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Without Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Pratika Rawal, India’s batting order crumbled against England at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence ground in a warm-up fixture ahead of the ODI World Cup. Chasing 341, India were all out for 187, with Arundhati Reddy not coming out to bat due to a leg injury she sustained while bowling.Wicketkeeper Uma Chetry, who was included in the squad in place of the injured Yastika Bhatia, made a promising 45, while captain Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored with 66 off 68 balls. Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, and Sneh Rana combined to make just 43 runs in the middle order.Related

• Reddy suffers blow to knee during warm-up match against England

Sent in to bat, England, propelled by captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s brisk 120 and Emma Lamb’s 84, piled up 340. India’s pace spearhead Renuka Singh struck in her first over to remove Tammy Beaumont, and the hosts had both Amy Jones and Heather Knight back before the halfway stage. However, Sciver-Brunt and Lamb’s 173-run stand put England in front, despite Kranti Goud’s three-wicket haul later in the innings.Shafali Verma notched up 70 off 49•Getty Images

Shafali Verma, left out of India’s World Cup squad, scored a blistering 49-ball 70 in India A’s four-wicket win over New Zealand in a rain-affected fixture.After New Zealand posted 273 for 9 on the back of Izzy Gaze’s unbeaten 101 at No. 7, multiple rain interruptions left India chasing a revised target of 225 in 40 overs. Shafali’s brisk knock – which included 11 fours and a six – gave the innings early momentum. Captain Minnu Mani remained unbeaten on 39, while wicketkeeper Madiwala Mamatha contributed a crucial 56 not out off 60 balls at No. 8.Earlier, Sayali Satghare, the reserve seamer for India at the World Cup, picked up three wickets. India A had New Zealand reeling at 146 for 7, but Gaze’s counterattacking century helped the Sophie-Devine-led side post a competitive total.In Colombo, both the Pakistan-Sri Lanka game and South Africa’s match against Bangladesh were washed out. Sri Lanka were 33 for 1 in 7.3 overs when play came to an end, while in the other contest, South Africa had reached 45 for 3 in nine overs before rain intervened. Bangladesh’s young pacer Marufa Akter dismissed both Laura Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen, while Nahida Akter bowled Marizanne Kapp – a dream start for Bangladesh.

أكد حامد حمدان، لاعب منتخب فلسطين، فخره واعتزازه بتمثيل بلاده في بطولة كأس العرب 2025، مُشددًا على أن لاعبي الفريق اجتهدوا وعانوا كثيرًا للوصول إلى الدور ربع النهائي.

ويستعد منتخب فلسطين لمواجهة نظيره السعودي غدًا الخميس في تمام الساعة السابعة والنصف مساءً على ملعب لوسيل، ضمن منافسات الدور ربع النهائي من البطولة المقامة في قطر.

وقال حامد حمدان خلال المؤتمر الصحفي قبل مواجهة السعودية: “أعتقد أن ما حققه المنتخب الفلسطيني لم يكن صدفة ولا وليد اللحظة، بل كان نتاج عمل وجهد كبيرين، وتعب وصعوبات كثيرة”.

طالع أيضًا | شوبير يُفجر مفاجأة من العيار الثقيل بشأن موقف حلمي طولان من جهازه المعاون قبل كأس العرب

وتابع: “نحن، كمنتخب وكجهاز فني وكفلسطين عامة، عانينا واجتهدنا وواجهنا لحظات صعبة حتى نصل إلى هذه المرحلة، لتكون فلسطين حاضرة في ربع نهائي كأس العرب، وهو أمر لم يتوقعه الكثيرون”.

وأضاف: “دائمًا الفلسطيني قاهر المستحيل، وأنا فخور بتواجدي في هذه اللحظة بين مجموعة من اللاعبين والجهاز الفني وكل الكوادر، فخري بهم لا حدود له”.

واختتم: “هذا بالإضافة إلى فخري بكوني فلسطيني، نعد جماهيرنا دائمًا بأن نقدم أفضل ما لدينا، وأن القادم سيكون أفضل بإذن الله”.

