The ESPNcricinfo team of the tournament has players from five countries – find out if your top pick made the squad of 12 or not

Yash Jha03-Nov-20258:05

‘What dream? We’re living it’

Getty Images

Smriti Mandhana

So rich was Mandhana’s vein of form coming into the competition that a quiet start – 54 runs in the first three outings – had left viewers perplexed. But she dialled things up once the big games arrived: 80 versus Australia, 88 versus England, and 109 in the high-stakes clash against New Zealand. She added 45 in the final to finish with the highest tally for an Indian in a women’s World Cup.AFP/Getty Images

Laura Wolvaardt (capt)

Wolvaardt, too, had a slow start, but more than made up for lost time, scoring 30 or more in seven consecutive matches – including half-centuries in wins against India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan – and then hit centuries in both knockouts. Her 101 in the final versus India may have ended in a losing cause, but the 169 against England to take South Africa to their maiden ODI World Cup final will go down as one of the all-time great performances. Her tally is, by some distance, the highest at an edition of the ODI World Cup.Getty Images

Jemimah Rodrigues

Speaking of iffy beginnings… Rodrigues found herself on the bench three weeks into her maiden ODI World Cup, after two ducks and two 30s. She celebrated her return – and a promotion to No. 3 – with a sparkling 76 not out off 55 balls versus New Zealand, before the career-defining 127 not out to end Australia’s reign with a record chase in the semi-finals.ICC/Getty Images

Marizanne Kapp

Continuing the trend of peaking at the right time was Kapp, whose first big contribution (aside from a chase-stabilising half-century against Bangladesh) came in the sixth game of the campaign: 68 not out off 43 balls followed by three new-ball wickets against Pakistan. She then demolished England’s hopes of chasing 320 in the semi-final with a double-strike in the first over, finishing with 5 for 20, having earlier chipped in with a 33-ball 42.Getty Images

Annabel Sutherland

Sutherland’s consistent mastery at the death, fuelled by a lethal back-of-the-hand slower ball, meant she was the joint-highest wicket-taker before the final. She started with a three-for against New Zealand, triggered an Indian collapse with 5 for 40 in Visakhapatnam, and added another three versus England – a game where she also had her only significant outing with the bat.Getty Images

Ashleigh Gardner

Prior to 2025, the World Cup had seen only three hundreds from batters coming in at No. 5 or lower; Gardner hit two in this edition, both stunning recovery acts. She turned 128 for 5 into 326 against New Zealand by smashing 115 off 83 balls, and then turned a tricky chase versus England into a cakewalk – Australia were 68 for 4 in pursuit of 245 – with 104* off 73. There was a fifty in the semis too, and she chipped in with the ball all along.ICC/Getty Images

Richa Ghosh (wk)

Ghosh takes the wicketkeeping gloves in our team owing to her finishing prowess. She was the tournament’s fastest scorer as well as its highest six-hitter. Her unbeaten 20-ball 35 pushed India closer to 250 against Pakistan in Colombo; she played cameos in both the games versus Australia, including a handy 16-ball 26 in the record semi-final chase; she added 34 off 24 in the title clash against South Africa, and her 94 off 77 against the same opponents was an early contender for the knock of the tournament…AFP/Getty Images

Nadine de Klerk

Deepti’s tournament started with a fifty and a three-for, and ended with a fifty and a five-for – the first such achievement in any World Cup final, women’s or men’s. The leading wicket-taker of the tournament, Deepti became the first player to do the double of 200+ runs and 15+ wickets in an edition of the women’s ODI World Cup. The Player of the Tournament recipient also contributed a four-for and fifty in the loss to England, and injected vital momentum in the semi-final chase against Australia with a 17-ball 24.Getty Images

Alana King

King delivered the spell of the tournament, claiming the first seven-for in World Cup history, to bamboozle South Africa in Indore. But don’t discount the rest of her tournament: two key wickets in the opener versus New Zealand, miserly returns against Bangladesh (2 for 18) and England (1 for 20), and the first fifty from a No. 10 in a women’s white-ball international to stitch a rescue act against Pakistan.ICC/Getty Images

