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Emon and Tanzid had led Bangladesh to 196 for 6 but Pakistan chased it down with 2.4 overs to spare

Mohammad Isam01-Jun-2025Mohammad Haris’ maiden T20I century gunned down the 197-run target against Bangladesh in the third T20I in Lahore. Pakistan coasted to a seven-wicket win to complete an impressive 3-0 series win, testing themselves in the third game by deciding to chase a total. They won with 2.4 overs to spare, giving their new style of batting a huge confidence boost.Haris put on a big-hitting show in front of the 29,000-plus crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium, slamming seven sixes and eight fours. Haris was so efficient that he didn’t play a dot ball from the ninth over to the end of the innings. He reached the three-figure mark off 45 balls, becoming the first non-opener from Pakistan to score a T20I century. He finished on 107 not out off 46 balls.Bangladesh may have thought their 196 for 6, their highest total against Pakistan, would give them the cushion. Parvez Hossain Emon top-scored with a 34-ball 66 with seven fours and four sixes, having added 110 runs for the opening stand with Tanzid Hasan. That was, however, not enough, as Haris, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz blanked Bangladesh.

Haris, Ayub fire off

Ayub and Haris motored along despite losing Sahibzada Farhan in the first over. Haris got things going with a brace of fours off Hasan Mahmud, before hoicking Khaled Ahmed for his first six in the fourth over. Ayub, who struck a six in the first over, pocketed a four and a scrumptious six off Mahmud in the fifth.The pair then laid into Rishad Hossain, smacking a four and a six in the legspinner’s first over. Haris gave the same dose to Tanzim Hasan, a whipped six over long leg and a four off the next ball. Tanzim broke the partnership with a slower ball that Ayub hit straight to long-on. Ayub’s 45 off 29 balls included two fours and four sixes.Mohammad Haris’ hundred led Pakistan’s chase•PCB

Haris races to his century

Haris reached his fifty off 25 balls, before he let Hasan Nawaz do his thing. Nawaz started with a dab through deep third and then hammered Rishad over long-off for his first six. Haris clattered Khaled for his fourth six, before Nawaz got his second, hitting Mehidy down the ground. The offspinner removed Nawaz later in the same over, caught at midwicket. Nawaz, though, had done his job, with a 13-ball 26, a proper boost in a steep chase.Pakistan didn’t take their foot off the accelerator even after that wicket. Haris and Salman Agha struck three fours off Rishad’s last over, before Haris got into the 90s with another whipped six off Khaled.
The hundred came in the 17th over with a quick two, with Haris celebrating with a huge smile on his face. He struck his seventh and last six off the next ball, before Salman got the winning runs in the following over.

Emon, Tanzid blaze away

Emon flung the part-timer Ayub, who opened Pakistan’s bowling, for two sixes and a four in his second over. Tanzid joined in with two fours, although the first one was a bit fortunate. Faheem Ashraf dropped him on 6, running back from mid-on. Emon then struck Faheem for two more fours to get Bangladesh to a productive powerplay.Tanzid’s first six was a sweet straight hit off Agha, before Emon tore into Abrar Ahmed with 16 runs in his first over. He reached his fifty off 27 balls, before Tanzid dumped Abbas Afridi down the ground. He also attacked Shadab Khan’s googly, landing him in the stands over midwicket.Parvez Hossain Emon gave Bangladesh a quick start•AFP/Getty Images

Emon brought up the century stand with his fourth six, off Faheem in the 11th over. He followed it up with a blazing cover drive next ball. Faheem, however, gave Pakistan their breakthrough when Tanzid was caught at short fine leg later in the over. He made a 32-ball 42, hitting three sixes and as many fours. Emon followed two balls later, top edging Shadab’s googly for 66.