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Abatimento. Este foi o clima de Thiago Carpini e o vestiário do São Paulo após a derrota contra o Flamengo, pela segunda rodada do Brasileirão.

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Com a pressão cada vez maior e diversos nomes de treinadores sendo especulados, Carpini concedeu a entrevista coletiva no Maracanã e ressaltou que enquanto nao receber nenhum comunicado, se sente respaldado.

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Assim como foi na derrota contra o Fortaleza, a diretoria do São Paulo optou pelo silêncio e não se pronunciou sobre o futuro de Carpini. A única interação no vestiário foi cumprimentar os atletas e comissão técnica.

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Vestiario de derrota, chateação. Conversa nenhuma, nao conversei com o presidente, executivo. Eles estiverem no vestiario, cumprimentando a mim e aos atletas, como sempre fazem. Nenhuma conversa fora disso. Se algo acontecer, nao era o momento para essa conversa. O ambiente foi de chateação por mais uma derrota do São Paulo – disse Carpini.

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Com a derrota no Maracanã, o São Paulo perdeu as duas primeiras rodadas no Brasileirão, algo que não acontecia desde 1990. Caso nenhuma movimentação seja anunciada, Carpini segue como treinador para o duelo do Tricolor contra o Atlético-GO, pelo Brasileirão.

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The Australia captain was especially emotive with the ball in hand as his team responded strongly to their Perth drubbing

Andrew McGlashan08-Dec-2024As Pat Cummins went through India’s lower order early on the third day in Adelaide, it felt like a statement from the Australia captain who had been particularly expressive with ball in hand throughout the contest.Mitchell Starc had already removed the main threat, Rishabh Pant, in the first over. Now a rapid bouncer from Cummins did for R Ashwin as he tried to hook, another rising delivery was fending into the gully by Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy ramped into the hands of deep third to give Cummins his third wicket. He could have finished with six when Mohammed Siraj, who was booed to the crease in rather pantomime-esque scenes after his run-in with Travis Head the previous day, fended at his first delivery but Alex Carey couldn’t gather the edge.Never mind. In the blink of an eye, Australia needed 19 to level the series. It was all done before the first interval, perhaps leaving some of the 33,000 in the ground a little torn between delight at the victory and a lack of cricket for the rest of a beautiful Sunday.For Australia, though, there was only one concern: winning. And they did so in a style every bit as emphatic as India’s victory in Perth.On the opening day Cummins had looked especially emotive – borderline angry – when he bounced out Pant. Late on the second night he produced a peach of a delivery to take Rohit Sharma’s off stump, which drew a few comparisons to the famous ball to Joe Root at Old Trafford in the 2019 Ashes.”This week we were back to our best, the team I remember and how we want to play our cricket so really satisfying,” Cummins said. “I was pretty pumped up. Probably felt like some big wickets in the context of the match. Especially the pink ball, feels like the margins have been quite small so maybe just pretty excited – more so than normal.”1:42

Cummins on Australia’s comeback win: ‘We were back to our best’

