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Leeds United are now set to sign another defender and this time for a fee of under £500,000, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

Leeds announce Gudmundsson on four-year deal

With Junior Firpo exiting Elland Road, Leeds needed to bring in a new left-back, and they have wasted no time in their pursuit of Lille’s Gabriel Gudmundsson, with the defender signing a four-year contract on Tuesday.

The fee is thought to be in the region of €12m (£10m) although the club’s announcement does not disclose the true figure, after the 26-year-old completed his medical checks on Monday.

Gudmundsson is not the only left-back set to make a move to Elland Road, however, with Romano recently taking to X to reveal the Whites are on the verge of signing a defender from a rival Premier League club.

The transfer expert states that Manchester City’s Jayden Lienou “will join Leeds United” for a package amounting to under £500k, with the 17-year-old set to link up with the U21 team to begin with.

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Leeds United are in the mix of teams who want to sign a highly rated midfielder.

Posts 2 ByBrett Worthington Jul 7, 2025

Andrew Taylor and Adam Underwood are said to have been “key” to securing a deal for Lienou, and the deal now appears to be completely agreed, suggesting that an official announcement could be imminent.

Leeds’ opening Premier League fixtures

Date

Everton (h)

August 18th

Arsenal (a)

August 23rd

Newcastle United (h)

August 30th

Fulham (a)

September 13th

Wolverhampton Wanderers (a)

September 20th

Gudmundsson and Lienou are savvy signings for Leeds

Lienou has been showing some promising signs at youth level, most notably scoring a remarkable solo goal for Wales a little over a year ago, showcasing his quality on the front foot.

However, at 17-years-old, the Welshman is clearly one for the future, and Gudmundsson is more likely to make more of an instant impact at Elland Road, given that the Sweden international is vastly experienced.

The Malmo-born defender made nine appearances in the Champions League last season, and his performances across the campaign clearly impressed journalist Joe Donnohue, who described the full-back as a “fun” player and a “risk-taker”.

The former FC Groningen man also caught the eye in an attacking sense during his time with the Dutch club.

Given that Firpo was well-known for his attacking contributions, Gudmundsson could be an ideal replacement for the Dominican Republic international, while Lienou’s performances at youth level indicate he could also be a savvy signing with the potential to become a prototype modern day attacking full-back.

With Thomas Frank looking to make his mark from the off, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly battling Manchester United in another transfer race to sign a £20m gem.

Tottenham open summer business with Tel arrival

Although there are likely to be plenty of others who steal the headlines this summer, Mathys Tel has his place in history as the first signing of the Frank era in North London. The young forward has arrived on a permanent deal following a short loan spell in the second-half of last season. Still just 20 years old, the former Bayern Munich man represents the type of talent that could thrive under Frank’s guidance.

The Lilywhites are unlikely to be done there with attacking additions, however, amid recent reports that suggest they’ve opened talks sign Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

With Bryan Mbeumo still leaning towards a summer switch to Manchester United, Frank and Tottenham’s attention has seemingly turned towards the Cherries and sealing the arrival of a player who has been on the rise in the South Coast for the last two seasons.

Of course, there will be plenty of frustration if they miss out on Mbeumo – especially given how Frank got the best out of the Brentford star during their time together in West London – but Semenyo very much represents an ideal alternative.

The Mbeumo saga may not be the last time that Spurs and Manchester United do battle in the transfer window, either. Reports are now suggesting that both clubs are interested in the same midfield gem.

Tottenham battling Man Utd to sign £20m Agoume

According to reports in Spain, Tottenham are now battling Man Utd to sign Lucien Agoume from Sevilla this summer. The young midfielder is reportedly available for just £20m amid Sevilla’s financial troubles and could be destined for the Premier League one way or another in the coming months.

It’s easy to see why two of the Premier League’s so-called big six teams are interested in Agoume this summer. U23 scout Antonio Mango was full of praise for the 23-year-old in his assessment, going on to describe him as “combative” and “extremely well-rounded”.

If they lose out on Mbeumo to Manchester United, then Tottenham should look to exact instant revenge by signing Agoume ahead of the Red Devils this summer. What could reportedly help their battle to do exactly that is the fact that they have Champions League football to offer, whilst Manchester United, of course, do not.

