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Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki was called out on an unfortunately timed pitch clock violation during the first inning of Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals.

On Suzuki's first plate appearance, he fouled a pitch off himself, hitting his upper leg region in multiple spots while facing a full count. Suzuki then briefly walked away from the plate, as he appeared to be experiencing some discomfort. He was then ruled out for a pitch clock violation, the Cubs' third out of the game to end the first inning.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell did not seem happy with this decision, and came up onto the field to plead his case to the umpire. Suzuki was seemingly hurt after hitting himself with the foul, and likely should have been given that moment to re-gather himself instead of getting called out.

Fortunately, that missed opportunity doesn't appear to have cost the Cubs too much. Through three innings, the Cubs lead the Royals 4-1 thanks to a three-run home run from Matt Shaw and a solo home run from Carson Kelly.

He has been one of cricket’s most laidback vibes for years but in leadership is revealing some of his more intense, driven, and occasionally unforgiving forms

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jun-2025″Most teams sort of become an image of their captain, right?” These were the thoughts of Brendon McCullum, who over a 21-year career in international cricket has perhaps shaped the tenor of Test-match cricket more than any other single figure this century.Right now, this Sri Lanka Test team is being crafted by Dhananjaya de Silva. And his cricketing DNA and his vision for where the team could go are all over the enterprise. The team, increasingly, is becoming a reflection.For starters, there is an emphasis on utility. How many skills can you bring to the table is a primary question. De Silva frequently fields at slip himself, is the kind of captain who finds reasons to bowl his offspin, has just launched himself up the order to No. 4, and cannot stand letting a game drift. If wickets are not forthcoming, there is a new field in place, a new angle of attack he encourages, a fresh problem he puts in front of the batter to solve. There is, you sense, no play that he doesn’t want to be part of.Related

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Kusal Mendis counterattack balloons Sri Lanka's lead before Bangladesh collapse

It follows that this Sri Lanka XI for the Colombo Test has two spin-bowling allrounders, an opener and a No. 3 who can potentially keep wicket (Lahiru Udara stood in for 38.4 overs as Kusal Mendis was unavailable through injury). Then there is one frontline bowler who can bowl with either arm and can bat a bit, one top-order batter who bowls a bit with either arm, a left-arm seamer, a right-arm seamer, and a spin bowler who is frequently happy to strap the pads on and produce a brave showing as nightwatcher.This is, essentially, a team of generalists. If you’re going to specialise, buddy, you better be damn good at that one thing. The three single-discipline players – Pathum Nissanka, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando – have all acquitted themselves nicely in this match. It’s worth mentioning on Asitha and Vishwa’s behalf that de Silva has insisted that more seam bowlers play home Tests for Sri Lanka, despite having been blooded in a team that found seam bowling at home essentially redundant in the late 2010s.De Silva himself has not been in especially good batting form, but he has found ways to be central to Sri Lanka’s progress in this series. He has also been visibly more of a general than he has previously been. On day three, he took two vital wickets, pinning form batter Najmul Hossain Shanto in front of the stumps soon after having Mominul Haque caught at slip. He also dismissed Mominul in the first innings.De Silva began this WTC cycle by laying out to his team how intently he wanted them to get to the final•AFP/Getty ImagesDe Silva’s bowling is not especially menacing – he doesn’t get the kind of drift or the ragging turn, or possess the subtleties that might make him a wicket-taking option on flatter tracks. But on pitches that give him a little to work with – left-armers’ footmarks, a little dryness underneath the surface, a tackiness off the deck – he can find ways to strike. He already has more Test wickets than Angelo Mathews or Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka players he can be most readily compared to.This is the first World Test Championship [WTC] cycle he is in charge of from the beginning, so he seems especially intent on putting his mark on what he sees as a trophy campaign. Although for captains such as Ben Stokes, “there was nothing wrong with Test cricket before” the WTC, for the likes of de Silva, it has become a cycle to build an entire team identity around. In the first two Tests of this cycle, there have been three debutants. Milan Rathnayake, another allrounder, may not have been elevated to international cricket as he has had de Silva not been a key decision-maker.De Silva himself had revealed that he told his team how close they had been to the last WTC final, and how intently he wanted them to get to that final in this cycle. Kamindu Mendis, Sri Lanka’s best Test batter of the last 18 months, affirmed that that was a major driver.”We were close in the last two cycles,” Kamindu said. “In the one just past, we actually had a big opportunity. Honestly, our team plan is built around the WTC. We’re trying to correct the mistakes of the last two cycles. This time, we’ve got a good start. If we keep going like this, I think we can achieve what we are aiming for.”Aesthetically, de Silva has been one of cricket’s most laidback vibes for years. He plays in a long-sleeved jersey with a popped half-collar. His drives are pure. His pulls are languid. Even the sweeps have grace. The sleeve tattoo on his arm has a floral design. In nine years of international cricket, there have never been angry de Silva moments. There have been plenty of chill ones.This is a cricketer comfortable with the softer parts of his personality, but who, in leadership, is now revealing some of his more intense, driven, and occasionally unforgiving forms. If he is fashioning this Test team like a knife-maker hones an edge, he may soon quite clearly see his own image looking back at him.