It was the fourth-shortest Test in Australia and 81 fewer deliveries than last season’s thrashing of West Indies, although this contest was witnessed by 135,012 across the three days – a record for an India Test in Adelaide despite its brevity.From the very first ball of the match, when Starc removed Yashasvi Jaiswal, it was an excellent two-and-a-bit days for Cummins and his team. That’s all it took to dismantle India twice across a collective 80 overs while Travis Head, not for the first time, produced the defining innings when there was a still a way back into the contest for the visitors.”When Trav walked out to the crease that was the turning point,” Cummins said. “Feels like every time he walks out the game’s in the balance…and within the space of a session or so he really took the game out of their hands. He’s done it time and time again for us in many different formats. So lucky he’s on our side because as a captain I wouldn’t know how to bowl to him, how to set fields to him.”But he also singled out the night session on the opening day, where Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne, took Australia to the close just one down, as a key period in setting up the game.”That was really gutsy what those guys did on that first night,” Cummins said. “You look back to Perth, it’s those small moments that if you win them and suddenly you wake up the next day and it’s a different day. Think that was a really good lesson and it was really gutsy to get through that period and meant some of the other guys later on could cash in.”Cummins again spoke of being reasonably happy with how he bowled in first Test in Perth – where he had a match return of 3 for 153 – and that not much changed for him here, but he looked better for the run from the moment he nibbled the new ball around in the first innings.He heaped praise on his pace-bowling colleagues, Starc and Scott Boland, who finished with eight and five wickets in the game respectively. Nathan Lyon sent down the grand total of one over – “He will jump in the ice bath, he has had a big week,” Cummins joked at the presentation – while Mitchell Marsh’s unconvincing four overs in the first innings faded from significance.”Some of the talk this week was around do we have enough bowling,” Cummins said. “Particularly that day one, thought it was a herculean effort from Starcy and Scotty. It was hot, close to 40 degrees, humid and basically just kept rotating the bowlers all day. Huge effort from those guys, showed their class, I feel very lucky as a captain to have those guys and then having someone like Lyno who we didn’t even need to call on. Feels like I’ve got a lot of tools at my disposal.”And so for the third time in a row a series between these two teams in Australia is level at 1-1 after the first two matches. Onto the Gabba.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed the reason Daniel Munoz sat out Sunday's trip to Fulham. Munoz missed out on the Premier League clash at Craven Cottage as the Eagles look to follow up their 1-0 win Burnley in midweek. The Colombian scored the winning goal at Turf Moor on Wednesday night but wasn't part of the matchday squad in west London at the weekend.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Munoz absent for Palace's game at Fulham

  Munoz wasn't part of the Palace matchday squad on Sunday afternoon, with the experienced Nathaniel Clyne instead called upon at right wing-back in Glasner's favoured three-man setup. The Colombian wasn't the only first team regular to miss out on a spot in the starting XI at Fulham, with Will Hughes also starting from the bench as Eddie Nketiah came in for a rare start.

  Nketiah scored his second league goal of the season on his first start as he featured alongside Yeremy Pino behind Jean-Philippe Mateta in attack. However, it was Munoz's absence that raised eyebrows after the 29-year-old hadn't missed a single minute of game time prior to Sunday's London derby.

  And prior to the weekend game at Fulham, Glasner confirmed the reason behind Munoz's absence in west London, which was due to a knee injury.

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• 'Sorry, mate, I have to rest you'

  When asked by Munoz wasn't included in the matchday squad by Sky Sports, Glasner replied: "His knee. I said to Danny 'sorry, mate, I have to rest you' and that's why he can't play. He knee is a little bit swollen. Of course, we never take any risk, and that's why he misses today's game. We are hopeful that he can return to face City next Sunday."

  And on Clyne's first league start of the season, Glasner said: "Clyne has not played many minutes, but he's always available and he knows what to do in this position. We know that we can always rely on Clyne.

  "He's not that attacking player like Danny, but he's very reliable, so that's why he starts. Then we know maybe we are missing a very attacking wing-back, so we're getting a second striker on the pitch, in [Eddie] Nketiah, who has proven that he can score goals."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'He's a mix between a right-back and a right winger'

  Munoz has established himself as one of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League following his arrival from Genk last January, and has become a mainstay in the Eagles starting XI. The Colombia international has scored three goals and provided two assists for the south London side in the Premier League this season as Glasner looks to mastermind a top-half finish.

  And Glasner had praised Munoz ahead of Palace's game at Fulham, telling the club's official website over the weekend: "I think it's unfair to compare him with right-backs because when you play a back four, as a right-back, you have to be a little bit more cautious. He’s, let's say, a mix between a right-back and a right winger, and that's why we're also playing this system because we know his attacking style and we know that he's very dangerous. Even before he came to Palace, I think he scored five goals in the Belgium league in six months and that's just his nature.

  "Of course his physicality, his runs, always being there and having this feeling in the box, at the far post, this is something special. You can't always have your right-back in the opposite box, but in our system we can, and that's one of the reasons why we play a back three. For us, Dani is a very important player. if you don't score many goals, and your right wing-back has now four… at the moment, after losing Ismaïla [Sarr, to injury] he's one of our few players who makes runs in behind without the ball, and that helps us."