Afridi leads fightback

Pakistan held back Bangladesh in the last five overs, conceding just 46 runs. After Emon’s exit, Towhid Hridoy and Litton Das struck a six each early in their partnership, but they couldn’t match the openers’ pace. They added 49 runs in 33 balls. Litton fell trying to ramp Hasan Ali, before Shamim Hossain started with two consecutive fours.Afridi, however, bowled a very good second spell, mixing up his pace and lengths effectively. He removed Shamim with a ball that he held deep in his palm, with the left-hander caught trying to play the reverse ramp. One ball later, Hridoy struck one down Ayub’s throat at deep midwicket, having made 25. Jaker Ali tried hard in the last 13 balls, hitting a six and a four, but couldn’t quite take Bangladesh to the 200-run mark. That may not have mattered, seeing how Pakistan chased down the target.

CONMEBOL has opened an investigation into Darwin Nunez's conduct after he was involved in a brawl with fans following Uruguay's loss to Colombia.

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• Uruguay beaten in Copa America
• Tempers flared after full-time
• Players jumped into stands

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After 10-man Colombia beat Uruguay 1-0 in a Copa America semi-final, tempers flared. Guillermo Varela was sent off, and a number of players then headed into the stands to berate Colombian fans. In a mass brawl, Nunez appeared to be punched by a fan, and in retaliation, he was seen throwing punches back.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Now, CONMEBOL has opened an investigation into the violent scenes. Objects were thrown and some supporters were visibly injured. Uruguay captain Jose Maria Gimenez claimed that there was almost a "disaster" in the stadium, as he joined Nunez in jumping into the stands.

• WHAT CONMEBOL SAID

  In a statement, CONMEBOL said: "The Disciplinary committee of CONMEBOL has opened an investigation to understand the sequence of events and the responsibilities of those involved in the acts of violence that occurred at the end of the match between the national teams of Uruguay and Colombia.

  "On the eve of the final of Copa America, we want to reaffirm and warn that no action will be tolerated that tarnishes this global football celebration, which involves both the players and the fans present in the stadium, and which will be watched by hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.

  "It is unacceptable that an incident like this turns passion into violence. Therefore, no behaviour that harms the sporting competition and the most beautiful spectacle in the world, which belongs to the entire football family, will be tolerated."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Uruguay may not be able to win the Copa America but they have one more game to play. They will face Canada in the third-place play-off this weekend.

For the time being, Daniel Farke looks as if he will survive another day in the Leeds United dug-out.

Time is surely running out for the under-fire German, though, before the powers that be at Elland Road are tempted to pull the plug. Yet, journalist Graham Smyth has come out to clarify that a change in the Whites’ hot seat is not anticipated at this stage.

However, if the Premier League defeats continue to stack up, the 49ers might be left with no choice but to get rid, as a tough fixture list of Aston Villa at home and Manchester City at the Etihad close out November.

Some names are floating about already, regarding who could succeed the ex-Norwich City manager if he is given the axe, with a previous FA Cup winner catching the eye…

The potential replacements for Farke at Leeds United

This isn’t fresh news surrounding Farke being under pressure in the Elland Road dug-out.

Indeed, last season – even after promotion was successfully clinched – it was speculated that Leeds were tempted to get rid of the 49-year-old. Then, the Guardian even speculated that Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in line to take over the Premier League-bound outfit.

In the here and now, Gary O’Neil is out of a job and managed to steer Wolves to 14th spot in the daunting top-flight during the 2023/24 season. Could he be a pair of safe hands that enable Leeds to push out of their current doom? He only very recently nearly returned to Wolves, only for a deal to fall through.

The West Yorkshire outfit have also been tentatively linked to RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior in recent weeks, but Leeds could look elsewhere.

Who? Well, Brendan Rodgers could be one man, with the 49ers alleged to have previously spoken to the ex-Liverpool boss about the Whites’ job before they hired Sam Allardyce in 2023.

Now, having just been relieved of his duties at Celtic after an 83-win stint back at the Hoops helm, it could be the perfect time to reignite talks, with the Northern Irishman a clear upgrade on Farke when looking at his managerial record in even more detail.

