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Nuno Espírito Santo is still waiting for his first win as West Ham manager since taking over from Graham Potter last month, and the January window could represent a lifeline amid their torrid state of affairs.

West Ham fall to another defeat with January looking vital

Last Friday, it was Leeds United’s turn to inflict yet another damaging defeat on West Ham.

Early goals from Brenden Aaronson and former Tottenham defender Joe Rodon piled more misery on Nuno, with a late consolation from summer signing Mateus Fernandes coming as too little, too late for the Portuguese’s side.

Nuno is still tinkering with his West Ham team as he looks to discover the best formula to steer them away from this season’s relegation dogfight.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

After raising eyebrows with his rather questionable team to play Brentford last Monday, Nuno opted to play Lucas Paqueta as a false nine yet again at Elland Road, with Andy Iriving and Tomas Soucek chosen to start in midfield, similar to their defeat a few days prior.

Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman were also called upon once more to play as the starting centre-back pair, but just like their defeat against Brentford, they had no joy as Leeds gave West Ham a mountain to climb early doors.

Nuno apparently doesn’t fancy Callum Wilson or James Ward-Prowse, with the latter excluded from all of his matchday squads so far and a January exit appearing likely for the Englishman.

It is becoming abundantly clear that West Ham may not have a good-enough squad to compete at this level, so reports have begun flooding in that chairman David Sullivan and co are planning to be active when the transfer window reopens.

In a bid to save their season, it is believed that Nuno has urged both Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to sign a new defender, midfielder and forward in January, with Sky Sports also reporting funds will be available for West Ham to spend.

Niclas Fullkrug’s injury problems have been a thorn in West Ham’s side since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund last year, and the need for a reliable goalscorer is evident given Nuno’s reported stance on Wilson.

Callum Marshall is another option to lead the line, but so far, Nuno is still reluctant to hand the Northern Ireland international a chance to prove himself as he reaches for makeshift options like Paqueta.

Taking this into account, West Ham are in the market for a new number nine this winter, and Real Madrid starlet Endrick is believed to be a key target.

The Brazil international, thanks to a combination of fitness issues and competition for places, has struggled to establish himself as a Real regular, despite firing them to a Copa del Rey final last season before Los Blancos eventually lost out to Barcelona.

Endrick was a target for West Ham last January on loan, and their long-term interest has remained.

According to some reports, West Ham have already held talks with Real about signing Endrick on a temporary deal ahead of January, and the Hammers are also fond of his teammate, Gonzalo Garcia.

Endrick preparing to leave Real Madrid after alleged West Ham talks

Now, as per reports from Spain, Endrick is “preparing to leave” Real amid these alleged West Ham talks, but it is no guarantee that the teenager chooses a switch to east London amid a growing clamor for his services.

Endrick, who is still widely regarded as one of Brazil’s brightest upcoming talents, could also make a move to Brentford.

Keith Andrews’ side are named as a “clear” candidate for his signature, while La Liga sides like Real Sociedad and Sevilla are also keen on snapping up the ex-Palmeiras sensation who cost Real £53 million to sign back in 2022.

While West Ham are firmly in the mix, they’ll need to move quickly ahead of what looks likely to be a scramble for Endrick when the January window opens.

However, going by Carlo Ancelotti’s past praise of the striker, it could definitely be worth the effort.

Ireland lost five wickets in their second dig after Bangladesh took a massive first-innings lead

