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Nottingham Forest have now identified an “unstoppable” Premier League player as their top target for the summer transfer window, according to a report.

Forest causing a stir in the transfer market

This summer certainly hasn’t been a boring one for the Tricky Trees, controversially replacing Crystal Palace in the Europa League, given the Eagles’ issues surrounding multi-club ownership, before going on to make headlines as a result of their behaviour in the transfer market.

Sky Sports News have now revealed that Forest have written to both Tottenham Hotspur and Morgan Gibbs-White’s agents threatening legal action, as they believe an illegal approach was made for one of their key players.

However, with Gibbs-White reportedly informing owner Evangelos Marinakis that he wants to join Tottenham this summer, it remains to be seen whether he ultimately ends up making the move to north London regardless.

Nottingham Forest have a battle on their hands trying to keep hold of the attacking midfielder, but they also have their own transfer business to worry about, and a report from The Telegraph has revealed they have now identified a new top target.

The player in question is Aston Villa attacker Jacob Ramsey, who is capable of playing at both left-wing and in attacking midfield, indicating that he could potentially be brought in as a replacement for Gibbs-White.

Given his versatility, there is a feeling Ramsey could also be capable of playing across Nuno’s forward line, with the manager looking to bring in players capable of helping his side push for another high finish in the Premier League.

However, there could be competition for the 24-year-old’s signature, with Everton and West Ham United retaining an active interest.

"Unstoppable" Ramsey could be coup for Forest

A deal for the Villa star may be on the expensive side, with Forest’s Premier League rivals set to hold out for at least £30m, but there are plenty of signs that he could be worth shelling out for.

Jamie Carragher has been left very impressed by the Englishman in the past, with the Sky Sports pundit saying: “He is a machine this fella. You see him open up his legs and run. He almost looks unstoppable.”

Aston Villa now set to make move for £17m ace, keen to finalise deal quickly

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By
Dominic Lund

Jul 15, 2025

The 2022-23 campaign was arguably the Birmingham-born attacker’s best, picking up 13 goal contributions in the Premier League, although he remained a key player for Unai Emery last term, featuring regularly in the Champions League.

With Forest set to embark on a European adventure of their own next season, they could do with bringing in players who have top-level experience, meaning Ramsey could be a solid addition to Nuno’s squad.

Chelsea’s pursuit of yet more attacking players this summer suggests Enzo Maresca is looking to challenge for both the Premier League and Champions League next season.

Given their performances at the Club World Cup, where they defeated PSG to win the title, the Blues could be a force to be reckoned with throughout 2025/26.

Alexander Isak has been linked with a move amid the news that he is exploring options away from Newcastle United, with the Blues said to have the budget to lodge such an ambitious swoop.

While a transfer seems unlikely, it would signal another huge statement of intent by the Blues if they managed to land him.

As to a deal to secure the signature of Dutch sensation, Xavi Simons, this move does appear to be close.

Chelsea are closing in on next move

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement on personal terms with Simons as they seek to sign him from RB Leipzig.

In terms of the fee, the German side are demanding €80m (£70m) to sanction a sale and, given Chelsea’s spending this summer, that shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.

Simons would add something extra to an already stacked Chelsea frontline next term, but imagine how better they would be should Isak secure an unlikely move to London.

Why Chelsea want to sign Xavi Simons

The Dutchman offers plenty of positional flexibility, which is an added bonus for Maresca. Indeed, last term, he played 16 games on the left wing and 15 as an attacking midfielder.

Across those two positions, Simons registered nine and ten goal contributions, respectively, proving that he can shine no matter where he is deployed.

Isak, of course, would operate through the middle as the lone centre-forward, but the Dutch youngster would thrive playing behind the Swede, no doubt about that.

When compared to his positional peers in the Champions League last season, Simons was sublime across several metrics.

Not only did he rank in the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.88), but the 22-year-old also ranked in the top 2% for shot-creating actions (5.91) and in the top 11% for progressive carries (3.22) in Europe’s premier club competition.

Xavi Simons’ stats in the Bundesliga last season

Goals

10

Assists

7

Key passes per game

2

Shots per game

2

Total duels won per game

5.4

Big chances missed

2

Via Sofascore

Producing the goods in the biggest tournament on the continent proves that Simons is a man who would generate plenty of opportunities for Isak should the unthinkable occur.