How Rodgers is a "world-class" upgrade on Farke

This isn’t to say that Farke won’t be remembered fondly down the line for what he has achieved at the West Yorkshire giants, with 100 points accumulated last season seeing Leeds lift the Championship title in style.

But, it’s night and day when assessing the German’s successes in the second tier, next to his struggles in the gruelling top-flight, with a dismal win percentage of just 15% in the Premier League next to his name, collecting only nine wins from a possible 60.

Whereas Rodgers is far more at home in the high-intensity division, with 139 wins collected from 312 outings in the Premier League.

His overlooked time at Swansea City will stand out for Leeds fans, with Rodgers managing to steer the Welsh outfit to 11th place in the Premier League way back in 2011, just after clinching promotion out of the Championship.

On top of that, the 52-year-old would manage to regalvanise Leicester City after the legendary Claudio Ranieri departed, with two fifth-place finishes even seeing Gary Neville once tip the “innovative” boss for the Manchester City job post-Pep Guardiola.

The FA Cup would, of course, also come the Northern Irishman’s way during this celebrated stint with the Foxes, with Farke’s achievements at Championship level now largely paling in comparison.

This is before you even touch on the fact that Rodgers once cultivated a staggering 62-game unbeaten streak in Glasgow with Celtic, with talkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor also going out of his way to hail the Leeds-linked manager as “world-class”.

Rodgers will hope he can be beneficial to Leeds in the present, though, away from all his past glittering achievements, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin perhaps benefiting from a change of boss, having seen what the Northern Irishman got out of an ageing Jamie Vardy.

At the moment, however, this is all just speculative chatter.

But, if push comes to shove and Farke is still floundering under all the pressure, Leeds would be hard-pressed to find a better replacement than the out-of-work FA Cup winner.

Fewer touches than Perri: Farke must ditch Leeds flop who's Meslier 2.0

Daniel Farke has a new Illan Meslier figure to worry about at Leeds United.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 10, 2025

“Never faced a situation like this,” says Sri Lanka captain after losing three members of six-man attack

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Dec-2020Sri Lanka were in such a good situation in the early stages of the first Test they could even have dominated had multiple injuries not hit. This, at least, was the view of Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, whose dressing room was decimated by injury through the course of the four days at Centurion.Sri Lanka made 396 in the first innings – their highest ever score in South Africa – but lost Dhananjaya de Silva to a thigh strain during what was arguably their most fluent innings of the Test. In subsequent days Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara withdrew from the attack due to injuries, meaning Karunaratne had only three good bowling options remaining.Despite the good first-innings total, they went on to lose by an innings and 45 runs, after South Africa racked up a total of 621 against a substantially depleted attack.”I’ve never faced a situation like this and maybe no one has, where in one match you lose three bowlers,” Karunaratne said. “When we started we had a balanced attack, with bowlers I could use for various roles. But in the first innings we lost that. We had been in a position where we could have even dominated the game. We had been in worse situations than this on our last tour to South Africa when we won those games. Losing this [game] by an innings is a huge disappointment.”We had scored the most we’d ever scored [in South Africa] in the first innings. We knew after making that total that it’s going to get harder to bat on later in the game as well. If our bowlers had stayed fit we would have been able to do something. Our batsmen did a good job in this match.”Karunaratne was unwilling to be too severe on the second-innings batting effort either. Sri Lanka conceded a first-innings lead of 225, but aside from the absence of de Silva, they also had to contend with a niggle that Dinesh Chandimal picked up, as well as Rajitha and Kumara’s inability to do anything but hobble between the wickets. Wanindu Hasaranga was also struggling to run after injuring his thigh diving on the ball on day three.Related

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• Could have pulled some of our quicks out of LPL – Arthur

