnson has been injured, Australia have won three of their four T20I series with a pace attack of Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett gelling nicely. Pat Cummins could also return for the World Cup if fit.Johnson will continue to do his rehab in Adelaide where he lives and is domestically contracted with South Australia. Johnson has nominated for the IPL auction at the second-highest base price of 150 lakh (AUD$252957) and is hopeful of being fit and available for the tournament if bought after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders at the end of last season.”I’ve had plenty of expert support from everyone involved in the process and I am very confident that I will be back and doing what I love as soon as possible,” Johnson said.Meanwhile, England left-arm quick Reece Topley has signed with Sydney Thunder as an overseas replacement for Lockie Ferguson. Topley will play with Thunder for the first half of the season while Ferguson is at the ILT20. Topley will head to the SA20 when Ferguson returns to the BBL for the second half of the season.

This is a season of attrition for Liverpool, who must knuckle down and prove that they have absorbed the worst punches after a testing start to Arne Slot’s second term in charge.

Liverpool are in a rut, alright, and need to start stringing together consistent results in the Premier League if they are to steer away from a true crisis, missing out on Champions League qualification after a record-breaking summer of spending.

It’s clear that the sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £66.5m has contributed toward knocking the Anfield side out of kilter. The Colombian’s speed and combativeness have been sorely missed.

Stars such as Florian Wirtz have been added to the Liverpool ranks this summer, but sporting director Richard Hughes is already lining up another addition.

Liverpool searching for new attacking midfielders

Wirtz is only 22 years old, and though he joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m, there is an acceptance from the Reds hierarchy that the German’s integration will take a bit of time.

There’s a superstar in there, but he’s not been brought to the fore just yet. With this in mind, Liverpool might consider adding more talent to their ranks, someone who can jockey with Wirtz for a place out on the left wing.

Well, Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz could be the player for the job, with transfer insider Simon Phillips revealing that Liverpool have joined Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid in the race for the silky attacking midfielder.

It’s previously been understood that United have expressed a willingness to pay €90m (about £79m) for the 20-year-old, and Liverpool have now been name-checked as being among those to make calls for the player as he marks one side of a contractual stand-off in Turin.

However, Hughes will need to act speedily if he is to win Yildiz over, with Juventus pushing to renew their starboy’s terms.

What Kenan Yildiz would bring to Liverpool

Yildiz might be young, but he’s made quite the name for himself over the past few years in Italy, breaking into Juventus’ first team a few years ago after previously spending a decade of his youth in Bayern Munich’s academy system.

With flair and magical skills on the ball, this is a player who is destined for the top, and in Serie A this season, he is creating an average of 2.4 key passes per game, having posted two goals and three assists from only nine starts.

Yildiz might have “all the tools to be one of the best wingers in the world”, as has been said by one analyst, but he shares with Wirtz a focal kind of creativity and snappiness that lend themselves to a central berth.

In this, Yildiz could find himself becoming Liverpool’s next version of Wirtz, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Hughes should waive the idea of signing him.

There’s no question that the Turkish talent needs to work on his physicality. As per Sofascore, he has won only 44% of his ground duels in Serie A this season, and he ranks among the bottom 3% of positional peers in that division this season for tackles won per 90 (FBref).

But this is a kid, and one with so much potential. He’s tenacious. Talent scout Jacek Kulig has lauded his “bravery”, using his athleticism to “make spectacular solo runs”.

Indeed, the dynamic midfielder ranks among the top 11% of positional peers across Europe for both shot-creating actions and successful take-ons per 90, corroborating that claim.

Having split his time across attacking midfield and left wing roles, performing the latter consistently this season, Yildiz shares even more tactical similarities with Wirtz, though there is a case to be made that he’s more electric when running, and thus could be a more natural fit out wide.

Second striker

59

18 (13)

Left wing

50

10 (9)

Attacking midfield

18

9 (6)

Right wing

17

3 (1)

Centre-forward

4

0 (0)

Wirtz’s start to life in England would serve as a cautionary tale for those elite talents looking to make a name for themselves on English shores. It is no easy feat to marry all the facets together in the Premier League.

Still, there is a sense he will come good, and with Yildiz added into the mix to battle with him for a berth, there’s every chance that the Turkish prospect would prove a jackpot signing for Liverpool, perhaps even working in concert with Wirtz to dynamise and widen the scope of Slot’s attacking dimensions.

The playmaker wouldn’t come cheap, but it has become clear over the past several months that Liverpool miss a snappy wide profile, and Yildiz could find himself growing into a household name in the Premier League down Liverpool’s left.

Shaping into a silky and physical attacking midfielder with stunning creative skills, Yildiz could be a real superstar down the line, albeit one who would be tussling for a starting berth with Wirtz at Liverpool.

But as the Reds’ double signing of Isak and Ekitike has shown us this summer, FSG are not against packaging this side with the best of the best, enough to win silverware across every front and year on year.

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