Indeed, in the Bundesliga, Simons created an impressive 12 big chances for Leipzig, while also averaging two key passes per game.

It is perhaps no wonder that the Dutch starlet has been hailed as a “game-changer” by talent scout Jacek Kulig recently, following a performance for the Netherlands against Spain.

Making a move for Isak would be the cherry on the cake for Maresca this summer. While Liverpool lead the race for the striker, nothing can be counted out at this stage.

Should he have the talents of a player such as Simons operating behind him, Isak would reach new heights at Stamford Bridge; that much is certain.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jul 25, 2025

Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, overlooked for England’s Test squad, bounced back to equal his season’s best tally of four wickets for 42 as Northamptonshire were skittled for 97 on an eventful opening day of this Vitality County Championship match at Wantage Road.Robinson, who claimed identical stats against Yorkshire at Hove, took some stick in his opening overs, but found more control and a better line as he switched ends amid a Steelbacks collapse. This after the hosts had raced to 43 without loss inside six overs before Nathan McAndrew started the slump with two wickets in two balls.On a day which saw 22 wickets fall, Sussex had themselves been bowled out earlier for 143, Northamptonshire seamer Jack White striking with four wickets for 23 runs, his first scalps of the summer since returning from injury. The visitors were undone by some testing seam bowling on a green top with bare ends, the bowlers finding plenty of movement to beat the bat consistently with Sussex losing six wickets for 47 in 19 overs after lunch, despite a series of dropped catches from the hosts.The clatter of wickets meant Sussex were batting again at 5.20pm when, with the sun putting in a late appearance, conditions started to ease. Tom Haines took advantage, hitting 45 as Sussex closed on 83 for 2, 129 ahead.Earlier Haines was first to go in Sussex’s first innings, flashing outside off stump, caught at fourth slip by Matthew Breetzke to give White his first wicket.Daniel Hughes top scored with 35, stroking five boundaries before he was dropped by a diving Prithvi Shaw at second slip off Luke Procter. His reprieve was shortlived as he edged the next delivery behind. Procter soon picked up another when James Coles fell to a good low catch by Breetzke at midwicket.Tom Alsop then departed on the stroke of lunch when tried to work Justin Broad off his hip and was caught behind.After the interval, in-form Sussex captain John Simpson took Sussex into three figures, before the innings swiftly fell apart.Oli Carter was first to go. He had hit consecutive boundaries through the covers before lunch but was undone when White used his height to gain some extra bounce drawing him into pushing outside off stump, keeper Lewis McManus taking the catch.Simpson almost fell soon after, but Shaw shelled a simple chance at second slip off White. The bowler persevered, striking later in the same over when he jagged one back in to trap Fynn Hudson-Prentice lbw.Simpson offered a second chance in the slips off Ben Sanderson, but this time a diving Breetzke could not hold on. He finally fell when Broad gratefully pouched a catch at second slip to give White his fourth wicket. Next Procter had McAndrew caught behind by a diving McManus before Robinson fell first ball, top-edging a return catch to Sanderson.Jack Carson meanwhile took the aggressive route as wickets tumbled around him. He clubbed the ball through the on side and scooped for six before holing out off Sanderson.When Northamptonshire batted, Ricardo Vasconcelos pummelled 16 off the opening over from a wayward Robinson, including a six and two fours before pulling Sean Hunt out of the ground for another maximum. He had moved to 33 when he tried to steer Hunt past fourth slip, Carson taking a superb diving catch.McAndrew then picked up two wickets in two balls thanks to some stunning fielding at third slip from Haines, who first took a good low grab to dismiss Emilio Gay, before an even more spectacular diving catch away to his left as Procter went first ball. South African T20 international Breetzke, playing his first Championship match, was then adjudged lbw to give McAndrew, Northamptonshire’s fourth wicket to fall for 16 runs in three overs.Shaw looked a class apart, driving his first two deliveries from Hunt square for four. He took a liking to McAndrew too, smashing him through the covers and cracking him away off the back foot.But Robinson found a better line and control from the David Capel End and struck on the stroke of tea, Rob Keogh falling to a juggling catch by Coles at slip. He struck again soon after the interval when McManus drove loosely outside off stump and was well caught by a leaping Simpson.Hudson-Prentice made the key breakthrough, removing Shaw, caught by Carson off the leading edge for 31, before Robinson claimed a third wicket, shaping one back in to bowl Sanderson. In his next over he had Raphael Weatherall brilliantly caught by Carson at short cover before taking a catch in the deep himself as Broad holed out off Hudson-Prentice.When Sussex batted again, Northamptonshire made an early breakthrough when White trapped Hughes lbw for 13. Haines though decided attack was the best option, smashing eight boundaries as he and Alsop shared a stand of 63 before he was caught behind off Sanderson.