Karunaratne suggested that Sri Lanka’s collapse to 180 all out in the second innings was at least partly due to injuries having wiped out their prospects of victory.”We were 200 runs behind and if we’d chased that down and set a target, we still wouldn’t have had any bowlers to defend it,” he said. “We had two wicket-taking bowlers, and once their spells finish, the next bowlers we had available are myself, Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka.”We have three wicketkeepers in the XI, so we don’t have a lot of part-time bowlers. I think that must have been in the batsmen’s minds in the second innings, because no matter how well we set up a target, it’s still not going to be easy. And when batsmen can’t run, that makes it tough because then you can only score with fours or sixes. Sticking around for two and a half days on this wicket would have been tough. It was still seaming and the bounce was inconsistent.”Sri Lanka hope to have senior seamer Suranga Lakmal back for the second Test, but he is battling against time to recover from a hamstring niggle by Sunday. Chandimal is also doubtful with what seemed to be groin problem sustained while batting. Top-order batsman Oshada Fernando is expected to be fit for the second game, however. Sri Lanka also have fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando in reserve, while Vishwa Fernando got through the first Test unscathed – the only frontline quick to do so.”We’re not sure about Suranga’s fitness. We hope he’ll be fit, but we’ll have to watch a few more days. Chandimal’s injury also needs to be observed. We don’t know yet whether he’ll be able to play, but I suspect he’ll be able to. We’ll need to replace Dhananjaya de Silva. The big loss going to Wanderers is that we don’t have our best attack anymore. We’ll do what we can with the players we have left.”In the dressing room, it’s not easy to handle this kind of situation. As a captain I need to work out how to keep my head up and keep the players together. There’s a lot of disappointment because we arrived on this tour with a lot of hopes. We’d been in a positive mindset. But the series isn’t over yet. I’m sure the replacement players will do well in the second Test.”

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has suggested he is open to moving to MLS when the time comes for him to leave the German giants.

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• Neuer in last year of Bayern deal
• Goalkeeper open to MLS transfer
• Says he won't go to Saudi Arabia

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 38-year-old has entered the last year of his contract with the Bundesliga side and was asked if he will opt for a spell abroad in the final phase of his career. The Bayern captain has said he would like to experience life in another county, but dismissed the notion of making the switch to the Middle East.

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  WHAT NEUER SAID

  "I always wanted to play at the highest level. I have thought about this option over the course of my career; I have always had enquiries and offers," he said to Die Welt. "But I knew that Bayern was the best place for me because of the environment and the squad. There has never been a club where I have had more fun. Although you should never say never: I would not move to Saudi Arabia or Qatar. If anything, MLS would have been an option. I spoke to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who played there, about it. But you have to think it through carefully. Also because you play a lot on artificial turf there, which is not ideal for a goalkeeper."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Neuer joined Bayern from Schalke in 2011 and has made over 500 appearances in all competitions for the club. The 123-time Germany international is currently starring for the national team at Euro 2024, having started all four of his team's games so far.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NEUER?

  After his involvement at Euro 2024, Neuer will take a break before joining up with the rest of the Bayern squad for pre-season. It's likely that the 2024-25 campaign will be the goalkeeper's last with the Bavarians, and it will be interesting to see what he chooses to do after that, with MLS clearly a possibility.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are still waiting for their first victory of the Premier League season and have suffered an injury blow as they look to get off the canvas.

Wolves prepare to face Brighton in crunch clash

Over the last couple of matches, Wolves have shown small improvements after an EFL Cup victory over Everton and an impressive draw away to Tottenham Hotspur, though there is still a long way to go for Vitor Pereira in his hunt for survival.

Sam Johnstone has emerged as a competent option between the sticks, helping to spark a mini-revival, and Express & Star reporter Liam Keen stated on the outlet’s podcast that he can see the England international growing in stature as he strikes up a fruitful relationship with the Old Gold backline.

He said: “I love the fact he was loud against Spurs. I think it’s really important to pick up on that. And actually, he did it a fair bit against Everton as well. I’m really pleased Johnstone has been able to show – even to a small extent if you will – how good a goalkeeper he can be.”

Jhon Arias has been a revelation behind the scenes at Wolves and is a sign of better things to come. However, they simply have to get off the mark with a first Premier League win of the season at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

Sitting four points adrift, home matches at Molineux are pivotal if Pereira’s men want to climb the table, and there is a feeling that will need to happen sooner rather than later to avoid an unwanted scenario of staring down the barrel.