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• Palace looking to bounce back in Europe

  After Sunday's game at Fulham, Palace are next in action against Shelbourne in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night as they look to bounce back from their 2-1 loss to Strasbourg last month.

  And Palace follow up their midweek European tie with the welcome of Premier League title contenders Manchester City. The Cityzens closed the gap on league leaders Arsenal to two points as they claimed a 3-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.

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Os torcedores do Vasco que marcaram presença no Galeão, nesta sexta-feira (24), para acompanhar a chegada de Phillipe Coutinho no Rio de Janeiro se surpreenderam com a presença de Ronaldinho Gaúcho no aeroporto carioca.

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Ronaldinho Gaúcho chegou ao Rio de Janeiro para a disputa do Futebol Solidário. O evento beneficente será disputado neste domingo (26), às 16h, no Maracanã, para arrecadar dinheiro e doações para as vítimas das tragédias climáticas no Rio Grande do Sul.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Vasco

Além de Ronaldinho Gaúcho, grandes nomes do esporte e da música, como Cafu, Adriano Imperador, Filipe Luís, Formiga,  Diego Ribas, Bebeto, Tamires, Petkovic e D’Alessandro, Ludmilla, Wesley Safadão, MC Daniel, Belo e Nattanzinho irão participar.

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A CBF será parceira na organização do evento, que será transmitido pela Globo e pelos canais Sportv. A emissora doará a receita dos patrocinadores para os projetos apoiados pela plataforma “Para Quem Doar”, e o valor arrecadado na bilheteria será convertido em doações para a Central Única de Favelas.

Já Coutinho aguarda a rescisão contratual com o Aston Villa, da Inglaterra, para assinar contrato com o Vasco. O meia-atacante atendeu os jornalistas presentes no Galeão e não escondeu o desejo em retornar ao Cruz-Maltino.

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➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos do Brasileirão

Se tudo andar como o planejado, Coutinho chega ao Gigante da Colina como principal contratação da temporada já na próxima janela, que abre em 10 de julho. A ideia é que Coutinho tenha poucos dias de férias e volte aos treinamentos o quanto antes para estar à disposição.

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It’s still early in the season, but Arsenal look almost unstoppable at the moment.

Mikel Arteta’s side continued their impressive form in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and now have the chance to extend their lead in the Premier League this afternoon.

However, to do so, the Gunners will have to beat an inform Sunderland side at the Stadium of Light, without Viktor Gyokeres, who scored last time out.

Fortunately, Arteta has a few ways of dealing with the Swede’s absence, and no, he doesn’t have to use Mikel Merino.

The Arsenal changes Arteta has to make

Before examining the players Arteta should bring into the team for this game, it’s worth taking a look at who is fit.

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

Fortunately, since Gyokeres’ injury, Arsenal have not lost anyone else to the medical room, and in even better news, Gabriel Jesus has returned to first-team training.

However, the Brazilian is unlikely to feature against Sunderland, nor are the likes of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke or Gabriel Martinelli, with the manager telling the press that “nobody new that can join the squad.”

Even so, there are more than enough players fit for changes to be made to the team that won in Prague on Tuesday night.

The first of which should come in defence, with Riccardo Calafiori coming back in for the impressive Piero Hincapie.

Likewise, while Christian Norgaard did a good job anchoring the midfield, Martin Zubimendi, or the Gunners’ “signing of the summer,” as one analyst described him, should come in for him.

The final midfield change should see Eberechi Eze replace Ethan Nwaneri, as the 27-year-old’s creativity and playmaking ability could be crucial in breaking down the Black Cats’ low block.

Finally, while Merino did brilliantly in scoring two goals against Slavia, this might be a game for Arteta to pick someone else to lead the line.

The Arsenal player who could replace Merino

While Arteta could go rogue and opt to start Nwaneri up top for this game, the more reasonable way to go would be to start Leandro Trossard.