Sunderland will be all too aware of how challenging the Premier League can be, having been relegated four times from the intimidating division since its 1992 rebrand.

The Black Cats will be up against it too when you consider how poorly the newly promoted sides have done in recent memory, with the last six teams to go up triumphantly sinking straight back down with a whimper.

Regis Le Bris, of course, will have other plans as he embarks on his first-ever season in England’s well-known top-flight, but signings galore will need to take place to give the Frenchman and his wide-eyed team a fighting chance at survival.

One dream incoming would have been the amazing return of Amad Diallo to the Stadium of Light, but with his Old Trafford career finally now taking flight, it looks like an unlikely route to explore.

Amad's fan favourite status at Sunderland

Rumours have already begun to circulate that the entertaining Ivorian could be on the Sunderland shopping list, with this deal perhaps even bolder than the Black Cats’ reported attempts to tempt former star Jordan Henderson back to home turf.

A potential reunion will always catch the eye of Sunderland supporters just for how impactful Amad’s first stint at the club was, with his heroics from down the right wing clinching playoff football for Tony Mowbray’s men during the 2022/23 campaign.

They would eventually slip up at the semi-final stages, but nobody could knock the 22-year-old’s efforts during the near-miss season, with Amad picking up a hefty 14 goals and four assists across 42 appearances.

Since then, he has been able to firm up his Manchester United starting spot under Ruben Amorim, scoring 11 goals this season, so a stunning move back to Wearside would surely be a tall order to pull off.

But, Le Bris might well be able to win Sunderland’s next version of the spellbinding 22-year-old if another move comes to fruition.

Sunderland could sign their new Amad

It will be all about striking a fine balance between picking up signings by the bucket load and ensuring the star performers from their promotion heroics are given a fair chance up a level.

As per a new report from GIVEMESPORT, the Black Cats could be about to bolster their attacking arsenal even more away from the likes of Romaine Mundle and Wilson Isidor with the addition of Kwame Poku. Indeed, the Mackems are just one of 26 clubs who are looking to seal the winger’s signature on a free transfer after his contract with Peterborough United came to a close.

The concern on Sunderland’s end, however, will be whether Poku can make that gigantic leap up from League One to the Premier League look seamless.

But, as was the case with Amad, he had never really been exposed to the ins and outs of the English game before his Stadium of Light loan experience – minus one or two United senior chances – with the rest now history as he tears up the Premier League for the Red Devils.

The “unplayable” Ghanaian – as he was hyperbolically labelled by Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson last season – could well take the top-flight by storm too if given time to impress, with Poku’s trickery, flair and ability to finish off a chance at League One level making him very similar to Amad at his Black Cats peak and shows off a player ready for an increase in quality.

To rubber stamp that comparison, you only need to look at their dribbling numbers from the 2024/25 campaign with EFL hotshot, Poku, averaging 1.9 dribbles per match to Amad’s 1.6. Their eel-like ability on the ball is almost uncanny.

Poku’s overall Peterborough numbers
Stat	Poku
Games played	147
Goals scored	30
Assists	30
Trophies	2x
L1 Player of the Month	2x
LT Team of the Season	1x
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Unfortunately for Le Bris and Co, they were unable to get the very best out of Amad over a long period of time, but with Poku – who is fresh off tallying up an insane 21 goal contributions from only 29 clashes last season – he will have so much more to give the cause permanently, considering he is only 23 and will be surrounded by some top-notch teammates equally eager to succeed up a division.

