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He was happy with the batters’ progress as the series went on, but said “it was an eye-opener for the bowling unit”

Firdose Moonda03-Sep-2023The South African season is only five days old but they have already seen how much work they need to do to match up to the top teams in the world.Yes, South Africa were testing some new combinations, but they were blanked 3-0 in the T20I series by an experimental Australian side. After the third match, their white-ball coach Rob Walter admitted “our next best have got work to do”.”The game is riddled with risk,” he said of the T20 format. “Sometimes it’s going to pay off and other times it isn’t. I was happy with the progress we made.”That statement applied specifically to the batting: after being bowled out for just 115 in the first T20I, South Africa made 164 for 8 and 190 for 8 in the second and third, respectively. But across the three matches, Reeza Hendricks was the only South Africa batter to make a half-century; Australia batters scored five, two of them by their new captain Mitchell Marsh. Still, Walter saw “some light at the end of the tunnel” in terms of how South Africa went about their innings in the third T20I, specifically in the way they recovered from 12 for 2.But, the only newcomer to contribute with the bat was Donovan Ferreira, who struck 48 off 21 balls on debut, while Matthew Breetzke (one innings) and Dewald Brevis (two innings) scored five runs each. Brevis’ much-anticipated arrival to the international stage, after he topped the run charts at last year’s Under-19 World Cup, did not go as expected. He holed out in the opening game looking to clear long-off and was caught behind for a first-ball duck in the second before being benched for the third.Walter, however, is looking forward to his future involvement with the senior side.”Dewald didn’t get many runs in his two opportunities but there is no doubting his quality and ability,” he said. “The positive was to give him an opportunity to test the waters in international cricket, so he has now got a good sense of playing a good team – what does that feel like.”Breetzke, who came out to bat in the first over on Sunday – after Temba Bavuma got a first-baller – and fell trying to take on the boundary fielder, also received praise from Walter for his approach.Donovan Ferreira made an impressive debut•Gallo Images/Getty Images”Matthew didn’t get many runs but it was great to give him an opportunity to make his debut,” he said. “Watching him go through his work and his training throughout this series, I am excited about what he has to offer. Even his dismissal – the courage to make a play in that situation is sometimes worth more than the actual result.”Ferreira’s knock was the standout as he “showed something special on debut”, as Walter put it. “To play like that and to hit the ball like that – it is exciting if we have these types of players in the ranks.”South Africa’s only bowling debutant was Gerald Coetzee. He has already been capped at Test and ODI level, but here he had a tough time. He picked up three wickets in as many outings but conceded 10.98 per over.By contrast, Australia’s new caps all impressed individually, starting with 21-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha. He took 4 for 31 on debut, barely more than 24 hours after arriving in South Africa, and was the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the series despite sitting out the second game. Matthew Short scored a match-winning 66 off 30 balls in the second match as Australia chased down a target of 165 with 31 balls to spare. Spencer Johnson took 2 for 33 in the first match and was the most economical bowler on either side in the third.The difference in the quality of contributions from the younger players was not lost on Australia’s batting coach Michael di Venuto. “Maybe our fringe players are slightly ahead of where the Proteas players are at the moment,” he said, but quickly cushioned his answer with a confidence booster for the hosts. “That’s not to say they can’t catch up quickly. I wouldn’t be panicking if I was in their dressing room.”Among the mitigating factors for South Africa appearing undercooked is that they have not played international cricket in almost five months since hosting West Indies at the end of last summer. It’s oft-repeated that what takes place in training cannot replicate the intensity in the middle, and this series was further proof of that. Though South Africa’s batting line-up was the most untested department, it was their bowling attack that struggled to consistently threaten Australia despite its experience.Lungi Ngidi, the leader of the attack in the absence of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, went wicketless across the series. His variations proved ineffective as he ended up with an economy of 13.78. Lizaad Williams, Coetzee, Marco Jansen, Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin all conceded more than ten an over; Aiden Markram (8.33) was the only one from the South African camp to go for less than ten. As a result, the bowling attack never looked like one that could win a series, and Walter did not shy away from that reality.”There’s no running away from it – their batting skill was better than what we had to offer with the ball,” he said. “We got a hard lesson in terms of not executing our skills. It was an eye-opener for the bowling unit.”South Africa are yet to appoint a bowling coach for their white-ball outfits after using former internationals Rory Kleinveldt and Quinton Friend in bit-part capacities but Walter confirmed that Eric Simons will accompany them through the ODI series and the World Cup. Simons is a former national coach and has years of experience with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and their franchise subsidiaries across the world, and South Africa will lean heavily on his knowledge of subcontinent conditions as they prepare for the ODI World Cup.Their squad for the tournament will be named on Tuesday.