28-year-old wants to join Tottenham as Levy considers "clever" signing

He’d be an interesting addition.

4 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 21, 2025

It would be quite the moment if Spurs’ Europa League victory over the Red Devils saw them hand those at Old Trafford another defeat away from the pitch in the coming months.

Tottenham Hotspur finally put an end to 17 long years of hurt last night.

Despite their diabolically poor domestic campaign and the absence of Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Lucas Bergvall, Ange Postecoglou’s side managed to do what would have been unthinkable a few months ago and won the Europa League.

It wasn’t the prettiest or highest quality of games, but that hardly matters, as all the fans will remember is their players’ gritty, backs-to-the-wall performance and how they brought home the club’s third European trophy.

Moreover, one of the players in the squad now has to go down as one of the biggest legends in Spurs history, someone who now has an even bigger legacy in North London than Gareth Bale.

Spurs' heroes in Bilbao

Before getting to the legend in question, it’s worth going over some of the other heroes for Spurs last night, such as Micky van de Ven.

Chalkboard

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

The Flying Dutchman was a rock at the back for the North Londoners, and on helping to suffocate Manchester United, he also managed to pull off a sensational goal line clearance after Guglielmo Vicario misjudged a cross mid-way through the second half.

Equally impressed with the former VfL Wolfsburg star, Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarded him a justifiable 10/10 match rating at full-time, the same rating he gave Cristian Romero.

The World Cup winner, who has now won all five of the finals he’s played in, was named the Man of the Match, and, to be honest, that’s a difficult decision to argue against, as he was utterly immense.

If the Argentine titan wasn’t getting his head to a ball or intercepting a pass, he was getting the heads of United’s players, and by the end of the game, he had a number of them on strings.

Both Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro were also handed 10/10 ratings by Gold on the night, with the former actually being the more attacking of the two as the encounter went on and the latter showing that when it really comes down to it, he can put in a solid defensive showing at right-back.

Finally, while he only got a 7/10 from the football.london journalist, we reckon Richarlison was just as important as anyone else on the team last night, as from the first minute until he was taken off in the 67th minute, the Brazilian forward worked like a dog.

If he wasn’t making runs down the left, the former Everton star was putting in a monstrous defensive effort that most probably wouldn’t associate with him, and if the 28-year-old does end up leaving in the summer, he’ll do so as a cult hero for his display.

However, with all that said, another player who didn’t even start last night can now go down as one of the most important players in Tottenham’s history and someone with an even greater legacy than Bale.

The Spurs star with a greater legacy than Bale

While every player in the team last night will now go down as a Spurs hero at a minimum, there is one star for which the victory secured him a legacy that few in the modern era can match: Son Heung-min.

Yes, even though the South Korean superstar only came on in the 67th minute, and aside from a free-kick that Kevin Danso almost got on the end of offered very little, he has now gone from club icon to club legend.

Arguably, the only player in the last 25 years who can be placed on a higher pedestal than the former Bayer Leverkusen star is Harry Kane, and that’s only down to him being the club’s all-time goalscorer.

Moreover, while Bale has a good legacy with the North Londoners, he only played one game in their successful League Cup run in 2007/08.

In contrast, the Chuncheon-born superstar made ten appearances in the Europa League this season, scoring three goals and providing one assist.

Furthermore, the victory last night was just the icing on the cake to remove any question over his status as a club legend, as since he moved to N17 in the summer of 2015, he has been nothing short of brilliant.

For example, in 454 appearances for the club, the “incredible” phenom, as dubbed by Postecoglou, has scored 173 goals and provided 101 assists, which is an absurd average of a goal involvement every 1.65 games.

Appearances

454

Minutes

32186′

Goals

173

Assists

101

Goal Involvements per Match

0.60

Minutes per Goal Involvements

117.46′

Major Trophies

1

Ultimately, Son was always going to go down as a Spurs icon regardless of what happened last night, but the victory in Bilbao has now ensured he’ll leave the club as a legend and as someone with an even greater legacy than Bale.

Spurs hero just proved why he's a £100m star in the making in Bilbao

Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought by lifting the Europa League trophy in Bilbao.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes May 22, 2025

Chelsea held “very positive” transfer talks with the representatives of a top transfer target, just before their disappointing loss to Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Enzo Maresca blames rotation as Chelsea lose 2-1 to Legia Warsaw

The Premier League heavyweights are in the Conference League semi-finals after their aggregate win over Legia, but they did it in unconvincing fashion after their tepid loss at home to the European minnows last night.

