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Under pressure, Bangladesh dropped three catches – two towards the end – to let South Africa escape to a win

Vishal Dikshit13-Oct-20253:33

Review: SA find ways to win under pressure

Seventy-eight for 5 in Guwahati and 78 for 5 in Visakhapatnam.These are not Bangladesh’s scores at the Women’s World Cup 2025 but the precarious positions they reduced two top oppositions in in their last three games and ended up on the losing side on both occasions. In the first, they were defending a modest 178 and gave England a scare, and on Monday against South Africa, they put up a much more competitive 232 with a bowling line-up that looked capable of defending it. However, they went down largely because of several fielding lapses that included three catches put down and South Africa clinched the thriller by three wickets.The Bangladesh bowlers were also not able to bowl accurately towards the end and bowled full tosses or in the range of the batters, which their captain Nigar Sultana said was because of dew. She also said that the result might have been different if the players had calmed their nerves.Related

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“Gripping the ball was quite difficult, there was dew around,” she said at the press conference. “The ball was wet. I tried to use our best bowlers at the death. Sometimes it is hard to hold on to the momentum, but our bowlers did well. But we learned a lot today, which we can use in the future.”It happens sometimes during the game,” she said of the fielding errors. “It was very difficult. Pressure is on and it was very difficult for the bowlers to grip the balls and for the fielders also. I don’t want to give any excuses. But still, in this sort of condition, you have to keep your nerves calm. We missed those chances, maybe if we could hold on to those catches, the result would be different.”Bangladesh spilled a few chances towards the end•ICC/Getty Images

Rabeya Khan missed a caught-and-bowled chance in the fifth over to reprieve South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt on 11, and she went onto score a steady 31. Bangladesh then dropped two chances towards the end with the chase getting tense. Substitute Sumaiya Akter couldn’t hold on to Chloe Tryon’s offering at wide long-on when on 46 when South Africa needed 53 off 42. And when Shorna Akter dropped a sitter at long-off with South Africa needing 9 off 8, it drew a dramatic reaction from the bowler Rabeya. The dangerous Nadine de Klerk was on 26 with No. 9 Masabata Klaas at the other end. In the next over, de Klerk smashed the remaining eight runs with a four and a match-winning six for the second game in a row.”I am not disappointed, I am proud,” Nigar said. “The way the girls fought for every ball. It wasn’t easy for us to keep a close game in control. I am happy as a captain seeing my team give 110%.”Certainly, there’ll be regret because if we would have won such close matches, it would have been a great moment for the team. We have a lot of room for improvement. We want to do better in the last three games.”There was dew from the start of South Africa’s chase when Bangladesh’s swing bowler Marufa Akter was seen frequently use the towel to wipe the ball dry. Since a fair bit of dew was expected later in the evening and Australia had shown against India on Sunday evening that batting second was not a bad idea even while going after a big total, it was a curious decision by Bangladesh to bat first after winning the toss.

“Chasing actually was not working for us,” Nigar said. “We saw that in the last game. Our batters couldn’t get runs in the powerplay. We lost also early wickets. Initially, it was our plan to bat first and give the bowlers something [to defend] because they have been doing well. This is the only department [bowling] I think we are in a very good control. That’s why we took the decision [to bat first].”We wanted to give our batters a pressure-free time. We wanted to put pressure on them [South Africa] with our bowling strength, with a bit of runs behind them.”Bangladesh were reeling at 33 for 6 and skittled for 128 in their 228-run chase against New Zealand in Guwahati, where none of their top five reached double-digits. Against South Africa, the Bangladesh top order started steady, even if slowly, to try and accelerate later, which they did with the help of 18-year-old Shorna’s 51 not out off 35 balls after she came out to bat in the 41st over. But even 232 wasn’t enough in the end.”We were 15-20 runs short [of] our target,” Nigar said. “We could have scored those runs had our top order rotated the strike more. We could have given better effort in the fielding. We shouldn’t be disappointed or heartbroken.”