Mohammad Isam13-Nov-2025Bangladesh are on course to take a 1-0 lead against Ireland after dominating the third day of the Sylhet Test. The visitors ended the day on 86 for 5, trailing by 215 runs after a century from Najmul Hossain Shanto, along with Litton Das’ 66-ball 60 helped Bangladesh amass on 587 for 8.Once they declared, Nahid Rana struck the first blow in the fourth over when he cleaned up Cade Carmichael for 5. It was a thundering inswinger that Carmichael couldn’t keep out, as Rana revved up the pace in his first spell.Ireland found a bit of consolidation for the next hour, with Harry Tector and Paul Stirling finding a bit of rhythm. Stirling struck seven fours as he raced towards a second fifty in the match. However, a bit of tardy thinking cost him dearly. After Litton missed a stumping off Taijul Islam, Stirling’s attempt for a single was ill-timed. He couldn’t turn back in time, as he was caught short of the crease, falling for 43 off 59 balls.Tector followed him back swiftly, lbw to Taijul for 18, before Shadman Islam took a brilliant catch at cover to get rid of Curtis Campher towards the end of the day. Murad took that wicket, before also trapping Lorcan Tucker lbw for 9.Earlier, Mahmudul Hasan Joy scored a career-best 171, which is the second-highest score by a Bangladeshi opener. Shanto’s century was his eighth in Tests, and fourth as captain.Mahmudul could add just two runs to his overnight score before Barry McCarthy had him edge behind with a late outswinger. Mominul Haque fell in McCarthy’s next over, undone by a lifter for 82. Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim put on a recovering act with a 79-run fourth-wicket stand.The acceleration came during the Shanto-Litton partnership, when they added 98 runs for the fifth wicket, at 5.49 per over. Litton smacked eight fours and a six, before Tector took a splendid catch running back from mid-on to dismiss him.Shanto, who struck 14 fours, fell to Andy McBrine on the second ball after reaching his century. He was very much leg-side dominant with his boundaries, along with a few straight drives for fours.The 23-year-old left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys was Ireland’s best bowler, taking his second five-wicket haul in his fourth Test. He finished with 5 for 170 while McCarthy picked up two wickets, both on the third morning.

It’s the least Indian of all Indian grounds at least at a conditions level, as the pitch is fast and bouncy

Karthik Krishnaswamy05-Mar-20247:09

Ashwin picks the best batters he’s bowled to

Just over three weeks ago, the HPCA Stadium hosted a Ranji Trophy match between Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, where seamers took all 36 wickets that fell over its four days.This was far from unusual. In four Ranji games at the venue this season, fast bowlers have bowled a combined 814 overs and taken 122 wickets at an average of 23.17. Spinners have sent down 122.2 overs, and taken seven wickets at 58.42.The fast bowlers, in short, have taken as many wickets as spinners have bowled overs.Welcome to Dharamsala. It’s cold here, it’s high up in the Himalayas, and it has what may well be the most spectacular backdrop of any sporting venue in the world. It’s only natural to come here to watch cricket and go back having spent more time gazing upon the snow-veined Dhauladhars and pondering your own insignificance in the grand scheme of geological space and time.Related

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It’s also the least Indian of Indian grounds at a conditions level: the pitch here is fast and bouncy, and during the winter months when cricket is played in India, it doesn’t bake under the sun and deteriorate in the way Indian pitches tend to. Fast bowlers like it here.Spinners? Well, it’s complicated.It’s clearly not a ground for spinners during India’s domestic season. Over the 49 first-class games that have been played here, they have averaged 41.02 to the fast bowlers’ 27.90.But there’s only so much extrapolation you can do when a Test match rolls into town.Dharamshala has hosted one previous Test, back in March 2017, and while it’s fondly remembered by India fans for Umesh Yadav’s third-innings spell of new-ball venom, it was also a match where spinners took 18 of the 30 wickets that fell to bowlers. Kuldeep Yadav made his debut and took a first-innings four-for; Nathan Lyon picked up five in India’s first innings; R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared six in Australia’s second.Before that Test match, the pitch had worn a tinge of green, and the curator had said it would offer something to all four disciplines: pace, spin and batting, of course, but fielding too, with good carry to the slips cordon.Axar Patel, Shubman Gill, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar in training•AFP/Getty ImagesThe pitch delivered on that promise, and it helped that the match was played in the end of March, by which time warmer weather had arrived in Dharamsala. The sun helped turn the surface into something like day four in Australian conditions- fast and bouncy but with plenty of cracks for the spinners to work with.It’s a little different now, as Dharamsala gears up for its second Test match. It’s still the first week of March, and there has been rain in the weeks leading up to the game. Rain is forecast for Thursday, day one of the Test match, and maximum temperatures on all five days are likely to hover in the early to mid-teens (Celsius). It’s not the kind of weather for cracks to open up.Against that, though, is the look of the pitch itself, two days out from the match. It seemed to be a pale brown rather than green – the pitch that hosted the third Test in Rajkot had looked significantly greener in the lead-up – and Jonny Bairstow called it a “used pitch” in his press conference on Tuesday. He was not wrong, since it’s the same pitch that was used in that HP-Delhi game, but that was three weeks ago – how much time must elapse between matches for a used pitch to cease being one?James Anderson bowls with the Himalayas in the background•Getty ImagesEven so, it seemed fairly evident that the powers that be have made an effort to get this pitch to play in as Indian a way as possible, and minimise the advantages it bestows upon fast bowlers through its soil and location.It could still be fast and bouncy, then, and there could be swing if it’s overcast – as is likely to be a case for at least parts of the Test match – but it’s not a green seamer. The fast bowlers could still have a big influence, but the spinners could enjoy the bounce too. The lack of grass on the surface could help it wear a little quicker, though how quickly, in these conditions, remains to be seen.The outfield – a distinctly different and darker green to the square – is lush. Reverse-swing, if it happens, may take some time to happen.From England’s perspective, any help for the fast bowlers is welcome, potentially even-ing the battle between the two attacks. There is every chance they will play three quicks.It’s a little trickier for India to play an extra seamer, though. Any Indian pitch that’s not an outright greentop – and this one isn’t – is one where Ashwin. Jadeja and Kuldeep can find a way to take wickets. They’ll certainly enjoy the bounce, particularly if England keep sweeping and bring the top edge into play. And cooler weather allows fast bowlers to extend their spells; Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, used judiciously, could still deliver enough overs to ensure India don’t waste windows of fast-bowling opportunity.The question for India is whether a third seamer – likely Akash Deep – could get them more wickets, and get them quicker and cheaper, than a third spinner. It’s a question they’re likely to spend a lot of time mulling over, over the next day-and-a-half. It’s the kind of question they rarely have to ask themselves when they’re playing at home, but this is Dharamsala. Everything is different here.