Ornstein: £50m player wants to leave club fast after talks with Chelsea

Discussions have been held with his representatives.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 16, 2025

Goals from Tomas Pekhart and Steve Kapuadi cancelled out Marc Cucurella’s equaliser to hand the Poles a deserved win at Stamford Bridge, leading to small sections of boos around the stadium from Chelsea’s home crowd.

Manager Enzo Maresca has come under fire recently, leading Chelsea to just five league wins from their last 16, and he admitted in a post-match press conference that heavy rotation played a role during a dissatisfying performance from his side.

“First of all, yeah, we are for sure not happy with the defeat,” said Maresca about Chelsea’s defeat to Legia.

“Probably the first leg, 0-3, probably we try to manage the result a little bit, rotate, make rotations with the players, try to avoid injury, because we have an important game also Sunday. So, as I said, for sure not happy with the result.

“We are in the semi-final, but at the same time, we were probably trying to manage a little bit the first leg, the result, we are there. But overall, the good thing is that we can rotate players, we don’t have an injury, that for us was the main target, because during the season we had many injuries, an important moment, and because it’s an important moment now, the last part of the season, the good news was that we don’t have injury.”

After Maresca highlighted the silver lining of no new injured Chelsea players, there has been more good news off the field, according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips.

Chelsea hold "very positive" Thursday talks with Dean Huijsen

It concerns Bournemouth defender and top transfer target Dean Huijsen, who is a wanted man across the Premier League after a very impressive season on the south coast under Andoni Iraola.

News of his £50 million release clause has piqued interest throughout England and further abroad, with Vincent Kompany also reportedly pushing Bayern Munich to sign Huijsen (Football Insider).

Writing via his Substack, Phillips has shared a fresh update on Maresca’s pursuit of the 20-year-old, stating that Chelsea held “very positive” talks with Huijsen’s camp on Thursday, and just before their defeat to Legia.

Following these discussions, Chelsea believe their chances of striking a deal for the “sensational” Spain international have increased.

“Chelsea have held new talks with the agents of Huijsen today, and talks have been described by sources as being very positive,” wrote the reporter.

“We have heard that the player’s father is very involved in the dealings as the main part of his entourage and he is asking for a fairly high agent fee, which we know Chelsea do not mind paying if other parts of the deal and fees can be reduced.

“Chelsea are now feeling more confident that they can land their man after talks today, mainly due to the fact that they are promising him game time and at the moment Liverpool are not able to do that with Virgil van Dijk just signing a new contract.”

Phillips’ source is also quoted as saying that Chelsea are “going all in” for Huijsen, so this comes as a very promising update on one of Europe’s most exciting young centre-backs.

“Personally it feels really good because the fans, they know I’m Deepti Sharma. It’s difficult to go out in the mall or walking down some streets”

Valkerie Baynes26-Sep-2024India aren’t under pressure to win their first senior women’s World Cup title; instead, they are taking inspiration from the success of the Indian men’s team earlier this year as they head into the Women’s T20 World Cup, according to allrounder Deepti Sharma.India Women have never lifted World Cup silverware at the senior level, their Under-19 counterparts making history when they won the inaugural age-group women’s T20 title in South Africa in 2023. That was the curtain-raiser to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, also held in South Africa, where India lost their semi-final to eventual sixth-time champions Australia.”I wouldn’t say pressure because the World Cup is a big event for each and every player, but personally I’m motivated with the men’s World Cup they took home,” Deepti told ESPNcricinfo. “We are doing a really good job throughout each and every series and every tournament and I won’t say it’s a pressure, but we will do our best.”Related