A look back at the day-night matches at the ground, which has hosted the most number of such fixtures

Andrew McGlashan13-Dec-2021Australia vs New Zealand, 3rd Test, 2015
A new era dawned (or was lit up) with an intriguing Test full of unknowns that produced a tight, bowler-dominated contest, although Australia’s chase was perhaps a little more comfortable than the final margin suggested. But it could have been very different for New Zealand if Nathan Lyon had been given out caught at slip via a sweep onto his arm, on 0, when Australia were still 84 behind – the third umpire deemed Hot Spot inconclusive and there was no mark on Snicko. A combination of seam and spin had brought New Zealand back into the game after Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had shared six first-innings wickets. However, after Lyon’s reprieve, him and Starc, who was injured and did not bowl in the second innings, helped Peter Nevill add 108 runs for the last two wickets. In the absence of Starc, Hazlewood shouldered the burden and claimed six wickets while Mitchell Marsh nipped out three to set up the chase. When Steven Smith was lbw to Trent Boult, Australia were wobbling on 66 for 3, but Shaun Marsh made a superb 49 while there were vital hands from Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh to bring the target in sight.Related

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Australia vs South Africa, 3rd Test, 2016Usman Khawaja’s magnificent 145 put Australia on course for victory – after the team had undergone a clear out following a series-deciding thrashing in Hobart – and cancelled out equally fine centuries from Faf du Plessis and Stephen Cook. Hazlewood continued to show his craft with the pink ball as his four wickets reduced South Africa to 161 for 7 on the opening day before du Plessis turned the innings around with the lower order for company. Then, having noticed David Warner was off the field and would be unable to open, he declared late on the first day to try and catch out Australia’s top order. It didn’t work, and the promoted Khawaja played one of his finest innings, while half-centuries for Smith, debutant Peter Handscomb and Starc secured a strong lead. South Africa could never quite form the substantial partnerships needed second time around with Cook the last man out to give Starc his fourth wicket. Warner, Smith and the obdurate Matt Renshaw ensured the chase was always in hand.Jonny Bairstow was bowled to confirm Australia’s victory by 120 runs in the second Test in 2017•Getty ImagesAustralia vs England, 2nd Test, 2017Australia took hold of this match with a hefty first innings, having been put into bat by Joe Root, but England hauled themselves back into the contest as James Anderson showed his mastery under lights before the batting failed again. Shaun Marsh’s century was the cornerstone after the early hard work of Warner, Khawaja and Smith on a stop-start opening day. England were then largely dismantled in daytime conditions with Lyon backing up the work of the three quicks, but Smith decided against the follow-on even though the night session loomed. That gave England a glimmer with Anderson and Chris Woakes often unplayable as Australia slipped to 50 for 4. The pair ended up sharing nine wickets with only Khawaja and Starc making it to 20. Still, 354 was a huge chase. When Root and Dawid Malan were adding 78 for the fourth wicket, taking the runs required below 200, there were thoughts of a grandstand finish; but Cummins struck late on the fourth night and the final morning was a procession.Australia vs Pakistan, 2nd Test, 2019Tough for batters against the pink ball? Warner make a mockery of that with the second-highest individual score for Australia in Test cricket (behind Matthew Hayden’s 380) as Pakistan were overwhelmed despite finding an unlikely century-maker. Warner, who was caught off a no-ball on 226, and Marnus Labuschagne, feasted on some awful bowling to add 361 in 80 overs for the second wicket with Tim Paine declaring when Warner passed Mark Taylor’s mark and as the lights took hold. Pakistan’s top order was blown away by Starc, but on the third day, Australia’s fielding went to pieces while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan counterattacked in a 105-run stand. Babar fell short of an elegant hundred, but Yasir brought up an unexpected milestone. Still, Paine was able to enforce the follow-on just as another night-time session took hold amid stoppages for rain, and the quicks again made inroads. In daytime on the fourth day, Lyon mopped up the rest.India bat in the dying moments of their horror innings against Australia in Adelaide in 2020•AFP/Getty ImagesAustralia vs India, 1st Test, 2020The match hurtled to a conclusion on an extraordinary third morning when India were bowled out in 21.2 overs with none of their batters making double figures. It turned what had been a nip-and-tuck contest – with India in front after two days – into an Australian cakewalk done by mid-afternoon. There had been a dramatic start with Starc striking with the second ball of the Test, but Virat Kohli was masterful to lead India to the relative strength of 188 for 3 when the innings turned on a run-out created by Hazlewood’s athleticism and an awful mix-up with Ajinkya Rahane which exposed the middle order under lights. However, India’s 244 was enough for a handy lead, with R Ashwin taking out the middle order, and it would have been more without one of the best innings of Paine’s Test career. Though Prithvi Shaw again fell early, the talk was of India building a lead of somewhere around 250. Those ideas disappeared amid a flurry of edges against Hazlewood and Cummins in a scarcely believable 15 overs on the third day. It did not, however, define the series.