Now, there are certainly arguments for keeping Merino as the striker, but equally, there are reasons why the Belgian should be given a go up top, such as his technical quality.

Even though Sunderland are in fine form, the Gunners are more than likely going to face a stubborn low block at the Stadium of Light.

Therefore, it would make more sense to have someone like the 30-year-old leading the line who has the ability to pick a lock, not just with a pass, but with some quality close control.

As good as Merino has been this year, he has never shown an ability to get past a defender with the ball at his feet.

The second reason for going with the “little magician,” as Arteta dubbed him, is that, unlike last season, he seems to have rediscovered his form.

For example, in 13 appearances, totalling just 742 minutes, he has scored three goals and provided four assists.

Appearances

13

Minutes

742

Goals

3

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.53

Minutes per Goal Involvement

106′

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.85 games, or more impressively, every 106 minutes.

Finally, since he arrived at the club, the Waterschei-born dynamo has been a clutch player, someone who can and often does pop up with the all-important goal.

Moreover, as the legendary Ian Wright put it, he’s also shown himself to be the squad’s “best finisher and most clinical finisher of chances.”

Therefore, while it sounds counterproductive, Arteta might be better off starting Trossard in Gyokeres’ place this weekend.

Arsenal have their next Xhaka who's one of the best in "world football"

The international gem could end up being an even better version of Xhaka for Arsenal and Arteta.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 7, 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers are placing third baseman Max Muncy on the injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee, the team announced Thursday.

Muncy heads to the IL after Chicago White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor attempted to steal third base and collided with Muncy's lower leg during Wednesday's 5-4 Dodgers win. Muncy tagged Taylor out, but went down clutching his knee and had to limp off the field with assistance from athletic trainer Thomas Albert.

Muncy told reporters Thursday that he is expected to miss about six weeks with the injury.

“It was tough news, but it was also great news in terms of when you look at the play and the injury that could have happened, we possibly got best case scenario,” said Muncy. “There’s no structural damage in there, which is huge. That was definitely a pleasant relief, but the timetable still kind of sucks for me personally. … It was a tough blow, but at the same time, I still get to play baseball this year instead of coming back next year around April.”

The two-time MLB All-Star, who is in his ninth season with the Dodgers organization, was in the middle of a strong campaign before going down with the injury, slashing .250/.375/.457 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs this season.

With Muncy out for the foreseeable future, the Dodgers are calling up outfielder Esteury Ruiz in a corresponding move. Ruiz, who the Dodgers acquired from the Athletics earlier this season, has spent this season in the minor leagues, but previously led the American League in stolen bases in 2023. Ruiz is slashing .292/.394/.458 with eight home runs, 37 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases for Triple-A Oklahoma City this year,

The South Africa captain smashed records at the Women’s World Cup and showed off a new aggressive side of her game

Firdose Moonda03-Nov-20252:48

Wolvaardt: Reaching three finals shows we’re doing something right

If you didn’t know Laura Wolvaardt was special, there’s a clever South African television advert that could tell you.A person sits on a couch with their face covered by a cricket magazine. Quinton de Kock is on the cover. A voice asks, “Who is the youngest person to score an ODI century for South Africa?” The person reveals themselves as Wolvaardt, complete with a smug grin. “Sorry, Quinny, it’s me,” she says and flings the magazine to one side.At 17 years and 105 days old, in August 2016, Wolvaardt raised her bat to a hundred against Ireland. Though she broke the record set by Johmari Logtenberg in 2007, the person best-known in South African circles for holding it was a male player, especially as women’s cricket was not even been televised when Wolvaardt broke the record. That man was Quinton de Kock. He was the youngest South African man to score an ODI century and he did it in November 2013, when he was 20 years and 326 days old. Sorry Quinny, it was never you.Related

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• The night Shafali defied her destiny

