Aiden Markram says the squad tried to simulate spinning conditions during a training camp in Pretoria

Firdose Moonda06-Oct-2025South Africa are expecting a slew of spin when they begin their World Test Championship (WTC) title defence in Pakistan later this week and stand-in captain Aiden Markram is confident his players are ready.Though this South African unit has not played red-ball cricket together since the previous WTC final in June, some of their players were involved in a two-Test series in Zimbabwe in June-July and others have been at the county championship. Their main preparation took place over the last two days at a training camp in Pretoria, where they tried to replicate the home advantage Markram believes Pakistan have every right to exploit.”If it’s your home game, you can pretty much prepare whatever wicket you’d like to prepare. That’s how I see it,” Markram said ahead of the team’s departure on Monday. ” Ultimately, if it’s going to be extreme like it was in the English series, then it’s going to be difficult for both teams from a batting point of view. For us as a squad, we’ve just got to be happy with what we have, whatever the conditions look like and to back whoever it is on the day to get the job done. So I’m not too fussed by it.”Markram’s reference to “the English series,” harks back to this time last year, when Pakistan hosted England. After losing the first Test, Pakistan won the next two on pitches that turned square after using everything from industrial fans and heaters to windbreakers to dry out the surfaces. Those games were played in Multan and Rawalpindi. South Africa will play in Lahore and Rawalpindi, where 29 of 31 wickets in the England Test fell to spin.No pitch in South Africa can behave that way but they tried at the High Performance Centre. “There’s three pitches that are spinning quite a bit and two out of those three are really exaggerated,” Markram said. “The one that’s a little bit in between is still sharp spin but slightly easier to bat on. And then we’ve got one strip in the middle as well where it’s pretty normal. We try to keep it as dead as possible but it’s not always that easy, just to have the ball squat a bit low. It’s difficult to do that on the Highveld, but we’ve tried our best. We’re trying to tick all the boxes.”South Africa have also picked a spin-heavy squad, which includes left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy and offspinners Simon Harmer and Prenelan Subrayen. “They’re all quite different. If you look at the two off-spinners to start with, Simon and Subs, especially having faced them now where it is spinning, it’s two completely different challenges they throw at you. That’s something great to have as a squad,” Markram said. “You don’t really want similar types of spinners. They are each quite different, different paces, different types of spin in terms of side spin and overspin and stuff like that, which reacts differently off the wickets. They’ll play a massive role for us there if what we’re expecting is going to be the case.”South Africa’s first-choice spinner Keshav Maharaj will only join the squad for the second Test, when they will have four specialist spin options. They will not, however, enjoy the return of their regular Test captain Temba Bavuma, who was ruled out of the series with a calf injury. While Markram is used to standing in for Bavuma, and did on South Africa’s tour to Bangladesh last year, making up for Bavuma’s place in the batting order is not as simple.As South Africa’s leading run-scorer of the last WTC, Bavuma provides stability and experience at No.4, which South Africa will have to find elsewhere. One replacement option is Dewald Brevis, who debuted in Zimbabwe and has an aggressive approach across formats.”He’d definitely be an option, especially with the way he plays spin,” Markram said. “If the conditions are going to be exaggerated, he can quickly change the momentum of the game doing what he does and playing the way he does. He’ll be a definite consideration.”He won’t be the only one. South Africa have also recalled Zubayr Hamza, who recently played for the A side against New Zealand A and scored a second-innings hundred in the first match, and WTC squad member Tony de Zorzi, who proved his credentials in the subcontinent with 177 against Bangladesh last year. “He played incredibly well in Bangladesh and scored big runs there, where it was also quite challenging. So I don’t think it’s necessarily that Dewald is a dead-given straight swap, but I’m very sure he’ll be in the conversation.”The first Test of the series starts in Lahore on Sunday.

Cruz Beckham has fiercely defended his father David after Cristiano Ronaldo claimed he was physically superior to the retired Manchester United legend. The Al-Nassr star is still playing at the age of 40 and boasts an impressive physique, an area he feels he has the beating of Beckham. But the ex-England captain's youngest son has hit back at the Portuguese in savage style.

Ronaldo puts down Beckham's 'normal' body

The Portugal icon spoke with journalist Piers Morgan about his career, his future, and much more during a lengthy chat earlier this month. In that conversation, ex-Man Utd and Real Madrid man Beckham, 50, was also briefly brought up. Ronaldo was asked who he thought was the better-looking of the two, with the veteran striker not mincing his words. 