Sophie Ecclestone

Ecclestone began the tournament playing second fiddle to fellow slow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith’s hero act against South Africa, but finished as strongly as ever. She proved too strong for Bangladesh (3 for 24) and Sri Lanka (4 for 17), and despite tougher outings in Indore, and an injury scare ahead of the semi-final, she was England’s standout performer in the defeat to South Africa with 4 for 44.ICC/Getty Images

12th: Sophie Devine

In the final chapter of an illustrious ODI career, Devine was the lone star of New Zealand’s campaign, top-scoring in defeats to Australia (112) and South Africa (85), and scoring 63 in the win over Bangladesh. That meant Devine had 260 runs after three outings, but New Zealand didn’t bat for another two weeks, and Devine didn’t get a perfect swansong with low scores against India and England.

Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly in talks with Napoli ahead of a January exit from Manchester United.

Across his last four games, manager Ruben Amorim has won 10 points from an available 12, stringing together a run of three wins and a draw. The former Sporting boss has seemingly, after over a year in charge, found some consistency in his first team.

This could prove crucial for Amorim, who has found himself under varying amounts of pressure since moving from Sporting to Old Trafford in November 2024. In becoming more sure of his first team, though, the Portuguese has limited the minutes of Kobbie Mainoo.

A product of the club’s prestigious youth academy, Mainoo has played just 138 minutes in seven Premier League appearances this season. As a result, rumours have started to circulate about his future and now, reports in Italy have suggested that a move to Serie A could be on the cards.

Amorim wants Mainoo to stay amid Serie A talks

As per Football Italia, Napoli have “been in contact with the agent” of Kobbie Mainoo and that “interest in a loan deal is mutual” between the player and club. Reportedly, the defending Serie A champions are looking for midfield depth following an injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne.

Depth is made all the more imperative given that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will be absent during the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and Napoli have retained the interest that they seemed to have in Mainoo back in the summer transfer window.

Despite keen interest from Antonio Conte’s side, it would seem that Amorim hopes that Mainoo remains in Manchester, though it has also been reported that a move to Italy is “more likely” and something that has reached the “advanced talks” stage of negotiation.

Though Amorim may want Mainoo to stay, it is understandable as to why the midfielder wants more first-team football, especially with a World Cup coming up next year. With Napoli’s current absentees, Mainoo would certainly receive minutes at the club.

Not only that, but Napoli’s status as a Champions League club may only make the move more alluring to Mainoo. It remains to be seen, though, whether the England international departs in the next transfer window.

Exciting update on young Man Utd defender's first team chances

New Zealand’s player of the series talks about making the best of extreme conditions, using his time in the reserves to prepare, and being part of the side’s biggest success

Interview by Deivarayan Muthu07-Nov-20243:25

‘Hopefully what we’ve achieved can inspire young kids watching at home’

Will Young has spent much of his international career as a reserve batter and it was supposed to be no different when New Zealand began their six-Test subcontinent expedition this year. After the one-off match against Afghanistan was called off without a ball being bowled, Young ran the drinks in Sri Lanka. But after an injury to Kane Williamson, Young seamlessly slotted into the No. 3 role and ran the show with the bat against India in India. He dovetailed attacking strokes into his defence beautifully, including the sweep and reverse sweep, and was the top scorer for his side, with 244 runs. It earned him the Player-of-the-Series award as New Zealand completed a near-unthinkable 3-0 whitewash of India. Young spoke about how he prepared for the India tour, despite not being a certain starter, and countered spin in conditions that were extreme at various stagesIt’s been a few days since the epic 3-0 series win against India. Has it sunk in for you?
Yeah, I think it slowly is. We’ve got time to obviously celebrate with the boys and the support staff after the win, but to check your phone and see the messages and the love and support that’s come from back home has been incredible. So yeah, it’s certainly starting to sink in. Our time here has come to an end, unfortunately. It’s been an incredible few weeks, but now on to new things or having a bit of a rest.After the Pune Test, Glenn Phillips said there was some rowdy singing in the team bus. What were the post-match celebrations like in Pune and Mumbai?
Yes, the bus ride was fun, especially after the Pune Test, when it was longer from the ground to the hotel. GP [Glenn Phillips] was singing and dancing up and down the aisle. The celebrations continued when we got to the hotel and we just enjoyed each other’s company. Obviously a few speeches from the coach and captain and things like that. But it’s starting to sink in. I think when you relax and have a drink with your team-mates, that’s when you start to really reflect on what we’ve just achieved. And those are really special times that we’ll remember for a long, long time.Related