Wolvaardt is one of several female sportspeople to feature in the campaign which serves to remind South Africans that women are pioneers in things like becoming the first South African to win The Open (Ashleigh Buhai, if you were wondering) or the first senior football side to get out of the group stage of a World Cup (the women’s team, Banyana Banyana). Though gender comparison is often futile, in a world where competitive sport is only emerging from the shadows of patriarchy, it makes a point: women are worthy. And Wolvaardt has always been seen in that light.Laura Wolvaardt kept fighting in the final even as wickets fell at the other end•ICC/Getty ImagesAs a teenage prodigy, who was also a straight-A student, a wannabe doctor and an occasional musician, she entered the scene as a high-achiever. Two hundreds in the first 15 months of her ODI career promised great things, not least because her batting was so easy on the eye. Comparisons with Aiden Markram’s cover drive were meant to flatter Markram, not the other way around.There was, at one stage, a suggestion that she batted too slowly – with a strike rate of under 60 in her first year in ODIs and around 70 until the 2022 World Cup – but she played significant amounts of T20 cricket and improved. By the time she was made captain after the 2023 T20 World Cup, the only person concerned about whether she could juggle that role with her batting was Wolvaardt herself. She soon answered her own question about her capability.Wolvaardt had scored a century in her seventh innings as captain and six in the space of two years. Before this World Cup, Wolvaardt averaged 56.40 in ODIs and 40.37 in T20Is with a strike-rate of 122.30 as captain.Still, there were things missing in her game. Wolvaardt remained predominantly an off-side player and while she could find gaps on the ground, she seldom went over the top. In fact, in 110 ODIs before the Women’s World Cup 2025, she’d only hit 11 sixes. In 2025, she felt her ODI game struggled, with one hundred in eight matches in the same time that her opening partner Tazmin Brits scored five. And then, the World Cup started slowly for her with scores of 5 and 14 against England and New Zealand before she started to get going.Laura Wolvaardt showed off her on-side play as the tournament went on•ICC/Getty ImagesA 70 against India set South Africa up for a successful chase, and scores of 60 not out and 90 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan could easily have been much more. Her innings against Sri Lanka only ended because South Africa’s target was reached but Wolvaardt got those runs in 47 balls and her most productive shot was the on-drive. Things were changing.Then came the two games of her life. Wolvaardt’s 169 against England in the semi-final was an innings that showed a whole new side to her. She hit sixes over midwicket – four in the innings in fact – and displayed an element of power-hitting that has never previously been associated with her. Then, in the final, her valiant 101 came off 98 balls, a strike-rate of over 100 and she was going quicker through most of it. With some support, the story could have been different for South Africa.Instead, it’s different only for Wolvaardt. No other player has scored more runs than her in a single edition of the ODI World Cup. She was already South Africa’s leading ODI run-scorer but reached the 5000 run mark at this tournament and is sixth on the all-time list. At the rate she is going, the smart money would be on her to finish on top, considering she is likely to play longer than Smriti Mandhana, who is three years older.Despite the disappointment of defeat, she could recognise that she has evolved. “My ODI cricket has come a long way in this tournament. To win games, you’ve got to be nice and positive and nice and aggressive and I’ve really tried to explore that a bit in this tournament,” she said afterwards. “It hasn’t been my best year in ODI cricket. It was maybe a bit too conservative or one-dimensional, so I’m really happy with the different options that I was able to bring in throughout this tournament. I scored quite a lot of leg-side runs and a few leg-side boundaries, which is something I’ve been working on: to open up different spaces, because they stack that offside and dot me up there. In T20 cricket, it’s an option that I use, but not necessarily in ODI cricket, so I’m happy I was able to bring some of that in.”Laura Wolvaardt kept the chase alive with a stunning century•ICC/Getty ImagesShe also made her presence felt in the field, where she took the most outfield catches at this tournament, including the one-handed stunner at extra cover to dismiss Lea Tahuhu – an early candidate for catch of the tournament. With numbers and actions like all the above, Wolvaardt showed she is both an ever-evolving athlete and an astute professional but also that there is real heart behind both those qualities.Her emotional range has gone from none on public display when South Africa lost the T20 World Cup final last year, to a little in the form of some tears and a few sad smiles when they lost the final in Navi Mumbai. But unlike many of her team-mates, she didn’t break.Whether that is a front from someone who wants to put on a brave face, or the genuine and mature understanding of someone who is aware the world has not ended because a match was lost, is still unknown. For South Africa, it’s just leadership and it’s of the kind that could be crucial in keeping this team together. “Laura has shown a great deal of fortitude,” Mandla Mashimbyi, South Africa’s coach said. “And in terms of her talent and in terms of how she led the team, she’s also grown in this tournament. Going forward, this team will be even better, will be even stronger, even tighter. I’ve got no doubt, in the next World Cup, we’ll give it a good go.”Mashimbyi is not the only one who believes South Africa will come back, because that is in the DNA of the nation, which excels across sporting codes. But there is also fatigue. Reaching final after final after final and finishing empty-handed is draining and there may be a sense that South African cricket is becoming the sporting code that cries wolf.One of the few people who can change that is Wolvaardt and because they already know she’s special, her perspective is something critics will keep in mind. “I’m really proud that we’re able to reach three in a row. It shows that we’re doing something right domestically and from a squad perspective, consistency-wise,” Wolvaardt said. “Hopefully we can keep reaching finals and one day we can win one.”