Three points would breed a new sense of optimism among a support who have had to deal with their fair share of frustration in recent times, though they will need to try and achieve that mission without one of their first-team regulars.

Wolves man Matt Doherty set for over a month on sidelines

Speaking after announcing his Republic of Ireland squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrimsson has confirmed Wolves man Matt Doherty is out for four to five weeks after fracturing his wrist.

He stated: “Jason Knight has a groin injury and is most likely out for four to five weeks. Matt Doherty has a fracture in his wrist and had an operation on it two days ago and is going to miss probably the same amount of time.”

Santiago Bueno says Wolves star is unreal in training and squad loved him instantly

Supporters of the Old Gold will feel optimistic after the latest update from Molineux.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Sep 29, 2025

Featuring frequently for the Old Gold, Doherty has made five appearances across all competitions this season, coming in at right-back and deputising in a central defensive role when needed.

Nevertheless, news of his injury will come as a substantial blow for Pereira, who now finds himself short on numbers on the right-hand side of his backline amid Ki-Jana Hoever’s knee problems.

Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has delivered another rant, telling those that want England to change Jude Bellingham’s role to “p*ss right off”.

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• Three Lions still searching for a spark
• Set to face Slovakia in the last 16
• Big selection calls for Southgate to make

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  With the Three Lions stumbling their way through the group stage at Euro 2024, as Gareth Southgate struggles to find a system that works, there have been suggestions that Real Madrid star Bellingham should be dropped into a deeper role alongside Declan Rice.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  That would allow Manchester City’s Premier League Player of the Year, Phil Foden, to operate as a No.10 and get more pace and creativity – in the form of Anthony Gordon or Cole Palmer – onto the flanks. Scholes, though, is having none of it.

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  WHAT SCHOLES SAID

  The United legend, who earned 66 caps for England in his playing days, has posted on social media: “[Kobbie] Mainoo will make you play, Foden and Bellingham will win you games, think forward and take less touches pls Dec. Laters.”

  Scholes added: “Keep hearing drop Bellingham back next to Rice… piss right off!”

  He was not done there and went on to say of claims that Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka could be moved to left-back – where Luke Shaw is nursing a knock and Kieran Trippier has failed to convince: “Making me piss these Arsenal legends trying to get Saka in at left back because they’re afraid he’s gonna be left out for Palmer.”

• WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  Big selection calls now rest in the hands of Southgate, as he considers shuffling his pack again for the start of knockout football. England, who topped their group and have landed on the most favourable side of the draw, are set to face Slovakia in the last-16 on Sunday.

“The India contracted players don’t know when they’re playing next, that’s a massive concern”