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India were runners-up at the 2020 edition in Australia and have twice reached the final of the ODI World Cup, in 2005 and 2017. It was the latter that Deepti highlighted as a watershed moment for women’s cricket in India. There, England clinched a nine-run victory before an ecstatic home crowd at Lord’s.”How we played the finals in 2017, suddenly everything was changed,” said Deepti, who was still only 19 at the time but already had 30 ODIs and three T20Is to her name. “Personally it feels really good because the fans, they know I’m Deepti Sharma. It’s difficult to go out in the mall or walking down some streets.”It’s a great feeling from the 2017 World Cup final and obviously if we win the World Cup things will really change from every perspective and each woman will want to play cricket after that, so I’m hoping for the best.”From reflecting on how her sport has changed since then, Deepti was also struck by how much progress had been made in just the past couple of years as the women’s global franchise circuit has flourished. She was speaking at The Oval last month while preparing for the Women’s Hundred eliminator with London Spirit, who went on to win the final.Deepti Sharma won the Women’s Hundred 2024 with the Heather Knight-led London Spirit•Getty ImagesHaving called international rivals Charlie Dean, Heather Knight and Sarah Glenn team-mates through the campaign, and played with Alyssa Healy, Chamari Athapaththu and Sophie Ecclestone in her second season with UP Warriorz at the WPL where she was the MVP in 2024, any mystique surrounding World Cup opponents is all but gone.Having come into the Spirit squad as a replacement for the injured Grace Harris, Deepti played eight matches, scoring 212 runs at a strike rate of 132.50 and going unbeaten five times in her six innings. She also took eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.85. Deepti was the fifth-highest run-scorer at this year’s WPL with 295 runs at a strike rate of 136.57 and she took 10 wickets at an average of 21.70 and economy rate of 7.23.And while India’s players have become even bigger stars at home, whether it be from reaching the closing stages of World Cups or their franchise appearances, it may well have made them easier for fans to identify with. Deepti felt as much when India hosted South Africa in June and July this year. Then, India suffered an early scare with a 12-run defeat in the opening T20I in Chennai having swept their ODI series in Bengaluru 3-0.Those matches were India’s last before the Women’s Asia Cup, where they were upset in the final by T20 World Cup qualifiers Sri Lanka.

“I wouldn’t say pressure because the World Cup is a big event for each and every player, but personally I’m motivated with the men’s [T20] World Cup they took home”Deepti Sharma

“The World Cup gives lot of confidence that we can do our best and small girls when they come to watch our series in India – in Bangalore, we played the South Africa series – and they were like, ‘I want autographs’ and ‘I want pictures’, so it’s great to watch them,” Deepti said. “And they said, ‘I also started playing cricket.'”We just told them, ‘don’t give up, just play your best and don’t think about the result, results will come, just express yourself’.”Despite those hiccups against South Africa and Sri Lanka, Deepti was confident heading into the World Cup, where India will start their campaign against New Zealand on October 4.”We’re quite positive as a team,” she said. “We are doing really well and we are thinking that each and every game is important, so whether we are playing any team, we are quite focused.”Should India finally triumph in Dubai on October 20, just imagine the focus on them.

They shared nine wickets to help the visitors bowl Bangladesh out for 365 in the first innings of the Mirpur Test