Jhye Richardson has announced his triumphant return to bowling, taking four wickets in his second game back from injury as Australia A punished a hapless England Lions.The hosts went to stumps on day one of their four-day match in Brisbane at 155 for 2, after Richardson had taken 4 for 35 to help bowl the Lions out for 166.Richardson would almost certainly have figured in Test contention for this summer, had he not been recovering from shoulder surgery. He went wicketless during 20 overs for a CA XI against the Lions late last month, but was back bowling at pace at Allan Border Field on Friday.Richardson had Ben McKinney dropped at first slip in his third over of the day, before running through the tourists in the second session. He bowled James Rew for 7 when the left-hander inside-edged a ball that angled across him onto his stumps, before Richardson’s pace had Ben Kellaway playing on.In almost comical fashion, Kellaway defended a delivery from the quick before he was unable to stop the ball rolling back onto his stumps.Richardson then had both Matthew Fisher and Nathan Gilchrist edging behind the wicket, as the Lions fell from 72 for 1 to all out for 166 in 50 overs.Richardson played his last Test in December 2022, but has battled constant shoulder and hamstring injuries since then. His recovery from last season’s dislocated shoulder ruled him out of contention for the start of the Ashes, with Brendan Doggett debuting in Perth.Todd Murphy and Xavier Bartlett also took two wickets each for Australia A, before Campbell Kellaway flew to 71 off 75 balls in the final session.Earmarked as a Test opener of the future, Kellaway’s runs came after he also hit a half-century for the Prime Minister’s XI against England last weekend.Kellaway produced one of the shots of the day with a cracking pull shot off Gilchrist, before he later pulled the quick straight to mid on.England spinner Shoaib Bashir meanwhile had an unhappy afternoon, taking 0 for 22 from three overs after being overlooked for the Gabba Test.Nathan McSweeney (40 not out) pulled Bashir’s first two balls for four, before Kellaway also took to him in the next over and he was dragged out of the attack.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been dealt another blow with an injured star now facing several weeks on the sidelines.

Arsenal navigate plethora of injuries to top Premier League table

Considering the sheer number of key first team players who’ve been sidelined at various points already this season, Arsenal’s position at the top of the Premier League table is all the more impressive.

The Gunners have endured a torrid season with injuries, much like last campaign, which has severely tested Arteta’s squad depth.

While Arsenal have still begun the campaign very strongly, and are unbeaten in their last 18 matches across all competitions, their relentless succession of fitness problems has affected big-name personnel across multiple positions.

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Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

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Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

August proved particularly damaging, with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Ben White and William Saliba all sustaining injuries.

Odegaard’s MCL knee injury against West Ham in early October proved especially problematic, keeping the captain out for nearly two months and robbing Arsenal of their creative heartbeat during crucial fixtures.

Gabriel Magalhaes remains absent for weeks following a thigh injury sustained during Brazil’s November friendly against Senegal. His regular partner Saliba has battled recurring problems, missing recent matches against Chelsea and Brentford due to an unspecified knock.

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Summer signing Cristhian Mosquera compounds Arteta’s concerns after suffering a ‘complicated’ ankle injury that will require further testing to determine his recovery timeline.

Declan Rice provided fresh worries after limping off late against Brentford with a calf problem, and while the England midfielder insisted he felt “fine” ready to play against Aston Villa this afternoon, Arteta suggests he’s subject to a late fitness test.

Leandro Trossard has missed matches with muscular issues but should return within ‘days’ according to Arteta’s latest briefing, with the same going for Saliba.

Havertz suffered a setback in his knee rehabilitation and won’t return until possibly late December, while Gabriel Jesus finally returned to contention recently after missing nearly a year recovering from an ACL tear.

Summer signing Noni Madueke was out for two months after knee damage against Man City in September, though scans cleared him of cruciate ligament damage. The winger has since returned to action, providing Arteta with a renewed attacking threat.

That is a staggering 10 first-team stars who’ve been sidelined at various points, or still are, with a pretty concerning update now coming to light on Mosquera’s condition.

Cristhian Mosquera facing eight weeks out after Arsenal injury blow

The Spaniard was forced off early doors during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Brentford in midweek, and according to BBC journalist Sami Mokbel, Mosquera now faces ‘at least’ six weeks out through injury in ‘another blow’ to Arsenal.

The key phrase there is ‘at least’, and it could be as long as two months, with Saliba’s fitness now becoming more crucial than ever.

If the Frenchman is still unable to start, then Arteta will have little choice but to play Jurrien Timber alongside Piero Hincapie for this afternoon’s crunch clash against Villa in the Midlands.

White would then likely be handed his second consecutive league start at right-back for the first time since May, with Arsenal’s strength in depth now set to play an even more pivotal role in their quest to win a first league title in 22 years.

