By winning their last regular-season game Renegades also improved to fourth, while Sixers are third

AAP05-Dec-2025

Melbourne Renegades duo Georgia Wareham and Courtney Webb have produced a match-winning partnership to sink Sydney Sixers and keep the defending WBBL champions in finals contention.The win had significant ramifications ahead of next week’s finals, ending Sixers’ three-game winning streak and meaning Hobart Hurricanes will finish top of the ladder.That means Hurricanes will host the final on Saturday week. Adelaide will host Hurricanes tonight at Karen Rolton Oval, with Strikers needing an upset win to stay in the top-four hunt.By winning their last regular-season game Renegades also improved to fourth, while Sixers are third. But Renegades must sweat on other results to find out whether they play in the finals.Chasing 131 for victory, Wareham (49 not out) and Webb (33 not out) took Renegades to 134 for 4 from 16.2 overs on Friday in Melbourne.The pair put on a whirlwind unbroken 85-run stand, rescuing Renegades from a wobbly 49 for 4 in the tenth over.Wareham, who earlier took three wickets, finished with a furious flourish, cracking five fours and two sixes from her 29 deliveries. And Webb also found the boundary four times as Renegades (five wins, five losses) climbed from sixth to fourth on the table.Sixers (five wins, three losses) remain third after failing to capitalise on an Ellyse Perryspecial with the bat.Perry top-scored with 65 from 47 balls but Sixers struggled to 130 for 9. The allrounder dominated Sixers’ innings, hitting nine fours and a six, despite frequently losing partners.Only one other team-mate – Ash Gardner (16) – reached double figures amid some excellent legspin bowling from Wareham (3 for 21 from four overs).Alyssa Healy made a six-ball duck and the middle order failed to fire around Perry, who was dismissed in the 18th over when caught at long-on from the bowling of Alice Capsey (2 for 27).Ellyse Perry put on a one-woman show with the bat for Sixers•Getty Images

Renegades hit early trouble in their chase when Maitlan Brown snared two wickets in the second over.Opener Davina Perrin (28 from 27) and Capsey (10 from 15) briefly steadied before both fell in a three-over patch, leaving Renegades in serious strife four down.But Wareham and Webb launched a power-packed counter-punch with Brown (2 for 45) the only multiple wicket-taker for Sixers.All three games over the weekend will affect the top-four finishing order. The Melbourne Stars are second and on Saturday cannot afford a slip-up when they host the Sydney Thunder, who are out of finals contention.The late Saturday game will feature fifth-placed Perth Scorchers at home against bottom side Heat, while Sixers host Adelaide Strikers on Sunday in a massive end to the regular season.Only three points separates Stars from the sixth-placed Strikers.Tuesday’s knockout final will feature the third-placed team at home against fourth.The winner of that game travels to the second-placed team on Thursday for the challenger final and that will decide who faces Hurricanes for the title.

Jonny Bairstow has signed a new three-year contract that will see him continue as Yorkshire’s captain in the County Championship but possibly miss the first two months of next season to play in the IPL.Bairstow’s two-year central contract only expired at the end of the 2025 season, more than a year after his most recent England appearance, and he has committed his long-term future to his boyhood club. At 36, he has resisted the temptation to become a T20 specialist and instead will continue to lead Yorkshire in the Championship after his appointment as captain this year.However, Bairstow could miss the first block of fixtures next year if selected in the IPL auction. Under the league’s regulations, he is not available for retention by Mumbai Indians after scores of 47 and 38 in his two appearances as a late replacement this year, but ESPNcricinfo has learned that he plans to enter the auction for 2026, which is expected to be held next month.Yorkshire finished seventh in Division One of the Championship last year and second-bottom of the North Group in the T20 Blast, though did reach the semi-finals of the Metro Bank Cup with a young side.Gavin Hamilton, their director of cricket, said he was “absolutely delighted” that Bairstow had committed to a long-term contract. “Jonny remains one of the best batters in the English game, capable of changing a game single-handedly, and we are very lucky to have him in our side,” he said.Bairstow has been at Headingley this week for pre-season fitness testing but will spend much of his winter playing overseas, with contracts lined up with MI Emirates in the ILT20 and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.”I’m delighted to have signed a contract extension and am looking forward to playing my part in what is a hugely exciting period for Yorkshire,” Bairstow said. “Having come through the age-groups and spent all of my career here, it was the only real choice for me, and I’ll continue to wear the White Rose with pride over the next three years.”Leading the side in the Championship this year was a real honour, and I can’t wait to get back out there in 2026. The performances we put in, particularly in the second half of the campaign, were very encouraging and I am confident that we have got a group of players that can challenge the very best teams over the next few years.”