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What was it like to have the trust of the team management to slot into that crucial No. 3 position, especially in conditions that were often extreme?
I think that’s the nature of being a reserve batsman: you’ve got to be prepared to bat anywhere in the top five. And obviously, No. 3 is a pivotal role. But you could argue that all batting positions in the top five are pivotal at different stages of the game. So I had to prepare in a way that I felt ready and confident to take the opportunity. And the lead-up to the tour was really good. We had some good camps in New Zealand before we came over [to the subcontinent].And then it was just on a game-by-game basis, assessing how Kane’s going back home. And obviously it didn’t improve enough for him to fly over. So it meant that I could play the whole series, which was really nice for me, personally.The accidental tourist: Will Young finished as New Zealand’s second-highest run scorer on their tour of India•Indranil Mukherjee/Getty ImagesWe also had a week in Noida [for the Afghanistan Test]. And although the outfield was really wet, we could still train on the block there. And then obviously, in Galle, there’s spinning conditions there as well. So I had a good amount of time in the nets, preparing and watching the guys go about their work and having conversations about what works and what doesn’t. You start to piece it all together. And by the time I came to India, I felt prepared to take on this opportunity.You went from facing James Anderson in swinging conditions in Southport to facing up to R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar on turners in India. Talk us through the prep that helped you adapt.
In that Lancashire game, Nathan Lyon also played, so it wasn’t a bad bowling attack. To be honest, it [success against spin] has been a long time in the making. We toured here in 2021 and we had a two-Test match series, in Kanpur and Mumbai, and the batting group that’s here is largely the same as the one three years ago.So I suppose if you look at it with a wider lens, you can say that we’ve been learning since then. There’s been lots of tours to the subcontinent, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and even some spinning surfaces at home at times. We were always keen to learn and adapt and grow as batsmen.I suppose leading up to this particular series and this particular chunk of six games in the subcontinent, it was really important that we got our heads around what does work and doesn’t work. And at times it is experimental and at times it’s backing your method and having the courage to do so for a long period of time. It’s just nice that it’s all come together, especially after the hurt of the Sri Lankan series. To put it all together on the biggest of stages here in India was really pleasing as a whole batting unit.You had Rangana Herath and Michael Bracewell bowl to you a fair bit in the Galle nets when you didn’t make it to the XI. How did those sessions benefit you in India?
Yeah, Rangana still loves bowling. He bowled a lot in the nets, not just to me but to a lot of the boys. And I guess because he’s so accurate, if you want to work on a particular shot, he can put it there for you.And he’s very complimentary and he gets around you when you get it right. Obviously Michael Bracewell – affectionately known as Beastie – he’s also a really handy bowler to face in the nets. And the conditions in Galle were nice to test out different styles of play and different methods.The final cut: Young hits the winning runs in the first Test in Bengaluru•BCCISo that was awesome to have, those couple of weeks with those guys, as well as the batting coach, Luke Ronchi, who was throwing a bit of offspin. Glenn Phillips is always keen to bowl. So there was plenty of guys to call upon and to get some volume in leading into the series.Was the sweep one of those shots you worked on during those sessions? You came away as New Zealand’s most prolific player of the sweep, including the reverse, in this series
Yes, as I said before, some of your training at times can be experimental. And I suppose the reverse sweep and the hard sweep in front of square is something that I’ve had to add to my locker.I thought it might come in handy at certain times over here, especially when conditions get gnarly and you don’t have the field that you want to bat against. You can take a risk to sweep in different ways so that the field changes, and then you might feel a little bit more comfortable. So yeah, it’s certainly been something I’ve been working on for a long, long time. And it’s nice for it to come off at times over here when it was needed.You also have another Sri Lankan connection: you worked with Mahela Jayawardene when he came to New Zealand to play for Central Stags. Do you often chat to him about your batting as well?
I haven’t spoken to Mahela in a long time now but back in my formative years, a younger, more impressionable self was playing with Mahela. It was in the T20 format. He came over for two full seasons and played with us. And he was just incredible.He scored a hell of a lot of runs. He loved playing golf and he loved talking batting. So myself and some other guys in the batting group got around him and just tried to pick his brains as much as we could. But yeah, just awesome to see a master at work.