It is important to note that the timeframe for Mosquera’s injury lay-off are initial concerns from within Arsenal, with the ex-Valencia starlet set for further testing to determine his exact recovery timeline.

It is a blow for the centre-back personally after his fine start to life at N5, despite having to contend with being a back-up to Arteta’s first-choice centre-back pairing.

Arsenal believe Mosquera could become one of the best centre-backs in world football in a few years, according to some reports, and nothing we’ve seen so far disproves that theory.

Pep Guardiola has not been afraid to be ruthless when it comes to selling players at Manchester City. One of the best examples would have to be Joe Hart.

The former Citizens number one left the Etihad on loan for Torino in 2016, before exiting the club on loan for West Ham United the year after and leaving on a free in 2018.

More recently, you might look at Raheem Sterling as an example of this ruthlessness. After years of exceptional service for the club, City’s Spanish boss was happy for him to join Chelsea, a move which proved to be a good decision.

It could well be the case that Jack Grealish was on the receiving end of this ruthlessness from Guardiola this summer.

Why Grealish left Man City

City spent a huge fee on Grealish back in 2021, paying his boyhood side, Aston Villa, then-British record of £100m. There is a perception that things didn’t work out for the attacker, but his Champions League medal suggests otherwise.

Nonetheless, Grealish did fall out of favour under Guardiola. He played 157 games for City, but last term only managed 32 appearances across all competitions. However, from Boxing Day and beyond, the attacker only played seven times in the top flight.

After being snubbed in the FA Cup semi-final, with Guardiola opting to bring on youngster Claudio Echeverri for his debut, it seemed like the England star’s time at City was done. Alan Shearer said on the Rest is Football podcast afterwards that he “has to leave.”

Leave, he did. Everton swooped in to sign Grealish on loan with an option to buy him for £50m. It has been a hugely successful move for the winger, too. He is thriving under David Moyes and has five goals and assists to his name in 13 games.

Unfortunately, there is a City star who finds himself in a similar predicament this season, who could be the next to face Guardiola’s ruthless nature.

Man City's next big departure

Looking at this season, it hasn’t been easy to break into the City side. They have a settled 11, especially in attack, with the likes of Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden locking down spots in the lineup and Guardiola sticking with them week in, week out.

This has meant there are fewer opportunities for some players to get into the side. This can certainly be said for Savinho, who has found there have been limited chances this season in a City side performing well on the whole.

The 21-year-old has played 62 times for City now, and did impress last term. He scored and assisted 14 goals across all competitions, but has struggled for that form in 2025/26.

He’s bagged once in the Carabao Cup against Huddersfield Town, and has only assisted twice, in 14 appearances.

Indeed, his performances in 2025/26 have received criticism from fans and pundits alike. Sports writer Amos Murphy said he has been “awful” this term and that his efforts in the 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle United last weekend were “unacceptable.”

Last season, a campaign where City failed to win a trophy, Savinho’s underlying numbers were impressive. For example, he created an average of 2.3 chances each game, down this term to 1.8 per 90 minutes.

Savinho’s performances certainly need to improve soon. As the season goes on, Guardiola will need the entirety of his squad to be at their top level in order to push for titles in the Premier League and Champions League.

However, at the rate of his performances, it is easy to see Savinho becoming another Grealish, and really falling out of favour under the Spaniard. Perhaps the Brazilian will be the next player to face the ruthless side of City’s boss.

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Ahead of the Oval Test, Gill reflected on his tactical choices, the team’s resilience, and the learning curve of leading in tough conditions

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jul-20252:40

Gill: Levelling series with a young squad will be a big achievement

A captain who had led in just five first-class matches before taking charge of the Test team. His overseas form a subject of scrutiny. His best bowler available for only three out of five matches. A batting line-up thin on experience after the retirements of two stalwarts. India arrived in England in early June with several questions to answer.Two months on, Shubman Gill’s India enter the final Test of this highly compelling Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series with the chance to finish 2-2.”Very significant,” Gill said about what it would mean to his team to draw the series after losing the first Test in Leeds, then bouncing back to win in Birmingham without Jasprit Bumrah, nearly pulling off a pulling off a miracle at Lord’s, followed by a hard-fought draw in Manchester.Related