Chelsea and Argentina star Enzo Fernandez has switched agents as he links up with former Paris Saint-Germain star and compatriot Javier Pastore's agency. The World Cup-winning midfielder has been a key figure in the Blues' dressing room since joining them from Benfica in January 2023 for a then-record fee. In the current season, Fernandez has appeared in 22 matches in all competitions and scored five goals.

Fernandez switches agent

Fernandez was previously managed by former Uruguayan footballer Uriel Perez but, as of December 2025, the Argentine has parted ways with Perez to sign for a new agency named The Elegant Game, according to . The company was co-founded by former Argentina international and PSG star Pastore.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportCould Fernandez leave Chelsea?

The change of agent could spark rumours of Fernandez seeking a possible move away from Stamford Bridge. However, there have been no concrete reports on the midfielder parting ways with the Premier League giants in recent times. In April 2025, the 24-year-old was linked with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid, however, Chelsea were ready to do all they could to keep the midfielder in their set-up. Ultimately, Los Blancos never made a formal offer for Fernandez.

Fernandez recalls winning World Cup with Messi

In a recent interview, Fernandez reflected on winning the World Cup for Argentina with the legendary Lionel Messi in 2022 in Qatar. Recalling the most memorable moment of his life, the Chelsea star told : "Winning the World Cup with Messi was incredible. We were fully motivated because our team grew up watching Leo at home on TV. We’d been fighting for it for many years and Messi had unfinished business. I’m so proud that I was able to share that moment with him and win the World Cup alongside him, knowing what it meant to him and all of us. Of course, we all wanted to do it for him because it was the only sporting achievement missing for him.

"He’s a great person and I’m so proud to share these moments with him. He’s the greatest of all time, so it’s a privilege to share the dressing room with him. It’s a huge thing for me and I’m really enjoying it. I try to make the most of every moment spent with him."

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Getty Images SportFernandez's injury problem ahead of World Cup year

Fernandez struggled with knee problems a couple of months back and had was sidelined for a few games for the Blues. He even pulled out of back-to-back Argentina squads during the October and November international break as he did not want to aggravate his injury further ahead of his nation's title defence campaign in North America next summer.

Before pulling out of the national team squad in November, the midfielder had 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."

Fernandez will be back in action for Enzo Maresca's side on Saturday as they host Everton in a difficult Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge.

While no official decision has been made, it is understood that the selectors are mulling changes

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Nov-2025

Sri Lanka may sack T20 captain Charith Asalanka two months out from a home World Cup. Chief selector Upul Tharanga insisted no decision over the captaincy had yet been made, but did confirm that the selectors were mulling changes.According to Tharanga, Asalanka’s poor form in T20Is has prompted this re-evaluation. That Asalanka was sent home ahead of the ongoing tri-series in Pakistan was only due to illness, or so at least team management has claimed. In any case, it is possible he has captained his last T20 match for Sri Lanka.”We have to weigh our best options after this series,” said Tharanga, when asked whether the selectors were considering a change in captaincy. “With a World Cup so close we can’t make a lot of big changes. The selectors, after talking to the coach, will have to make a decision on what’s best for the team.”Related