Tom Alsop makes 72 as Matt Critchley’s legspin chips away for visitors

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025Sussex 204 and 245 for 7 (Coles 99*, Alsop 72) trail Essex 504 (Harmer 53) by 55 runsJames Coles led Sussex’s resistance with an unbeaten 99 but his efforts seem unlikely to deny Essex victory over Sussex at Hove.Coles was on the verge of a third successive Rothesay County Championship century when rain arrived at 5.20pm and play was abandoned shortly afterwards with Sussex 245 for seven in their second innings, still trailing by 55 after conceding a first-innings deficit of 300.Coles is Sussex’s man in form. He made 148 not out at Durham and 150 in Sussex’s last home match against Warwickshire and he top scored in their first innings with 52. Only five batters have scored more Championship runs this season than the 21-year-old, and he didn’t offer a chance here after arriving in the seventh over with Sussex 33 for 2.While he and Tom Alsop (72) were adding 141 in 72 overs for the third wicket Sussex harboured hopes of stalling Essex’s push for victory.But Alsop was lbw to Matt Critchley in the leg-spinner’s second over and after tea Sussex lost four wickets for 26 in 40 balls including their leading run scorer John Simpson, calamitously run out going for a second run on an overthrow.At the start of the day Essex skipper Simon Harmer clubbed three sixes to reach a half-century before he was last out for 53 as Essex’s first innings ended on 504, a lead of 300.Essex’s new-ball pair Sam Cook and Jamie Porter soon made inroads. Tom Haines nibbled fatally at Cook’s first ball and edged it to third slip beforePorter struck in the seventh over to remove Daniel Hughes, courtesy of a fine low catch at second slip by Harmer.But from 33 for two Coles and Alsop rebuilt patiently. Alsop’s fourth fifty of the season came off 104 balls and the normally more attacking Coles took 117 deliveries for his, but neither offered a chance as the Kookaburra ball quickly lost its effectiveness and Essex had to settle for containment.Having had little success himself, Harmer turned to Critchley in the 47th over and with his first ball he nearly won an lbw verdict against Alsop. But the fourth delivery of his next over straightened enough to beat Alsop’s defensive push. He faced 150 balls and hit nine fours.Essex had a breakthrough and after tea they rammed home their superiority, aided once again by some pretty poor shot selection by the Sussex middle and lower order.Dan Ibrahim (19), who’d helped Coles add 48 for the fourth wicket, got a leading edge in the first over after the resumption and Khaleel Ahmed took the catch in his follow through, while Simpson was run out by Sam Cook’s throw looking for a second run on an overthrow after a moment’s fatal hesitation between him and Coles.Critchley then struck in successive overs. Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s mistimed drive was caught well in the covers by Harmer and Jack Carson tamely picked out mid-wicket aiming to hit Critchley over the top.As the clouds rolled in, Ari Karvelas defied Critchley and Harmer for 33 balls but it would need a lot more resistance from him, Coles and Sussex’s tail to keep Essex at bay on the final day.

Rangers invested heavily in the summer but, given their current predicament, expect plenty more signings in January too.

During the summer transfer window, led by manager Russell Martin and sporting director Kevin Thelwell, the Gers signed 13 new players, splashing around £30m, a huge amount for a Scottish club.

The most expensive of these additions was striker Youssef Chermiti, arriving from Everton for £8m which could rise to £10m, their second-most expensive signing of all-time, but the Gers still appear light in attack, so could new manager Danny Röhl demand the addition of a new centre-forward he knows rather well.