Sruthi Ravindranath20-Nov-2020Lisa Sthalekar feels the BCCI should have launched a full-fledged IPL-style women’s league “probably yesterday”. While the Indian board has been heading in the “right direction” vis-à-vis women’s cricket, it has been “quite slow” to move on a women’s IPL, Sthalekar stressed, and “the fact that the India contracted players don’t know when they’re playing next, that’s a massive concern”.”The reason why Australian cricket has been going so well in the women’s game is because we’ve invested in it.” Sthalekar, former Australia captain and commentator, said during a digital workshop about women in news and sport. “I still remember the first year we [Women’s Big Bash League] went to eight teams. We had only six teams in state cricket so we extended it by two.”ALSO READ: What’s next for India women?Much of the BCCI’s reluctance to roll out an IPL-style women’s league has historically been down to the perceived lack of depth in the domestic pool of players. While the WBBL, currently is in its sixth season, has gone from strength to strength and assumed standalone status last year, the Indian board is yet to expand the Women’s T20 Challenge (WT20C), which began in 2018 as a one-off exhibition match and has since involved three teams contesting in a total of four games.”I heard the argument in India that we don’t have the depth – we [Australia] didn’t think we had the depth at that time. Maybe things were a bit weaker to start with. Now look what’s happening. More and more girls pick up bat and the ball. We’re seeing quality teams where we’re already in the 42nd match of the season and we don’t know who’s going to make the final. It says that you [have] got to take a bit of a gamble but when is the right time to do anything? Probably yesterday.”The Indian women’s team, meanwhile, was expected to ride the wave of increased interest and viewership in the wake of a runners-up finish at the T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year, and a four-team WT20C seemed to be on the cards. But the Covid-19 pandemic not only put paid to those plans, it led to cancellation of several bilateral series. As such, India have not played any international cricket since the T20 World Cup final against Australia on March 8 and could next take the field only early next year, if the proposed tour of Australia goes ahead.”I think they (BCCI) are moving in the right direction but everyone’s quite slow to actually form women’s IPL, to provide enough matches,” Sthalekar said. “I know the pandemic and what the situation is like in India, but the fact that the India contracted players don’t know when they’re playing next, that’s a massive concern. They’ve just played a T20 World Cup final. They’re going to fall behind. I feel they’re the biggest untapped market and if they get it right the Indian women are going to dominate.”Innovations at the BBL – ‘I’m not a fan’
The latest Big Bash League innovations – Power Surge, X-Factor and Bash Boost – have divided opinion sharply, and Sthalekar was clear that she was “not a fan” of them, and highlighted that the women’s game did not need any such innovations.”I don’t think we need to be so innovative. I’ve just come back from the IPL [after a commentary stint]. We had a double-Super Over, we had a weekend full of Super Overs. I mean, you’re going to get one-sided affairs every now and then. The T20 game was to purely bring in a new audience, predominantly younger families and females, let’s be honest. Now you’re bringing in all these rules. Why are we making it more complicated than what it needs to be? I’m not a fan,” she argued. “As for the WBBL, we’re starting to see big enough scores. As long as the pitches and the decks have pace and bounce, we are going to see decent scores.”The Women’s T20 challenge, unfortunately it was a short turnaround and had low, slow wickets, hardly those girls training and it wasn’t the best advertisement for the game. I think in the WBBL, we’ve got it right. We can probably change rules slightly but they won’t change it because they keep the rules similar to international cricket, which I think is the right thing to do.”Why can’t we talk about Kimmince and Harris?
At ESPNcricinfo, we have been discussing the subject of same-sex relationships in cricket, and the fact that women cricketers have traditionally been more comfortable coming out when compared to their male counterparts. Sthalekar stressed that the conversation around homosexuality needed to be normalised within the sport, much more than has been the case.”There certainly seems to be more acceptance in women’s sport to be comfortable sharing that. Again, I think Australia’s leading the way. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done around the world. It needs to be seen as okay,” she said. “If you watch the coverage, we don’t make a big deal out of it. It is what it is, and we just move on.”We talk about it because if we’re going to talk about Alyssa Healy and Mitchell Starc why can’t we talk about Delissa Kimmince and Laura Harris? It should be part of the normal conversation.”

Sunderland are now only one nail-biting clash away from finally returning to the Premier League.

Of course, this isn’t going to be a straightforward passage back up to the promised land, as Chris Wilder’s intimidating Sheffield United will be aiming to make the Wearside outfit’s day out to Wembley dour by securing their own reentry to the exclusive division.

If Regis Le Bris’ side do perform to the heights they know they’re capable of and hold their nerve, however, top-flight football could finally be back on the menu at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland's key stars at Wembley

The Blades might well boast the Championship’s Player of the Season in Gustavo Hamer among other standout performers, but the Frenchman will back his own set of stars to get the job done regardless.

After all, Le Bris has his own creative menace down the left flank too in Enzo Le Fee, with the slick loanee’s excellent corner kick delivery against Coventry City last time out sealing Sunderland’s dramatic progression to Wembley.

Of course, Daniel Ballard also had to be in the perfect spot to power home the 25-year-old’s cross, with this ability to pop up with a moment of magic an effective weapon to call upon in the nerve-wracking final.