He might not instantly hit the ground running, but if there’s one location that should be able to get the optimum out of him eventually, it’s Sunderland with the likes of Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham and Amad all blossoming here so early into their playing days.

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Sunderland have hit the jackpot with this star who could be their next Jack Clarke.

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Dan Emery

May 28, 2025

Form Virgil van Dijk to Alan Hansen, Liverpool have had some of the greatest centre-backs of all time, but striker Chris Wood once revealed the toughest defender he’s ever faced is not one of their decorated legends.

The role of the enforcer in football has changed as the game has changed, with referees nowadays taking a much sterner view on two-footed tackles and late challenges.

‘Let them know you’re there’ was once a common phrase used in football dressing rooms up and down Britain, whether it be Sunday league or the Premier League, as dominant centre-backs and tough-tackling midfielders used intimidation as a tactic.

Premier League's toughest players in pictures

For Liverpool, those tackles were often performed by the likes of Jamie Carragher and Javier Mascherano, with former Manchester United winger Nani once revealing why a tackle by Carragher left him in tears: “When I saw my leg for the first time, I thought my season was finished. That is why I was crying.

“Afterwards, the doctor saw my leg and said I had been lucky because it just needed stitches and I would be out for two or three weeks. He is surprised that I could recover even quicker.”

The Sky Sports pundit only received a yellow card for the tackle on Nani, which in today’s game would have been met with a straight red and a hefty ban.

10. Diego Costa

9. Jaap Stam

8. Vinnie Jones

7. David Batty

6. Stuart Pearce

5. Patrick Vieira

4. Nemanja Vidic

3. Roy Keane

2. Julian Dicks

1. Duncan Ferguson

Towards the end of Carragher’s Liverpool career the Reds signed several centre-backs with a view of becoming his successor, and perhaps one of the most beloved by fans was a 23 year-old from Slovakia called Martin Skrtel.

Chris Wood: Skrtel the toughest defender I've ever faced

Manager Rafael Benitez was thrilled when Liverpool signed Skrtel in January 2008 for a transfer fee of £6.5m, telling fans their new defender was “aggressive” and “very competitive”.

Wood, who played against Skrtel when he was a young striker at Leicester, went one further in an interview on the Premier League’s YouTube channel in 2021. He said that for all of the legendary centre-backs to grace Anfield and the Premier League as a whole, it wasn’t greats like Van Dijk who gave him his toughest test.

Skrtel left Liverpool in 2016 to sign for Fenerbahçe, and despite not winning many trophies during his time on Merseyside, is remembered fondly by Liverpool fans.

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The former Slovakia international played 320 times for Liverpool, scoring 18 goals and winning the League Cup in the 2011-12 season. Interesingly, despite being yellow carded 51 times, he only ever received one red card in England, as he was sent off in a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham in September 2011.

Levi Colwill has been a regular fixture for Chelsea this season. The 22-year-old, who is a full England international, has featured 32 times in the Premier League and, more recently, twice in the UEFA Conference League, and will now be looking to guide the west Londoners to a trophy and a top-five finish.

That said, the Cobham graduate hasn’t been without his critics, having notably been “bullied” in the defeat to former club Brighton, in the words of Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, while regularly drawing the ire of supporters.

In the league alone, the youngster has made three errors leading to a shot, one error leading to a goal and given away one penalty, as per Sofascore. He also ranks in just the bottom 46% for tackles, the bottom 13% for clearances and the bottom 31% for blocks per 90 among his centre-back peers in the top-flight, as per FBref, further exposing his defensive woes.

With that in mind, Chelsea have actually been linked with a new defensive signing this summer, perhaps to potentially dislodge Colwill – even amid Enzo Maresca’s faith in him.

Chelsea’s pursuit of Dean Huijsen

It seems like Chelsea, along with several other big clubs in the Premier League, are going to try and sign Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen. The Spaniard has been incredibly impressive this season, and given he has a £50m release clause, a move seems inevitable.

Well, Chelsea will be one of the sides vying for his signature, according to TEAMTalk, with the Blues the team ‘who have offered Huijsen the more tempting financial package’, in order to convince him to switch the South coast for West London.