Mohammad Isam24-May-2022When they arrived in Bangladesh earlier this month, Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando wouldn’t have expected to form a bowling partnership. Vishwa Fernando’s concussion in Chattogram, however, brought them together, and the two fast bowlers have delivered impressively for Sri Lanka.If Ebadot Hossain wasn’t run-out to end Bangladesh’s innings on the second day of the Mirpur Test, Asitha and Rajitha would have been the first fast bowling pair from Sri Lanka to share all ten wickets in an innings. Rajitha picked up his maiden five-wicket haul and Asitha missed his by one wicket. But the two helped their side bowl Bangladesh out for 365.They might not have vast experience to draw from but they showed maturity by keeping an upright seam, and bowling tight lines and lengths. While they largely bowled an attacking line around off stump, they didn’t hesitate to use bouncers. In fact, they overdid the latter on the second day, but that was probably Sri Lanka sending the home side a message.Before the Mirpur Test, Rajitha had played exactly ten Tests, ten ODIs and ten T20Is. Asitha had four Tests and four ODIs. The nice symmetry aside, it mainly shows that neither has really nailed a place in the national team in any format. The last ten days, however, might be the corner that Rajitha and Asitha were looking to turn.When Suranga Lakmal retired from international cricket earlier this year, Sri Lanka didn’t really have a real successor. Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa were being groomed to take over the baton but Kumara’s career hasn’t really kicked on while Chameera is more of a white-ball bowler.Asitha Fernando celebrates dismissing Mominul Haque•AFP/Getty ImagesIn this phase of uncertainty, these two rookies have put their hands up. After impressing in the first Test, Rajitha as a concussion substitute no less, they exceeded expectations in Mirpur, even stepped in when the Sri Lanka spinners couldn’t quite provide breakthroughs.When Rajitha removed Mosaddek Hossain on the second morning, it was not just his maiden five-for. It was also the first by a Sri Lanka fast bowler since Lakmal took one more than a year ago. At the Shere Bangla National Stadium, it was only the second five-for by a fast bowler in the last eight years.Asitha has been around since his ODI debut in 2017, but he made his Test debut only last year because when Lakmal was playing, Sri Lanka generally picked out-and-out fast bowlers, like Chameera or Kumara.Rajitha is slightly more experienced, having started his Test career in 2018 with 11 wickets in two Tests against West Indies. In the seminal South Africa series in 2019, he was Sri Lanka’s second-highest wicket-taker behind Vishwa, with nine wickets at 23.22. But in the following South Africa tour last year, Rajitha had bowled only 2.1 overs before a groin injury ruled him out for the rest of the year.He always had the height and ability to move the ball off the seam, but what stood out in these two Tests is his consistency in bowling probing lengths. Even more impressive was how he was able to extract help from the usually unresponsive Chattogram and Mirpur pitches. These are enough reasons to believe Rajitha has come back from injury as a better bowler.In the past too, Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers, like Chameera, Kumara and Vishwa, have made instant impacts in Test cricket, but following it up has been a major challenge. Specifically, fitness has been a concern. Rajitha too had his share of fitness issues in 2021. So, that’s one thing he has to be careful about.Sri Lanka play most of their Test cricket in conditions that favour spinners. But this series must have given them the confidence to prepare tracks that have something in them for fast bowlers too.

And who has the highest batting average at No. 4?