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Tharanga indicated that the selectors had been mulling a change to the leadership even before the ongoing tour of Pakistan, which is why they had appointed Dasun Shanaka – who has captained Sri Lanka before – vice-captain for the tour. “That was to give us another option,” Tharanga said.Still, no firm decision has been made, he said.”Still Charith is our captain. It’s because of an illness to Charith that we appointed Dasun as our stand-in captain. Charith is still the captain in our plans. We haven’t made a decision to change that. We’ve planned all along for Charith to captain this World Cup. We’ll see what happens. We haven’t made a decision about that yet.”Charith hasn’t been among the runs in T20s, and because of an illness he was forced to return home, unfortunately.”Asalanka had never quite established himself as a reliable T20I batter, with a strike rate of 126 across 68 innings. He’s been modest in 2025 too, having scored only 156 runs in 12 innings this year, with a strike rate of 122. Sri Lanka have won 11 and lost 14 matches under Asalanka’s captaincy.Still, his return from Pakistan ahead of the tri-series serious prompted speculation in local media. One theory suggested Asalanka had been among the players who opposed remaining in Pakistan following a suicide bombing in Islamabad, and that his being sent home was punishment for voicing opinions that ran counter to board wishes. As the tri-series runs for two weeks, teams would generally keep a player in the squad until they make a recovery, especially if that player is captain.Tharanga said it was illness that forced the selectors’ hand.”He had a viral fever, and he had body aches,” Tharanga said of Asalanka. “The physio told us that it’s hard for him to predict when Charith would get better, and that’s why we had to make that decision.”We’ve also had a problem in the middle order, and we’ve not been consistent there. If he couldn’t play, we needed to have someone else there. That’s why we brought Charith to Sri Lanka.”Tharanga envisioned Asalanka playing a role in Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign with the bat.”Charith is a very talented cricketer, with a lot of experience. I’m sure he’ll be an important cricketer for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup. We’ve seen what he can do in the middle order, where sometimes he’s won games by himself. He’s in our World Cup plans.”

Devine and Halliday’s fifties took New Zealand from 38 for 3 to 227 before their bowlers bundled out Bangladesh

Shashank Kishore10-Oct-2025

Sophie Devine took 65 balls to hit her first boundary•AFP/Getty Images

The less-experienced teams have often been challenged to sustain levels of dominance over longer periods at this World Cup. Bangladesh alone have found themselves in this situation three times. While they prevailed over Pakistan in their opening game, they haven’t been able to match England or New Zealand’s might.On Friday, Bangladesh’s moment of reckoning was when they had woven a web around New Zealand’s top order. Rabeya Khan, the legspinner, was getting them to rip and fizz off the Guwahati pitch. At 38 for 3, the moment was theirs to seize. They couldn’t. Eventually, they conceded 227 for 9, which proved to be 100 too many, as New Zealand got off the mark after losses to Australia and South Africa.Like she had done in those two games, Sophie Devine stood like a rock. And batted without the typical flair or enterprise she is known to bring. She was willing to dig in, play patiently, look ugly, and fight the conditions – both in terms of the heat and the surface – to eke out a half-century that she would consider perhaps far more valuable than the century she got against Australia in a losing cause just last week in Indore.If Devine’s half-century was the pillar, Brooke Halliday’s was the icing on the cake for the inventiveness. Like she briefly did against South Africa, Halliday negated the spin threat by sweeping the bowlers off their lengths. This isn’t to say she was over-aggressive at all times; she was measured to begin with and took calculated risks as her partnership with Devine progressed.They put on 112, and it took them 166 balls. But for much of that duration, they didn’t show the desperation to break free. Halliday top-scored with 69 before falling to trigger another mini-wobble. Her attempt to play a slog sweep led to a top-edge pouched by Nigar Sultana, and Devine was out trying to hack one over cow corner, in the same over where she had hit offspinner Nishita Akter for two sixes back-to-back.Brooke Halliday played the sweep to good effect•ICC/Getty Images

Fortunately, New Zealand were helped by late cameos from Maddy Green, Lea Tahuhu and Isabella Gaze, who combined to add 49 to help give the innings a late lift. New Zealand pocketed 74 off the last ten overs to have momentum with them at the halfway mark.Any chance Bangladesh had to take the game head-on was in the powerplay. But their top order looked diffident, with their inadequacies against the swing and seam of Jess Kerr and Rosemary Mair exposed. They hardly played an aggressive shot in the first ten overs, and quickly found themselves 22 for 3. This included the wicket of Sobhana Mostary. The half-centurion from their previous game against England was out for 2, to a leading edge to short third off Jess Kerr.If Bangladesh went spin, New Zealand continued to frontload with pace. After a thoroughly impressive first spell from Jess Kerr and Mair, Lea Tahuhu showed she has still got her bag of tricks, profiting not as much from raw pace but subtle changes in length and seam movement. Bowling the hard length, she had Sumaiya Akter chipping one to cover, and then had Shorna Akter lbw with a superb nip-backer. At 33 for 6, it was only a matter of time before Bangladesh folded.Fahima Khatun and Rabeya then resisted to add 44 for the eighth wicket to prolong New Zealand’s wait. Fahima’s early reprieve, when Gaze put down a regulation chance, helped her extend her stay. She was eventually the last batter out for 34 after stonewalling her way through 80 deliveries, with Bangladesh bowled out for 127 in 39.5 overs.Despite the win, New Zealand would reflect on their top-order woes that they would want to fix heading to Colombo. Suzie Bates did score 29 off 33 on Friday, her first runs in the World Cup, but Amelia Kerr and Georgia Plimmer were once again not able to force the pace in the powerplay. For now, Devine seems to be raising the bar with every innings, but with more trial by spin to come, they will do well to have the top order contributing more.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte has issued a damning critique of his side after their latest defeat against Bologna in Serie A, hinting at a potential departure from the club. The Italian coach expressed profound concern over the team's perceived lack of "chemistry" and "desire to fight," openly questioning his effectiveness and the players' commitment.