However, Liverpool are also in the race, and several other European heavyweights, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, have also been linked at various times during the race for Huijsen’s signature.

As for why Chelsea want to sign Huijsen, well, he has been excellent at the back for Bournemouth this term, and was described as a “gem” by Sky Sports commentator Bill Leslie earlier in the season.

He has featured 29 times in the top flight this term, scoring three goals in that time and recording seven clean sheets so far. The young Spain international has certainly made a big impression, hence every major club in Europe has been linked with him.

If Chelsea can’t get this deal over the line, then they might not have to worry too much. The Blues actually have a perfect in-house alternative to Huijsen.

Chelsea’s in-house Huijsen alternative

If Huijsen has impressed for the Cherries this season, then Josh Acheampong has certainly made waves for Chelsea, despite the fact he has had far less of an opportunity in the first team at Stamford Bridge.

Described as a player with “elite potential” by football analyst Ben Mattinson, the 19-year-old has featured 11 times across all competitions for the Blues this term. Six of those games have come in the Conference League, where he has played 495 minutes so far.

The underlying numbers via Sofascore from Acheampong’s performances in the Conference League this term show just how well he has played. For example, he makes an average of 2.5 tackles and interceptions and wins an average of 0.9 aerial duels per game.

Passes completed

453

82.4

Pass accuracy

95.6%

95.6%

Long balls completed

7

1.3

Tackles and interceptions

14

2.5

Aerial duels won

5

0.9

The other thing that really stands out about the youngster is his ability on the ball. The 19-year-old, who can play as a right centre-back or a right-back, is clearly tidy in possession, as his 95.6% pass accuracy in the above table shows.

Not only that, but the London-born defender reads the game superbly, and can use his physicality to his advantage in defensive situations. Just look at this piece of defending in the Conference League, where he is able to use his strength to shepherd the ball to safety.

There is no doubting Acheampong’s ability. He has all the tools to become a genuine superstar, capable of playing in multiple positions across the back four, which is ideal for Maresca as he plans his defensive options for next season.

He is a player Chelsea will surely look to integrate into the first team in 2025/26. At the very least, if they do miss out on Huijsen, they are in safe hands, even more so, perhaps, than with Colwill at the back.

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Head coach Jon Lewis challenges his players to dominate the Hundred as T20 World Cup looms

Valkerie Baynes18-Jul-2024After an undefeated home summer, England’s greatest challenge will be keeping the good thing they’ve got going during what head coach Jon Lewis describes as a “tricky” time before launching their T20 World Cup campaign.England won 13 of their 14 fixtures – with a wash-out the only exception – against Pakistan and New Zealand during a home international season which is already over in mid-July, illustrating the volume of cricket on a 2024 international schedule featuring men’s and women’s T20 World Cups.Just as England men begin – they are one match into a Test series against West Indies with Tests against Sri Lanka and two white-ball series with Australia to follow – the women have finished, their only competitive cricket left before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October being the Hundred and a tour of Ireland which is unlikely to feature many, if any, tournament squad members.”My preference would be we get on the plane tomorrow,” Lewis admitted at Lord’s, after his side’s 20-run victory secured a 5-0 sweep of the T20Is against New Zealand on Wednesday. “But we don’t. We’ve got eight weeks between now and then. That’s a tricky period for us to manage.”I’ve just spoken to the players there in the dressing room and talked to them about my desire for them to go out and dominate the Hundred and actually show what brilliant players they are. Having a different captain, a different coach, a different coaching team giving different messages and then trying to make sure that they’re able to continue to do the things that we’ve been working on as well at the same time is really tricky for the players.”Related