Oliver Peake, the left-hand batter, played a key innings in the 2024 final against India and has since represented Australia A

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2025Victoria batter Oliver Peake will captain Australia Under-19s at next year’s World Cup in Namibia and Zimbabwe as they look to defend their title.Left-hand batter Peake was the youngest member of the side that defeated India in the 2024 final, where he made an unbeaten 46, and has already represented Australia A, and travelled with the Test squad to Sri Lanka earlier this year as a development player.He made 92 against Sri Lanka A in Darwin in July and guided Victoria to victory in their first Sheffield Shield game of the season with a composed 70 not out against South Australia. He is also contracted to Melbourne Renegades for the BBL but the World Cup means he will miss the second half of the tournament.Peake is the only player from the previous World Cup to be part of this edition.The Australia squad includes three uncapped players: Naden Cooray, Nitesh Samuel and William Taylor, who are all from New South Wales. Samuel was Player of the Tournament at the recent U-19 National Championships where he was the leading run-scorer with 364 at 91.The squad will be coached by Tim Nielsen, the former Australia head coach, with support from Luke Butterworth and Travis Dean.”We’re delighted to announce a strong and well-balanced squad for the ICC Under-19 World Cup,” Nielsen said. “Our focus has been on selecting a group with complementary skill sets that provide the best chance of success in tournament.”The players named have impressed with their performances during the U-19 series against India in September and at the recent National U-19 Championship in Perth.”It’s an exciting group, some have already experienced senior training environments, while others are progressing rapidly through our pathway. The World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for these young cricketers to showcase their talent and test themselves against the best in the world.”From Australia’s 2024 U-19 World Cup squad, Sam Konstas has already played Test cricket while fast bowler Mahli Beardman has been part of ODI and T20I squads.Australia’s most recent one-day series saw them lose 3-0 to India in September. They have been grouped with Ireland, Japan and Sri Lanka for the first round of the World Cup.Australia Under-19 World Cup squadOliver Peake (capt), Kasey Barton, Naden Cooray, Jayden Draper, Ben Gordon, Steven Hogan, Thomas Hogan, John James, Charles Lachmund, Will Malajczuk, Nitesh Samuel, Hayden Schiller, Aryan Sharma, William Taylor, Alex Lee Young

كشف هاني زهران محامي رمضان صبحي، تطورات موقف اللاعب بشأن الأزمة التي يعيشها لاعب فريق الأهلي السابق وبيراميدز الحالي.

وكان رمضان صبحي قد تم حسبه على خليفة قضيةالتزوير نتيجة دخول أحد الأشخاص مكانه لأداء الامتحانات في أحد المعاهد المصرية.

كما تم إعلان إيقافه لمدة 4 سنوات بسبب التلاعب في عينة المنشطات الخاصة به من قبل المحكمة الرياضية الدولية.