"His face is beautiful, yeah, handsome face," he said. "The rest is normal, like it's normal. I'm not normal. I'm perfecto. For me [good] looking is not only the face but the whole package. Imagine Cristiano and a normal guy with red speedos on the Copacabana, you think I am not going to have a chance with nobody."

When asked who would get more attention walking across the Copacabana, Ronaldo boasted: "Me, 100 per cent," before adding, "He's [Beckham] looking good. I like him, he is a guy who speaks good, I like him."

The former Juventus star also suggested he is the most famous person on the planet.

"We'll do a debate for the world: who's the most famous? Me or President Donald Trump? I think, in the world, even in small islands, they know me more than him," he said.

AdvertisementCruz sticks up for father David Beckham

In response to this, the 20-year-old Cruz referenced Ronaldo's "rest is normal" comments and put together a side-by-side shot of the Portuguese when he signed for United as a teenager in 2003; in addition to one of David in his 20s. In that image, Beckham appears to have the edge.

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Beckham still got it

A few months before he turned 50, Beckham was on the front cover of Men's Health. The Inter Miami co-owner revealed that to this day, he still does two exercises: push ups and pull-ups. But it wasn't always something he enjoyed. 

He told the magazine in February: "I hated pull-ups with a passion. I could literally only do two or three – three at most. Bob decided to focus on press-ups and pull-ups. I hated both, and now we do them most days. I didn’t have pecs until I met (trainer) Bob [Rich]. You could say I’ve gone up a few cup sizes as a result. I never really had a desire to, either. I wanted to be as lean as I could. But since retiring, I’ve put a bit of meat in my pecs."

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Getty/GOALWhat comes next for Ronaldo and Beckham?

Aside from physique wars, Beckham will be focusing on Inter Miami's Major League Soccer Eastern Conference final clash against New York City on Saturday, which will see Lionel Messi take centre stage once again. Ronaldo, meanwhile, will be hoping his Al-Nassr side can beat Istiklol in the AFC Champions League 2 on Wednesday.

Manchester City are now frontrunners in the race to sign a “world-class” £80m star, who Pep Guardiola has called “extraordinary”.

Man City eyeing new forward after Bayer Leverkusen defeat

Guardiola rung the changes on Tuesday evening, making 10 alterations to the side that lost 2-1 at Newcastle United at the weekend, and Bayer Leverkusen made them pay, emerging as 2-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

City did manage to create some chances, with Nathan Ake, Savinho and second-half substitute Erling Haaland all squandering big opportunities, but they weren’t clinical enough on the night, and the German side emerged as surprise winners.

Pep would’ve been hoping that his attackers would step up in the absence of Haaland, with Omar Marmoush being given the nod ahead of the Norwegian at centre-forward, but it was a subpar performance from the Egyptian, who received a 6.2 SofaScore match rating, the lowest of any player.

The defeat arguably underlined the need for the Blues to bring in another forward to support Haaland in the January transfer window, and there has now been a positive update on their interest in Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr.

According to a report from Football Insider, Man City are now frontrunners in the race to sign Vinicius, alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea, with the forward’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu in doubt, following a fallout with manager Xabi Alonso.

Talks over a contract extension have stalled, meaning the Brazilian could be set to depart the Spanish club, and City would have the financial muscle to get a deal over the line, with his current employers looking to receive £80m.

Should Madrid decide to cash-in this summer, with the 25-year-old’s current deal set to expire in 2027, a number of Saudi Pro League clubs would also join the Blues in the race, so there could be stiff competition for his signature.

"World-class" Vinicius could elevate Man City's forward line

With the likes of Savinho, Marmoush and Oscar Bobb failing to deliver against Leverkusen, Pep may be keen to bring in a forward who is already proven at the top level, and he is known to be a keen admirer of the Real Madrid star.

The City boss lauded the Brazil international as “extraordinary” last year, while he has also received high praise from Jurgen Klopp, who described the winger as “world-class” and a Real Madrid “legend”.

The former Flamengo man has been one of Madrid’s most important players for several years now, and he remained potent in front of goal right across the 2024-25 campaign, weighing in with 41 goal contributions in all competitions.

Same agent as Stones: Man City ready to snap up £80m Champions League "superstar"

There has been a new update on the Blues’ pursuit of a new defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Nov 27, 2025

As such, should Vinicius Jr become available, Man City should undoubtedly make a move, and £80m would be reasonable fee for a forward who is still young, and regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.

خاض فريق ليفربول، بقيادة المدرب آرني سلوت، مباراته في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز عصر يوم الأحد وذلك ضد نظيره فريق وست هام على ملعب الأخير.