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Lewis couldn’t put his finger on exactly what had clicked between England’s sometimes scrappy wins against Pakistan, whom they beat 2-0 and 3-0 in T20s and ODIs respectively, and their more clinical displays against the White Ferns, who also lost the ODI series 3-0.It could be a simple case of eradicating some winter rust and building confidence as individuals and as a team. There has also been marked improvement in consistency among the batting line-up and skill level in the field.England’s world-class spin attack of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn, the player of the series with eight wickets at an average of 6.87 and economy rate of 4.34, have imposed themselves on the opposition while the seam ranks are starting to see the benefits of Lauren Bell’s remodelled action, Lauren Filer’s growing experience and Freya Kemp’s return from a back injury.Back to playing her allrounder role, Kemp also impressed with the bat, particularly during the pivotal 3rd T20I in Canterbury where she supported fellow teenager Alice Capsey’s unbeaten 67 with an eight-ball cameo of 16 not out as England took an unassailable lead in the closest match of the series.”We’ve batted 360 degrees of the ground during this series and hit boundaries all around the ground and most of our players can access all the areas of the ground, I want that to continue,” Lewis said.”Our fielding has improved. I think New Zealand came over here and when they started this, in the 50-over series, were a better fielding side than us and over the course of the last three or four weeks we’ve really improved our fielding, from probably quite unlikely places, places that you wouldn’t expect.”People like Sarah Glenn for example, when I turned up here, we were hiding her in the field and now she’s making an impact, taking diving catches and diving stops all over the place. That’s someone that really has been able to shift their game forward in the field, but also our athleticism and our physicality is getting better. That happens when you have a group of young players and they’re all developing really fast.”All our bowling attack is pretty much, with the exception of Nat [Sciver-Brunt], 25 and under. We had two teenagers finishing the game off at Canterbury the other day, which it is really exciting. I feel that English cricket is in really safe hands for a long period of time to come.”Legspinner Sarah Glenn was player of the T20I series against New Zealand•PA Photos/Getty ImagesBut Lewis has also noticed a sense of calm and growing confidence within a group that he says is playing more intelligent cricket than before. “The hardest job for now is that the players will leave us for a four-week period and they’ll go into situations that are the same but different and so at times their confidence can go up and it can go down,” he said.”What we hope is we get back a group of players that are as confident as they are now leaving us when they come back to us. That’s not guaranteed. We’re going to have to work really hard when they come back to us to try and rebuild some people, but also to keep some people level and calm.”We know that there’s bigger challenges ahead. The conditions will be the biggest challenge in Bangladesh and understanding how to play those the best. The team that plays the conditions the best over in Bangladesh will win that tournament.”To teach that sense of calm and how to deal with different conditions, Lewis told his squad he was going to try and disrupt them during New Zealand’s visit. England played around with selection, rested experienced players – including captain Heather Knight in Canterbury – and altered batting and bowling roles to keep players on their toes.But for the most part, Lewis believes it was the fear of the unknown that was most valuable. “I just told them there would be distractions: that’s a distraction in itself,” he said with a grin. “They’re waiting, ‘what’s going to happen?’ They’re not sure what’s going to happen, so that creates pressure, it creates anxiety, creates thinking.”I didn’t really do too much to be honest, apart from telling them that. If you sow the seed then people generally overthink things… We got stuck on the bus today. I didn’t plan that. That in itself is a distraction. People were talking about getting off the bus and getting the tube to get here to make sure they can get their practice in before the game.”You just try and raise the level of anxiety within the group to a place where they were able to bring themselves back into a calm place and communicate well with each other and talk their way through situations.”The Hundred, starting on July 23, looms as another distraction. How players navigate it could go some way to informing how England show up for the World Cup.

Indefatigable fast bowler channels spirit of Larwood to end frustrating tour on personal high

Andrew Miller16-Jan-2022Mark Wood targeted two things in the build-up to this Hobart Test, over and above the helmets of Australia’s batters: “wickets and wins”. Thanks to England’s miserably frail batting, the latter notion proved to be a pipedream, but thanks to the former, it had been a whole lot more plausible in this contest than any other stage of this series, after one of the most richly merited five-fors in recent Test history.It’s rare to be able to say definitively that a bowler has “deserved” better rewards – how often has an English seamer, in particular, beaten the outside edge time and time again, only for their pitch map to suggest that they were half a yard too short to truly challenge the bat? That was arguably the defining theme of England’s loss in their last pink-ball match at Adelaide – which also happened to be the one match of this series in which Wood was an absentee.For Wood, by contrast, it’s been a case of the shorter, the nastier, the better – and now, at the very last gasp of an indefatigable campaign, his efforts have earned him his very own step on the way up to the Bellerive pavilion, after he produced the best figures by a visiting bowler in Hobart’s brief but proud Test history.Related