وقال زهران خلال تصريحات لبرنامج “نمبر وان” المذاع على قناة سي بي سي”: “أمامنا 30 يومًا للطعن على قرار المحكمة الرياضية بإيقاف رمضان صبحي أربع سنوات، (رمضان ما يستاهلش يبطل كورة)، هو لم يتعاطَ أي منشطات”.

وأضاف: “نخوض الطريق لآخره للدفاع عن رمضان صبحي، وبإذن الله ربنا يوفقنا في هذه الخطوة، ونسبة احتمالية قبول الطعون في المحكمة الفيدرالية السويسرية لا تتعدى 7%”.

طالع | قرار عاجل من محمود الخطيب بشأن أزمة “حبس وإيقاف” رمضان صبحي

وتابع: “وفي حالة عدم التوفيق سنصعّد القضية، ومن الممكن أن نلجأ للمحكمة الأوروبية لحقوق الإنسان في قضية رمضان صبحي”.

وأكمل: “لم يحدث تواصل مؤخرًا مع النادي الأهلي في قضية رمضان حتى الآن، ممكن يكون مع أسرة رمضان، لكن لم يحدث تواصل معي من النادي الأهلي حتى الآن”.

Rain has followed New Zealand from Colombo to Navi Mumbai, compounding their problems, while India, after three successive defeats, are running out of opportunities as well

Sruthi Ravindranath22-Oct-20254:02

Preview: A knockout game for New Zealand

Big picture – Time and chances running outThe pressure on India is higher than ever. Three successive losses in matches they could have won, mounting criticism, and five games in, they are still tinkering with combinations. But they now return to Navi Mumbai, a venue many in the squad know well through T20Is and the WPL, needing just a win against New Zealand to reach the semi-finals.New Zealand haven’t had it easy either. Their last two matches were washed out, and qualification now requires them to win both remaining games, against India and England. It’s a tougher ask, but not beyond a side that just celebrated the first anniversary of their T20 World Cup win, where they beat India in the opening match. They have won 34 out of the 57 ODIs against India, including six of their last nine encounters since 2022.Related

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Their campaign this time started with heavy defeats to Australia and South Africa, before they bounced back against Bangladesh. But they remain over-reliant on Sophie Devine with the bat, and their thin spin attack – with just Amelia Kerr and Eden Carson – has had limited impact on slower pitches.India, on the other hand, have had different contributors in every game but haven’t settled on a clear first-choice XI. After four matches with five bowlers, they dropped Jemimah Rodrigues to play an extra bowler against England. The move did seem to work as England were kept to 288 for 8 after a strong start, but India’s batting faltered under pressure in the chase, which has been a familiar story. They will want to address that.The weather could, however, have a say. Devine called the washouts in Colombo “frustrating”, and the forecast for Thursday isn’t encouraging either. Rain hit Navi Mumbai for over two hours in the evening two days before the match, cancelling India’s training session. A washout, however, would favour India, considering New Zealand have a tougher opponent in England to face in their last game, and just haven’t been able to get any sort of momentum going.More than anything else, Sophie Devine will want New Zealand to get a full game to show what they have got•ICC/Getty ImagesForm guideIndia LLLWW
New Zealand WLLWWIn the spotlight – Kranti Gaud and New Zealand’s openersAfter a promising start to the tournament, India’s young pacer Kranti Gaud has hit a bit of a bump. Her early spells, full of discipline and pinpoint yorkers, have been impressive, but her death bowling has come under the scanner. Against South Africa, she opened with a tidy 1 for 19 in five overs, only to concede 40 off her final four. She went wicketless in the last two games, conceding 73 runs off nine overs against Australia and 46 off eight against England. On a Navi Mumbai surface expected to be more batter-friendly, Gaud will need to recalibrate quickly if India are to keep New Zealand quiet.New Zealand are still waiting for their openers to turn up. Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer have endured a poor run – their partnership average of 10.66 is the second-worst among all teams this tournament. Bates followed two ducks with a 29 (run out) against Bangladesh, while Plimmer has managed just 35 runs across three games, struggling for fluency throughout. A more batting-friendly pitch probably awaits them at the DY Patil Stadium, where they will hope to give their side a strong start.Renuka Singh did well against England, but will she have to make way for Jemimah Rodrigues?•Getty ImagesTeam newsWill India revert to five bowlers for the crucial fixture? While their bowlers pulled things back well in the last ten overs against England, India might think they need the experience of Rodrigues at No. 5.India (possible): 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Pratika Rawal, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Amanjot Kaur, 7 Sneh Rana, 8 Deepti Sharma, 9 Renuka Singh/Jemimah Rodrigues, 10 Kranti Gaud, 11 Shree CharaniNew Zealand had kept their senior pacer Lea Tahuhu out tactically in the match against Sri Lanka, but brought her back in for the Pakistan game. They are likely to stay with the same XI.New Zealand (possible): 1 Suzie Bates, 2 Georgia Plimmer, 3 Amelia Kerr, 4 Sophie Devine (capt), 5 Brooke Halliday, 6 Maddy Green, 7 Isabella Gaze (wk), 8 Jess Kerr, 9 Rosemary Mair, 10 Eden Carson, 11 Lea TahuhuPitch and conditionsWhile the Navi Mumbai pitch didn’t seem to offer much for bowlers in the last match, Sri Lanka could post only 202 after opting to bat against Bangladesh. Chamari Athapaththu had said that there was some dew in the second half. There has been some unseasonal rain in Mumbai, and an interruption is likely on Thursday too. It’s expected to be hazy in the afternoon, with a chance of rain in the evening.Stats and trivia India have their poorest win-loss ratio for any team in ODI World Cups against New Zealand Bates is 67 runs away from becoming the second-leading run-scorer in ODIs. She needs 75 runs to complete 6000 runs in the format. Tahuhu will be playing her 200th international match. India have played eight T20Is at the DY Patil Stadium, winning four including one in a Super Over against Australia.