واستضاف ملعب “لندن الأولمبي” مباراة فريقي ليفربول ووست هام، في خضم منافسات الجولة الثالثة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي 2025/26، حيث حقق حامل اللقب فوزًا بهدفين دون رد. أهداف مباراة ليفربول ووست هام في الدوري الإنجليزي

ودخل ليفربول تلك المباراة مع تواجد النجم المصري محمد صلاح على دكة البدلاء، ولم يشارك في أي دقائق.

وسنحت فرصة هجومية لصالح ليفربول في الدقيقة الرابعة من عمر الشوط الأول، ولكن ألكسندر إيزاك سدد كرته أعلى من اللازم، لتضيع الهجمة على الضيوف.

واصطدم حارس ليفربول أليسون بيكر بزميله جو جوميز، في الدقيقة 11، خلال تصديه لتسديدة من أحد لاعبي وست هام، ليسقط على أرض الملعب حيث تدخل الطاقم الطبي قبل استكماله اللعب.

وتصدى حارس مرمى وست هام، أريولا، لفرصة هدف محقق بعد تسديدة من ألكسندر إيزاك في الدقيقة 22، ولكن الحظ لم يحالف لاعب ليفربول.

وفي الدقيقة 39، مرر جاكبو كرة إلى فلوريان فيرتز حيث كان الأخير في موقف مميز للتسجيل، ولكن كرته وصلت سهلة إلى يد حارس وست هام.

وعاد أريولا، حارس وست هام، للتألق من جديد بعدما تصدى لتسديدة من جو جوميز في الدقيقة 43.

وجاء هدف ليفربول الأول في الدقيقة 59 عن طريق ألكسندر إيزاك، بعد سلسلة من التمريرات انتهت بتمريرة من جاكبو إلى السويدي الذي سددها في الشباك، معلنًا عن هدفه الأول بقميص الريدز في الدوري الإنجليزي.

وكاد هوجو إيكتيكي أن يسجل الهدف الثاني لصالح ليفربول في الدقيقة 76 بعدما سدد كرة قوية مرت بجوار قائم مرمى وست هام.

واضطر وست هام إلى اللعب منقوصًا منذ الدقيقة 83 بعدما طُرد اللاعب لوكاس باكيتا لحصوله على بطاقة حمراء، حيث كان الأمر في البداية قاصرًا على بطاقة صفراء بسبب اعتراضه على الحكم نتيجة تدخل نيكلاس فولكروج على دومينيك سوبوسلاي.

وحاول لاعبو وست هام تهدئة باكيتا والذي استمر في معارضته للحكم، الذي أشهر البطاقة الصفراء الثانية ثم الحمراء، ثم صفق له اللاعب ساخرًا وهو يغادر الملعب.

وفي الدقيقة 92، سجل كودي جاكبو الهدف الثاني لصالح ليفربول، ليضمن النقاط كاملة لكتيبة آرني سلوت في ظل معاناتهم الفترة الأخيرة.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد ليفربول إلى 21 نقطة في المركز الثامن، بينما تجمد رصيد وست هام عند 11 نقطة في المركز السابع عشر.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s reduced punishment for his red card against the Republic of Ireland has sparked fury across social media, with fans accusing FIFA of "bending the rules" to ensure the Portugal captain is available for the first games of the World Cup. The decision to convert what many expected to be a multi-match violent conduct ban into a one-game ban with two games suspended has ignited a fierce debate.

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  Ronaldo set to play World Cup opener after suspended ban

  Ronaldo’s sending off against the Republic of Ireland – the first red card of his international career – initially looked certain to trigger a multi-match ban that would impact Portugal’s opening fixtures at the 2026 World Cup. After VAR upgraded his yellow card to a straight red for elbowing Dara O’Shea off the ball, disciplinary precedents suggested a minimum two or three-match suspension for violent conduct. Instead, FIFA’s disciplinary committee downgraded the immediate consequences, ruling that Ronaldo’s offence would result in just a single-match ban, which he has already served, while placing a further two games on a suspended sanction valid for the next 365 days.

  The unexpected leniency has caused significant backlash, not least because the incident involved no attempt to play the ball and came amid previous flashpoints between the same two players. Although Portugal cruised to a 9-1 win over Armenia without him, many observers believed Ronaldo would miss at least one match at the World Cup due to the severity of the elbow. Instead, he will be eligible for Portugal’s tournament opener, a decision some feel undermines the disciplinary standards applied to other players in similar situations.

  The ruling has been attributed partly to Ronaldo’s previously clean international record and the fact that this was his first-ever red card at national team level. Nonetheless, the decision has ignited a widespread debate about consistency, transparency and whether the governing body has acted in the broader interests of fairness or commercial appeal.