Alongside both Ballard and Le Fee, Le Bris also has Jobe Bellingham, Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda at his disposal in attack, with both Mayenda and Isidor getting in on the goalscoring action during the first leg victory over the Sky Blues.

But, Patrick Roberts might not be as fortunate as the tricky trio when it comes to making the starting XI for Wembley.

Consequently, the Black Cats boss could now be tempted to start Sunderland’s new version of Jack Clarke for the one-off tie over the hit-and-miss 28-year-old.

Clarke has history in the play-offs, albeit in League One, notably playing at Wembley on that day in 2022 when the Black Cats defeated Wycombe 2-0 courtesy of goals from Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart.

While Clarke didn’t start, he did come on as a second-half substitute for Embleton. On this occasion, however, their new Clarke must be given his big day out in the capital.

Sunderland's new Jack Clarke

In an ideal reality, the promotion-chasers would still have their former hero around as they attempt to navigate a passage back up to the Premier League.

But, Clarke chose to join Premier League-bound Ipswich Town last summer instead. Yet, that doesn’t diminish his superb tally of 23 goals and 28 assists for the Black Cats when he was performing at the peak of his powers.

Whilst Roberts has shown throughout his long stay on Wearside to date that he can also conjure up moments of quality like Clarke before him – with nine goals and 17 assists coming his way from 144 games – Sunderland’s next iteration of their revered ex-number 20 could instead be Romaine Mundle.

This could result in Mundle coming in for Roberts down the right, despite the ex-Standard Liege man being more of a natural option on the left flank. But, after the 29-year-old failed to register a single on-target effort on the Sky Blues goal across two legs, drastic measures might be deemed necessary.

This suggestion doesn’t even look that radical when you assess the table above with Mundle actually playing 35 career games down the right wing previously, culminating in a healthy six goals and five assists coming his way.

Away from his overall career numbers, however, and he’s already showing why he could be the most fitting recipient of the baton from Clarke when donning a Black Cats strip, with Mundle tallying up five goals and two assists across 23 league contests this season when injury-free.

Previously hailed as “brilliant” by Sunderland skipper Dan Neil, Mundle could well find he’s chucked out to the right flank for his team’s all-or-nothing playoff final, therefore, with the Frenchman having to play his best possible XI no matter what.

Le Fee 2.0: Sunderland set sights on signing "fantastic" star from France

Sunderland could be about to pick up their next Enzo Le Fee with this summer buy.

By
Kelan Sarson

May 21, 2025

Stats highlights from the second ODI at Eden Gardens between India and Australia

Bharath Seervi21-Sep-20173 – India bowlers to claim hat-tricks in ODIs. The first to achieve this was Chetan Sharma against New Zealand in Nagpur in the 1987 World Cup. The second and third have both come at the Eden Gardens – Kapil Dev against Sri Lanka in 1991 and Kuldeep Yadav against Australia. Overall, Kuldeep registered the 44th hat-trick in ODIs.2 – Wristspinners to achieve the hat-trick in ODIs. Both have come this year within 15 matches – Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga against Zimbabwe in Galle in July and Kuldeep. No wristspinner achieved it in first 45 years of ODI cricket in 3898 games.1 – Kuldeep is the first player to take hat-trick in Under-19 youth ODIs as well as ODIs. Kuldeep took a hat-trick against Scotland in the Under-19 World Cup in 2014 in Dubai.7 – Hat-tricks against Australia in ODIs, including Kuldeep’s. The others to do so are: Jalal-ud-din in 1982 (the first hat-trick in ODI history), Wasim Akram in 1990, Jerome Taylor in 2006, Shane Bond in 2007, Lasith Malinga in 2011 and Steven Finn in 2015. 5 – India players to take a hat-trick in International cricket. Apart from Chetan, Kapil and Kuldeep in ODIs, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan have done it in Tests. Three of those have come at Eden Gardens: Kapil, Harbhajan and Kuldeep.