Matt Olson put on a show for the fans at Truist Park, as the Atlanta Braves slugger belted 15 home runs, including a 460-foot blast, to bring the crowd to its feet during the Home Run Derby on Monday. But Olson fell just short from advancing as he was eliminated after the first round of the Derby.

And no one took Olson's elimination harder than Blooper, the Braves mascot.

After Olson headed for the showers far sooner than any Braves fan would have hoped, Blooper could be seen drowning his sorrows in the waterfall beyond the center field wall at Truist Park, with a sad, sad expression on his face.

At least Blooper and Braves fans can take solace in the fact that Olson gave them some moments to cheer for during his second Home Run Derby appearance.

As Brandon Woodruff took the mound for the Brewers on Wednesday, he faced a different kind of pressure than on a typical start. Not the heat of building on the league's best record or their division lead over the Cubs, but the opportunity to win hundreds of thousands of free burgers for the people of Wisconsin from the chain George Webb.

George Webb, the founder of the beloved Wisconsin restaurant chain, would famously predict back when Milwaukee only had a minor league team that it would win 12 straight games, and was believed to have declared that if the local team won 12 consecutive games, they would give away free burgers. His son, Jim Webb, would later make the deal official in 1970.

The Brewers came to close to winning free burgers earlier this season when they had an 11-game winning streak from July 6 to July 21, but lost the 12th game 1–0 to the Mariners. They have won free burgers for fans twice, in 1987 and 2018.

With a third opportunity to win free burgers on the line, Woodruff delivered. The two-time All-Star pitched four scoreless innings as Milwaukee got off to a 6–0 lead. The Pirates made things interesting after Woodruff exited, putting up five runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but the Brewers offense responded with six more runs and won 12–5.

“It's awesome. I was telling my wife last night I was more nervous, I wanted to win the burgers for everybody in the stands, including myself," Woodruff told reporters after the game. "It was fun, it's a cool thing. You could tell the energy around today on a day game was a little bit more than usual. Seriously, I wanted to win those burgers bad.”

The Brewers and the fans can celebrate with their free burgers, which will be given out on a date the restaurant plans to announce on Thursday. They can also celebrate a team that not just came through on the free burgers, but holds a league-best 76–44 record as the final month of the season approaches. No team is playing better than the Brewers, who can set their sights on going after their first World Series title.