Steven Lynch02-Jun-2020Sachin Tendulkar had 194 when India declared in Multan in 2004. Has anyone else been stranded in the 190s by a declaration in a Test? asked Sarv Kothandaraman from the United States
There have so far been eight undefeated innings of between 190 and 199 in Tests, including two unlucky cases of 199 not out – by Andy Flower, for Zimbabwe against South Africa in Harare in 2001-02, and Kumar Sangakkara, for Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Galle in 2012.Sachin Tendulkar had 194 when Rahul Dravid declared at 675 for 5 against Pakistan in Multan in 2003-04. Dravid did it to have an hour’s bowling at Pakistan on the second evening – and although no wickets went down that night, India did win by an innings in the end. The only higher score in this bracket was achieved by Frank Worrell, against England in Bridgetown in 1959-60. He had scored 197 – in more than 11 hours – when his captain, Gerry Alexander, declared midway through the final day. There was little prospect of a result: England batted again and pottered to 71 without loss in 42 overs. The watching English journalist Alan Ross wrote: “Alexander several times signalled to Worrell for more action but Worrell, off on some pipedream of his own, chose to ignore him. Nelson at the Nile could not have been more disdainful.” And EW Swanton noted: “When Scarlett, by repute something of a hitter, was lbw, Alexander brought Worrell in, three short of his double hundred. It was significant that Alexander’s timing did not produce a dissenting voice.”It was Worrell’s second undefeated score in the 190s in Tests – against England at Trent Bridge in 1957 he had carried his bat for 191.Australia’s Brian Taber made eight dismissals on his Test debut – is that the record for a wicketkeeper? asked Ronald Garside from Australia
The New South Wales wicketkeeper Brian Taber collected seven catches and a stumping in his first Test, against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1966-67, and his mark was equalled by Chris Read, who made seven catches and a stumping too, on his debut, for England against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1999.Eight remains the record for a player’s overall debut, but South Africa’s Quinton de Kock made nine dismissals – eight catches and a stumping – in his first match as the designated wicketkeeper, against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2014, having made his Test debut as a batsman earlier in the year. Some years ago I came across the comment that Graham Yallop had the highest average of any Australian batsman when batting in the No. 4 position. What is the highest average at No. 4 for other countries? asked Mike Larkin from Australia
I was always an admirer of Graham Yallop, who I thought was an underrated batsman. But this, for once, is overrating him: Yallop averaged 36.76 when batting at No. 4 in Tests, which is solid rather than spectacular. He did better at No. 3, where he averaged 52.42.Leading the way for No. 4s in Tests is none other than Frank Worrell, who by coincidence is mentioned in the question above. He averaged 76.22 in ten innings in this position (I imposed a qualification of ten innings, to exclude any anomalies). Next comes Steve Smith, who so far averages 74.02 from 57 innings at No. 4.Sachin Tendulkar made the most Test runs at No. 4 – 13,492 at 54.40) – while Mahela Jayawardene (9509 at 52.24) and Jacques Kallis (9033 at 61.86) both made more than 9000.Frank Worrell has the highest average for a minimum of 10 innings at No. 4 – 76.22•Getty ImagesWho scored two hundreds in a Test without being dismissed? asked Shanthy Noronha from New Zealand
There have now been 86 instances of a batsman scoring two hundreds in the same Test, 37 of them in the current century. But there remains only one case where the man concerned was not dismissed in either innings: Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva followed 138 not out against Pakistan in Colombo in April 1997 with 103 not out in the second innings.The West Indian Krishmar Santokie has figured in 12 T20Is without scoring a run. Who holds the corresponding record in Tests and ODIs? asked Ricky Dooley from Scotland
The Jamaican left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie shares top spot on this list with Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has also played a dozen T20Is so far without troubling the scorers (both have batted once; Santokie did not receive a ball, but Afridi faced two without scoring). Three other current players have appeared in 11 T20Is without scoring a run: Ben Shikongo of Namibia, Hamza Tahir of Scotland, and Mohammed Shami of India. Shikongo was dismissed by the only ball he has faced, while the others have not made it to the crease.There’s a runaway leader in one-day internationals: the South African left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi has so far played no fewer than 22 ODIs without scoring a run (he’s faced two balls in three innings). Next is another current player, the Sri Lankan seamer Kasun Rajitha with nine matches – he’s actually faced ten deliveries without scoring a run. Next come the West Indian spinner Dave Mohammed and Indian seamer Jaydeep Unadkat, who both played seven matches without scoring.Three players have appeared in three Test matches without scoring a run. The old Worcestershire seamer Fred Root never even got to bat in his three Tests, while an even older fast bowler, Lancashire’s Arthur Mold, got in three times but failed to score. More recently, the South African fast bowler Mfuneko “Chewing” Ngam played three Tests in 2000-01 without getting off the mark.Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Another week, and there are another three initiates of the 100-mph club. Zach “Big Sugar” Maxwell, 24, of the Reds, made his debut at 275 pounds and with an average fastball velocity of 100.7 mph. Joel Peguero, 28, averaged 101.1 mph for the Giants, and Bubba Chandler, 22, twice hit 100 mph in his debut for the Pirates.

You might think such big-arm pitchers were can’t-miss amateurs. But the universe of 100-mph throwers has expanded so far that Maxwell was a sixth-round pick, Peguero is pitching for his fifth organization in 10 years after signing his first pro contract and Chandler was a third-round pick.

With 20% of the season left to play, already we’ve seen more pitchers hit 100 mph (76) than in any complete season in baseball history (the record was 64 in 2022 and ’23).

This is the first generation of pitchers who have grown up under Velocity Inc., a catchall to describe the growth business of leveraging technology to teach velocity throughout the amateur market (colleges, private coaches, throwing labs, etc).

Compared to the same date of previous seasons, the number of pitchers who have hit 100 mph in the major leagues is up 38% from last year and from 2019, the last full season before the velocity revolution began on the other side of the COVID-19-impacted campaign.

From 2008 to ’19, the 100-mph club held relatively steady, with gradual increases. But you can see the classic “hockey stick” growth pattern since ’21, including the huge spike this year:

The pitch was difficult for batting once again but Bangladesh’s openers overcame the challenge to help win the series decider