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Every Test going deep into the final day is rare in a five-match series. The hot weather and slow pitches have pushed the players’ limits and caused injuries – most significantly ruling Ben Stokes out of the fifth Test at The Oval.”If you look at the kind of cricket we have played, sometimes the scorecard of the series, as in where we are in the series, doesn’t determine that. Every match that we have played, it was very difficult to decide which team is going to win after four days of cricket,” Gill said. “If we are able to do that for every match for four matches coming outside of India with a relatively young team, it is going to be a big achievement for us if we are able to level the series.”This century, India had won the three-Test series in England 1-0 in 2007 and had drawn the series 2-2 in 2021-22. Both those teams went to England with plenty of senior players and leadership experience. That is not true for this side and, and yet, between June and July, Gill has shown he can compartmentalise captaincy and batting, and not let one impact the other.As batter, he is over 200 runs ahead of the next-most prolific scorer this series, and as captain, he has made debatable decisions on the field but has admitted his mistakes and come out wiser. “The series has been a great learning curve for me,” Gill said. “There are some things that you can only learn from experience, and I’ve learned so much from these four matches that we have played and hopefully we’re going to finish on a high.”One of those decisions was on the third morning at Old Trafford, when Gill delayed giving the ball to offspinner Washington Sundar, who had found sumptuous drift at Lord’s and taken a four-wicket haul in England’s first innings. The dry pitch was favourable for Washington but Gill brought him on only after lunch and the offspinner dismissed Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in quick succession.”It’s very difficult when you are playing six bowlers [because] then one or two bowlers are definitely going to be under-bowled,” he said, explaining that passage of play. “In the last match also, people felt that Washington could have come in earlier, which is a valid point, but sometimes when you are out in the middle you see with this ball [Dukes] when there are two spinners bowling early in the innings, it’s very hard to maintain the ball and the fast bowler goes out of the game for about eight-ten overs because then you need to maintain the ball.3:37

What attack should India pick at The Oval?

“So, in hindsight, there would always be opinions and there would always be thoughts, and you could have done this, would have done that. But what matters is when you are out there in the middle, you want to be able to make a decision that you think would suit the best for that moment. And when you are playing with six bowling options, there would definitely be some opinions where one bowler is going to go under-bowled, but it’s good to have more bowling options rather than not having bowling options for sure.”India will stick to the six-bowler strategy at The Oval too, with Akash Deep set to replace Bumrah and Shardul Thakur retained as bowling allrounder. Washington, Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel, who replaces the injured Rishabh Pant, comprise the lower-middle order.While he had not seen the pitch before the media briefing, Gill, perhaps based on the inputs he got from the team management, said it was “good”. By that, he meant it was green and the forecast – overcast conditions – for all five days might bring the fast bowlers into play.Gill, however, did not reveal whether Arshdeep Singh, the solitary left-arm quick in the squad, would make his Test debut, or whether Prasidh Krishna, dropped after the victory at Edgbaston, would make a comeback at The Oval as the third fast bowler in the XI.

رد نادي ليفربول من جديد، على أزمة نجم الفريق محمد صلاح، وذلك قبل يوم واحد فقط من مواجهة إنتر ميلان في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ليفربول سوف يحل ضيفًا ثقيلًا على إنتر ميلان يوم غدًا الثلاثاء على ملعب جوزيبي مياتزا في إيطاليا، لحساب منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا من مرحلة المجموعات الجولة السادسة.

ولا يدخل ليفربول كطرف مرشح للفوز على إنتر ميلان في لقاء الغد، وذلك في ظل مستوى الفريق السيء خلال الفترة الأخيرة من هذا الموسم.

ويعاني ليفربول من سوء النتائج خلال الفترة الأخيرة، وكان آخرها التعادل مع ليدز يونايتد بثلاثة أهداف لكل فريق في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز يوم السبت الماضي.

اقرأ أيضًا .. تقارير: سلوت يحسم موقف محمد صلاح من مباراة ليفربول وإنتر

وأشعل محمد صلاح الأمور في ليفربول، وذلك بعدما أشار إلى أن ما يحدث معه غير عادل، تعليقًا منه على بقائه على مقاعد بدلاء الريدز.

وبقى محمد صلاح على مقاعد بدلاء ليفربول خلال المباريات الأخيرة، مما جعل الدولي المصري يعلن على الملأ بأن علاقته مع المدرب آرني سلوت قد انتهت.

وفي هذا السياق، تجاهل نادي ليفربول أزمة محمد صلاح مع سلوت والإدارة كذلك، ونشر صورا للدولي المصري من التدريبات استعدادًا لمباراة إنتر ميلان بشكل طبيعي.