A recap of some of the standout numbers from a run-fest in Guwahati

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Nov-202321 Runs needed for Australia at the start of the 20th over in Guwahati. These are the most target runs successfully chased by any team in the 20th over in T20Is. The previous highest was 19 runs by West Indies against England in the 2016 T20 World Cup final and Sri Lanka against Australia in the last year’s Pallekele T20I.4 Hundreds for Glenn Maxwell in T20Is, the joint-most by any batter in the format, equaling Rohit Sharma.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 out of 4 T20I hundreds by Maxwell have come in run-chases. That is the most by any batter in men’s T20I chases, going one ahead of KL Rahul, Babar Azam and Muhammad Waseem. All three hundreds from Maxwell came while batting at No. 4 and lower, which is also a record.123* Ruturaj Gaikwad’s score in this match is the second-highest individual score for India in T20Is, behind Shubman Gill’s 126* against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in February. Gaikwad’s 123* is now the highest T20I score by any batter against Australia, surpassing Brendon McCullum’s 116* in 2010 in Christchurch.Related

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1 Number of individual T20I scores higher than Gaikwad’s 123* to be on the losing side. Shane Watson’s unbeaten 124 against India in 2016 at the SCG remains the highest T20I score in the losing cause.1 Maxwell also became the first batter to score a century in their 100th T20I match. The previous highest score in career’s 100th T20I game was 85 by Rohit Sharma against Bangladesh in 2019.47 Balls Maxwell needed for his century, the joint-fastest by an Australian in men’s T20Is, equaling Aaron Finch (vs England in 2013) and Josh Inglis (vs India in 2023).ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 Instances of two batters scoring hundreds in the same men’s T20I before Gaikwad and Maxwell did in Guwahati. Twice it was by the opposing batters – Evin Lewis and KL Rahul in Lauderhill in 2016 was the first, while Johnson Charles and Quinton de Kock replicated it earlier this year in Centurion.Sabawoon Davizi and Dylan Steyn, the Czech Republic openers, scored hundreds in the same game against Bulgaria in 2022, the only instance of two centuries in a men’s T20I innings.223 The target chased down by Australia in Guwahati is the highest in T20Is against India, surpassing South Africa’s 212-run chase in Delhi last year. It is also the second-highest successful chase for Australia, behind the 244 against New Zealand in 2018.ESPNcricinfo Ltd68 Runs conceded by Prasidh Krishna in his four overs are the most for India in a T20I match. Yuzvendra Chahal’s 64 runs against South Africa in 2018 were the previous most.53 Runs between India and Australia in the 20th over of this match. These are the most runs aggregated in the 20th over of any men’s T20 game, where ball-by-ball data is available. Maxwell, who bowled the 20th over in the Indian innings, conceded 30 runs but helped Australia score 23 in the chase, with 18 runs in four balls he faced.

After getting back to winning ways against Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership, Celtic and Martin O’Neill have now been handed some positive injury news on Kieran Tierney.

The Bhoys were in ruthless form as they dispatched Falkirk in comfortable fashion, welcoming veteran manager O’Neill back to the dugout in style. Given that shock league leaders Hearts also dropped points in a 2-2 draw, there’s no denying that it was the perfect evening at Celtic Park.

Things haven’t quite taken a turn for the better off the pitch, however, and Celtic have already been dealt their first blow on the hunt for their next manager. According to Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph, the Hoops’ pursuit of Ange Postecoglou is now unlikely to progress.

The Australian, who was recently sacked by Nottingham Forest after just 39 days in charge, had been linked with a return to Celtic before reports shut those rumours down.

With their former manager off the table for now, Parkhead chiefs have been left to choose from the remaining names on their shortlist, which reportedly includes Craig Bellamy and Kieran McKenna.

McKenna would be a particularly interesting choice despite how his Ipswich Town side have struggled as of late. He famously took the Tractor Boys to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, before suffering instant relegation last season. Now, a big move could finally be calling.

In the meantime, it remains O’Neill’s job to steady the ship and potentially take Celtic into the Scottish League Cup final with Tierney’s injury return only helping that cause.

Kieran Tierney set to return for Celtic vs Rangers

As revealed by O’Neill, Tierney is in line to return for Celtic vs Rangers this weekend after missing out on his side’s 4-0 thrashing of Falkirk. The left-back is no stranger to injury problems, but does not face a period on the sidelines this time around ahead of a crucial cup clash.

The return of the former Arsenal defender should provide O’Neill with an instant boost. His experience, alone, proves crucial in moments like these and in the Old Firm derby, of course.

Despite how Celtic have struggled this season, Tierney has enjoyed some much-needed consistency. The Scot has started seven of 10 Scottish Premiership games to begin putting his injury history behind him.

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Dubbed “unique” by Rodgers in his very first Celtic spell, Tierney now has the chance to make his mark the second time around as an experienced member of O’Neill’s squad. And that could start against Rangers in the Scottish League Cup this weekend.

What Nicky Hayen really thinks about Celtic job

Manchester City supporters have been told to brace themselves for “bombshell moments” in what will be an otherwise “boring” 115-charge FFP case.