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• Fans outraged by FIFA 'bending the rules'

  Across X (formerly Twitter), supporters from around the world erupted in disbelief and anger at what many saw as preferential treatment for Ronaldo.

  @Shaun_Hall23 wrote: "It’s an absolute disgrace, the amount of players that have missed huge games for suspensions over the years. Makes a mockery of the game."

  @Kop_101x added: "Bending the rules just so he can play in the World Cup is shocking. He assaulted another player, and should be punished accordingly and with precedent."

  @notassedLFC accused FIFA of financial motivation: "FIFA know Ronaldo generates money. Him not playing opening World Cup game loses them money. Typical. If this was a Scottish player for example from a small country he’d be banned for all 3."

  @CarlSwietlik didn’t hold back either, saying: "May as well just have no rules or punishment for violent conduct then 🤦‍♂️ absolute fucking shambles. State of football man."

  @HHHendricks1 even joked that the ruling harms Portugal: "As much as this is completely predictable it is absolutely insane that they have given him blatant preferential treatment! Funniest part is that this actually punishes Portugal 😂😂😂 They are much better side with him not in it!"

  @Ratidoking added sarcastically: "As a Messi fan, I prayed for him not to be ban, now we can enjoy his comedy, he thinks world cup is friendly match."

  The reactions closed with one final jab from @Dantes__Infern0: "This means Portugal will playing with 10 men in the world cup??"

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Ronaldo's 'violent conduct' red card against Republic of Ireland

  Ronaldo’s controversial red card came in a chaotic qualifier in Dublin, where Portugal had already fallen 2-0 behind, setting the stage for an evening of frustration that boiled over in the second half. After tussling with O’Shea, the Portugal captain swung an elbow into the defender's back off the ball – an action spotted by VAR and upgraded to violent conduct. Ronaldo responded to the dismissal by ironically applauding the home crowd, further inflaming what was already a hostile atmosphere inside the Aviva Stadium.

  The severity of the contact and the lack of any attempt to play the ball fuelled immediate speculation that FIFA’s disciplinary committee would impose a minimum two-game ban, especially given historical rulings on similar incidents. However, Ronaldo’s spotless international disciplinary record appears to have played a decisive role, with the committee concluding that a harsher sentence was not necessary. The decision has therefore amplified concerns about consistency, particularly as similar or lesser acts by lower-profile players have routinely resulted in multi-match bans.

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• CR7 free to play Portugal's World Cup opener

  Portugal will now move into tournament preparations knowing Ronaldo is fully available for their 2026 World Cup opener, barring any further disciplinary incidents before the tournament. Manager Roberto Martínez is expected to name him in the starting XI without hesitation, though he will need the veteran forward to avoid any repeat confrontations that could activate the suspended two-game ban.

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Romário – O Cara, a série documental Max Original que trata de um dos nomes mais icônicos do futebol brasileiro, estreia na plataforma de streaming Max no dia 23 de maio. Com seis episódios, a produção mostra a trajetória de Romário até a histórica conquista do tetracampeonato mundial de 1994, que completa 30 anos no próximo mês de julho. A série também revela quais foram as motivações do ‘Baixinho’, como é conhecido, durante os momentos decisivos de sua carreira. A cada semana, serão lançados dois episódios.

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➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

O público vai acompanhar os bastidores e os desdobramentos de conquistas e polêmicas protagonizadas pelo craque dentro e fora de campo. A produção Max Original conta com depoimentos exclusivos e sem filtros do protagonista Romário e de outros grandes nomes do futebol mundial, como Roberto Baggio, Pep Guardiola, Hristo Stoichkov, Franco Baresi, Ronaldo, Neymar e Bebeto.

Romário – O Cara, dirigida por Bruno Maia e produzida por Feel the Match e Kromaki, recupera as origens e reconstrói os caminhos traçados por um dos maiores atacantes de todos os tempos. O arco narrativo começa em 1992, quando o jogador é colocado no banco de reservas da Seleção Brasileira, entra em conflito com a comissão técnica e fica de fora de importantes convocações seguintes. Entre idas e vindas cronológicas, a série se desenrola até o seu épico retorno à Seleção, que culmina com as conquistas da Copa do Mundo de 1994 e do prêmio de melhor jogador do planeta do mesmo ano.

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A produção também mergulha na intimidade de Romário e aborda relevantes assuntos de sua vida pessoal, como o sequestro de seu pai, às vésperas do Mundial de 1994. O documentário ainda apresenta imagens inéditas das passagens do craque por PSV e Barcelona, além de relembrar marcantes acontecimentos da história recente do Brasil, como a morte de Ayrton Senna e o impeachment do ex-presidente Fernando Collor.