Jack Edwards and Nathan McSweeney scored fifties on a mixed-soil pitch to keep Australia A in the contest

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2025
Half-centuries from Nathan McSweeney and Jack Edwards, and Manav Suthar’s five-wicket haul, headlined the opening day of the second four-dayer between India A and Australia A in Lucknow. Picked as the lone specialist spinner, Suthar took 5 for 93, reining Australia A’s middle order in, on a mixed-soil pitch.After Shreyas Iyer, who had led India A in the first four-dayer withdrew from the second, Dhruv Jurel took over as captain and shared the wicketkeeping load with N Jagadeesan. Both wicketkeepers are likely to be picked in India’s squad for the two-match Test series against West Indies starting October 2. Allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was playing his first competitive game since suffering a knee injury on the England tour, bowled eight overs and went wicketless on the first day.Incumbent Australia opener Sam Konstas, who scored a 122-ball century in the first four-dayer, played a more subdued innings in the second, scoring 49 off 91 balls before falling to Mohammed Siraj, who had been drafted into the team for this game along with KL Rahul, in the lead-up to the West Indies Test series. Siraj had Konstas nicking behind, with Jagadeesan taking the catch having just switched keeping duties with captain Jurel three overs ago.This was the second time in two matches during this series that Jurel and Jagadeesan had switched keeping duties in the middle of an innings, with the latter taking over the gloves from Jurel at the beginning of the second day’s play in the previous four-day game.Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas played out most of the first session•Tanuj Pandey/UPCAOllie Peake made 29 off 39 balls before Suthar breached his defences in the 45th over. When Suthar also dismissed Cooper Connolly, for a duck in his next over, Australia A were wobbling at 150 for 4. Their captain McSweeney, though, brought up his first half-century of the tour, in humid conditions, and moved to 74 before Punjab’s towering quick Gurnoor Brar, who has had a stint with the senior India team as a net bowler, had him caught by Ayush Badoni, who had replaced Iyer.”The pitch is playing quite nice,” McSweeney said after stumps on day one. “I think it has a little bit more pace in the wicket than last game, so you get great value for shots. The ball swung around a bit more than probably anticipated. But I thought the way Sammy [Sam Konstas] and I were able to play during that first session set up a decent day. Sammy’s playing beautifully, continuing on from last week. A pretty solid day at cricket.”Suthar was consistent with his lines and lengths. He had an economy rate of 3.32 while all of India’s frontline seamers went at over four an over.”I thought their left-arm spinner [Manav Suthar] bowled beautifully,” McSweeney said. “He bowled quite slow in the first session and the way he was able to be really consistent in the second, changing his pace, he got a few wickets. He was building pressure today. It’s a great template we can follow going into the next innings.”Josh Philippe and Edwards counterattacked, with both batters having strike rates of over 100. While Suthar cut Philippe’s innings short on 39 off 33, Edwards ran away to 88 off 78 balls, including 11 fours and a six. Todd Murphy, batting at No. 10, gave Edwards good company and ensured the innings did not slide to a premature end.Their ninth-wicket partnership ended on 55 when Brar removed Edwards in the 82nd over. Murphy and No.11 Henry Thornton survived the remaining 2.4 overs on the day and took Australia A to stumps.