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Charges brought to light in February 2023Hearing in London has finally been openedPremier League champions waiting on rulingWHAT HAPPENED?

Some 19 months after learning in February 2023 that supposed monetary mismanagement at the Etihad Stadium would be thrust under the microscope, a hearing into the allegations made against the reigning Premier League champions has finally been opened.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

City claim to have “irrefutable evidence” that will help to clear their name in a case that could reportedly involve as many as 130 charges – following initial errors in reporting. Fans around the world are now eagerly awaiting updates in a saga that has sparked discussion regarding potential point penalties, hefty fines or even demotion out of the English top-flight.

WHAT WYNESS SAID

The London-based location of the hearing has been leaked, but former Everton CEO Keith Wyness says little information regarding what goes on behind closed doors will be forthcoming. He has told : “The secret location was leaked, there were photographs of the lawyers going in and the lead lawyer, David Pannick, is reportedly on £5,000 per-hour. But we're not going to be hearing much. They have been very clear about that. The chairman of the commission will only disclose things he wants to be disclosed, and there'll be no further reporting. Of course in football, we're all looking for leaks and, if there are no leaks, then people would be making up leaks, so we're going to have to be very careful with the information coming out.”

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

He did go on to say, as City wait to learn their fate: “I do believe it should be transparent, because it would add to the penalty. If a club realised it would be dragged through the mud publicly, that might be another way to stop the behaviour we're trying to fight against. It will bore people for the next two months. The detail and minutiae will be incredible and very boring, but there will be bombshell moments. I've been around these proceedings a couple of times, and they are very boring – it's not great TV. However, I do believe that if we're to enforce rules, then justice needs to be seen to be done. There's some value in having some reporters there and giving us an update on proceedings each day. That would be helpful and important.”

A BCB spokesperson confirmed the news, saying that the board has received a letter from the BCCI saying that the white-ball series will be scheduled at a later date

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2025Bangladesh’s tour of India to play a series of three ODIs and three T20Is in December has been “postponed”.A BCB spokesperson confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday, saying that the board has received a letter from the BCCI saying that the white-ball series will be scheduled at a later date.No specific reason has been given for the postponement but it is understood that the prevailing political tensions between India and Bangladesh was a key factor.The series, a part of the ICC’s future tours programme, was meant to be India’s last set of games before the start of the next edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and the only series between their triumphant ODI World Cup campaign and the WPL. The matches were expected to be played in Kolkata and Cuttack, with the ODIs kicking off the new cycle of the Women’s ODI Championship for both sides.Earlier this year, India men’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh, originally slotted for August 2025, was pushed to September 2026.”This decision has been reached following discussions between the two boards, taking into account the international cricketing commitments and scheduling convenience of both teams,” the BCCI had said in a statement at the time. “The BCB looks forward to welcoming India in September 2026 for this eagerly anticipated series. Revised dates and fixtures for the tour will be announced in due course.”

Anthony Volpe didn't have a great showing defensively on Sunday.

The Yankees' shortstop was roasted by the team's fans after a few defensive plays where it looked like his lack effort cost the team outs.

The first came in the top of the second inning and the Cubs holding a 1-0 lead. With Ian Happ at first base and one out, Nico Hoerner hit a ground ball to Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base in what appeared to be an easy double play for the Yankees.

Chisholm got the ball to Volpe to force Happ out at second, but as the shortstop came across the bag towards first base, he floated the ball across the diamond. By the time the ball got into first baseman Paul Goldschmidt's glove, Hoerner had crossed the base and was safe. Volpe's throw clocked in at 62 mph, far below what he's capable of.

Video is below.

In the top of the eighth, with the Cubs leading 4-1, Dansby Swanson was on first with two outs. Matt Shaw stepped to the plate and hit an easy grounder right to Volpe. He didn't charge the ball, opting to stay back and wait for it. When he fielded the ball, he softly tossed it to Chisholm at second, but Swanson beat the ball there. He was initially called out, but replays showed he easily beat Volpe's throw.

The Yankees wound up losing 4-1 and continued their trend of up and down play. Fans of the team were all over Volpe for his defensive lapses.

Through 95 games, the 24-year-old Volpe is slashing .214/.287/.384 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. He has 91 strikeouts against 34 walks, and his OPS of .671 leaves a lot to be desired from a former top prospect.