• Wood: 'Effort is non-negotiable when you're playing for England'

• Live Report – Australia vs England, 5th Test, Hobart, 3rd day

England have not dispatched a quicker bowler to Australia since Devon Malcolm’s two tours in 1990-91 and 1994-95, and like Malcolm – whose career average of 37.09 did little justice to the raw hostility that he brought to his best spells – Wood looked set to depart with the admiration of his foes, but nothing tangible to show for it.Prior to this match, his eight wickets had been bludgeoned at a Malcolm-esque 37.62, but in a hint of what might have been feasible with better support and more England runs to defend, five of those scalps had been a combination of Australia’s big three: Steve Smith, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, all of them extracted before they had reached 30, and in Labuschagne’s case, three times in as many innings after his ascent to the No. 1 Test ranking.Wood’s speeds, meanwhile, have been heroically unyielding – he’s busted a gut to push 90mph in every spell, no matter how dog-eared the ball or tattered the match situation. And in that respect, he’s emulated another lion-hearted performer of yesteryear, Darren Gough – whom Mark Taylor memorably said he would take as Australia’s 12th man in that 1994-95 series, given how ebullient he had remained in the midst of another traumatic Ashes tour.There were concerns, however, that even Wood had finally run out of steam in the opening exchanges of this contest – his third Test in a row, after years in which he had rarely been risked even for back-to-back encounters.In a profligate first-innings display, Wood’s first ten overs were panned for 74, including 31 in three pressure-releasing overs straight after the morning drinks break – and given that Australia had been 12 for 3 after the first ten overs of the match, it turned out to be a critical passage of play.Wood took his maiden Test six-for•Getty ImagesBut the reality was that the conditions on that seethingly green first day called for a subtlety that Wood – to his credit, more often than his detriment – does not possess. Like New Zealand’s Neil Wagner, Wood is a man with sledgehammer attributes, but the conditions that morning demanded a scalpel that he is not accustomed to handling. Had James Anderson been available, he surely would not have been used as first-change; had Jofra Archer not been broken before the series had started, he too might have possessed the versatility to thrive on that fuller, more forensic length.Wood tried to oblige – he has not wanted for trying all tour – but instead, he was punished for his probing, most particularly by Labuschagne, the man over whom he had previously exerted a hold unlike any other bowler in world cricket.According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, Wood bowled 46 balls on a good length or fuller across the two innings, and got clobbered at an economy rate of 7.69, with just the wicket of Australia’s No. 10, Pat Cummins to show for it. In the first innings alone, half of the balls in that first spell were full: 21 out of 42. They vanished for an eye-watering 36 runs.However, once he made the decision to drag that length back, for his post-tea spell on the first afternoon, Wood’s returns were transformed – 3 for 41 in his remaining eight overs of that innings, all of them caught on the pull, and 9 for 78 in his final 24.3, with a succession of battered batters finding no answer to his line, his lift, and most of all, his stamina.In that respect, Wood’s methods have evoked another indefatigable Northerner – his near-namesake Harold Larwood, whose exploits were not exactly cheered to the rafters while he was zoning in on Don Bradman’s forehead during the 1932-33 Bodyline series, but who came to be appreciated in hindsight, not least when he emigrated to Australia after the war. It’s a stretch to suggest that Wood might set up a new home in Hobart after this performance, but he’d certainly be welcomed.As for the Aussies in his sights, they may be grateful that, at 32, this is probably Wood’s final appearance in a Test in Australia. Usman Khawaja may well suffer flashbacks from the bouncer that all but decapitated him as he gloved one off his throat, while the sucker-punch pull that Steve Smith hoisted to fine leg on the third morning was not only the moment that England truly knew they were back in with a chance, it was also the moment that Smith’s average dipped below 60 for the first time since 2017.Such pyrrhic victories have abounded in this contest – Warner’s pair being another case in point – but Wood’s refusal to let up at any stage of a desperate campaign has been a rare and precious joy for England’s success-starved players and public. Thanks to his wickets, that win seemed, ever so fleetingly, to be a realistic prospect.