Taskin is currently playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 and was not available for selection

Mohammad Isam23-Nov-2025Bangladesh have picked Mohammad Saifuddin and Mahidul Islam Ankon for the first two T20Is of the three-match series against Ireland. They replace Taskin Ahmed and Shamim Hossain from the squad that played the T20Is against West Indies last month.Saifuddin was part of the T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah, which Bangladesh won 3-0, while Ankon is uncapped in the format. He has played one Test and three ODIs, though.Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said that Taskin was not available for selection as he is currently playing in the Abu Dhabi T10. He also mentioned that Shamim Hossain has been left out.”Taskin has an NOC, so he is not available to us currently,” Hossain said. “We know that he will play for Bangladesh whenever we ask him to, but we are well aware of the plans.”We haven’t considered Shamim Hossain for the first two T20Is. We have picked Mahidul Islam so that we can try someone in the top four.”All three matches of the series will be played in Chattogram, on November 27, 29 and December 2.Bangladesh squad for Ireland T20IsLitton Das (capt), Saif Hassan (vice-capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin

The Colorado Rapids are expected to appoint Tottenham Hotspur assistant Matt Wells as their next head coach, according to a report from The Athletic. Wells, 37, would be stepping into his first senior managerial role and would become one of the youngest head coaches in MLS when he arrives ahead of the 2026 season.

• AFP
  

  A diverse coaching background

  Wells is currently part of Thomas Frank’s staff at Spurs and previously worked under Ange Postecoglou, where he took on significant responsibility during training sessions and match preparation.

  Before returning to North London, Wells served as an assistant to Scott Parker at Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugge – a stretch that included promotions and European experience. He also began his coaching career in Tottenham’s academy, where he coached the club’s Under-18 side.

  reports that Colorado has been encouraged by Wells’ background and potential, believing he fits the club’s desire for a cohesive approach between coaching and recruitment as it looks to elevate a young core.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Why the Rapids targeted him

  The Rapids interviewed a wide range of candidates, both domestically and abroad, before settling on Wells, according to the report. The club places an emphasis on alignment between the head coach and roster construction, and Wells has been involved in early offseason planning.

  The squad includes several foundational pieces, led by U.S. international Paxten Aaronson, along with goalkeeper Zack Steffen, Rob Holding, Cole Bassett, Sam Vines, and Reggie Cannon.

  Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro – who has 27 goals and 10 assists over the last two seasons – could still depart this winter after Colorado rejected a significant bid from Fluminense in the summer. A move would open a Designated Player slot for the club.

• How this impacts Spurs…

  Colorado and Arsenal share ownership through Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, yet the Rapids appear set to appoint an assistant from Tottenham, one of Arsenal’s rivals. The club previously interviewed former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere during a past coaching search.

  If Wells departs, it would mark the first notable change to Thomas Frank’s coaching staff since his arrival at Spurs. Wells is the only assistant from Postecoglou’s staff who remained in place and is viewed internally as a sharp tactical mind with inventive training methods.

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• What comes next?

  According to , Wells has long been seen as a young coach ready for his own project. A move to MLS would offer that opportunity, while signaling Colorado’s continued push toward a modern, aligned football identity under a first-time head coach.

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner has explained the thinking behind leaving the Lionesses duo of Ella Toone and Jess Park on the bench for Wednesday's Champions League defeat to eight-time winners Lyon. Although already assured of a play-off berth, the Red Devils needed a positive result to improve their seeding and to push for automatic qualification. Skinner's starting XI raised plenty of questions before his side were given a 3-0 thumping.

Park, Toone & Skinner's eyebrow-raising team selection

It wasn't just the absences of Park, in excellent form, and Toone, leading the Women's Super League for assists this season, that left many perplexed. Skinner also named Dominique Janssen, a strong performer at centre-back, to his bench and Julia Zigiotti Olme, who has been excellent since arriving from Bayern Munich in the summer. It was a gamble that didn't pay-off either, with United not really in the game until Skinner brought on all of Park, Toone and Zigiotti at half time. Even then, there wasn't enough time for the Red Devils to turn things around, with them dealt a 3-0 loss.

AdvertisementAFPExplained: Why Man Utd benched Park, Toone & more for Lyon clash

"You can lose a game against Lyon on set pieces, on physicality, so we had to have balance," Skinner said, explaining his team selection. "We needed to match them physically from the first half, and then always adapt it and change it second half. I felt that, first half, we physically were matching them, especially from set pieces, but we probably didn't get enough pressure on them in moments, so I adapted it half time, got a little bit more ball possession."

Asked what the reactions of players like Toone, Park and Zigiotti was when they were told they weren't starting this big game, Skinner replied: "When they had the reasons and rationale explained, they understood. They don't want to not play but I always explain the reasons. I don't leave any players blind to what the decisions are. That's my job, to make tough decisions."