وظهر محمد صلاح في تدريبات ليفربول تزامنًا مع اتهام الدولي المصري لإدارة النادي الإنجليزي بعدم تنفيذ الوعود التي قدمت له.

وورد أن نادي ليفربول يفكر بشكل جدي في بيع محمد صلاح خلال الفترة المقبلة، في ظل اهتمام أندية الدوري السعودي والدوري الأمريكي بضم ابن الـ33 عامًا.

Twenty-year-old Eyman Fatima has been called up to the Pakistan T20I squad to tour Ireland following her success in the National T20 tournament in May.Fatima was the fourth-highest run-scorer in that tournament, amassing 287 runs at a strike rate in excess of 155. She had earlier played in the inaugural women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup in 2023 and was Pakistan’s highest run-getter there (and fourth overall) with 157 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 126.61.Fatima Sana will lead the side that will play three T20Is in Dublin. Sana was both the highest run-scorer and the player with the highest strike rate at the National T20 tournament. These will be the first T20Is Pakistan play this year; the last time they played in the format was at the T20 World Cup last year.Related

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Allrounder Nida Dar, the highest wicket-taker in Pakistan women’s T20I history, and behind only Australian Megan Schutt globally, took an indefinite break from cricket following a breakdown in the relationship between her and the board and last played for Pakistan at that T20 World Cup. This squad, though, is similar to the one which, under new head coach Mohammad Wasim, stormed through the ODI qualifiers at home earlier this year, winning all five games.The squad was chosen from among the 24 players, who have taken part in a skills camp in Karachi that concludes on July 27. Following that, the 15 players selected will undergo an additional pre-series training camp before leaving for Ireland.The three T20Is take place on August 6, 8 and 10.

Pakistan squad for T20Is vs Ireland

Fatima Sana (capt), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, Waheeda Akhtar

Buckingham took 4 for 49 to help bowl Tasmania out for 195 despite Kellepotha’s 50 on debut for Tasmania

AAP05-Dec-2025South Australia seamer Jordan Buckingham bagged four wickets to put South Australia on top of their Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania at Adelaide Oval.Tasmania debutant Ruwantha Kellepotha led a rescue mission for his new team, scoring a half-century but it was the home side’s day.Batting at No.8, Kellepotha top-scored with 50 as Tasmania could only manage 195 after winning the toss on Friday.They slumped to 86 for 6 before Jake Doran made 44 at No.6 and tailender Gabe Bell posted his highest first-class score of 27.Buckingham led the attack with 4 for 49, and South Australia at stumps were well-placed at 116 for 3.Jake Lehmann had made 37 and Jake Fraser-McGuirk was also looking well-set on 26.Kellepotha moved from Sri Lanka, where the legspinner played first-class cricket, in 2013.The 34-year-old played one Shield game for Victoria, and also had three games with the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, but moved south ahead of this season and broke into the Tasmanian team.He hit two fours and three sixes in his 104-ball innings. Lehmann gave him a life on 31 when he dropped a chance in the deep off legspinner Lloyd Pope.SA player Hanno Jacobs had to leave the field after he was hit on the head while trying to take a catch. He was later cleared of injury.After his important contribution at No.10, Bell then struck twice to remove Henry Hunt and fellow SA opener Mackenzie Harvey, making his Shield debut.Billy Stanlake snared the wicket of Jason Sangha to leave the home side in early strife at 63 for 3.But Lehmann, who scored at faster than a run a ball, and Fraser-McGurk batted through to stumps. Tasmania must break up their partnership early on Saturday to have any hope of a first-innings lead.SA fielded a recast batting line-up, with captain Nathan McSweeney away on Australia A duties. Tasmania similarly made several changes because of injury and national commitments.After five games, SA are fourth on the Shield ladder in their title defence with only one win, and Tasmania are third.