Rangers' search for reinforcements

Even before appointing out-of-work Röhl, Rangers had taken advantage of Sheffield Wednesday’s predicament, signing winger Djeidi Gassama for a cut-price £2.2m in July.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The EFL Championship club entered administration this week, usually a dark day for any football club, but on this occasion it was a day of celebration, because it means Dejphon Chansiri is no longer running the club.

Supporters rushed to Hillsborough to buy tickets and merchandise, having been boycotting both, but there are serious ramifications, given that the Owls were slapped with a 12-point deduction, more could follow for failing to pay staff, meaning relegation to EFL League One appears inevitable, while a new owner still has to be found, all why Röhl walked away in July.

Thus, for as long as the administrators remain in charge, their task is to raise as much cash as possible, which includes selling players.

As a result, Sports Boom are reporting that Röhl is targeting a move for Sheffield Wednesday striker Bailey Cadamarteri, with the new boss telling the Glasgow side to put together ‘a proposed deal” for the youngster.

They add that Röhl is ‘eager to bolster his attacking options’, while adding that the German coach was an ‘influential figure in Cadamarteri’s development’, thereby potentially set to take advantage of the financial crisis in South Yorkshire by snapping up a bargain

So, could the 20-year-old soon be swapping Owlerton for Govan?

What Bailey Cadamarteri would bring to Rangers

Born in Leeds, Cadamarteri joined Sheffield Wednesday as an eight year old, making his senior debut in the EFL Trophy against Leicester City’s under-21s in October 2022.

He did not then feature for the Owls’ first team again for over a year, largely due to surgery, handed his league debut by Röhl against Millwall in November 2023, before scoring his first senior goal during a 3-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers a few weeks later.

He then also netted against Norwich, QPR and Swansea, before spending last season on loan at Lincoln City, scoring eight times in 31 outings for the Imps, his campaign at Sincil Bank cut short by a groin injury suffered mid-way through the season.

Now back at Sheffield Wednesday, given that many of the Owls’ senior players departed during the summer due to financial turmoil, he has started nine of their 12 EFL Championship matches, with the table below documenting his importance to Henrik Pedersen’s side.

As the table emphasises, Cadamarteri has been an integral figure for Wednesday this season, scoring during a 2-2 draw with Wrexham at the Racecourse in August.

He has though had the most shots of any Wednesday player, missing two Opta-defined big chances, while over 18% of his total touches have come in the opposition penalty area, showing that he offers an attacking presence.

Meantime, the 20-year-old has also made an interesting choice when it comes to international football.

After representing England at youth level, he switched his allegiance to Jamaica earlier this year, debuting for the Reggae Boyz in Bermuda in September, scoring against Trinidad & Tobago in Kingston a few days later.

Thus, if Steve McClaren’s team collect four points from their two qualifiers in November, again Trinidad & Tobago and then Curaçao, they’ll be heading for a first World Cup since France ’98, which could give Cadamarteri a platform to increase his exposure and market value, currently valued at around £1.1m by Football Transfers.

Ali Maxwell labels the young striker a “finisher” while Röhl, when the pair were still together in South Yorkshire, described him as “dangerous”.

A report by Total Football Analysis agrees, noting that he ‘consistently moves around to find pockets of space’, while praising his ability to ‘occupy spaces intelligently’ and excellent penalty box positioning.

Thus, it is clear that Cadamarteri is a talented young player, one who could well be available for a slashed price, while he may be eager to re-untie with Röhl north of the border.

Summer signing Chermiti has scored only once for Rangers to date, his first goal for anyone since May 2023, looking very unconvincing overall, while fellow centre-forwards Danilo and Bojan Miovski have only two goals to their name so far this season.

Given the dearth of quality in Rangers’ striker department, the young Jamaican international could come in and be first-choice from the word go, firing the Gers up the table.

Rohl could now turn "exciting" Rangers star into his own Shankland at Ibrox

Following Rangers’ 3-1 home win over Kilmarnock on Sunday, has Danny Röhl unearthed an “exciting” attacker who could be their own Lawrence Shankland?

By
Ben Gray

Oct 28, 2025