When asked about Skinner's emphasis on Lyon's physicality, Jonatan Giraldez, head coach of the French giants, said: "For sure, we have top players, technical players, tactical players and also physical players but I don't think that only the physicality has been key. I think as a team, we have done a very good job today."

Busy January coming? Man Utd in need of extra depth

It wasn't just about what Skinner felt was necessary for this particular match-up, either. United don't have the biggest squad, with many of those on the bench on Wednesday having played a lot of minutes as a result. As such, there was also a touch of loading factored into his selection against Lyon.

"We've got four games in 10 days, so we've got to be able to rotate," he added. "I won't have anyone go, 'Oh, well, you don't rotate', and then you do rotate, and it's not right. You've got to. There's got to be a plan ahead of all of the games."

Skinner has been keen to point out that his squad needs reinforcements in January, after a summer transfer window in which fewer were brought in that he would've liked. "It's nothing to do with the quality in my squad right now. It needs support and it needs numbers of quality," he said on Wednesday, emphasising the need for more depth to compete on four fronts. "I don't want to diminish anything from my squad. I love [the players] and what they do. It's not about replacing them, but it's about trying to grow the team."

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Getty Images SportWho will Man Utd face in the Women's Champions League play-offs?

While United have already secured a spot in the Champions League league phase play-offs, an automatic qualification spot remains up for grabs, though it is harder for the Red Devils to secure after this defeat. Skinner's side travel to Juventus next week hoping for a win that could sneak them into the top four, but they will need results to go their way elsewhere as well.

United are currently ninth in the UWCL standings, which would leave them unseeded in the play-offs. As it stands, they could be playing Wolfsburg or Arsenal, though that is all likely to change after next week's final games. Creep into the top eight, however, and the Red Devils could get a much more favourable draw, with the likes of Paris FC, OH Leuven and an Atletico Madrid side they beat earlier in the league phase all in the mix.

The positive is that this is just the club's first stage in the Women's Champions League proper and they will be getting out of the league phase. Who they will face in that next round will all be determined next week.

Things are not going well for manager Stephen Vogt and the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians, once battling the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL Central, have plummeted to fourth place as they stumble on an ongoing nine-game losing streak. Cleveland has been shut out four times and has failed to score more than two runs six times during its nine-game skid.

Perhaps in an attempt to lighten the mood Friday during Cleveland's 2-1 loss to Detroit, Guardians TV cameras captured associate manager Craig Albernaz tossing sunflower seeds onto his buddy, manager Stephen Vogt. In that moment at least, Vogt wasn't having it.

The Guardians TV cameras panned away from Vogt after the exchange, and the broadcasters on the mic had a chuckle about it.

If Vogt looks a bit stressed out, it's because, well, he probably is.

In addition to the nine-game losing skid that has the Guardians 12.5 games back in the division and five games out of a playoff spot, Cleveland pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on leave earlier this week due to an MLB betting investigation.

A long skid and a controversy in the clubhouse? That'll have any skipper on edge. And a handful of sunflower seeds to the face probably don't help the cause.

The Guardians will try to snap their nine-game losing streak Saturday in a rematch against the Tigers at Progressive Field.

اختار مارسيلو، أسطورة نادي ريال مدريد، لاعبه المفضل في تشكيل الفريق الملكي الحالية، موضحًا أنه كان يعاني من زيادة في وزنه خلال مسيرته.

مارسيلو يعتبر ضمن أفضل اللاعبين في تاريخ ريال مدريد، وقدم الظهير الأيسر عروضًا لا تنسى مع الملكي قبل الرحيل بنهاية موسم 2022 ومن ثم التوقيع مع فلومينينسي.

وقرر مارسيلو في نهاية المطاف وضع حد لمسيرته الكروية واعتزل في وقت سابق من هذا العام.

وأشاد مارسيلو في حوار مع أسطورة ريال مدريد، إيكر كاسياس، والذي نقلته شبكة ”Madridxtra” بنجم ريال مدريد، فينيسيوس جونيور، موضحًا أن الأخير هو لاعبه المفضل في جيل الفريق الملكي الحالي.

وقال مارسيلو عن مواطنه فينيسيوس: “أنا دائمًا أشجع فريقنا الحالي وسعيد لأجلهم، وخاصة فينيسيوس، لأنني رأيته منذ صغره”.

وعن تعرضه للانتقادات، أضاف: ”كنت دائمًا ممتلئ الجسم بعض الشيء، لم أملك عضلات كريستيانو طوال حياتي (يضحك)”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. حقيقة إصابة كامافينجا أمام أتلتيك بلباو

وأوضح: ”عندما تسوء الأمور يقولون إن السبب هو زيادة وزني، كان ذلك طبيعيًا، سألني ابني ذات مرة وقال لي أبي، لماذا أنت ممتلئ الجسم في فيديوهات نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا؟ ثم أجبته وقلت له هذا الرجل الممتلئ دائمًا ما كان يلعب بنفس الجسم ويفوز بالألقاب ويلعب في النهائيات، وكان حاسمًا فيها (يضحك)”.