Speculation about surprise comeback had been rife, but ultimately Australia opted for discretion

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2025Pat Cummins became a genuine option for a recall in Brisbane over the past week as he surprised everyone with the speed of his recovery. However, Australia’s selectors ultimately decided there was too much risk attached in playing a bowler whose overs would still need to be managed, but are very confident in him being ready for Adelaide.Chair of selectors George Bailey said his panel had not been “playing silly buggers” in leaving Cummins out of the squad but refusing to officially rule him out of contention in the lead-up to the second Test. However, he did admit a hug between Cummins and Andrew McDonald during a pitch inspection on Wednesday had been “for laughs”.Bailey said that there had been no expectation of Cummins being available when the group was selected but it became a realistic prospect as he ramped up his training in Brisbane, which included two spells on Monday and his first bowls on back-to-back days.”We weren’t playing silly buggers with him not being in the squad and in the mix. But I think once we got up here, saw his training, got as much of the background medical information as well, it became a live possibility,” he said. “Then it was just working through the permutations of what would that look like in terms of the amount of overs, what would it look like going forward from that as well.Related

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“I don’t think we thought he was going to be as close, it really changed through the week. Then risk tolerance became the conversation around what could he take on. Yes, he could have played. There would have been some restrictions around the overs and then obviously just the permutations [around that].”There was also consideration into what bringing Cummins back for this Test could mean going forward, and the added pressure it could leave on the rest of the attack. “Being in a really controlled environment [in] the nets where you can be really structured around the breaks and how you want it, then it’s just that risk of maybe going into a game,” Bailey said. “There’s some things you can control and probably some things that do get taken out of your control.”Meanwhile, Bailey said that the selectors had not got to the stage of debating whether Usman Khawaja would retain his place for the Gabba because he had never been passed fit to play. Khawaja batted on Tuesday before being ruled out of the Test the following day, having not recovered from the back spasms he suffered in Perth. He returned to the nets on Thursday. Travis Head, who made 123 in Australia’s chase in the opening match, will continue in the opening role during the second Test.”He hadn’t got his back back to baseline,” Bailey said. “And if you’re not back to the starting point then it’s obviously a heightened risk. There’s obviously your own performance, but when you’re injured and you feel like you’ve let the team down, I think that was something he was just conscious of; if it happened again, it would be an awful feeling. So sitting this one out buys time.”For now, Head is not being locked in at the top beyond this Test, and there has even been discussion of having in-match flexibility to batting orders.”We’ve gone into this series so far very much with a Test-by-Test focus,” Bailey said. “I imagine we’ll get another look at it here and see what that looks like and see that combination. We can cross that bridge [and] make that decision as and when we need to make that decision, but it’s an interesting one. What’s the threshold now for it to be a specialist opener, what’s that look like?”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is personally driving a move for Murillo, with Nottingham Forest’s stance on sanctioning a departure now being revealed.

The Blues have been solid from a defensive point of view in recent weeks, keeping clean sheets in their last three Premier League matches, most recently defeating Burnley 2-0 at Turf moor, with Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah impressing at the heart of defence.

Adarabioyo particularly caught the eye, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 8.6, the highest of any player, courtesy of making six tackles, winning ten of the 12 duels he contested, while also completing a whopping 102 passes, including seven long balls.

Being assured in possession of the ball is an important attribute for any player in a Maresca system, and the manager is now keen on another centre-back who could be an ideal fit in the Italian’s backline…

Maresca now driving Chelsea move for Murillo

According to a report from Caught Offside, Maresca has now personally identified Nottingham Forest defender Murillo as a key defensive target, but it could take a huge offer to get a deal over the line, with the Tricky Trees looking to hold out for up to €90m (£79m).

Forest are hesitant to cash-in on one of their key players, but they could be tempted to sanction a departure if a huge offer is submitted, with some other huge clubs also showing an interest in the centre-back, namely Barcelona and Arsenal.

The Chelsea manager is said to be a fan of ball-playing defenders capable of creating chances from deep, which means the Brazilian could be the perfect fit in his backline, and he recently put in a fantastic display as Forest secured a shock 3-0 win at Anfield.

Liverpool’s struggles continued on Saturday, with Arne Slot’s side falling to a shock defeat against a side that had made a slow start to the season, and Murillo displayed his attacking prowess by opening the scoring just after the half-an-hour mark.

It was a solid all-round performance from the one-time Brazil international, winning five of the six duels he contested, creating one big chance, and making 19 defensive actions, the highest number of any player.

It wasn’t the first time the 23-year-old has put in a top performance against the Reds, receiving high praise after impressing against Slot’s men earlier this year.

As such, Chelsea should undoubtedly pursue a move for Murillo, and it is promising news that Nottingham Forest could now be willing to sanction a departure for the right price.

Chelsea now readying hijack to sign Gabriel and Saliba 'hybrid' Chelsea now readying hijack to sign £44m 'Gabriel & Saliba hybrid'

The impressive international could be Chelsea’s answer to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 21, 2025