• Conte's candid assessment after Bologna defeat

  Conte did not mince words after his side's disappointing 2-0 defeat to Bologna on Sunday. Goals from Thijs Dallinga and Jhon Lucumi sealed the win for Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, pushing Napoli further down the Serie A table. Speaking to DAZN and in the subsequent press conference, Conte expressed deep concern over the team's lack of energy and fight.

  "We needed more energy in everything. What's disappointing is that they showed more positivity and desire than us," Conte stated, referencing Bologna's performance. "It should make us reflect. It's the fifth defeat we've suffered this start of the year. It means we need to reflect, which we've already done. They played on Thursday and looked poisoned, we did our homework until the game was even."

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  Concerns over team chemistry and fighting spirit

  Conte elaborated on the fundamental issues plaguing his squad, highlighting a lack of unity and resolve. "Three or four months have passed and there's no chemistry, no desire to fight together. I don't know if we'll be able to change the situation," he admitted. "I don't want to be with a deceased person; everyone has to take responsibility. I'm the first to be held accountable. Heart transplants aren't an option. Each of us needs to rediscover our spirit and our grit."

  The former Chelsea and Inter manager did not shy away from self-criticism, indicating that the team's poor run reflects on his ability to motivate them. "We often think that change can happen overnight. What we've done shouldn't be forgotten, but we need to keep working. We need to ask ourselves if we're doing it the right way and with the same desire for revenge as last season. I'm disappointed because I'm not finding the energy in the guys again; it means I'm not doing a good job," Conte confessed. 

• Hojlund's performance a rare positive in a poor display

  Despite the overall dismal team performance against Bologna, Conte singled out Rasmus Hojlund as a player who showed some promise. Napoli failed to register a single shot on target, a stark statistic reflecting their attacking struggles. However, Hojlund's individual effort was noted by the coach.

  "I didn't mind Hojlund today, perhaps the best player on the pitch. He attacked the depth and held his own, but if the performance is judged solely on goals, it becomes relative. We had prepared a few things, we should have supported him more," Conte explained. "Honestly, I didn't mind it. Perhaps he was the best player on the pitch for me: he held his own, he attacked the depth. Lucumi struggled to control him. Then, if we end the match on whether or not he scored, then it's a different story. We had prepared a few things, we should have supported him more. Rasmus handled several balls, we were lacking. I thought his game was good."

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  What next for Napoli and Conte?

  The defeat to Bologna leaves Napoli in fourth place in Serie A, with 22 points from 11 matches. Their recent form shows a worrying trend, with two losses in their last five league matches. The result against Bologna saw them outplayed by a team that sits just one place below them in the standings, with Bologna now on 21 points. Napoli's lack of shots on target (one) compared to Bologna's (four) further illustrates their struggles.

  The immediate aftermath of Conte's comments will likely involve intensive discussions with the club hierarchy. His statements indicate that his concerns are not new and have been communicated internally. The upcoming fixtures will be crucial in determining whether Conte can indeed "change the situation" or if his tenure at Napoli is nearing an end. However, Napoli will now face Atalanta in the Serie A immediately following the international break. 

He last played for India in 2017, while his previous competitive fixture was for LSG in IPL 2024

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2025India legspinner Amit Mishra has announced his retirement from cricket at the age of 42. He played all forms of international cricket from 2003 to 2017 and finishes with 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is. His last competitive fixture came for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024.”I’ve played cricket for 25 years across three decades with legends like Sachin Tendulkar, under leaders like MS Dhoni, and with current stars like Rohit Sharma,” Mishra told PTI. “Now that I’m slowly stepping away, it’s emotional, of course. Cricket gave me everything – respect, identity, and purpose.”Not everyone gets a grand farewell or big press conference, and that’s okay. What matters to me is that I gave everything I had. I played with heart. I performed whenever I got the opportunity.”