وأردف: “كان رفع الكؤوس كقائد من أفضل التجارب، لأنك تتذكر ما كان عليه الحال مع سيرجيو راموس”.

ثم رد كاسياس على مارسيلو، وقال: “أتذكر، لم أحمل الكأس إلا لعشر ثوان”، وعاد مارسيلو ليرد على كاسياس: “كان سيرجيو يأخذها، ويضع عليها وشاحًا”.

كما كشف مارسيلو عن موقف طريف جمعه مع جوزيه مورينيو، مدرب ريال مدريد السابق، حيث أوضح: “لعبت بشكل رائع في هذه المباراة ثم جاءني جوزيه وقال، أنت الأفضل، رائع، ثم عدتُ إلى المنزل وكنت سعيدًا جدًا بكلام مورينيو”.

وأردف: ”في المباراة التالية قدمت أداءًا سيئًا، فقال لي أنت سيء، ماذا تفعل؟ (يضحك)”.

واختتم مارسيلو في حديثه: ”كما تعلم، عندما قال لي ذلك أعجبني كثيرًا، لأنني تعلمت منه الكثير”.

It's well known that the Yankees are looking to acquire a starting third baseman at the upcoming trade deadline.

One of the top options out there is Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez, who is batting .250/.320/.569 with 31 homers and 78 RBIs in 95 games. Entering the All-Star break, only Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have hit more dingers than Suárez.

The Diamondbacks are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline, as they sit with a 47-50 record—11 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. It appears Suárez can be acquired for the right price.

With all the league's best players meeting in Atlanta this week for the 2025 All-Star Game, Suárez was directly asked about the possibility of being traded to New York.

"Yankees [are the] Yankees. It's a team that wants to win," Suárez said. They're hungry still. If I got over there, I would do my best and try to help them win the World Series."

According to Fangraphs, Yankees have collected just 0.6 fWAR at third base so far this season, which ranks 29th in all of baseball—only edging out the Washington Nationals.

New York has seen five different players start at least one game at the hot corner for them in 2025: Oswaldo Cabrera (30 games), Oswald Peraza (30), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (28), Jorbit Vivas (6) and Pablo Reyes (2).

The 2025 MLB trade deadline is set for July 31 at 6 p.m. ET.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo found out last weekend that he had made the American League All-Star team for the first time in his three years in the big leagues. Moments after getting that news, he called his parents to let them know and their reaction was too good.

The 25-year-old right-hander is 8–4 on the season with a 2.77 ERA. He's a big reason why the Mariners are in second place in the AL West and will be fighting for a possible playoff berth in the second half of the season.

The team recorded Woo's conversation with his parents, which started with him talking to his dad about the family plans for the upcoming All-Star break. He the shared that they need to head to Atlanta, where this year's game will be played.

“Oh my god, Bryan! Holy s—!," his mom yelled upon hearing the news.

This whole video is great:

Safe to say next week is going to be a special one for the Woo family.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras pode contar com duas mudanças na escalação titular para enfrentar o Santos, pela final do Paulistão, neste domingo (7). A tendência é que Abel Ferreira promova as entradas de Gustavo Gómez e Lázaro no time.

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➡️Acredita no Verdão?! Aposte R$50 e fature R$260 no Lance! Betting para o Palmeiras fazer 2 a 0 ser campeão no tempo normal

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Com maior chance de começar na equipe titular do que Lázaro, o zagueiro paraguaio está recuperado de uma fratura em um dos dedos do pé esquerdo. Ele deve entrar na vaga de Luan ou Marcos Rocha, ambos titulares na partida de ida contra o Peixe.

Gustavo Gómez retornou de vez ao time do Palmeiras após a contusão diante do San Lorenzo, na quarta-feira (3), pela estreia na Libertadores. Abel levou uma equipe considerada reserva para a Argentina, e o defensor formou dupla com o jovem Naves.

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Lázaro também começou entre os 11 iniciais na partida pelo torneio sul-americano. Existe a possibilidade dele substituir Marcos Rocha e, com isso, o Verdão não teria a “dobra de laterais” com Mayke e o camisa 2.

A provável escalação do Palmeiras para enfrentar o Santos tem: Weverton; Mayke, Marcos Rocha (Lázaro ou Luan), Gustavo Gómez (Luan), Murilo e Piquerez; Aníbal Moreno, Zé Rafael e Raphael Veiga; Endrick e Flaco López.

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O clássico que decide o campeão do Paulistão tem início marcado para às 18h, no Allianz Parque. O Peixe tem a vantagem após vencer o jogo de ida por 1 a 0.

➡️ Palmeiras x Santos: onde assistir à final do Paulistão

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