Shohei Ohtani is now a World Series champion, but it's clear he wants more.

Soon after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series in five games on Wednesday night, Ohtani ran into Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. He immediately made a promise.

When the Dodgers gave Ohtani and 10-year, $700 million contract, the goal was to win championships. According to , Ohtani found Friedman and said, "Alright. Nine more, nine more."

The nine he's referring to is World Series titles. Ohtani has nine years left on his contract. So the greatest baseball player on the planet was saying his goal is to win a title in each year he plays with the Dodgers.

After that interaction, Friedman said, "In his first year, he won a championship. He's like, 'This is easy. We're just gonna do it again nine more times.'"

It's hard to argue against Ohtani having the best first season with a new franchise in MLB history. He hit .310, with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, an OPS of 1.036 and he stole 59 bases becoming the first player to ever notch 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Then, to cap it off, he led his team to a World Series title.

It will be hard for Ohtani to top his 2024 campaign. But if anyone can do it, he can.

New York Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the 11th inning on Wednesday night with runners on first and third against the Kansas City Royals.

With the infield playing in to try to prevent the game-winning run from being scored, Chisholm hit a slider to the left side of the infield. Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. couldn't make a play after his diving stop, and the game-winning run came home to score as the Yankees walked off a 4-3 win in the Bronx.

The walk-off hit by Chisholm was consequential given the state of the playoff race in the AL East. The Yankees win and Baltimore Orioles's loss to the Boston Red Sox moved the Yankees into a game-and-a-half lead in the East.

For Chisholm, the first walk-off hit of his professional baseball career at any level was really special.

"Hit it where it's pitched and find a hole. Not trying to do too much, just trying to get a runner in," Chisholm said with a smile on his face after the win. "This is my first career walk-off so it means a lot right now."

Moments later, Chisholm was doused in an ice bath and had an incredible reaction.

"It's too cold in New York for those!" he said with a laugh.

Chisholm has kept it light and has been himself every step of the way since being acquired from the Miami Marlins in a trade earlier this season. Now he's playing a key role in a playoff race for the Yankees.

With talks continuing over Steven Gerrard’s potential Rangers return, an ex-Ibrox ace is now reportedly open to joining the former Gers boss in Glasgow.

Steven Gerrard has positive talks over Rangers return

It’s a big couple of weeks for the 49ers and the Gers, who were forced to face their first major mistake recently when sacking Russell Martin. The former boss won just one game in seven attempts in the Scottish Premiership and a draw at Falkirk proved to be the final straw in a tenure that was historically disappointing.

So, it’s back to square one for those at Ibrox and this time they must get things right on the manager front. They’re not short on potential options, either, when it comes to Martin replacements.

However, whilst Sean Dyche, Danny Rohl and others have been mentioned in recent reports, it looks as though Gerrard is emerging as the favourite to make his return to Rangers.

The former manager remains the last to dethrone Celtic in the Scottish Premiership and could now return to the dugout four years on from leaving the club for Aston Villa.

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According to reports, Rangers have already held positive talks with Gerrard, who has been out of a job since leaving Saudi Arabia side Al-Ettifaq in January.