Romário – O Cara é uma produção da Feel The Match e Kromaki para a Warner Bros. Discovery, dirigida por Bruno Maia. Pela WBD, assinam a produção Sergio Nakasone, Adriana Cechetti e Patricio Díaz. Pela Feel the Match e Kromaki, a produção ficou a cargo de Rodrigo Letier, Bruno Maia, Roberta Oliveira, Anna Julia Werneck e Victor Hugo Fiuza.

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Jitesh Sharma has been named captain of the India A squad for the upcoming Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Rising Stars Asia Cup, earlier the Emerging Teams tournament, to be played in Doha from November 14 to 23. Naman Dhir has been appointed his deputyThe selectors have also included 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the squad, which explains his absence from the four-team Under-19 Challenger Trophy. Over the years, that tournament has been used as a key marker by the junior national selection panel to finalise their squad for next year’s Under-19 World Cup – for which Suryavanshi appears to be a certainty.The 15-member squad, picked by Ajit Agarkar and his senior men’s selection panel, comprises some stellar IPL performers, most notably Punjab Kings and Delhi Premier League (DPL) star Priyansh Arya.

ACC Rising Stars tournament schedule

Nov 14 – Oman vs Pak; Ind vs UAE
Nov 15 – Ban vs HK; Afg vs SL
Nov 16 – Oman vs UAE; Ind vs Pak
Nov 17 – HK vs SL; Afg vs Ban
Nov 18 – Pak vs UAE; Ind vs Oman
Nov 19 – Afg vs HK; Ban vs SL
Nov 21 – Semi-finals: A1 vs B2; B1 vs A2
Nov 23 – Final

In his maiden IPL campaign in 2025, Arya struck 475 runs at a strike rate of 179.24 – the third-best in terms of runs for the franchise behind Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh. Last week, Arya was handed a first-class debut by Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.The other key state and IPL performers include Abishek Porel, currently captaining Bengal in Abhimanyu Easwaran’s absence, and Harsh Dubey, who has been a regular feature across various India A squads over the past few months.The fast bowlers include Gurjapneet Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yudhvir Singh and Yash Thakur – all of whom are part of BCCI’s targeted pool of fast bowlers. Ramandeep Singh and Suryansh Shedge are the seam-bowling allrounders.Pakistan A and Oman will kick off the tournament, with the showpiece India A vs Pakistan A match slotted for November 16. The teams are divided into two groups: Group A has Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka, while Group B has India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE.This will be the first cricketing exchange between the men’s teams of India and Pakistan since the senior Asia Cup in September, though the senior women’s teams faced off at the ODI World Cup earlier this month.When the men played the Asia Cup, there were no handshakes or any other form of greetings between the players of the two countries, and it ended with India, the tournament champions, leaving Dubai without the trophy.It emerged that they had decided not to receive the trophy from the ACC chief, Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be PCB chairman and the country’s interior minister.

India A squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup T20 tournament

Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir (vice-capt), Suryansh Shedge, Jitesh Sharma (capt, wk), Ramandeep Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ashutosh Sharma, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, Vijay Kumar Vyshak, Yudhvir Singh, Abishek Porel (wk), Suyash Sharma

Sydney Thunder say they would be “working closely with R Ashwin on a revised schedule of activity”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2025

R Ashwin has been ruled out of his BBL debut season with Sydney Thunder after undergoing knee surgery.Ashwin said he was “gutted” to miss the opportunity, which would have made him the first capped India player to play in the BBL, while Thunder said they were “working closely with him on a revised schedule of activity” that could include appearances at games in a non-playing capacity.The offspinner released a letter on Instagram to Thunder fans explaining that he had hurt his knee while training in Chennai and had undergone a procedure, which meant he would be unavailable to play for them this BBL season, which runs from December 14 until January 25.Ashwin’s retirement from the IPL earlier this year made it possible for him to play in overseas leagues, but the deal with Thunder, who he had committed the entire BBL season to once he went unsold in the ILT20 auction, was the only one that had been confirmed.”I’m gutted to miss BBL|15,” Ashwin was quoted as saying in a Thunder statement. “My focus now is recovery and coming back stronger. I’m grateful to the Thunder family and the fans for the warmth they’ve already shown me. Trent [Copeland, Thunder general manager] and the entire management made me feel part of the club from our very first conversation.”If rehab and travel plans allow, I’d love to be around the group later in the season and meet the fans. Wishing both Thunder teams a big year.”