Mohammad Isam24-Oct-2025A failing batting line-up and a long run of poor results in ODIs prompted Bangladesh to throw up their version of the Hail Mary this series: a dark, cracked pitch in Mirpur, where the ball spins, spits and makes run-scoring difficult. The highest total in the first two matches was only 213, and Bangladesh and West Indies set a new world record by bowling 92 overs of spin in the second ODI.So when Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar walked out to open the innings in the series decider, the focus was on how they would cope with the surface. Bangladesh hadn’t won an ODI series for 18 months, which is a bad place for a team targeting direct qualification to the 2027 World Cup.It was the batting that had consistently let Bangladesh down, so the pressure was on once again. But over the next 25 overs, Saif and Soumya gave their team hope.They added 176 runs in 25.2 overs for the first wicket; Saif scoring 80 off 72 balls and Soumya 91 off 86. Their attacking approach was in contrast to the struggle of batters in the previous two games, and none of the batters that came after them from either side managed to emulate their success.The partnership helped Bangladesh score 296 for 8, a total that was 179 runs too many for West Indies. Daren Sammy, the West Indies coach, praised the mentality Saif and Soumya had shown in such conditions.Related

Sarkar, Saif carry Bangladesh to series victory over WI

Litton Das returns to lead Bangladesh's T20I squad

“I think it’s a mindset,” Sammy said after the game. “You know, for us, when we explain in the dressing room what this game means, you know, we’re looking for automatic qualification [for the World Cup]. We have got two teams fighting for that last spot before the cut-off period, and then you have a series decider on the line. Your mindset must be I’m the one to do that. You saw the mindset of the [Bangladesh] batters.”They were like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna be brave on that wicket, I’m gonna set the tone’. The score didn’t reflect what the wicket was. The batsmen came in, decided to be brave in the powerplay, and that put us under pressure. And then we, we just took so long to answer. We were not consistent enough in the areas that would challenge the batters and then we paid heavily for it.”Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz said the Saif-Soumya partnership was a long time coming. “The start is very important for a team. We haven’t had such a partnership from the top order for a long time. The team mentality changes when you get such a start from the top order.”We have to give credit to Saif and Soumya for the way they batted today. They batted aggressively on this wicket, which made it easy for the rest of the team.”Mehidy said he liked how Soumya and Saif went for their favoured shots whenever presented with the opportunity. “It feels good. We have been struggling with our batting for a long time. We however believed that we could make a comeback any time. We have to give them some time.”This wasn’t an easy wicket but they played their go-to shots. Soumya Sarkar played reverse sweeps against their spinners. Saif Hassan attacked their right-handed bowlers. They played with calculative risks.”A batter will do well in three out of five innings. The team will benefit if those three knocks are substantial. It becomes difficult if the batter falls in the thirties after getting set. We have to be more patient with these batters. A good top-order partnership usually helps the batting line-up.”For now, the Saif-Soumya stand is a one-off event. It was Bangladesh’s first 100-plus opening stand in two years. After their dismissals, the rest struggled to maintain the tempo. But Saif and Soumya provided an example of how a bit of courage can overcome the most difficult of batting conditions.

أعلن نادي بيراميدز، موافقته على انضمام وليد الكرتي مهاجم الفريق إلى منتخب المغرب المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب. 

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق بطولة كأس العرب، في الأول من ديسمبر المقبل، في العاصمة القطرية بالدوحة. 

طالع.. طريق بيراميدز.. موعد مباراة فلامينجو وكروز أزول في كأس الإنتركونتيننتال

وجاء بيان نادي بيراميدز على النحو التالي:

انطلاقًا من العلاقات الطيبة التي تربط نادي بيراميدز بمختلف الأندية والاتحادات الوطنية العربية، وتلبية لطلب الجامعة المغربية لكرة القدم، بشأن لاعبنا وليد الكرتي، وافقت إدارة نادي بيراميدز على انضمام اللاعب إلى صفوف المنتخب المغربي المشارك في كأس العرب للمنتخبات بقطر.

وجاء قرار نادي بيراميدز بالموافقة على انضمام الكرتي للمنتخب المغربي، على الرغم من ارتباط الفريق بمباراتين في الدوري المصري الممتاز يومي 3 و6 دبسمبر وفي ظل غيابات عديدة يعاني منها الفريق، انطلاقًا من العلاقات الطيبة التي تربطه بجميع المنتخبات العربية، وبما يضمن الحفاظ على تحقيق مصالح الطرفين.

ومن المقرر أن يصل وليد الكرتي خلال الساعات المقبلة إلى العاصمة القطرية الدوحة، بعد عودته من زامبيا مع بعثة بيراميدز، عقب سماح إدارة النادي بالتحاقه ببعثة الفريق المغربي في كأس العرب.