Unlike other candidates, Gerrard’s appointment shouldn’t come with major risk factor. He’s been there and done it at Rangers. Even if the current job is arguably tougher than it once was, his experience with the Gers should prove to be invaluable compared to the likes of Rohl and Dyche.

What’s more, the 45-year-old has already been handed a key boost when it comes to his potential coaching staff in Scotland.

Defoe now open to joining Gerrard at Rangers

As reported by TeamTalk, Jermaine Defoe is now open to joining Gerrard at Rangers and reuniting with his former club in the process. The former striker was briefly an assistant manager after Gerrard left the Gers in 2021 and may now have the opportunity to return to the role for the first time in four years.

There’s little doubt that Defoe would say no to any potential Rangers offer, either, having told reporters:

It’s all slowly coming together for Gerrard and Rangers, who could have their replacement for Martin sealed sooner rather than later.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank will “definitely” be without a star player for this weekend’s trip to Leeds United, with the Dane looking to get back to winning ways after a hard-fought draw at Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.

Tottenham display grit again after rescuing 2-2 draw at Bodo/Glimt

For the third time this season, Spurs were forced to come back from a deficit to salvage any kind of result, with their 2-2 battle in Norway following Tottenham’s draw at Brighton by the same scoreline and a dramatic 1-1 at home to Wolves last weekend.

On this occasion, an 89th minute own goal by Jostein Gundersen rescued Spurs from what would have been an embarrassing defeat at the Aspmyra Stadion.

Thomas Frank’s managerial record at Tottenham so far

Stats

Matches

10

Wins

5

Draws

3

Losses

2

Points

15

Points per game

1.80

The match marked a return to the venue where Tottenham had triumphed in last season’s Europa League semi-finals and booked their place in Bilbao against Man United, which proved crucial to Ange Postecoglou ending their 17-year wait for silverware, but this visit told a very different story.

Bodo/Glimt dominated for extended periods, with Jens Petter Hauge scoring twice shortly after halftime to put the hosts 2-0 ahead.

Micky van de Ven, wearing the captain’s armband, pulled one back just minutes after Hauge’s second before the dramatic late OG gave Spurs an arguably undeserved point.

Frank’s tenure thus far has attracted mixed reviews from the Lilywhites fanbase due to Tottenham’s lack of real dominance over lesser sides, and this was certainly on full display in the Arctic Circle.

That being said, you can make a very real case that all the best sides in Europe are capable of getting results despite not playing at their very best.

It is also worth remembering that Tottenham impressed against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup final, battered London rivals West Ham and got the best of Premier League title contenders Man City at the Etihad, so there is reason to believe that Spurs are definitely improving from last season.

Their grit to battle back from losing positions so far is testament to this, and it is perhaps a sign of things to come under Frank as the tactician continues to assess his new squad.

Tottenham have been forced to deal with a plethora of absences for key players too, with James Maddison out for the majority of 2025/2026 after a nightmare pre-season injury, Dejan Kulusevski on the comeback trail and Radu Dragusin still recovering from an ACL problem.

Summer signing Randal Kolo Muani has been absent with a dead leg as well, but while the Frenchman is expected to return imminently, the same cannot be said for £140,000-per-week striker Dominic Solanke.

Dominic Solanke "definitely" set to miss Leeds as Tottenham given timeline

The England international was forced to undergo minor surgery on a niggling ankle problem, and while Frank doesn’t expect his lay-off to be long, journalist Tom Barclay has stated that Solanke will “definitely” be unavailable for their trip to Elland Road.

However, Tottenham are hopeful he’ll return after the international break.

His fitness issues have been a real cause for concern, with Solanke missing a total of 22 games through injury since joining Spurs from Bournemouth in the summer of 2024 as Harry Kane’s heir.

Richarlison has started almost all of Frank’s game in charge as a replacement for Solanke, scoring three goals, but concerns have surrounded the Brazilian as Tottenham’s focal point.

Last season, Solanke scored 16 goals and provided eight assists across 45 appearances in all competitions when fit and available — proving integral at times — and Frank needs the England forward back in his fold ahead of crucial matches against Aston Villa, Monaco, Everton, Newcastle and Chelsea right after the October internationals.