Tigers ace and reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal left his start against the Marlins with a team athletic trainer Friday night.

He appeared to grab the left side of his upper body after a pitch in the fourth inning which caused manager A.J. Hinch and a member of the training staff to head out to the mound. After a brief discussion, Skubal exited the game. You can watch the unfortunate sequence below:

Per 's Cody Stavenhagen, the team said the Cy Young Award frontrunner left his 29th start of the season with tightness in his left side and is getting evaluated. Heading into the night, he is 13–4 with a 2.10 ERA and 222 strikeouts. He leads the AL in ERA, trailing only Paul Skenes (1.92) for the best mark in baseball. Only Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet has more punchouts with 228.

Something was off with Skubal from the start Friday as he gave up two home runs in his first two innings and ended the evening allowing four earned runs to two strikeouts. He pitched 14 innings of scoreless baseball over his two previous starts while striking out 10 batters along the way.

Javier Báez exited early for Detroit Friday also after he fouled a ball off his head earlier in the game.

Not long after India were unable to defend a massive score of 358 against South Africa in the second ODI, captain KL Rahul said the toss “plays a huge part” and makes a “huge difference” in matches where dew heavily skews the match in the favour of chasing sides. India lost their 20th toss in a row in ODIs, and South Africa opted to bowl and sealed a four-wicket victory with four balls to spare to level the series 1-1.”Not really, considering everything – how much dew there is and how difficult it is to bowl in the second innings,” Rahul said at the presentation when asked if the defeat was a tough pill to swallow. “The last game, we did really well, considering everything. All the difficulties for bowlers bowling with a wet ball, and the umpires have been nice enough to change the ball a few times, but still I think toss plays a huge part. So I’m kicking myself about losing two tosses in a row. It’s obviously making a huge difference.”India were asked to bat for a second game in a row under Rahul’s captaincy this series. While India managed a narrow 17-run win in the opening match in Ranchi after posting 349, this time a bigger target didn’t prove to be enough.Related

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“To reflect back there’s always things that we could have done better,” Rahul said. “With the bat, I know that 350 looks good, but that’s also been the chat in the dressing room even after the last game [about] how can we get that extra 20-25 runs, so that the bowlers find some cushion when they bowl with the wet ball.”Bowlers obviously are trying their heart out, but there are areas to improve. There are a few soft boundaries that we gave away, even in the field. If we can tighten up all three aspects of the game and get a bit more sharper, then maybe those 20-25 runs will go our way and we’ll be on the other side.”India’s tall total was built on the back of centuries from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad. This was the 11th time Kohli hit hundreds in back-to-back ODIs, while it was Gaikwad’s maiden century in the format – the pair adding 195 runs in just 156 balls together for the third wicket.”It was beautiful to watch – Virat, the way he batted. Obviously, we have seen him do this for 53 times now,” Rahul said. “He goes on about doing his job, we’re used to seeing it. Just to see the way Rutu batted was beautiful. [He] took on the spinners, hit his gaps. Once he got past that 50, the tempo that he batted with is I think what gave us that extra 20 runs.”Despite the strong base, India could not finish strong: they added only 103 runs in the last 15 overs with eight wickets in hand; just 74 in the last ten overs. Rahul scored an enterprising 66 not out off 43 at No. 5 after being carded at No.6 in the team sheet at the toss. Washington Sundar made 1 off eight balls while Ravindra Jadeja batted 27 balls and scored an unbeaten 24 with just two fours.”Obviously batting at 5-6-7 [could be looked at],” Rahul said. “If the lower order could contribute a little bit more and hit a couple of more boundaries, then maybe that’s the 20 runs that we would have been happy with.”Today is the first time I’ve been slotted at No. 6 and I’ve walked in at 5. Otherwise, it’s always a decision before the game. The way Rutu and Virat’s partnership was going on, they set a good tempo. So GG [Gautam Gambhir, head coach] and me felt like it would be the right time for me to walk in and keep that tempo going. Obviously [I] got a fifty last game, so, there’s a bit of confidence. Someone who’s batted in the middle, someone who’s high on confidence is probably the right person to go in and take on the bowling and keep that tempo going. That was the plan.