Southampton chiefs have made a new manager decision which involves current interim boss Tonda Eckert.

Eckert looking to make it three wins in a row for Southampton

Following the sacking of Will Still at the beginning of the month, the Saints and Sport Republic are yet to appoint a new permanent manager.

A number of candidates have been linked with the St Mary’s vacancy, with Eckert impressing on a temporary basis, winning back-to-back Championship games to steer the club clear of the bottom three.

With the international break now finished, attention once again turns back to club action, with Southampton set to travel to Charlton Athletic on Saturday lunchtime.

As we know, the Saints are no closer to appointing Still’s long-term successor, meaning Eckert looks set to be given the chance to make it three victories in a row.

1.FC Koln U17

Assistant manager

2013-2016

RB Salzburg YL

Assistant manager

2016-2017

RB Leipzig YL

Assistant manager

2017-2019

FC Bayern U17

Assistant manager

2019-2020

Barnsley

Assistant manager

2020-2022

Genoa

Assistant manager

2022-2025

Southampton U21

Manager

2025

Southampton

Interim manager

2025 – present

He has impressed Saints star Finn Azaz, who scored last time out against Sheffield Wednesday, with the summer signing calling Eckert “top level”.

“Since his first meeting, I was really impressed. It hasn’t been drastic changes. He’s been able to watch from outside and tweak a few things. He has been able to instil his message and new energy and his drive and a new voice. As I say, it hasn’t been drastic changes.

“We are playing in the same shape almost. We went out there with similar personnel, [there were] just a few tweaks. I would like to thank him. He’s been top level.”

Now, a fresh manager update has emerged from St Mary’s ahead of the trip to The Valley.

Southampton to give Eckert next three games

According to sources from Give Me Sport and reliable reporter Ben Jacobs, Sport Republic have decided that Eckert is set to take charge of Southampton’s next three Championship fixtures.

Charlton Athletic vs Southampton

22nd November

Southampton vs Leicester City

25th November

Millwall vs Southampton

29th November

It is stated that the 32-year-old is not guaranteed to be given the job on a permanent basis just yet. However, if Southampton’s games against Charlton, Leicester and Millwall go to plan, Eckert could become a genuine contender.

Radio Solent’s Sports Editor Adam Blackmore even admitted recently that Eckert was always on the radar to be promoted and replace Still as Southampton manager, although it wasn’t supposed to come this early.

“Saints have spoken to candidates, but they can afford to be patient with Eckert’s good start, and it allows them time to see the market develop.

“Eckert was always Johannes Spors’ succession policy after Will. It just wasn’t supposed to be after months! So it’s highly unlikely anything imminent occurs either way …..like I said about Will, it would be a risky appointment giving it to Eckert …but if he wins 5 out of 5? Hard not to!”

The early signs are positive, and another three points on the weekend will only strengthen Eckert’s claim to be named Southampton’s next full-time manager.

Southampton told to appoint new manager over Eckert who "ticks every box"